Danny Piepoli (left) continues to climb MSU's three-point shooting lists
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Piepoli Transformation Helps Pace Bobcats to 2-0 League Start
1/4/2011 1:45:19 PM | Men's Basketball
MSU sharp-shooter evolves into complete player
Danny Piepoli came to Montana State as a shooter. He'll leave the Bobcat basketball program as something much more.
“Danny has worked hard to improve his versatility,” said MSU coach Brad Huse, who added the 6-6 sharpshooter to his first Bobcat recruiting class and has watched him transition from a shooter to a player. “He is one of the best shooters in the conference, but now he has the ability to create shots for himself and for teammates. And he's worked hard at the defensive end, as well.”
That hard work has been no accident. It becomes apparently early in a career at MSU, Peipoli said, that defense is the way to earn minutes.
“I know defense at this school is what's going to get me on the court,” he said. “It's what this program is about. We've got a great coaching staff that teaches defense and prides itself on defense, we all do. I know if I take care of my business on the defensive end my offense will come. That's what I try to do, that's what I focus on in games, because I know the offense is there. It's defense where you really need to focus. Defense wins championships.”
The foundation of Huse's coaching philosophy provided fertile territory for Piepoli's transformation to take root. “Defense separates players,” MSU's fifth-year coach said. “I tell the guys that all the time. It's what gets you minutes.”
Piepoli has always possessed the ability to develop into a complete player, and his physical tools revealed themselves to Huse during the recruiting process. The senior from Pasadena, Calif., brings bounce and energy to the gym every day, but Piepoli says the other element of basketball – of any athletic endeavor – has been a work in progress.
“It's mental,” he says, it's focusing on every possession, and that's something that I can honestly and humbly admit that I've kind of lagged on is I didn't focus on every play. This year I'm trying to focus on every play, I'm doing a lot more studying on teams we're playing, I'm taking pride in my defense. I haven't done that always in the past, I've done it gradually more and more, but this year stepping up and understanding that I've got freshmen under me and looking up to me, we're trying to win a championship.”
Piepoli's game has evolved throughout his Bobcat career, but during his senior season the hard work has manifested itself statistically to a large degree. His shooting totals are down this year, in part due to the team's other offensive weapons and in part because he has “really expended energy in other areas,” Huse says, “particularly on the defensive end.”
That effort shows up on the stat sheet. Piepoli has 14 assists this season, just nine away from a career high set last season, and his 12 steals to this point of 2010-11 is nearly half his career total of 30.
Piepoli's primary calling card remains his long-range shooting. His 148 three-pointers is eighth on MSU's impressive career three-point field goal list. But, his ability to mesh into the program's offensive philosophy, while not as easily measured, has been just as significant.
“One thing that we've hit on this year is ball movement and making the extra pass,” Piepoli said. “If I see someone in the corner I'm going to kick it rather than shoot a contested three-point shot. I'm a lot more scouted this year now that I'm in the starting lineup, getting more minutes. Basically I've got a lock-down defender on me at all times, so making the extra pass is something that's come into my game.”
While he earned minutes even very early in his career due to his ability to shoot, Piepoli said what he's gained during his development as a player is more important this statistics. “I think maturity (is the most important characteristic of growth),” he said. “I've harped on maturity my whole career. I've learned so much since I acme here as a cocky high school senior. I've taken responsibility, the role of being captain on this team, a leader on this team on and off the court, and I think my maturity is something I can reflect on and be really proud of.”
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