Photo: Malachi Smith of the Memphis Hustle (18) drives toward the basket and two of his 15 points in Monday’s 97-90 loss to Mexico City at the Landers Center (Mary Scott/Oak River Media, for desotocountynews.com)
After two games as the new head coach for the Memphis Hustle NBA G League basketball team, T.C. Swirsky has yet to see his first victory as a head coach. However it can’t be far from happening if the Hustle continues with the defensive effort he’s seeing. Now, it’s just a matter of tweaking the offense a bit.
“I think the guys competed really hard, we’re doing a great job on the defensive end and are trying to clean up some things offensively,” Swirsky said after the Hustle dropped the home opener 97-90 to the Mexico City Capitanes Monday night, Nov. 11. “We’ll get there, but the effort is definitely there. Sometimes shots just don’t drop for you.”
Five players finished in double figures for the Hustle, led by Lucas Williamson’s 16 points, plus 15 each from newcomers Armando Bacot and Malachi Smith. But while playing well defensively, Capitanes’ Trey Burke could not be stopped, as he finished with a game-high 34 points in leading Mexico City to a 2-0 mark.
“It was a tough one,” Armando Bacot said after the game. “We definitely felt like we beat ourselves with just a few turnovers and also to miss a few shots that we usually make. But I mean, overall, it’s a process.”
Williamson leading the Hustle is something Swirsky is expecting from his returning rights player, who played collegiately at Loyola-Chicago.
“I expect that from him, he’s just stone cold,” Swirsky said. “I know that he’s going to want to take big shots. I know he’s going to make big plays on the defensive end. He’ll never argue about matchups.”
Hopes for the Hustle to gain an offensive spark should come as the new roster becomes more familiar with each other.
“It takes a little bit of time for guys to just develop that chemistry with each other,” Swirsky said. “As a coaching staff, we’re trying to figure out what works. Players are trying to learn from each other, and sometimes it just takes a little bit of time.”
The offensive struggles reared itself in the second quarter, when Memphis could score only 19 points while Capitanes potted 31 points to take a 55-42 lead into halftime. Memphis cut the lead by six after three quarters to 76-69 and had late chances in the final quarter until Luis Rodriguez and Burke hit critical free throws in the final seconds for the victory.
One difference in the result came at the free throw line, where Mexico City made 17 of 19 charity tosses for 26 points while Memphis mustered only eight of 13 free throws for just 14 points.
The Hustle also struggled from long range, hitting just 22.9 percent (8-35) from three-point land, while Capitanes was hitting on a 29.7 percent clip (11-37). Each team shot about 40 percent from the floor.
But holding opponents under 100 points in the G League is not easy and to do it on consecutive outings is impressive, Swirsky reminded his team.
“If you’re in a G League game and you give up less than 100 points, on most nights you’re gonna win, probably in a blowout way,” Swirsky said. “Shots will fall, but it really just comes down to, do you want it more? Defensively, that’s what we’re doing right now.”
The Hustle will now look for their first win on Friday, when Memphis hosts Oklahoma City at the Landers Center. Game time is 7 p.m.
An impressive opening night crowd of 1,584 was at times boisterous, cheering the team, chanting “Defense” at times in the second half. Attendance has been a challenge for the franchise in the past couple of years with some nights resembling a morgue, so Swirsky said the vocal backing was appreciated and he hopes it can continue.
“I wish we could do that every night,” Swirsky said. “I know we didn’t get a win and I know that we probably didn’t put on a great performance offensively for people. But we’ll play physical, bring physicality and toughness. I think we’re going to bring that to the Landers Center every night. We’re going to do whatever we can to bring people to the games.”
