Stevenson Could Be More of a Can't-miss Player for UW with Inside Help
Erik Stevenson is a shooter. Has a shooter's mentality. Excellent form. Wants to let it fly whenever he can.
The problem is the University of Washington guard doesn't always set himself. Doesn't square up every time. Takes off-balance shots
He misses way too much — the numbers don't lie.
As a Wichita State freshman, he connected on 34.9 percent of his shots, 30.5 of his 3-pointers.
As a Shockers sophomore, Stevenson hit 37.7 and 30.4 percent.
After joining the Huskies, he's averaging 34.9 and 30.5 percent.
His shot is way too textbook in appearance to not go in more.
Two things likely need to happen for improvement: Stevenson needs a little better shot selection and, at least with the UW, an offensive-minded big man or two next season who will take pressure off the perimeter.
Give shooters like him more time to set themselves. Better shots. Success.
Similar to fellow guard Quade Green, this Lacey, Washington, product plays like he has to do it all himself.
While teammate Jamal Bey, the Pac-12's leading 3-point shooter, needs to step it up and not be so reticent, Stevenson could stand to pull back on the throttle some.
With the UW off for 11 days from its regular-season finale to resuming play in the Pac-12 tournament, we're sizing up the play for each of the 11 players who has received minutes with a game on the line. Ten scholarship recipients and 7-foot-4 Riley Sorn. This is the ninth installment.
Erik Stevenson launches his textbook jumper at USC.
USA TODAY photo
Suffering through a disturbing 5-20 season, the Huskies could use more players like Stevenson. He brings a certain toughness to the floor, honed from playing big-time basketball at Wichita State. He's been a winner.
"This has definitely not been what I'm not used to being part of, but it is what it is," he said. "I've got to deal with it. I've got to get through it. I've got to be here for my teammates. We've got to stick together and try to get some wins."
At Wichita State, Stevenson played for 23-8 and 22-15 teams, starting 32 of 68 games.
He scored 16 points against Louisiana Tech in his first college outing, hitting 6 of 9 shots, 4 for 6 from behind the line.
Last season, he turned in games of 29 points against Ole Miss, 27 against Central Florida, and 22 against West Virginia and Texas Southern, and averaged 11.1 points per game.
The 6-foot-3 guard hasn't addressed this publicly, but he left because accomplished Shockers coach Greg Marshall become unbearable to be around.
Stevenson was one of seven players to transfer out, six scholarship recipients and a walk-on. Amid charges of being verbally and physically abusive, Marshall resigned last November.
Erik Stevenson played two seasons for Wichita State.
Aaron Doster/USA TODAY Sports
Coming home, Stevenson took it upon himself to try and save a team low on talent and he pressed far much to be successful. In his first nine games, he scored no more than 8 points, twice going scoreless.
Finally, the shooting guard took out his frustration on California, dropping in a season-high 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 6 for 9 from 3-point range.
A starter in 22 of 25 UW games, Stevenson has come up with 10 double-figure games, though just the single 20-pointer. He averages 9.1 points per game.
He could play two more seasons for the Huskies if he chooses, because of pandemic provisions, and hone that classic jumper of his once and for all.
There is great hope that a kid from Stevenson's state-capital neighborhood, 6-foot-10 Jackson Grant, a top 35 national recruit from Olympia High School, will come in next season and provide much-needed, front-line scoring.
The Huskies likely will look long and hard for a big-man portal transfer who also can score, further upgrading an overmatched situation.
Then all Stevenson would have to do is let it fly and watch them drop through.
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