LITTLE ROCK — Class was in session on the court for UALR sophomore point guard Nia Gregory.
UALR women’s basketball Coach Joe Foley strolled five steps toward Gregory, who brought the ball to her hip during a stop in play. Foley wanted to know why the sophomore point guard backed off driving into the throng of the defense.
“I was waiting for people to get to their spots,” Gregory said.
Foley’s response touched on the nuanced task after the departure of Asriel Rolfe, who seamlessly handled the job of running a complex motion offense while dishing out a school-record 556 assists and posting a sterling 2.3 career assist-to-turnover ratio.
“It’s your job to go and help them find something,” Foley said.
Among the nine underclassmen on the roster, Gregory’s transition to handling the role looms as one of the biggest questions after a 24-7 campaign last season and a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Women’s Tournament.
There is no masking Gregory’s lack of playing time.
In 11 games, she averaged just 3.9 minutes and 0.3 points along with 0.3 assists, highlighted by a 16-minute stint where she hit a lone three-pointer and had three turnovers during a 64-47 loss at Memphis. And she didn’t see a minute of action during the UALR run to its first Sun Belt Conference title or in a 59-55 loss as a No. 12 seed to fifth-seeded Wisconsin Green-Bay during the NCAA Tournament.
Yet, that doesn’t mean Foley is altering how he installs his system.
“There is no such thing as scaling back,” Foley said. “They’ve all got to know how to pass it. They’ve all got to know how to screen. They’ve got to know how to cut and react. You can’t make the motion offense easy.”
Foley said Gregory took away bits and pieces of playing the position while facing Rolfe each day in practice in drills and serving in scout team roles during scrimmages.
“Our practices are so intense,” Foley said. “She got better playing against Asriel every day that it’s going to make you better. Whether they’re aware of it at the time, that helps. Now, it’s verbalized. All those things she encountered last year, she hears about them now.”
Gregory said teaching moments have become more common.
“He gets on me more,” Gregory said. “He’s pointing more things out, explaining things more and I’m seeing more when we watch film each day.”
Gregory, 5-6, from Collierville, Tenn., is accustomed to handling the responsibilities of the position at a young age, starting at point guard all four years of high school. Her duties called on her to score more, averaging 12 points and 5 assists her senior season.
“Nia’s a little bit different,” Foley said contrasting her with Rolfe. “She’s used to taking it to the hole a little bit more. Don’t get me wrong, she’s not worried about scoring. She just tries to create things on the college level that were there for her in high school, and those aren’t there.”
At UALR, a point guard’s job description is to serve as a conduit for getting the ball to players coming off a plethora of screens and cuts.
“It comes with knowing our personnel,” Gregory said. “Everybody wants the ball in certain spots, or they’re good at getting open in different ways. So it’s knowing where they like to go and when they pop out.”
But Foley said he wants her to shy away chances to push the issue while valuing a possession.
“Not try to take away their killer instinct,” Foley said of his method. “But a good point guard always keeps their head up, and they’re afraid to take a shot that’s there.”
Sports, Pages 19 on 10/25/2011