Burlington Central’s Patrick Magan has always been a proficient outside shooter, but improvements in other areas of his game are helping him take things to another level.
One of the ways the 6-foot-6 junior forward can pitch in is on the defensive end. With his length, he can disrupt the passing lanes, something that came up for the Rockets in the midst of a slump.
When they met a few weeks ago, coach Brett Porto stressed that aspect.
“He was looking for me to play harder on defense,” Magan said. “My offense has always been good, but I had to improve on defense.”
Magan and Burlington Central have turned over a new leaf, winning their fourth straight game with a dominant 53-32 Fox Valley Conference victory Friday night over Jacobs.
Magan led a balanced attack for the Rockets (10-7, 6-2), scoring 12 points to go with three steals. Joseph Cumpata added 10 points. Malachi Bell led Jacobs (10-8, 3-5) with nine points.
The Golden Eagles played without Elijah Bell, Malachi’s older brother. He’s expected back soon.
Magan, meanwhile, went from being the young one in a lineup full of seniors to suddenly having to be a leader to younger players in the blink of an eye. Porto is happy with how he’s progressing.
“There are ups and downs with leadership,” Porto said. “You’re learning. I think he’s taken steps in the right direction, especially lately. He’s still growing and maturing.”
Magan confirmed that he’s slowly adapting to that role.
“It’s nice having the younger guys on the team because I used to be in that spot and now I can help them out,” Magan said. “I’m trying to improve on that and help my other teammates out because that’s what I went through as a freshman.”
The Rockets started slowly Friday night, trailing 12-8 in the first quarter. They outscored Jacobs 23-5 the rest of the first half, however, to pull away.
Jacobs coach Jimmy Roberts lamented a stretch at the end of the first quarter that ignited the run.
“We were solid early,” Roberts said. “It’s a fine line. We had three bad possessions. We took three bad shots. They weren’t even turnovers. It went from us up 12-8 to 15-12 them. It turns quickly.”
During Burlington Central’s four-game skid, the games weren’t particularly close, so Porto decided to make a change. Now, Rockets are coming in and out of the game in waves.
He used 10 players in the first quarter Friday. Everyone met with the coaching staff beforehand to discuss their new roles. The team has adapted to the changes, not losing since.
“They’ve really responded to it,” Porto said. “People are playing with their highest level of confidence on both ends of the court. It’s been great to see. People are taking to it.
“We’ll have to make another round of adjustments at some point, but right now, they’re just feeling really good about themselves.”
The player who has benefited the most has been Magan. In the Rockets’ rough stretch, he was having a hard time getting into an offensive flow. That’s not the case anymore.
“The rest of the guys weren’t as aggressive as we needed them to be,” Porto said. “When you draw that attention, it’s difficult. Now, we have guys playing more confidently around him and hitting shots and getting downhill, and that’s allowed him to get freed up a little bit more.”
Happy with the changes, Magan is ready to help guide his young teammates the rest of the way.
“Growing and maturing, playing as a team, I know how to get the ball to my teammates better now,” Magan said. “We’re getting into the flow and that’s been really beneficial to us.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
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