ahh what couldve been. we all wanted hagins, looks like hes on the right path to being a good one. i wish our freshmen/redshirt freshmen would get on his workout plan
www.roanoke.com/sports/college/wb/274173College basketball notebook: Hagins grows into power role
By Mark Berman | The Roanoke Times
Delaware forward Jamelle Hagins put on muscle during the summer and has become more of a force this season.
Courtesy of University of Delaware
Delaware forward Jamelle Hagins put on muscle during the summer and has become more of a force this season.
Hitting the weight room has paid off for Jamelle Hagins.
The former William Fleming standout ranks fifth in Division I in blocked shots with an average of 3.5 per game. He is the leading rebounder and third-leading scorer for Delaware, which plays in the Colonial Athletic Association.
"I put on a whole lot of muscle weight this [past] summer," said Hagins, a two-time All-Timesland pick. "My head coach ... told me the only thing that was holding me back was my strength. I was pretty much a little bit too skinny down low. I really took that to heart and hit the weights hard.
"I'm not getting pushed around as much. I can hold my ground a little better. ... I can throw around a couple people."
The 6-foot-8 Hagins weighed 205 pounds as a freshman last season. Now he weighs 232 pounds.
"There were times as a freshman, he would do things and I would turn to the assistants and say, 'Well, next year, when he gets stronger, those things won't happen,' " said coach Monte Ross, whose team beat defending CAA champ Old Dominion last month. "Now ... with his added strength, he's able to finish around the basket.
"He's able to withstand the pounding, and almost like in football terms, shed off the block and make the tackle. He's able to get off his defender and go over and block the shot."
The power forward has 56 blocks, up from 30 last season. He blocked seven shots in a loss at Villanova last month.
"If you've got a reputation for shot blocking, you're going to get pump fakes all night, so you've just got to be smart," Hagins said.
Hagins is averaging 8.1 rebounds, up from 5.3 per game last season.
"Sometimes if I block the shot, the rebound falls right to me," he said.
He is averaging 9.7 points for the Blue Hens (8-8, 3-3), up from 5.4 per game last season.
"Throwing him into the fire last year as a freshman has really benefited him this year," Ross said. "His game has evolved some, where we can throw the ball to him with his back to the basket and he can score with either hand. He can also step away and shoot a little jump shot."