KENT: Carlton Guyton has heard the questions.
Has he lost a step? Is he playing hurt?
A senior guard, Guyton was the Mid-American Conference Sixth Man of the Year last season.
A junior college transfer, he made a big impact last season, averaging 12.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists coming off the bench.
Although Guyton started and played more minutes this season, his numbers have dipped.
He is contributing 9.8 points, 3.7 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game for the Golden Flashes (16-6, 6-3 MAC), who will play at Eastern Michigan (10-13, 5-4) tonight.
“I’ve just been in the gym working on my jump shot, trying to stay aggressive,” said the 6-foot-4, 175-pound Guyton, sounding as if patience has worn thin as he rediscovers the skills that got him noticed last season.
He has received advice from many on how to turn his season around.
Junior guard Randal Holt “told me I just need to go back to doing what I did last year,” Guyton said. “Anytime I see someone playing one-on-one against me, attack the rim. That’s what I was trying to do against Western Michigan Saturday, be aggressive and attack.”
The difference showed right away. Guyton had eight points and four assists in the first half and finished with 14 points and six assists in KSU’s 78-73 overtime victory.
“It was good to see Carlton come out like that,” KSU basketball coach Rob Senderoff said. “He got himself and us going early.”
A big part of Guyton’s problem this season has been that opponents have adjusted to his game.
“This year, teams know about me now,” Guyton said. “They know about my ability to score and make plays. So it’s harder for me now coming off pick-and-rolls because they are hedging hard or might double-team me. They’re even helping more when I get in the lane.”
Guyton pointed out that he started the season playing aggressively. He had game highs in points (17) and steals (four) in Kent State’s 70-60 upset of West Virginia in the season opener.
“I had a good game and was very aggressive,” he said. “But it also reminded teams how I could beat them. From then on, I’ve been guarded differently. So I’ve just been trying to adjust to the help [defense] and how teams are playing me now.”
Guyton played well against the Broncos on Saturday as the Flashes extended their winning streak to four games.
“Like he did last year, Scootie drove the ball more Saturday and was more aggressive,” Senderoff said. “Hopefully, that means he’s getting back to his old self, because we’ve been talking to him about that.
“I can’t argue with anybody who says he’s looked a little more tentative this year and hasn’t been as productive. But some of that is simply due to the fact that his shooting percentage is down from last year because now he’s the hunted.”
Guyton hopes to continue playing well tonight against the struggling Eagles, who lost to the University of Akron by 30 Saturday and were held to just 16 first-half points.
The loss was the second of two ugly road losses after the Eagles had won four of five. Eastern Michigan (which is led by first-year coach Rob Murphy, a KSU assistant from 2002-04) still maintains a one-game lead in the West Division over Ball State and Western Michigan.
Senior guard Darrell Lampley is averaging 13.3 points to lead the Eagles. They also have 7-foot center Da’Shonte Riley, a transfer from Syracuse. Reserve guard, Quintin Dailey Jr. is the son of the late NBA player by the same name.
Stephanie Storm can be reached at sstorm@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Stephanie on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/sstorm13. Follow Beacon Journal sports on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.
