Herve Lamizana has not had the kind of season that he has expected. In some games he has shown why NBA scouts are interested in him but, in other games, he has not lived up to that billing. However, on Saturday, in the Scarlet Knights' 81-70 victory over Notre Dame, he showed why he might have a chance to play in the NBA next season.
"Coach [Waters] felt like I should have been aggressive this game," Lamizana said. "He felt like as long as I get the ball and I'm being aggressive, things can happen."
If being aggressive is all it takes, then Lamizana should play that way more often. The senior forward had a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while also having two blocks. From the field, Lamizana shot 7-of-13 and he was 8-for-9 from the charity stripe. However, Lamizana played for only 29 minutes because of his foul situation and the matchups that Notre Dame used.
After the game, Lamizana was modest about his performance. He did not relish in the game he had, but in the performance of the team.
"It's fun that everybody scores and we win," Lamizana said. "It's not about me. I don't really care about how many points I score. That's for everybody else to get caught up in. That's not me."
Prior to Saturday's contest, Lamizana had games in which he did not play the way he is capable of playing. Against Miami, he had only five points, and he blamed the referees for his poor performance (he later apologized for criticizing the officials). There had also been games earlier in the season in which it seemed as though Lamizana didn't show up.
"We literally played without him against Pittsburgh and Georgetown," Rutgers head coach Gary Waters said.
However, Lamizana recently has been coming out of his funk. Last Wednesday at Villanova he scored 11 points while recording nine boards. "I think he had an effective game against Villanova," Waters said.
Waters knows that now is the time for Lamizana to step up. He needs to continue to dominate the rest of the Big East the way he dominated Notre Dame.
"I think Herve understands that time is running out on him," Waters said. "I don't want to call it a sense of urgency, but he must understand that he's got to play to his potential if he sees any future for himself."
In the victory on Saturday, there was a moment when Lamizana even got the best of the referees and Irish forward Jordan Cornette. With just over 13 minutes to go in the game, Lamizana baited Cornette with a push. The push went unseen by the referees and Cornette then retaliated.
He went at Lamizana once with a push, and then a second time with a more violent push. On the second shove, Lamizana was knocked into Rutgers freshman guard Quincy Douby, with Douby falling to the ground. Cornette was then called for a technical foul, fouling out of the game on the play.
"He fell for it," Lamizana said of his plan to get Cornette to retaliate.
By playing the way that he did and by having a double-double, Lamizana caught the attention of his teammates. They know that the way Lamizana plays is important to the success of the team.
"I think it was a great performance," Douby said of the game Lamizana had. "He's our key force. When he plays well, I don't think we can lose."
Lamizana now will now try to lead the resurgent Knights to a possible run to the NCAA Tournament. He wants to perform well and help the team as much as possible.
"I give him credit," Waters said. "He keeps saying, 'It ain't about me, it's about the team,' and so he's playing for the team, and as long as he continues to do that, he will have effective games."
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