“Jaxon was off to a great start, he was playing really well for us until he got hurt,” Mack said. “We missed his athleticism, his defense on the wings for the rest of the season.”
Prunty didn’t feel sorry for himself. He was determined to help in any way he could. He dove into the Cougars’ playbook, doing deep dives into their offensive and defensive systems.
Those extra study sessions are paying dividends with his new teammates. With almost a dozen new faces on the Cougars’ roster, Prunty and guard Djordje Curcic are the only returning players that played significant minutes last season.
“I’ve had to take on more of a leadership role,” Prunty said. “I know the plays, so I’ll have guys that will ask me about what they need to be doing on this play or that set and I try to tell them what they need to do.”
Mack is just glad to have Prunty back on the floor and believes he will be ready to go when the Cougars open their season on Nov. 3 against Tusculum at TD Arena.
“Jaxon is getting there, he’s working really hard to get back to where he was last year,” Mack said.
Prunty said fans will notice that the Cougars will be longer and more athletic, especially on the wing, from a season ago.
“It’s a big difference from last year,” Prunty said. “The guys they brought in make me feel like I’m not very athletic. I think we’ll have one of the best defensive teams in the country. We have guys that can guard their position and then a lot of other positions as well. We have a lot of versatility.”
Cougars still waiting on Hickman status
Connor Hickman, who transferred from Cincinnati this spring, is still waiting to hear on his eligibility waiver from the NCAA.
The 6-3 Hickman appeared in 13 games for Cincinnati this past season and was limited because of a broken foot. He averaged 4.3 points per game and 2.5 rebounds in his first season with the Bearcats.
The graduate student has applied for a medical waiver with the NCAA in hopes he gets an additional year of eligibility.