MACOMB – When Western Illinois named Rob Jeter head men’s basketball coach, it certainly raised eyebrows around the Summit League.
Jeter’s credentials speak for themselves, taking multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament.
But could the coach work similar magic in Macomb?
After losing his entire roster and having to rebuild from scratch, the coach had his work cut out for him.
Throw in a delayed start due to COVID-19 and Western was playing from behind before it even started.
It showed in the results as the Leathernecks stumbled through the nonconference, then lost seven straight games to open the Summit.
But after a heartbreaking loss to North Dakota two weeks ago, WIU looks like it may have turned the corner, winning three straight league games for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
“Part of that (the struggles) is not having the right lead up, so many guys were in and out, so it was hard to establish an identity, establish the right roles and guys had trouble accepting that as we fought through the first part of the season,” Jeter said. “Once we settled into conference, guys accepted their roles, we started to see more balance.”
Balance was hard to come by early, as the team could not get much going on the perimeter.
But the team has found its spark and balance, looking like a different squad that had to play ugly to stay in games.
“Early in the year, it was just ‘throw it inside,’ and that made everything a grind on offense,” Jeter said. “We were scoring in the 60s, sometimes the 70s, but now we’re more balanced. We’re seeing those 70s go into the 80s.
“What you need is a good, balanced team, not settling on one guard outside, then guys on the inside. The biggest thing these last few games is identifying roles and excelling in them.”
And getting the desired result also made a difference.
After playing teams tight only to fall in the final seconds, Western finally figured out how to close out games, winning at North Dakota and twice at Omaha.
And like most teams who are struggling, getting that first win has made everything easier.
“Getting that first win is big, then getting the next to is definitely huge for us,” senior Will Carius said. “It’s not like we’re perfect or have figured out the perfect formula to win, but we’re starting to get more comfortable with each other and get that confidence.”
Developing trust and figuring out how to win have gone hand in hand for the Leathernecks who are now looking to end the regular season on a strong point and qualify for the Summit League Tournament after missing the conference tournament last season.
“It’s not been easy, our last game was really close but we’re starting to figure out how to win at the end,” Carius said. “We were in a lot of close games at the beginning of the season and we did not get it done, but now we’re figuring out the small pieces to get it done.”