Northern Kentucky basketball’s rotation is taking shape

Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball coach Darrin Horn said the Norse needed a scorer who could complement junior guard Trevon Faulkner.

It only took seven games for NKU to find a second consistent playmaker.

In the Norse’s first two conference games, Faulkner and freshman guard Marques Warrick took control of the offense as NKU split a two-game series with Youngstown State. 

“The goal all week was to compete and go play as a team,” Warrick said Saturday. “That’s what we did.” 

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Few freshman guards in college basketball have scored as well as Warrick, who averages 11 points per game. Even though Warrick can score at all three levels, Horn said he didn’t hand Warrick a starting spot.

First, he had to become a better defender.

“We’d like to see that change a little with his defensive effort, but he’s not a guy that’s rattled by the moment at all,” Horn said earlier this season. 

Over a four-game stretch in December, Warrick  played only 21.5 minutes per game. But he earned more playing time in NKU’s conference opener against Youngstown State on Dec. 19. Facing one of the best teams in the Horizon League, Warrick scored 18 points and made seven of his nine field goal attempts.

As the Penguins’ defense focused on Faulkner, NKU’s leading returning scorer, Warrick led NKU to a 79-64 win on Saturday.

“(Junior guard Bryson Langdon) and (Warrick) were really aggressive early,” Horn said after the game. “That allows us to play better.”

In the second game of the series, Warrick made only three of his 11 field goal attempts. That’s when Faulkner picked up the slack offensively, scoring 20 points. But playing the second game in two days and relying on a six-man rotation, the Norse  scored only 11 points in the final five minutes.

“The difference in the game was that Youngstown State is a veteran team that probably didn’t feel too good about how they played (Saturday),” Horn said. “They came out and were the aggressors (Sunday), especially in the second half. Attacking the basket and the way they defended, we’ve got to find a way to respond to that and continue to play better on the offensive end when it happens.”