Steve Novak

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Apr 22, 2005
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From Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Calling the shots
Selfless Novak takes aggressive approach

By TODD ROSIAK
trosiak@journalsentinel.com

The stroke has always been pure.

Handed down from on high and honed through countless hours of work
in the gym, it's an effortless motion that results in deadly accuracy from
any spot on the court this side of 30 feet.

It's also been a frequent source of bewilderment, consternation and
discussion, and not just for opposing coaches searching for ways to
somehow stop it or at least slow it down.

Because as well as Marquette Golden Eagles senior forward Steve Novak
can shoot the basketball, it seems as though he's never been able to do it
enough to satisfy everyone. And for a player whose top priority has been
to be a good teammate above all else that creates a conflict that, at least
in Novak's case, can take years to resolve.

"One of my biggest concerns has always been not wantingto be a selfish
player in every aspect," Novak said recently. "That was something that I
think in the past kind of held me back a little bit as a shooter, always
wanting to make sure I was playing my part on the team, not shooting too
much."

Novak's conundrum dates to his days at Brown Deer High School, where
he popped up on MU's radar screen as a lanky freshman playing for his
father, Mike.

Able to score at will both on the blocks and from the perimeter, Novak
earned player of the year honors in the Parkland Conference three times,
all-state honors twice and was named fourth-team Parade All-American
as a senior in 2002.

During that season, Novak set a school record with a 42-point game
against rival Whitefish Bay Dominican, averaged 20.6 points, 10.4
rebounds and 5 assists and led the Falcons to the WIAA state tournament
for the first time in 20 years.

Yet there was always a sense he could have - or should have - done
more.

Critics pointed to Novak's four-point game in the Falcons' loss to
Madison Edgewood at state as evidence of that, but his preference to
share the ball had become a topic of discussion well before then.

"Because he's got a very fine gift in his shooting touch, we could never
get him to shoot enough," said Mike Novak. "That's always been a
constant, from high school all the way on through. From a coaching
standpoint and a basketball standpoint, what we saw here was that he
was selfless."

As a freshman at MU in the 2002-'03 season, the 6-foot-10 Novak
carved out a niche as the Golden Eagles' bomber off the bench and filled
it well.

Playing with Dwyane Wade, Robert Jackson, Travis Diener and Scott
Merritt, he earned a berth on Conference USA's all-freshman team and
was named the league's sixth man of the year after hitting 50.5% of his
three-pointers in roughly 16 minutes of action per game.

His best performances came during the post-season, however, when he
hit 14 of 25 threes during MU's five-game march to the NCAA's Final Four
in New Orleans. His 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc in overtime
pushed the Golden Eagles past Missouri in the second round, and his five
three-pointers against No. 1 Kentucky in the Elite Eight served as a
backdrop for a Wade triple-double.

"My first year there's no question competing with those guys and always
being on the second team, that was probably the hardest year of my life,"
said Novak. "My mind-set at that time was, 'You never know when your
name is going to be called. You never know when you're going to have to
step up.' I think that for me was big, and it helped us in March.

"I played my best basketball my freshman year at the end, as a lot of guys
(did)."

Looking for more
But with Wade moving on to the National Basketball Association that
spring and Jackson graduating, MU could no longer afford to have Novak
playing strictly a complementary role.

He responded by nearly doubling his scoring average to 12.7 points per
game his sophomore year, more than doubling his rebounding at 4.6 and
hitting 89 three-pointers, but even combined with Diener's improved play
it wasn't enough to return the Golden Eagles to the NCAA tournament.

Novak's numbers remained virtually the same last season, however, and
coupled with Diener being in and out of the lineup with a number of
injuries, MU was once again doomed to the National Invitation
Tournament, where this time it suffered an embarrassing first-round
home loss to Western Michigan.

"I'd say my sophomore and junior years were probably mediocre years
from my viewpoint, just because when you step back and look at how the
team performed, wins and losses, how far we made it," Novak said. "You
look back at those two years and you think, 'If you'd have been a little
more aggressive or done things differently . . . ' It's easy to do that."

