After the 75-71 loss to Jackson State that dropped the Red Wolves to 2-5 on the season, coach Bryan Hodgson clearly wasn’t pleased with the team’s approach to the game.*

“They just punked us. They were tougher than us in just about every single category.”

The score was one of those categories, of course, but two others stood out: rebounding and free-throw shooting. The Tigers out-grabbed the Red Wolves 44/30 – 24/8 in the second half. Additionally, JSU nailed 23 of 29 free throws while the Red Wolves only hit 15 of 25. Playing hard beneath the rim and executing the yeoman’s work at the charity stripe is among the “blue collar” attributes Coach Hodgson wanted to see in his team. On Tuesday, he didn’t like what he saw.

“We do a lot of fraudulent tough stuff, you know, like talk to the other team. Talk to the other coach. Stuff that doesn’t win you basketball games,” said Coach Hodgson in his post-game presser. “So getting away from the fake tough guy stuff to the real tough guy stuff – being first on the floor for a loose ball, boxing out and getting a rebound, getting off a box out and getting a rebound, doing the actually things to win basketball games.”

There’s nothing wrong with exhibiting some self confidence, but slinging words with former NBA legend Mo Williams probably wasn’t the best idea, and Bryan Hodgson knew it. After all, this was a hardened JSU team that has played all of its games on the road, defeated Missouri, and took Georgetown down to the wire. Even when Arkansas State took a first-half 10-point lead, it was certain that the Tigers weren’t going to lay down.

Often, Coach Hodgson has talked about “blue collar” basketball – so much so that hardhats were passed around the student section. Coach Hodgson even has a “Blue Color Points” system, with deflections, steals, blocks, rebounds and loose balls counting for 1 point, offensive boards counting for 1.5 points, floor dives for 2 points, and 4 points for accepting a charge. Players who accumulate the most points per game win The Hard Hat Award. It is worth mentioning that Avery Felts won the award Tuesday night – with the lowest Blue Collar Point Total of the season.

At this moment, a rolled-sleeves mentality isn’t showing itself on the hardwood – at least not consistently. While this might be the most talented group of individuals Arkansas State has seen in a long time, it seems that alpha roster has left too many gritty roles to fill – The Guy Who Takes a Charge, The Guy Who Pounds the Paint, The Guy Who’s Hungry for Boards, The Guy Who Draws the Fouls.

At the moment, the Red Wolves have plenty of Guys Who Fire The 3 – the Red Wolves had eight players attempt at least one three-pointer on Tuesday night. Conversely, JSU scored 26 points in the paint. Arkansas State scored just 12. As far as taking fouls, the Red Wolves have shot less at the stripe than their opponent all year.

It’s not all dourness for the Red Wolves as they prepare for an in-state match-up with UA Little Rock on Friday evening. Last year’s dazzling freshman Terrence Ford Jr. returned on Tuesday night and was good for nine points. Forward LaQuill Hardnett is mending though still a few weeks away – but he’ll bring more action beneath the boards. And Derrian Ford, who had yet to put on a memorable offensive performance as a Red Wolf, dropped a season high 14 points against Jackson State. There are things to build on.

But most importantly, we must bear in mind that the Arkansas State Red Wolves is a team still figuring out where all the pieces fit. There’s plenty of work to do, and Coach Hodgson isn’t about to take off his hardhat.

Photo Credit: Mine

*Press conference video from Logan Whaley, KAIT