ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – EckerdTritons.com recently sat down for a brief question-and-answer session with men's basketball junior forward
Darrien Mack. The native from Panama City, Fla., has produced impressive numbers this season in a valuable reserve role and is coming off a four-game stretch retroactive to late December where he averaged 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
The Tritons are currently 8-4 overall and 2-2 in Sunshine State Conference play heading into a pivotal Wednesday night matchup against the University of Tampa in the McArthur Center.
EckerdTritons.com: How do you feel your game has progressed from your sophomore year to present?
Darrien Mack: I feel like I'm more aggressive offensively and defensively. The biggest thing is my mentality. My role has increased and Coach (Ryan) demands more from me. My decision making on the court has improved and I know when to attack and when not to attack. It's about taking every opportunity and I'm playing smarter because of it.
ECTritons.com: With some sidespin on the release of your shot, do you consider that form unorthodox? Where did you learn that from?
DM: When I was younger, I used to bring the ball behind my head and it always had some sort of spin to it. For a while, with some coaching, it was going straight. But it's getting better and I'm comfortable with it. I don't take a lot of jumpshots -- just the open ones (chuckles).
ECTritons.com: Talk about providing an immediate spark off the bench and the role you play. What runs through your mind as you're at the scorer's table ready to check in?
DM: I take into consideration what's going on with the team at present. I try not to change what the team is doing and stay conservative to get into the game flow. I try to pump things up, get my teammates rallied up on defense and get into the motion offense run. I just try to go with the flow of the team.
ECTritons.com: What does it mean for the program to handle Winston-Salem State University its first loss of the year and then derail rival Rollins College to its first defeat in conference play?
DM: It's really important. It's a great look for us. They (Winston-Salem State) were nationally ranked and top-25, but more importantly, we were able to beat Rollins. We knew that it would be tough on the road, but we went in with the mindset that we were going to win.
ECTritons.com: Do you feel the team is really starting to catch stride heading into Wednesday night's matchup against Tampa?
DM: Rollins was a big win for us because we kind of struggled in stretches against Florida Southern. We're a team that looks forward and not backward. We'rehoping we can keep this momentum going forward and take on everyone else in the conference one game at a time.
ECTritons.com: How are you able to generate such a high shot percentage this season around 58 percent?
DM: I try to be aggressive on the offensive end because I'm pretty good at finishing around the basket. Once I get past the first guy, I need to make the pass or do something productive and that's where the improved decision making would come in. Maybe the first few years, I would try and force the shot.