It was during that period that coach Marquette coach Tom Crean and the
fiery Diener became especially adamant that Novak shoot the ball at any
and every opportunity.

"I was probably as tough as anybody on Steve for him to shoot the ball
because when you've got a guy that can shoot like that, you want him to
shoot no matter what," recalled Diener, now with the NBA's Orlando
Magic. "But it's hard to start yelling at him for not shooting. It's a fine line.
'Steve, come on. We can't win if you're not going to shoot those shots.' He
expands the defense, he creates a lot of opportunities for other guys."

Learning experience
At times, the prodding wore on the mild-mannered Novak.

"Travis would always say, 'Shoot it, shoot it, shoot it, shoot it.' It took me
some time to realize where he was coming from," Novak said. "I didn't
understand that he knew that in order for us to win, I needed to shoot the
ball. A lot of times you hear about guys who want to shoot it, but they're
selfish players. I think I've learned that each guy has their role, has their
things they do to help the team."

With Diener moving on to the NBA and an influx of new faces on
Marquette's roster this season, conventional wisdom said Novak would
need to improve his game exponentially if the Golden Eagles were to have
any shot at competing in the Big East.

Aside from a 28-point outing in MU's overtime victory against South
Carolina in the championship game of the Great Alaska Shootout, though,
such a leap didn't look to be forthcoming. Sure, Novak scored in double
figures in all but two games leading into league play, but he was far from
being a dominant, game-changing player.

That all changed on Jan. 3 against then-ranked No. 2 Connecticut.

In front of a rabid Bradley Center crowd, Novak single-handedly tore
apart the Huskies in the teams' Big East opener, scoring 41 points and
grabbing 16 rebounds in a stunning 94-79 MU victory while at the same
time undoubtedly raising his draft stock among a number of NBA scouts
in attendance.

It was perhaps the single-best individual performance by an MU player in
the single biggest regular-season victory in the school's history, and one
that set the stage for Novak for the remainder of the season.

"He's really got a confidence scoring and making plays," said Crean. "Of
all the games we've had that was the one that was such a defining
moment for what his capabilities are. When he stays focused on playing a
complete game, that's when you see Steve at his best. We wouldn't be
where we are now without him."

Putting up big numbers
And save for a clunker in West Virginia and two games in which he was
slowed considerably by a sprained left ankle, Novak has continued to
excel. Among his highlights have been burying Notre Dame with 28
points and the game-winning jumper in the closing seconds on Jan. 20
and torching St. John's for 29 points on Feb. 1.

Entering Wednesday, Novak ranked fourth in Big East games in scoring
(20.1), eighth in rebounding (7.9), fourth in field-goal percentage
(51.6%), first in free-throw percentage (97.0%) and three-point
percentage (49.4%) and also had the most three-pointers (43).

"You hear from other players in the past about a senior urgency and that
kind of thing," said Novak, now Marquette's all-time leader in three-
pointers, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage. "That's part
of it, realizing that my college career is coming to an end. You don't want
to leave not being a winner. I guess along with the senior urgency a lot of
things have clicked since the Big East season started."

Lost among all the gaudy numbers, though, is the realization that Novak
finally appears to have resolved that inner conflict. No longer will he
worry about appearances. Look for plenty more shots to be hoisted up
between now and March, as he attempts to get MU back to the Big Dance
once again.

"In my position, sometimes they say when you're open and you don't
shoot it, you're being selfish," he said. "There was no certain thing that
happened, (but now I) understand that for us to be successful, I do have
to shoot the ball and I'm not going to look at it as being selfish."
 

Jimmy Chitwood

Hall of Famer
Joined
Aug 10, 2005
Messages
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Location
Arkansas
he's an incrdible shooter with a tremendously pure stroke. he's like a slightly taller version of Kyle Korver, the player from Creighton a few years ago who's now in the NBA.
 
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