IUP is historically a program that produces solid results and great players. The Crimson Hawks’ point guard, Devante Chance, is just the next one up.
A senior, Chance has really elevated his play during the 2014-15 season from his point guard position. The Crimson Hawks are 15-2 and sit only a half game back in the PSAC West, and Chance is a big reason for the success.
Chance, a 5-foot-11, 181-pound guard from Philadelphia, is averaging 14.1 points and a PSAC-best 6.1 assists per game this season. He currently leads the team in both categories, also. Chance said that he knew that he would be counted upon more often now that he’s a senior.
“Me becoming a senior, my role was increased,” he said. “I took that into consideration in the offseason, so I took advantage and worked as hard as possible and tried to elevate my game in all aspects so I don’t let my teammates down when I’m called upon to do certain things offensively and defensively.”
He started off his season with posting a career-high with 28 points and added seven assists in a 96-62 win over Urbana, a drastically improved team in the Mountain East Conference. While he said he wasn’t necessarily planning on scoring that much, Chance said that type of game came from the hard work that he put in in the offseason.
“I was so anxious because of how hard I worked in the offseason and I wanted to perform well.” he said of the game. “That first game was just a reflection of what I worked on. It was just a result of the hard work that I did in the offseason.”
As a point guard, Chance’s top priority is to manage the game and make sure that the offense flows smoothly. If a point guard does his job right, most coaches would agree that it’s almost like having a coach physically out on the court. Chance said that he’s worked closely with head coach Joe Lombardi to make sure he can execute effectively.
“Me being a point guard, I take getting my teammates the ball seriously. Those assists I get, I give credit to my teammates, because they have to finish the plays,” he said. “Coach and I work on getting our guys in the spot to be successful and finish plays.”
One of those guys that is counted upon to be successful and finish plays is guard Brandon Norfleet. The junior has really come on as of late, scoring 19, 20 and 24 in the team’s last three contests. The combo of Chance and Norfleet has been deadly all season thanks in large part to Norfleet’s ability to adapt to the offense after transferring in from Cheyney a year ago.
“Brandon’s success is coming from confidence,” Chance said of his teammate. “As the season is going on, he’s been able to pick his spots and our style has complimented him well. He’s a great transition player and he can finish at the rim.”
As much success as Chance and IUP have had this season, it hasn’t all been perfect. The Crimson Hawks met a road block against Mercyhurst back on December 3 and again the very next game against PSAC-leading Gannon. The back-to-back losses dropped IUP out of the Top 5 in the NABC coaches poll, where they currently rank 16th. The losses, though, have since fueled IUP to go on an eight-game winning streak.
“As a player, you never want to lose a basketball game, but I would say that there really are some good losses,” Chance said. “Those came at the beginning of the season. Our team has a lot of transfers and guys that aren’t used to playing in the PSAC. It reassured us that things aren’t easy. It came at a good time because at those times we had a break, so we had time to put into practices and working out to be better.”
Chance said the team really took a step back and noticed that the two losses this season came because of poor execution and lack of rebounding. Since, the team has put more emphasis on those two aspects of the game and hope that it leads to more success down the road this season.
“We just need to continue to improve, continue to be a better defensive team and be a better rebounding team,” he said. “Our goal is always to make a team shoot under 40 percent and win the rebounding battle. If we do that, it’ll be hard to lose a game.”
Photo credit: IUP Athletics
