Robert Morris guard Mezie Nwigwe�s most impressive point total of the season wasn�t his 18 against Albany, or even his team-leading 15 in a Northeast Conference win over Monmouth, a victory that pushed the Colonials (12-8, 7-1) into a first-place tie in the league.
His best performance came when Morgan State guard Reggie Holmes scored 11 points against him.
You see, Holmes averages nearly 22.9 points per game to rank fifth in the country. Nwigwe held him to 3-of-15 shooting.
�Yeah, I felt pretty good about that one,� he said.
�A defensive stopper must revel in the disappointment of others, and Nwigwe has certainly defined that twisted logic all season. But when Robert Morris coach Mike Rice asked him to fill that role two years ago, he hesitated. He had averaged more than 22 points per game as a senior in high school and was former coach Mark Schmidt�s first option off the Colonials� bench as a freshman. He could penetrate, shoot and create, a potentially dynamic combination.
Because the NEC is guard-heavy, Rice needed an athletic player to neutralize the opposition�s backcourt weapon. While Nwigwe was uncertain, Bateko Francisco emerged as that player. Francisco ended up putting the NEC defensive player of the year award in the school�s trophy case.
Now, after three years of being the first guy off the bench, Nwigwe may be the most important player in Rice�s defense-first strategy. But that doesn�t mean he doesn�t channel his offensive roots every so often.
On a team where a different player carries the scoring burden almost every game, Nwigwe has registered eight double-figure efforts. Five have come in the past eight games, which were mostly in conference. His .444 field-goal percentage is tops among Colonial guards.
And, in that Morgan State win, Nwigwe had 14 points.
But it�s defense that Nwigwe now finds fascinating, like he�s been brainwashed by a coach who has a love affair with low field-goal percentages. Although embracing it took him some time, he thrives on an identity he�s finally created.