Relax, Kyle. That is the frequent message from University of Cincinnati basketball coach Mick Cronin to Kyle Washington, who admittedly is excitable.
That is the frequent message from University of Cincinnati basketball coach Mick Cronin to senior forward Kyle Washington, who admittedly is the excitable type. When the message clicks, such as Washington scoring a season-high 19 points in last Saturday's 77-63 win at UCLA, the Champlin, Minnesota native can be a sight to behold.
Washington sometimes gets too exuberant, especially in the early stages of games. He sometimes makes quick fouls and turnovers, which leads Cronin to take him out. Washington also sometimes has played subpar in big games, including no points and two rebounds in an 89-76 loss at Xavier on Dec. 1.
Washington rallied with a 16-point game in a 65-50 win over Mississippi State on Dec. 12, followed by his 19-point outing at UCLA.
"The Mississippi State game got his confidence back," Cronin said. "We talked about the UCLA game, if he would just take his time. That's my thing with him. He's so excitable that he takes himself out of the game."
The 6-foot-9, 230-pound Washington has battled ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) for most of his life. The disorder also is sometimes called ADD.
"He fights the ADD," Cronin said. "Playing on the road in tough environments sometimes can get him so emotional, so excited that he can't play. My job is to constantly try to get him to calm down and take his time. When he does that, he's a really good player."
Washington, when asked, will talk about his ADHD. He takes occasional medication to help himself.
"I've had that all my life," he said. "It's not even a big deal. A lot of people have it. Sometimes I might get a little excited, but never any anxiety or pressure or nervousness. I've played in big games my whole life. I just had to get it under control. I just want to be there for my teammates."
Entering Tuesday night's home game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Washington stood 13 points shy of 1,000 for his college career. That includes 404 points in two seasons at North Carolina State and 583 in the past two seasons at UC.
The left-handed Washington was making both his signature jump-hook shots and also some jumpers against UCLA, including 1-for-2 from 3-point range.
"He can score over people," Cronin said. "Very few guys score over people. Most kids need to be wide open when they shoot, or they need to create an angle in the post. They need to trick you so they can make a shot in the post. He doesn't.
"If he can take his time where he gets on balance with his face-up jumper or his jump hook, he can score over you. That's a weapon, because if a team plays great defense it's almost like you have a trump card. You can give it to him, and he has better offense than their defense if he takes his time with it. Sometimes he just gets in a big, big hurry. He needs constant reminders of that, because he's such an excitable guy."
Washington also helped hold 7-foot UCLA standout Thomas Welsh to four points, as he helped deny Welsh the ball and then challenged him when Welsh did get it.
"It's by far the best he's ever done with that, as far as his post defense," Cronin said. "We're going to show him (on video), too."
Entering Tuesday night's game, Washington was averaging 10.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game this season. Last season, Washington averaged 12.9 points and 6.8 rebounds in his first year at UC. Washington transferred to UC after two seasons at NC State, and sat out the 2015-16 season as a transfer.
NOTEWORTHY: No. 20-ranked UC (9-2) figured to have an easy time Tuesday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-12), at Northern Kentucky University's BB&T Arena. Pine Bluff is in the midst of playing its first 17 games away from home this season.
UC entered Tuesday with a 31-game home winning streak, the longest active streak in America. That includes games at both Fifth Third Arena and NKU. The Bearcats' last home loss was 77-70 to Temple on Dec. 29, 2015 at UC.
UC is playing home games at NKU this season while Fifth Third Arena is being renovated. The Bearcats will return to Fifth Third next season.
Senior forward Gary Clark last Saturday became the leading rebounder of the 12-year Cronin coaching era. Clark had 11 rebounds at UCLA and now has 920 for his career, surpassing Yancy Gates (916 from 2008-12) on the list of Cronin's top rebounders.