UL's Shawn Long remains consisten for hoops team

University of Louisiana at Lafayette junior Shawn Long was a consistent force for the Ragin’ Cajun basketball team in his first two years in Lafayette.
Long, in his third year playing for ULL, has kept his consistency this year without star guard Elfrid Payton, who left after the 2014 season for the NBA Draft.
Long, a former Morgan City High alum, is averaging 17.7 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per contest, numbers either better or near what he had during his past two years as a member of the Ragin’ Cajuns.
He said each offseason, he works on things that can make him a better ball player.
“It’s just simple things, my hook shot, my outside, just shooting, just getting shots up,” Long said after ULL's Feb. 7 loss to the University of Texas-Arlington. “It’s just more about repetition is all it is.”
UL coach Bob Marlin said Long is a good “instinctive” rebounder who has good length and timing and is quick on his feet for his size.
“He’s got a very good second jump. … When a lot of people jump and he’s got a second jump that’s really good,” Marlin said. “You combine that with his length. He’s been very consistent with his defensive rebounding, and I’ve coached 33 years of college basketball and he’s as good a defensive rebounder as I’ve ever coached.”
While the Cajuns qualified for the NCAA Tournament a year ago falling to Creighton in the second round, among the players this year’s team has had to replace is Payton, who was drafted 10th overall.
“This year has been about growing,” Long said. “We had a lot of the new guys come in. We’re just trying to build chemistry. I think we’ve gotten to a good point right now. We just need to work on some things on the defensive end.”
Without another key cog for the team in Payton, Long said his role has expanded this year.
“I’m just adjusting to that,” Long said. “I think I’ve been doing pretty well with it as far as scoring and rebounding. Coach has been really leaning on me to do that night in and night out, and I think I’ve been stepping up to the plate.”
Marlin said Long has done well without Payton.
“It’s been a definite change in leadership for us with Elfrid leaving,” Marlin said. “But Shawn has stepped up into that role the best he can and has done a good job. As a coach, I’d always like him to be a little more consistent, but he’s really grown in that area as well.”
Marlin said Long has matured and improved as a player during his time in Lafayette, although there’s still room for improvement.
“But he’s made a lot of improvement and continues to score and rebound the ball and is getting better defensively,” Marlin said.
While Long’s name has been tossed around as a possible NBA prospect, Long’s focus isn’t there.
“Right now my focus is getting better with my team and just working on myself at the same time so at the end of the day that will better my team,” Long said.
Marlin said he knows it’s a possibility Long may not return for his senior year and the big man will get more exposure if the team goes to the NCAA tournament. However, he said the NBA isn’t something that is discussed a lot.
“We have met with him and his family a couple times when school started and told them we’d keep them abreast of what’s going on and what we hear, and there’s been some scouts to see us," Marlin said. "Certainly there haven’t been as many lately to see us play, so I don’t know what kind of sign that is."
Marlin said according to their latest estimates from about a week ago, Long was pegged to be a late second-round pick in the NBA Draft, although the ULL coach said he thinks Long is first-round potential.
He said the basketball program received a form a week ago from the NBA’s Undergraduate Advisory Committee on underclassmen, and he will fill it out and return it.
Marlin said teams are interviewed about a prospect and information is gathered about where the prospect is ranked on their draft board before feedback is given to the university.
“We’ll see what they say then we’ll share that with Shawn and sit down when the season’s over and talk to him about it,” Marlin said.
Another factor for Long to consider is he is close to earning his degree, which Marlin said is important to Long and his mother.
Long said he’s just grateful to even be talked about in terms of an NBA future.
“I’m just blessed to have the opportunity to be mentioned to even play at the next level, so I’m just taking it one day at a time,” he said.