Finding their identity

Rocket Coach Stan Joplin knew he had question marks on his team coming into this season. That his new recruits are answering them is a pleasant surprise.

For lack of a better word, the Rockets were a dud last season.

Expectations for Joplin’s squad last year were higher than what the team could deliver, even in a distinct “football town”.

The Rockets also suffered from a lack of continuity and simple underachieving, which led to a 14-15 campaign.

Toledo had a proven scorer in Keith Triplett, but little else as far as established players go.

Sammy Villegas, a pure shooter, was in his first year with the team and had the incredible mantle of point guard responsibility thrust on him.

This would be a daunting task for any prep, let alone one who left his home in the Caribbean and was still trying to refine his English language skills. He was also still learning the intricacies of the game.

So Toledo struggled. It had its moments, but the men in midnight blue and gold needed an identity and a solid floor general if they were to take the next step as a team.

That’s where Joplin’s recruiting class from last spring - the one that has players on the floor now - comes in.

Enter Justin Ingram, a 6-foot-2-inch freshman guard from Waverly High School in Lansing, Mich.

Joplin knew this young player could be good, but he was leaning toward redshirting him.

Now Joplin says he’s glad he didn’t.

The Rocket’s coach knew Ingram through a relationship with his father, and Ingram’s dad wanted his son to see significant playing time; but Joplin still wasn’t sure.

He’s convinced now.

“After being up here during the summer, the players came to me and said ‘Coach, you can’t redshirt Justin, he’s too good,” Joplin said. “He’s done a nice job of handling the basketball and being a point guard. It’s a lot to ask of a freshman and I think he’s handled it extremely well.”

Among Ingram’s most valuable characteristics, confidence stands out. It’s that kind of confidence good players have that makes them walk a fine line between confident and cocky.

So far, Ingram has been able to justify being picked as the team’s starting point guard, averaging more than 10 points per game. He’s already made some big shots in games against Bowling Green and Ball State this year.

He’s also taken a heavy load off of Villegas, who can now concentrate on the thing he does best - shoot the ball.

“He’s getting people involved,” Villegas said. “He’s driving and [finding open shooters,] he’s being a leader and I’m impressed with the job he’s been doing.”

Ingram is also averaging 3.6 assists per game, and rarely has a hard time getting the Rockets offense started.

And for Ingram, being a leader on the court is just something that encourages him to improve.

“I’ve always come from winning ways, and I’d like to bring that with me,” Ingram said. “My dad’s teams always won, my sister’s teams always won and I’ve always won, so that’s the way it is. Winning is in my blood.”

Another recruit has emerged for UT, forward Florentino Valencia.

The 6-foot-5-inch forward from Crane Tech in Chicago has recently landed a spot in the starting lineup for the Rockets, and he has his gritty, hard-nosed play to thank for that.

Recently Valencia has helped pump up the Rockets’ weak rebounding efforts, an area the team still needs to improve on.

The numbers might not be huge; he’s averaging 5.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, but what Valencia adds to the Rockets interior is hustle and energy.

“I always try to come in and be an energy guy,” Valencia said. “I just try to play a role, come in and rebound and play as hard as I can.”

Keonta Howell and Rashay Russell are the other two recruits who have seen playing time this year. Howell has shown good outside shooting ability, and Russell is an adequate option to spell Ingram or Chauncey Shelton at point guard.

Will Burger, a walk-on, has also seen limited time, but has made the most of it, hitting all five of his field goal attempts. He’ll hope for a scholarship next year.

And red-shirt freshman Allen Pinson, who has had a year in Joplin’s system, is starting to emerge as a solid post player, especially on defense.

When the Rockets started this season, they needed to find their identity, and they did; giving UT a team with energy and confidence not seen in a couple of years.

And that’s definitely a breath of fresh air.