Pleiman impresses hometown
Jan 27, 2005 7:16:21 GMT -5
Post by Big D on Jan 27, 2005 7:16:21 GMT -5
Pleiman impresses hometown
By Tom Archdeacon
Dayton Daily News
FAIRBORN | He played like he was back in Fort Loramie and, in some ways, he almost was.
With nearly three dozen people from his small town in the Nutter Center crowd — from his parents, sister and both grandmothers to former classmates, teachers and several friends — Jordan Pleiman felt at home and it showed.
Once senior Zach Williams picked up two quick fouls for Wright State on Wednesday night, Pleiman, the 6-foot-8 freshman from Fort Loramie, came off the bench and played the best game of his young college life — 19 points, 11 rebounds, four blocked shots and a pair of steals — to lead the Raiders to a 72-61 victory over Illinois-Chicago.
"That was better," said John Pleiman, Jordan's dad. "It felt like he was back home again, playing like he used to."
Pleiman was the town's top attraction the past two winters, garnering Ohio's Division IV Player of the Year honors as a junior and being named first team All-Ohio as a senior. But major-college recruiters passed him by, biased, he suspects, in part because he played small-school ball.
"Sure, college ball is a big step up from our Shelby County League — we don't have that kind of size and quickness back there — but I got some good lessons along the way," Pleiman said.
Posting up his man, rebounding with two hands, knowing how to screen, being able to bang around inside and still shoot with the softest of touch, diving on the floor for a loose ball — and afterward trying to shift the focus to everyone but himself — those were some of the well-learned lessons the 18-year-old showed Wednesday night.
"Honestly, Jaron's (Taylor) pass to me for my first layup was the key factor tonight," Pleiman said. "I'm always worried that I'm going to mess up on my first basket, my first free throw or rebound. But once I get going, the tension kind of gets off my shoulders."
In the postgame press conference, Pleiman was asked if this had been his coming-out party.
"You could call it that, I'm not," he said. "I just tried to help out where I could."
With the big man in a shell for the first time all night, Raiders point guard DaShaun Wood took over the analysis: "Without him, we wouldn't have won. He stepped up major. Every time the ball went up, he seemed to come down with it."
There was one span near the end of the first half when Pleiman scored and drew a foul on the Flames, and then on the next possession he gave the assist on Taylor's 3-point shot. A few seconds later on the other end of the court, he forced UIC's 6-foot-7, 255-pound Elliott Poole to shoot an air ball from three feet and then grabbed the rebound.
The most impressive play, though, came in the second half as Poole, who had muscled Williams inside, went up for the shot, only to have it stuffed back in his face by Pleiman.
"He was tough around the basket, held his position and didn't give way to the bigger, stronger guys," WSU coach Paul Biancardi said. "He's got plenty to learn yet, but he showed a lot tonight."
And the crowd loved it.
When Biancardi finally took Pleiman out of the game with 32 seconds left, the Nutter Center fans all stood and applauded.
As he headed to the bench and the open arms of many teammates, Pleiman briefly glanced up at the crowd and had to smile.
He saw some familiar faces.
He felt like he was home.
Contact Tom Archdeacon at 225-2156 or tarchdeacon@DaytonDailyNews.com
www.daytondailynews.com/sports/content/sports/wsu/daily/0127arch.html
By Tom Archdeacon
Dayton Daily News
FAIRBORN | He played like he was back in Fort Loramie and, in some ways, he almost was.
With nearly three dozen people from his small town in the Nutter Center crowd — from his parents, sister and both grandmothers to former classmates, teachers and several friends — Jordan Pleiman felt at home and it showed.
Once senior Zach Williams picked up two quick fouls for Wright State on Wednesday night, Pleiman, the 6-foot-8 freshman from Fort Loramie, came off the bench and played the best game of his young college life — 19 points, 11 rebounds, four blocked shots and a pair of steals — to lead the Raiders to a 72-61 victory over Illinois-Chicago.
"That was better," said John Pleiman, Jordan's dad. "It felt like he was back home again, playing like he used to."
Pleiman was the town's top attraction the past two winters, garnering Ohio's Division IV Player of the Year honors as a junior and being named first team All-Ohio as a senior. But major-college recruiters passed him by, biased, he suspects, in part because he played small-school ball.
"Sure, college ball is a big step up from our Shelby County League — we don't have that kind of size and quickness back there — but I got some good lessons along the way," Pleiman said.
Posting up his man, rebounding with two hands, knowing how to screen, being able to bang around inside and still shoot with the softest of touch, diving on the floor for a loose ball — and afterward trying to shift the focus to everyone but himself — those were some of the well-learned lessons the 18-year-old showed Wednesday night.
"Honestly, Jaron's (Taylor) pass to me for my first layup was the key factor tonight," Pleiman said. "I'm always worried that I'm going to mess up on my first basket, my first free throw or rebound. But once I get going, the tension kind of gets off my shoulders."
In the postgame press conference, Pleiman was asked if this had been his coming-out party.
"You could call it that, I'm not," he said. "I just tried to help out where I could."
With the big man in a shell for the first time all night, Raiders point guard DaShaun Wood took over the analysis: "Without him, we wouldn't have won. He stepped up major. Every time the ball went up, he seemed to come down with it."
There was one span near the end of the first half when Pleiman scored and drew a foul on the Flames, and then on the next possession he gave the assist on Taylor's 3-point shot. A few seconds later on the other end of the court, he forced UIC's 6-foot-7, 255-pound Elliott Poole to shoot an air ball from three feet and then grabbed the rebound.
The most impressive play, though, came in the second half as Poole, who had muscled Williams inside, went up for the shot, only to have it stuffed back in his face by Pleiman.
"He was tough around the basket, held his position and didn't give way to the bigger, stronger guys," WSU coach Paul Biancardi said. "He's got plenty to learn yet, but he showed a lot tonight."
And the crowd loved it.
When Biancardi finally took Pleiman out of the game with 32 seconds left, the Nutter Center fans all stood and applauded.
As he headed to the bench and the open arms of many teammates, Pleiman briefly glanced up at the crowd and had to smile.
He saw some familiar faces.
He felt like he was home.
Contact Tom Archdeacon at 225-2156 or tarchdeacon@DaytonDailyNews.com
www.daytondailynews.com/sports/content/sports/wsu/daily/0127arch.html
