Khris Middleton arrived at Texas A&M with a heavy bullet point on his resume, ranking as the best shooting forward recruit in the nation by ESPN.
That part of his game wasn't evident early in the season, yet the people least worried about it were the two that mattered most -- Middleton and his coach.
"I really didn't think about [the ranking] at all," Middleton said. "I just wanted to come in and do my job. At the beginning of the year shots weren't falling. They all felt good. They just weren't going down."
The 6-foot-7 freshman from Charleston, S.C., opened the season 1 for 12 from the field and missed his first eight 3-pointers.
A&M head coach Mark Turgeon continued playing Middleton for a couple of reasons, mainly because he'd seen the freshman shoot in practice. He also found himself surprised at Middleton's overall game, which allowed him to let Middleton shoot his way out of the early slump.
"He's a really smart team defender and has become a better individual defender," Turgeon said. "When we signed him, we thought defense was going to be the most difficult thing for him, and it is, but his team defense is so much better than we anticipated. He has good length and anticipation."
Middleton proved his worth in the Big 12 tournament with seven steals and eight rebounds in two games.
"He's really smart, stole a couple where he'd act like he was going one way and go the other," Turgeon said. "He's not the fastest guy in the world, but his length allows him to do that. He has good hands and takes balls away when guys are driving."
Still, what the Aggies want most from Middleton is another good option on offense. That would take pressure off of leading scorer Donald Sloan and open up the inside for Bryan Davis and David Loubeau.
Middleton has begun to play better on offense, shooting 45 percent from the field and hitting 14 of 37 3-point attempts over A&M's last 11 games. He's averaged 10 points a game and has scored at least 14 in A&M's last three games.
"He's playing smart, making shots that we all knew he would make when we recruited him," Turgeon said. "He's just growing more and more comfortable out there playing more and more minutes, and they'd be more if he was in better shape. But he's a freshman still learning. Next year he'll be in better condition."
Middleton played a career-high 34 minutes in A&M's last game, a 79-66 loss to No. 1 Kansas in the Big 12 tournament semifinals. Middleton began the game hitting 4 of 5 shots and helped the Aggies to a 38-35 halftime lead.
"My shot is becoming really confident, and when I'm making shots and being aggressive like that, it opens up everything else," Middleton said.
Middleton finished the game 6 of 11 but said he didn't feel tired or overwhelmed by the Jayhawks changing to a zone defense in the second half.
In A&M's Big 12 quarterfinal win over Nebraska, Middleton also started well, hitting his first 3 then a jumper which which helped open up the court. He also hit 6 of 6 free throws, drawing fouls with his aggressive play. Middleton's play once again gave the Aggies a halftime lead. More importantly, he hit a 3-pointer that saved an A&M possession that had broken down, giving A&M a 60-55 lead. He also found Bryan Davis for a dunk that secured the victory a few possessions later.
"I'm in more of a rhythm, not thinking as much, just going out there and playing," Middleton said. "It helps to just go out and play sometimes and not think as much."
Texas A&M (20-8, 9-5)
PlayerPos.Ht.Wt.Cl.PPGRPG
Dash HarrisG6-1175So.5.0*3.3
Donald SloanG6-3205Sr.18.23.7
Khris MiddletonF6-7215Fr.7.03.7
David LoubeauF6-8230So.9.04.6
Bryan DavisF6-9250Sr.9.57.9
Utah State (27-7)
PlayerPos.Ht.Wt.Cl.PPGRPG
Pooh WilliamsG6-3200Jr..8.8*2.3
Jared QuayleG6-2180Sr.12.56.3
Tyler NewboldG6-4210Jr.8.04.0
Nate BendallG6-9245Jr.10.45.4
Tai WesleyF6-7240Jr.13.66.6
*assists per game
Matchup: No. 23 Texas A&M (23-9) vs. Utah State (27-7)
What: NCAA First Round
When: 3:45 p.m., Friday
Where: Veterans Memorial Arena (12,989), Spokane, Wash.
Line: Texas A&M by 2 1/2
Radio/TV: WTAW 1620 AM/CBS