For a player who started every game and was the unquestioned leader of last year’s team, Iona senior Sean Armand appears to have another way to enhance his game for the 2014 season.
The new rules that will allow for more offensive freedom are something Armand hopes to improve on after averaging 16.6 points per game last season and shooting just under 41-percent from three. The senior said he will look to get to the free throw line after getting there 99 times in 2013.
“I didn’t get to the foul line a lot my whole career, I think I will probably have the most free throws I’ll ever have,” Armand said. “Just coming off screens, attacking people off the dribble. Once you get touched it’s a foul.”
The senior leader said that head coach Tim Cluess throws a lot at him in practice for him to prepare for how he will be guarded this season.
“Coach sends a lot of different defenses at me in practice,” Armand said. “Defenses focusing on me, a lot of double teams, learning how to move without the ball, setting good screens bad screens how to get open. I really worked on my passing ability and dribbling. Coach worked on everything around me in practice so on defense I’m seeing a lot of different things that I’m going to see in games.”
Armand said he’s working on his defense, moving his feet so that he stays out of foul trouble under the new rules and he said that Cluess has let him play point guard at times in practice.
“I’ve been here, known as a shooter, now I’m doing a little bit of everything for the team,” Armand said. “[It’s] something I wanted to do and coach has me working a lot. It’s all going to show when the season starts.”
Ryan Restivo covers the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference for Big Apple Buckets. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @ryanarestivo or contact Ryan at rrestivo[at]nycbuckets.com.
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