Winthrop’s hay is in the barn; time to play High Point

With one of the most experienced teams in the country and the best player in Big South men’s basketball, it’s no surprise that High Point is off to a quick start in conference play.

The Panthers (12-4, 5-0 Big South) come to Rock Hill Thursday winners of four straight. It’ll be fifth-year High Point star John Brown’s last visit to the Coliseum.

“I won’t miss having to prepare for him, but he’s a special player,” said Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey.

Brown is the second leading active career scorer in NCAA, his 1,983 points falling behind only Evansville’s D.J. Balentine. Brown is tops in field goals made, and fifth in free throws attempted. Those stats point to his longevity, as much as his production and ability.

Brown averaged 33.5 points in High Point’s two wins over Winthrop last season, and he was a focus of the Eagles’ practice Wednesday.

Winthrop’s Tevin Prescott - redshirting this season - played the role of Brown, a navy No. 0 taped onto his white practice jersey. Prescott imitated Brown as well as he could, particularly the High Point player’s propensity to spin on defenders’ hips to pick up fouls around the basket. But there was one thing that Prescott - and most others would too - struggled to replicate.

“I’ve never seen anybody play harder,” said Kelsey, who was an assistant coach at Wake Forest for eight years and saw the likes of North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough, a player known for - above all - his effort. “He’s been the best player in the league the last three years and he’s the most ferocious guy in the league at diving on loose balls.”

There were four other Winthrop players wearing white practice jerseys with tape-on numbers. Those guys - the real ones, the High Point ones - have played better than ever for the Panthers, alleviating some of the load from Brown’s slender shoulders. Six-foot-8 stretch-four - a big man that can shoot - Lorenzo Cugini is hitting an NCAA-best 60 percent from 3-point range (43-of-71), and fellow senior Anthony Lindauer (39 percent from 3) keeps teams honest and the floor spread.

High Point has six players with at least 25 assists and have 89 more assists as a team than their opponents. Scott Cherry’s team is safe with the ball and its ability to pop it around offensively will challenge Winthrop’s defense.

“Unbelievable experience, they know each other well, they know their system really well and they play well off each other,” Kelsey said. “And they have the premier player in the league as well.”

ESPNU is broadcasting the game, a safe pick for the network. The last four games between the two teams have been decided by seven total points. Not surprisingly, Winthrop also got in some end-of-game scenarios before Wednesday’s practice concluded.

“Besides shoot-around tomorrow, the hay’s in the barn,” said Kelsey, citing a favorite saying of his mentor, Skip Prosser. “At some point you’ve got to play the game. Our guys have been locked in, I think our preparation has been really good, our practices have been spirited, our guys are in a good place mentally. It’s just time to roll it out there and play.”

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 7:38 PM with the headline "Winthrop’s hay is in the barn; time to play High Point."