Right when he started to show improvement around the rim and on the glass, when he started “to find [his] groove,” Nick Madray succumbed to a season-ending groin injury. That was last February. With the 6-foot-9 stretch four missing the last nine games of the season, the fear was that he would regress in his strides.
The class of 2014’s most highly anticipated recruit delivered as far as being a sharp-shooter was concerned. He averaged third on the team with 10.8 points through 21 games even after his insane 3-point shooting numbers dwindled mid-season. He made a huge offensive impact, leading all America East rookies with a Kenpom offensive impact rating of 103.2. But when it came to holding his own against stronger paint players?
“I was easy to get thrown out the game,” the sophomore forward said. “They just had guys glued on me on the 3-point line.”
As pure a jump shooter as he was, Madray was as prolific a fouler. The Canadian accumulated 61 fouls through his truncated season, at 2.9 per game. That ranked third on the team.
Now, however, Binghamton University head coach Tommy Dempsey and Madray are both confident that the sophomore will be a much stronger presence in the post.
“Last year I fell into foul trouble because I was slow, I wasn’t well conditioned and I wasn’t strong,” Madray said. “This year, I really made an effort to hit the weight room. Now I’m up to 220, so I’m just a lot stronger now, a lot quicker now and I’m playing better post defense. So I think that will play a large role in my defense, and not being fouled out as often.”
Dempsey echoed the sentiment.
“[Madray is] starting to come into his own,” Dempsey said. “We’ve tried to emphasize him getting inside more, rebounding a bit better, scoring in the paint so he can get to the free-throw line. He’s such a good free-throw shooter, but we have to get him to the line.”
Madray averaged just 3.7 rebounds per game last season. That actually ranked second on the team, behind only junior guard Jordan Reed’s 8.9 mark. Madray also shot 74.1 percent on free throws, but he made it to the line only 54 times in his debut season.
Those numbers might be OK, but for the team’s best shooter, an ability to be strong, to stay in the game and draw fouls will be key in the press Dempsey is implementing this season. While part of that development certainly comes from raw strength, it will also be a matter of confidence.
“The coaches really did a good job at getting me mentally prepared to really be consistent this year, and that’s what I’m going to try to focus on,” Madray said. “I’m going to bring the energy and effort day in and day out, and I think that will help me have a great and consistent season.”
As far as last season goes, Dempsey said Madray got by “on talent alone.” He shocked the coaching staff when he posted 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the team’s season opener against Loyola, Maryland.
“For the first three weeks of practice, we knew how talented he was, but we never saw that,” Dempsey said. “I think he was a combination of uncomfortable and nervous. But his talent allowed him to still go out there and have some really good games.”
Madray eclipsed the 20-point mark in four games in 2013-14. He shot 43.7 percent from the field on 76-of-174 shooting, 38 percent on 35-of-92 shooting from the 3-point range. He grabbed 78 boards through his 21 games and was one of only three Binghamton players to record double digits in blocks (10) on the season.
But for a guy who’s been said to have NBA potential, Madray will have to do better. And that’s the plan.
“Now I’m more of a threat down in the paint, in the mid-range, so I feel like I can spread the floor even more this year,” Madray said. “[The coaches] just did a really good job helping me develop my overall game.”