Purdue Guard Sasha Stefanovic Building Confidence Amid Shooting Slump
MILWAUKEE — Over the course of the college basketball season, players will find themselves struggling to find a rhythm at one point or another.
Purdue guard Sasha Stefanovic, despite his experience, is no exception. He hasn't scored in double figures since a home victory over in-state rival Indiana back on March 5.
Stefanovic was held to just one basket in the team's Big Ten Tournament loss to Iowa, which included a 1-6 mark from the 3-point line.
But he's also a player that just needs to see one shot fall to be able to catch fire. And when he's clicking, that's when the Boilermakers become one of the most highly-efficient offenses in the nation.
Stefanovic pulled the trigger from deep eight times during a 78-56 victory over Yale in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. In the second half, his only two buckets of the afternoon came on back-to-back shots to put Purdue up by 20 points.
"It's probably the biggest job on my team," Stefanovic said after the team's win. "To make and take open shots and open threes. Obviously, I've been in a little bit of a slump lately with my shooting, but I'm going to continue to shoot.
"If I go 0 for 100, I'm still going to shoot them up. It's good to see them finally go in, but I wish some of them also went in there early in the first half as well. It is what it is. You've just got to move forward."
Of course, Stefanovic is more than just a catch-and-shoot player for the Boilermakers. He's an effective passer when his shot's not falling, averaging a team-high 3.2 assists per game this season.
He recorded four assists for Purdue in the win over Yale, including three in the first half before the game was well out of the Bulldogs' reach. Stefanovic also didn't turn the ball over in 22 minutes on the floor.
Just his presence on the court draws attention away from the other talented pieces on the team's talented roster, allowing the likes of 7-foot-4 sophomore center Zach Edey to go to work underneath the rim.
"He gives me the ball," Edey said with a laugh. "It's pretty simple, but he gives me the ball. He allows me to play, he gives me the ball in my spots. They can't double off him because he can shoot it, so it gives me some more space. He's just really good at post feeds."
Stefanovic was aggressive early in the matchup, taking three shots from beyond the arc in the span of three minutes. He never stopped taking shots when they were open, and the senior finally watched a pair fall through the net during a 15-0 run that gave Purdue a 63-39 lead with 11:27 left to play in the game.
His second 3-pointer of the game forced a 30-second timeout by Yale coach James Jones. Stefanovic only had six points, but The Boilermakers were well on their way to claiming a first-round victory.
And at the same time, Stefanovic planted a seed that could allow him to grow the confidence Purdue is used to seeing from him. There won't be a more opportune time for the team to see the sharpshooter get hot than in the heat of March Madness.
"I thought Sasha had some really good looks in the first half that didn't go down," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "It was good to see him knock a couple of those shots down just to build his confidence.
"He mentioned that he's been struggling a little bit and that happens with guys that can shoot. You're going to have a period of time during the season where you go through a little bit of struggles and you've just gotta keep working your way through it and keep taking good shots, and that's what he did."
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- PURDUE STEAMROLLS YALE, 78-56: Purdue basketball got past Yale on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, led by Jaden Ivey's game-high 22 points. Zach Edey scored 16 points while Caleb Furst also added 10 off the bench. CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.