U.N.I. freshman point guard Deon Mitchell has come into his own over the past couple games. Mitchell led the Panthers with a career high 17 points in their win over Southern Illinois, then followed that up with a 12 point, five rebound performance in a U.N.I. win over Creighton on Saturday.
U.N.I. coach Ben Jacobson talks about Mitchell’s ability to spark the Panther offense. “He’s much more confident in what he’s doing, he’s got enough experience now, on his side of it, he’s always known that he can get himself into the paint,” Jacobson says.
Jacobson says that Mitchell and fellow freshman Seth Tuttle have both grown into their roles as the season has moved along. He says from a team standpoint as they learn about each other, they both can add to the offense and they are trying to put them in spots to do it.
The Panthers are currently tied for 5th in the Missouri Valley with a 6-7 league record. They can even that mark on Wednesday when they travel to conference co-leader Wichita State. The Shockers won the first matchup with the Panthers in Cedar Falls.
Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall says he’s sure the Panthers will be looking to “exact revenge” after getting the big win against Creighton.
By Jesse Gavin, KCNZ, Cedar Falls
