 "Photo: File Photo")
With more depth and athleticism across the board, scoring by committee may not be much of a problem for the Texas Tech men's basketball team this year.
Now leadership by committee is a different story.
Tech coach Pat Knight called the personality from last year's team "limp," with no real leadership.
"They didn't compete hard all the time," he said. "Something that my dad got frustrated with before I even took over."
Knight used former guard Ronald Ross as an example for what type of leader he needs out on the floor. Ever since the departure of Ross in 2004, Tech has had consistent scorers in Martin Zeno and Jarrius Jackson, but no one has consistently stepped up to take command of the team.
Zeno graduated in 2008 after scoring 1,913 points during his career, placing him fifth on Tech's all-time scoring list. Jackson ended up second on the list with 2,221 career points after his departure in 2007.
"It can't come from the coach," Knight said. "It's gotta come from the players. We can't be the coach out on the floor."
This year, Knight said senior guard Alan Voskuil along with sophomores John Roberson and Mike Singletary could end up being the solution. Also, 6-foot-9, 242-pound junior forward Darko Cohadarevic, a junior college transfer from Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kan., provides another level of physical and vocal intensity not seen on the team in previous seasons.
"Coach has really stressed that to me, 'Alan and John really be the leaders, set the tone for this team this year,'" Singletary said. "We take that as a challenge. We take it in stride, and we try to do our best and just try to make sure that everybody is going in the right path, make sure we're not gonna as have many letdowns as we had last year."
Voskuil is a quiet person by nature, so not many expect him to turn around in one season and become a loud, intense presence on the court. However, he does understand what the team needs, and he realizes he does not have to do it all by himself.
"I think mainly what I'm gonna have to do is lead by example," said Voskuil, who finished second behind Zeno in scoring last season. "Vocal leaders are always gonna be nice out there. We pretty much have three vocal leaders, and we have all our seniors out there to help me so it's not just a one-man leadership role."
Voskuil already started transitioning to his new role during the summer. He said he turned down an offer to play with the Danish National Team in order to focus on his senior year and be with the team.
"I will be on him more to be more vocal just because he is the kid that has been featured in the magazines," Knight said. "He is gonna be a focal point for us from an offensive standpoint. It's just not in his nature (to be vocal). I don't hold him up to task to be that vocal. I don't hold that against him. What I hold against him is his play on the court."
Voskuil was a pleasant surprise as an offensive threat last season, shooting 47 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc. He went from averaging 4.2 points per game as a sophomore to 13.1 per game as a junior.
Knight said he already has spoken with Singletary, who averaged 7.3 points and three rebounds per game in 2007, about being more vocal.
"He's one of our main guys," Knight said of the 6-foot-6, 230-pound forward. "He has that type of personality, kind of a warrior-type of personality because he's an undersized player. To be good as an undersized player you have to have that mentality, that's what he brings."
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