West Virginia guard Battle playing within himself, the system
RaeQuan Battle admittedly had to fight the urge.
Despite being an experienced senior, Battle admittedly was trying to do too much and force the issue on the offensive end.
Things hit rock bottom following a strong performance against Kansas in mid-January where his 23 points and 9 rebounds were instrumental in the upset win.
But with center Jesse Edwards then sidelined with a fractured wrist, Battle felt the need to press. It’s understandable given the fact that Battle was sidelined for almost the entirety of the non-conference schedule as he fought to become eligible after transferring in the off-season.
And with fewer games available to play, Battle wanted to make the most of what time he had left.
“I felt like I put a lot of unnecessary weight on my shoulders,” he said.
That soon reflected itself on the court. Over the next five games following that win over the Jayhawks, Battle would score just 41 points or 8.2 per game and struggled from the field connecting on just 13-45 from the field or 28-percent. That total was even lower from three at just 25-percent.
Related: West Virginia finds a win, confidence moving forward
That included games against UCF and Oklahoma State where he was held to just 7 combined points and was ejected against the Knights.
Battle knew he had to turn things around in short order to help his team and that’s when he was able to center himself both on and off the floor.
“I just needed to relax and play the game I’ve always played my entire life,” he said.
The results have been noticeable. Over the past three games, Battle has averaged 23.3 points per game and is shooting at a 46-percent clip from the floor. That total is 47-percent from three.
It’s a remarkable improvement and stems solely from Battle's understanding that he doesn’t need to try to do everything on the floor and instead just do his job. If that occurs, so will the results.
Sometimes that is simply as easy as understanding when to go downhill with the ball or giving it up to a teammate and getting it back to help move things along.
“He’s doing a much better job letting the game come to him and being patient with it. He’s going to get his touches one way or another and understand what’s the best opportunity to attack because he’s naturally in attack mode,” head coach Josh Eilert said.
Battle is playing at his peak at the right time and West Virginia is hoping that he understands if he plays within the scheme good things will come.
----------
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan
