Today’s game:
Who: Dayton (16-9, 6-5 Atlantic 10) at Xavier (16-9, 7-4)
When: 8 p.m.
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: WHIO-AM (1290), WHIO-FM (95.7)
Paul Williams is getting advice on how to cure his shooting woes from well-meaning family members, but he’s been tuning them out like airline passengers ignoring safety instructions from flight attendants.
The University of Dayton senior guard is adamant about sticking with the same form that’s worked for him throughout his basketball career.
“Even though they’re around me, they think they know everything,” he said with a shrug and a smile. “I play at this level. I don’t even worry about what they say. I listen because I respect them. But at the end of the day, it will be my decision how I play.
“All the shots I’m taking, they feel good coming out of my hand. All of them seem to be long, so I’ll have to make that adjustment. But the shots I’ve taken the last three or four games, I wouldn’t want to take back because they felt great.”
Few, though, have found the target.
Williams, who was fifth in the Atlantic 10 in 3-point shooting last year, has gone 7-for-49 from the field overall and 6-for-29 from behind the half-moon the last six games.
The middle finger on his left (shooting) hand is noticeably swollen at the knuckle, and he’s been taping a couple of digits together, but he doesn’t believe that’s been a factor.
“Every time somebody (bumps) it, it gets re-jammed,” he said. “But that’s not an excuse to not make a shot. I’m going to continue to shoot the same shots. Eventually, they’re going to start falling. I know that for a fact.”
Coach Archie Miller hopes so. Williams had a career-high eight assists and no turnovers in a win over Charlotte this week and has played solid defense.
But after starting league play 4-1, UD has won two of its last six games going into a rematch today with Xavier — and a lack of production from the 2 spot has been glaring.
“Paul has been in an amazing rut. ... When you start looking at some of the percentages, it’s hard for a kid to feel good about himself all the time when you’re not playing particularly well,” Miller said.
“It’s not for a lack of trying. ... The only thing I can tell him is if you keep doing it the right way, the odds are it will happen for you.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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