Kwanza Johnson showed up to the UALR men's basketball offices this week and picked scabs off of his knee.
Trojans Coach Wes Flanigan said the small wounds were the product of a new drill coaches introduced a couple of weeks ago.
The drill, Flanigan told a crowd at the Downtown Tip-Off Club on Friday, was to instill what he thinks his team is lacking most during its recent slide -- the Trojans have lost two in a row and five of their past seven games. It had Johnson, a first-year assistant, diving on the floor for loose balls, taking charges and finishing shots.
"You talk about our guys and our toughness, and we're not quite where we want to be right now," Flanigan told the crowd at the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel in North Little Rock. "I think we're starting to gain momentum in that department right now."
With a longer-than-usual break between games this week, UALR didn't take much time off. When UALR (11-7, 2-3) hosts South Alabama (9-9, 2-3) at 6 tonight at the Jack Stephens Center, it'll be its first game since last Saturday's 77-72 loss to Arkansas State.
Senior forward Jalen Jackson, who had 12 points in the loss, said he'd rather play immediately after a loss rather than stew about mistakes for a week. Senior guard Marcus Johnson said he felt the same way. But both acknowledged a need for work, as UALR has slid toward the bottom of the Sun Belt standings.
"We needed the break to get some of the wrinkles out and continue to work on our game," Jackson said. "Just continue to tune up. Because, we led the whole game against A-State, when we should have finished and won that game."
UALR cost itself a home victory because of sloppy offense down the stretch. The Trojans led 65-60 with seven minutes left but committed five turnovers to close the game. UALR shot just 38.1 percent in the second half, as its offense bogged down and wasted a 43-31 halftime lead.
Offensive consistency was one of the talking points this week, too. The Trojans are hampered by not having a true point guard -- senior Dayshawn Watkins is out for the season with a toe injury -- and a recent toe injury to senior forward Lis Shoshi. But the Trojans liked what they saw for 20 minutes last week, when they made 17 of 27 shots (63.1 percent) and scored 43 points.
"It was fun," Jackson said. "We were all out there smiling and passing the ball around and having fun. Talking to each other and yelling and screaming."
It's what Flanigan thinks UALR can be offensively, even without Shoshi, who is second on the team at 10.3 points per game.
"I think we're starting to trust each other a little bit more and trust the offense a little bit more," he said. "There were times when one of those guys can get up a good shot, but they made the extra pass and we got an even better shot. Not just a shot, but the shot that we want."
It just hasn't been consistent enough for Flanigan. In five Sun Belt games, UALR is averaging 68.4 points, 10th in the league, and is shooting 43.7 percent, which ranks seventh.
UALR already has equaled its Sun Belt losses over a 20-game schedule last year. But, at 2-3, the Trojans are one of eight teams with two or three league losses, and their two opponents this week -- South Alabama and Troy -- are also 2-3.
Flanigan said things can change quickly.
"In no way are we throwing in the towel," he said. "The disappointment of losing is something that has affected our locker room at times because of the success we had last year. And we just have to learn how to deal with that from an individual standpoint."
Today’s game
UALR MEN VS. SOUTH ALABAMA
WHEN 6 p.m. WHERE Jack Stephens Center, Little Rock RECORDS UALR 11-7, 2-3 Sun Belt Conference; South Alabama 9-9, 2-3 RADIO KKPT-FM, 94.1, in Little Rock
Sports on 01/21/2017