Damian Lillard's scoring demands notice.
After averaging 37.5 points per game in two contests last week against Portland State and Northern Colorado, expect the explosive Weber State point guard to be in line for his fifth Big Sky Conference player of the week honor Monday, and likely some national recognition as well.
A 25.5-point per game average -- No. 1 in Division I -- commands attention, but Lillard is proud of the rest of his game, too.
"A lot of people say, 'You're leading the nation in scoring,' thinking I probably focus on scoring, but I like to get my teammates shots, make them more of a threat," Lillard said earlier this week. "That kind of loosens the defense on me and allows me to score. I just make them pay when they back off a little."
Pay the Vikings and Bears did, with Lillard averaging nearly 70 percent shooting from the field and 65 percent from beyond the arc over two games, all while dishing a combined 10 assists.
Prior to the Portland State game, Lillard hadn't reached his season scoring average for a span of five games, culminating with a 15-point night in Weber State's loss to Idaho State, its first of the Big Sky season.
During Lillard's so-called slump, in that five-game stretch he averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
Just for perspective, if those numbers were his season-long stats, Lillard would still rank third in the Big Sky in scoring, 12th in rebounding, fourth in assists and third in steals per game -- he was slumping like Babe Ruth going 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and pair of RBIs on a day without a home run.
IRL
Sophomore center Kyle Tresnak has been slowed by a sore back.
"He wasn't good (Thursday), but he fought through it and played," Weber State coach Randy Rahe said. "He's got a little tweak. It's not an injury, it's pain. He's getting rehabbed and we're trying to straighten it out. He was better (Saturday) than he was the other night, but he's playing with a lot of pain right now. He'll get better."
Senior forward Darin Mahoney and sophomore forward Byron Fulton each dealt with cramping during games last week, Rahe said, but they should be healthy by Thursday's road contest at Northern Arizona.
Name that 'Cat
John L. Smith's first recruiting class is in the books after last Wednesday's National Signing Day.
Eighteen football players, including 15 freshmen, a junior college transfer and two returned missionaries were counted in the 2012 class, and few more may trickle in later, but if you want to track their impact on the field this fall, you'd better get out a roster and find their jersey number: When Weber State plays under Smith's direction next season, WSU's uniforms will not have players' names on the back, only the word "Wildcats."
That's in line with Smith's mantra about players playing for the team, not for themselves.
"That's a philosophy I've always believed in," Smith said recently. "We're not a bunch of individuals. The name that matters is the one that's on the front. That's what I've believed forever. For us to be real good, we've got to buy in to the team aspect."
Roy Burton covers Weber State sports for the Standard-Examiner. Follow him on Twitter @RoyBurton and read his WSU posts at blogs.standard.net/wsu-sports-blog.
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