Tou Strong
Toumani Camara bringing more physical mindset in sophomore season
Toumani Camara did not play like a dominating physical presence in the first game of his sophomore season.
The 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward hoisted a quartet of triples and, perhaps, most jarringly, pulled down only one rebound against Florida A&M. For a team that’s on the shorter side as it is, that’s a tough pill to swallow from one of the larger players.
Since then, however, the Belgian has turned into a bully that’s been imposing his will on opponents.
Each of the next two games resulted in lines of 19 points and seven rebounds. The point total represented a career high. Then, on Dec. 8 against Montana, Camara had perhaps the best game of his Georgia career.
He notched 15 points and 17 rebounds, which nearly doubled his previous career high of nine. Time and again he crashed the offensive glass, pulled down offensive rebounds and finished with a layup.
“Those second-chance points really held us down,” graduate transfer Andrew Garcia said after the game. “A lot of times we got to the paint and a lot of us didn’t crash the boards, but Toumani’s continuous effort throughout the whole game showed. He got to the line, he finished those put-backs, and that’s what we really need consistently throughout the year.”
For head coach Tom Crean, it’s all about Camara’s mindset. In the opener, he came out with an offensive-focused mentality that resulted in a rough game. In three outings since, his mindset has shifted to an attacking one that has led to better all-around numbers.
“When you play the game the right way, with the right intent, and you’re not worried about your offense and you're not worried about your shooting, you’re not worried about where you're getting the ball, if you’re getting the ball, you play well,” Crean said.
Even though spooky season ends before basketball season, Crean said players like Camara can sometimes “see ghosts” when things aren’t going their way. It’s something all young players have to grow through, and a mentality Camara is starting to develop.
Still, Camara is far from complacent with his current numbers. After the Montana game, he said the season’s first three games weren’t his best in the rebounding category. For the first game, he's spot on. But back-to-back games of seven rebounds after that is nothing to sneeze at.
For the Belgian sophomore, rebounding comes down to two things: teamwork and energy.
“If everybody is going to rebound, it’s going to be easier to only have one man to beat,” Camara said. “It’s a thing that’s a team job. I believe it is just energy and just trying to go get it, like who wants it more.”
As strong as the past three games have been, Camara is still just scratching the surface of his potential. A stout physical presence, he’s shown his freak athleticism at times this year, especially on his breakaway dunks. Crean sees Nicolas Claxton-type defensive potential, with Camara being able to guard every position on the court at any given time.
With each passing game, Camara is growing more and more comfortable with his role as a Bulldog. As SEC play nears, his development will be crucial for any success for this Georgia team.
“The cutting, the movement, the getting on the glass, the going up strong — all that stuff is starting to come,” Crean said. “I think he’ll get better and better. He’ll finish even better as we go along.”