STARKVILLE — Quinndary Weatherspoon used to look at his brother and see a player with a long way to go.
Anthony Carlyle remembers the day when that believe became clear to him. Carlyle coached both Quinndary and his brother, Nick, when they were at Velma Jackson; now he’s the coach at Columbus High School. When Quinndary was graduating, he told Carlyle that his team would struggle next year because it didn’t have any guards and his system was so heavily reliant on solid guard play.
Carlyle disagreed, and did so point out across the room to Nick. As Carlyle remembers it, Quinndary said, “Coach, he can’t even dribble.” Carlyle kept his faith, telling him to wait and see what he does with Nick.
In the two years since, Nick Weatherspoon has done more than become a competent high school guard; he’s starting to look like a competent college guard. Mississippi State point guard Nick Weatherspoon has averaged 12 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in his first five college games while shooting 46.5 percent from the floor and 46.7 percent on 3-pointers. Nick Weatherspoon’s hot start gets tested against as the Bulldogs (5-0) host North Dakota State (3-3) 6 p.m. Thursday (SEC Network) at Humphrey Coliseum.
“His shot has improved,” Quinndary said of Nick in the offseason. “I know the two years I played with him, he wasn’t a real great jump shooter. We kind of hid him and put him in the post so we could hide him.”
The days of hiding Nick Weatherspoon are over for two reasons. The first comes out necessity: MSU’s usually starts guard Lamar Peters, but Thursday could be the third game he has missed with a violation of team rules. Howland maintains his return, “remains to be seen,” but Howland hopes it is soon.
In Peters’ absence, Nick Weatherspoon has essentially become MSU’s lone true point guard and his comfort at the position has shown. According to KenPom’s effective field goal percentage, which is a player’s field goal percentage adjusted for the extra value of a 3-point shot, is best on the team and among the top 15 percent in the nation.
“When you look at his shooting percentage from 3, it’s very impressive,” MSU coach Ben Howland said, referencing Nick Weatherspoon’s seven makes in 15 attempts. “He’s hit some big shots. What makes him a good shooter when the lights are on is he’s so competitive.”
Nick Weatherspoon added, “I’m more comfortable there, but I’ll do what I have to do to help the team win. I think it helps because I don’t have to guard those big guys.”
That jump shot is the second reason Nick Weatherspoon is no longer an offensive afterthought: but it didn’t come easy.
While his brother was reserving doubts for the immediate future, Nick Weatherspoon spent his sophomore season talking himself up. Carlyle said Nick Weatherspoon would say he can’t wait for his brother and his fellow seniors to graduate so he can become, “the man.”
As soon as that happened, Carlyle and Nick Weatherspoon took to the war path. Carlyle introduced him to truly rigorous basketball workouts for the first time to make him a more complete product for the basketball summer circuit known as AAU.
“There were growing pains at first because Nick wasn’t really used to working out, he just relied on his athletic ability so much,” Carlyle told The Dispatch. “Once he got used to the workouts and was able to develop the skillset to go with his athleticism, that’s kind of when his career took off, becoming a 4-star athlete and then becoming a 5-star.”
When Nick Weatherspoon entered the program over the summer, he said he had to work on being more vocal on the court and assert his role as the point guard. Now he’s doing so in the qualitative ways that more obviously impact winning.
He has two years of development with Carlyle to thank for it — and constant contact with Carlyle to keep it going.
“We talk almost everyday, I stay on him and Quinn about their performance,” Carlyle said. “What he’s doing is expected.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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