Assist to Nash in turning Siva into star
by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports
LOUISVILLE — It’s funny, sometimes, what sets a player off on one of the most successful stretches of his career.
It could be anything — a big shot, a word of motivation or a technical adjustment.
For Louisville’s Peyton Siva, it was video of eight-time NBA All-Star point guard Steve Nash. Heading into the Big East tournament in March, Siva says, he watched more than 100 tapes of Nash.
“Peyton struggled early in the year,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino says. “We run a lot of pick-and-rolls for our point guard, and he got into the lane and he just made up his mind that he had to do something. I showed him some tapes of Steve Nash, and it really helped him, because Steve would go in, and if he didn’t have anything, he’d keep his dribble and just bring it on out and try it again.
“It really helped Peyton to realize you don’t have to make the play every single time. That cut down on his turnovers. It really helped his decision-making.”
Not to mention his overall play. Siva was named the most outstanding player of the Big East tournament, averaging 13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.8 steals in four games. After losing three of their last four games of the regular season, the Cardinals seemingly came out of nowhere to win the Big East tournament.
Siva says the Nash tapes helped him see the whole court better and understand when not to force a bad shot. He saw when and how to use his speed to benefit the team.
“Everything was going right at the time,” Siva says. “I didn’t really stress about anything. I was way more aggressive during the postseason than during the regular season. That’s what Coach wanted me to do.
“If I saw an open shot, if I saw a shot that I liked, take it. He told me I had the ultimate green light, and I went out there and used it.”
Siva and the Cardinals carried that momentum into the NCAA tournament, where they reeled off four wins to reach the Final Four before losing to … [For more on Assist to Nash in turning Louisville's Siva into star, click here.]
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