Towson men’s basketball graduate guard Jack Doumbia Jr. scored a season-high 20 points in the Tigers’ 71-67 win against Campbell on Feb. 28, his fourth straight game with double-figure points as Towson approaches the CAA tournament.
The Tigers are 16-14 overall and 8-9 in CAA play with the regular-season finale at Stony Brook on March 3 still to come. It’s been an underwhelming season thus far for the preseason CAA favorite, which returned two all-conference players in Tyler Tejada and Dylan Williamson from a team that went 22-11 overall and 16-2 in the league a year ago.
Towson’s defense and rebounding rate well within the CAA, as is typically the case for a Pat Skerry team. But the offense, which showed troubling signs early in conference play, hasn’t gotten it going outside of a few flashes.
The Tigers rank 11th in the 13-team CAA in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to KenPom, a college hoops analytics site. They’re 12th in scoring (68.8 points per game) and field-goal percentage (.421) and last in 3-point percentage (.292). They’re also 11th in free-throw percentage (.689).
However, Towson has shown life recently, with home wins against Elon and Campbell to get back on the right track with the CAA tournament looming (March 6-10 in D.C.). The Elon and Campbell games drew 2,599 and 3,212 fans to SECU Arena, respectively.
“If my coaching was as good as the atmosphere at the home games, we’d be undefeated,” Skerry said.
Doumbia’s 20-point performance was critical to the Tigers’ most recent win. The 6-foot-6, 205-pound guard scored or assisted on 11 of his team’s first 18 points, then scored seven of his team’s final nine points. He has scored 58 points in Towson’s last four games.
“That’s a bad man right here,” Williamson said of his teammate.
Feb. 28 marked the final home game of Doumbia’s college career, and he came out with a purpose — to get to the rim.
“Usually I get downhill. It’s my game,” Doumbia said. “Last one at home, I’m just super blessed that it ended the way it did. From the jump, I just wanted to win and that’s how it translated.”
A native of Lanham, Md., and graduate of Lanham Christian School, Doumbia opted to transfer close to home last offseason following a long and winding journey in college hoops. He first played junior college ball at Cloud County Community College (Concordia, Kan.) and what is now known as Tallahassee State College (Fla.). He then spent two seasons at Norfolk State and another at Wright State (Dayton, Ohio) before finishing up at Towson.
Doumbia is averaging 11 points per game on 44.5 percent shooting along with 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He has come off the bench in all but six games, providing Skerry a talented ball-handler and slasher who can handle starter minutes.
“We’ve been, obviously, much better when he plays well,” Skerry said. “When he just goes and kind of turns the burners on, he’s a tough guy to keep in front.”
Doumbia is glad he was able to play his final home game close to home in front of family.
“Seeing my family in the crowd is a surreal feeling,” he said. “I’m just super blessed that it ended the way it did, just like a bow. God has given me a gift and I’m just super blessed. I have no words, honestly. I’m just super blessed.”
Photo Credit: Sean Alvarado