Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Unrivaled work ethic a key to Anthony Beane's late-season success
02/15/2015 | 12:00:00 | DawgTracker
CARBONDALE, Ill. - He's the second-leading scorer in the Missouri Valley Conference and is blessed with an abundance of God-given ability, but a big reason why Anthony Beane is so successful continues to be his unrivaled work ethic. Some guys talk about putting in extra time on their own, but Beane walks the walk.
After a Southern Illinois home game, long after everyone else has gone home, you'll see No. 25 return to the court with a rack of balls. These late-night sessions are not casual workouts. Beane puts himself through a set routine of rigorous, full-speed drills.
"I typically work on things that I think I didn't do well that game," he explained. "During the time when I wasn't shooting threes very well, I'd come in and make 100 threes after a game. If I missed a free throw, I'll make 100 free throws after the game. I do it to stay sharp and maintain confidence in myself."
Some players tend to wear down as the season goes on, but not Beane. In his last dozen February games, the 6-foot-2 junior is averaging 21.1 points. Four times he's been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week during the month of February. He said the post-game workouts have the added benefit of helping his body recover.
"Sometimes after a game I feel sore, and it helps to come back in and stretch out," he said. "The key is to take care of your body during the beginning of conference so you're able to perform later on in the year."
Earlier in the season, Beane said he felt the pressure of having to carry the team's scoring load mostly on his own shoulders. That dynamic is beginning to change with the emergence of freshmen Deion Lavender and Jordan Caroline, who are the team's second and third-leading scorers in conference games.
Lavender has scored double figures in four-straight games and is developing a reliable outside shooting touch, having made 11 of his last 23 tries.
"I knew Deion was a great talent by the way he plays in practice," Beane said. "I knew it was just a matter of time before it clicked for him."
Caroline is coming off back-to-back double-doubles and has totaled 27 points and 26 rebounds in the last two games.
"Jordan is super athletic and you can't keep him off the glass," according to Beane. "It's becoming hard for defenses to key on one person. All along, I knew we had a lot of talented guys that could get shots. It was just a confidence thing and getting used to playing with each other."
At 10-17 overall and 3-11 in the MVC, Southern's record doesn't yet reflect the progress the team is making. Their last six losses have all been by single digits, which leads Beane to think that winning isn't far off.
"I think it's a maturity issue right now," he said. "Guys haven't experienced how to closeout close game. When we learn how to close games, that's when we're going to be a good team."
SIU is 0-7 in games decided by five points or less, and mistakes at critical times often seem to be the team's undoing.
"Turnovers, shot selection and it comes down to the defensive end," said Beane. "I don't think everybody gets locked in on the defensive end toward the end of the game. Toward the end of the game you really have to get stops."
Although the Salukis are likely destined for a Thursday-night play-in game at the conference tournament, Beane said he remains highly motivated to finish the season strong.
"We still have a lot to play for," he said. "Anything can happen. Other teams can start losing, we can start winning. You never know what could happen. I feel like there's always something to play for. If we start winning, it will help build momentum heading into the tournament and maybe we can be one of the hottest teams going into the tournament like last year."
