Player Review: Ron Mvouika, the outside shooter

Ron Mvouika is nothing if not well-traveled.

To play basketball, he traveled from France, to the Canary islands, to West Virginia for high school, to Wyoming for Junior College, to Missouri State University in Springfield, MO. After that, who could pass up on an opportunity to be in New York City, where a man can get a solid haircut and there are things to do.

We knew that the competition going from the Missouri Valley to the Big East was going to be a leap, but the hope was that Mvouika's strengths (shooting and playmaking) would offset his so-so athleticism/ speed. His toughness, energy and positivity were on point, but how was his game?

By the numbers

Ron Mvouika selected stats per game, 2015-16 season [m/g = minutes per game; rpg = rebounds per game]

Ron Mvouika selected stats, all games, 2015-16 season [glossary of terms]

Ron Mvouika selected stats, 2015-16 season [m/g = minutes per game; rpg = rebounds per game]

Ron Mvouika selected stats, all games, 2015-16 season [glossary of terms]

Three things about Ron Mvouika

Versatility was just what the Johnnies needed. "Needed" is a relative term. In an eight-win season, there's an indictment on everyone who played on the roster. One person's solid performances don't mitigate the less-solid aspects, especially for a player in the role of a "talent bridge" between a new roster and the next year.

Still, Ron Mvouika's shooting was very, very good. His ballhandling was needed, since Federico Mussini disappointed with his ability to get the team into half court offense or attack the rim.

Mvouika did a little bit of everything, even if it wasn't enough to put more wins on the board. He was a very good excellent role player - handing out six assists against Villanova, scoring 20 points at DePaul, grabbing ten rebounds against Rutgers and also against Villanova.

His shooting was, on this team, holding things together. Mvouika took the third-most shots from beyond the arc and hit the second-highest percentage (36%) of them - and had the team's best effective field goal percentage, a statistic that weights the three-pointer as worth an extra point.

He had the team's highest offensive rating, scoring 94.7 points per 100 possessions. For perspective, the next highest ratings were held by Durand Johnson and Felix Balamou, who scored 90.7 points per 100 possessions.

But when the shots weren't falling... Truthful: on a better team with more veteran players, Ron Mvouika wouldn't be taking some of the shots he did. He was a very good role player, but not necessarily ready to be the star that carried a team in the Big East. There's no shame in that, at all. Most people aren't going to be that, and nothing from Mvouika's profile from his time before St. John's should ever have raised that expectation.

[Bonus note: statistically, his overall profile was fairly similar at Missouri State. Except at Mizzou St., Mvouika used a higher percentage of possessions, grabbed more offensive rebounds, drew slightly more foul shot attempts/ possession, shot a little better inside the arc, was a slightly better passer. But the turnover rate and three-point shooting were about the same. Basically, this is what one should have expected from Mvouika.]

But for a guard standing 6'6", shooting 40% inside the arc in Big East play isn't terrible (though it's in line with his shooting at Missouri State). Some of those nights involved some rough 0-fers - 0/6 from beyond the arc against DePaul; 0/5 inside the arc against Seton Hall, 1/6 inside the arc against NJIT. Like many of his teammates, Ron Mvouika found open shots - and missed them.

Pressing, perhaps, to lead the team?

On the upside, though, is that Mvouika, at least to me, is evidence that the offense works. He found many open looks on the wings from outside the arc, and despite lacking great foot speed, could get some shots in the paint.

Defense. Like many of his fellow perimeter players, Mvouika's defense was lacking at times. There was a game effort, but some combination of the position the players were put into - helping out in the paint, the man-to-man defense that didn't suit their foot speed - and the players' natural defensive IQ and quickness didn't work.

Some other players would give up on plays; Mvouika actually worked on defense, and attempted to defend. But his lack of foot speed helped put the team in a bind on the perimeter, especially in the times where Mvoiuka had to defend the opponents' lead guard.

Looking forward

According to Mvouika, he will be with the French National Team this summer, at least in training camp.

From there, we will assume he has offers to continue to play professionally in Europe, likely in France, where as a national he has a leg up on getting and holding a roster spot. Good luck to him!