With Tyler Kolek's status uncertain, freshman Tre Norman looks ready step to up for Marquette

Tre Norman was shooting with Marquette men's basketball assistant coach DeAndre Haynes hours before Wednesday night's 91-69 victory over Providence, just like the freshman guard has done most days this season.

Something felt different. Haynes had a premonition that Norman was on the verge of a breakthrough because of all the work they had put in together.

"I told him, man, today is going to be the day when you hit multiple threes," Haynes said. "I’m just telling you, I can feel it."

Haynes proved to be prescient.

Norman came into the game just 2 for 21 on three-point shots, with his last make coming on Nov. 20 against UCLA at the Maui Invitational in Hawaii. But he knocked down two triples in the first half against the Friars, each time looking over to the MU bench with a wide smile.

"My wife said she had me on video because I was like a proud father," Haynes said.

Norman had a breakout performance with eight points, two assists and two steals in a season-high 19 minutes. It couldn't have come at a better time, with fifth-ranked MU (22-6, 13-4 Big East) playing 12th-ranked Creighton (21-8, 12-6) on Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska. The postseason is approaching and senior point guard Tyler Kolek is dealing with a oblique injury while backup Sean Jones is already out for the season.

"He played with confidence," MU head coach Shaka Smart said. "We always say you can’t take half-shots. And he didn’t.

"From the opening shot he took, he was aggressive. It’s been quite a while since he made a three. And I think that had been weighing on his mind. But he’s been working. He’s been in the gym."

DeAndre Haynes and Tre Norman turn to Damian Lillard for inspiration

Haynes and Norman were back in the Al McGuire Center gym on Thursday morning.

"He could have easily been satisfied with hitting two threes that he made yesterday," Haynes said. "No, we’re right back at it. Let’s get in the gym. We’re here at 8:30 in the morning and we got right back to it.

"Dame Lillard form finishes. Did some two-foot finishes in the paint. We’ll probably do it again right after practice. It’s little stuff like that he’s been consistent with. I think if he stays at that rate, when he stays consistent, getting in the gym in the morning, after practice at night, he’ll start to shoot better.

"We’re going to need him, too. Part of my role going into these next couple games before the Big East (tournament) and then the games going into the (NCAA) tournament. We’re going to need him fresh. We’re going to need him confident. Because you never know what can happen."

Lillard, the Milwaukee Bucks star, has provided a blueprint with his tireless work on perfecting his jump shot.

"We actually watch off-season clips from Dame Lillard, and just watching him how he shoots the ball," Haynes said. "Some of the drills that he does where he’s working on his craft and things like that.

"So that’s what we’ve been studying. We get in the gym every morning at 8:30 and we do a lot of the same stuff Dame Lillard is doing. Whether it’s like when he’s starting low and pausing or the shots he’s shooting when he’s warming up. So we do a lot of that stuff. Studying some of the greats."

Norman has dug deep into the film study. In addition to the three-pointers against the Friars, he looked confident attacking the basket.

"We been working on a lot of driving and finishing off two feet," Haynes said. "So the same thing, hey, watch (the New York Knicks’ Jalen) Brunson.

"Study other people and try to work on your footwork. I’m big on two-foot finishes and quick finishes and stuff like that. So we do a lot of finishes on the floor, too. Because he’s got some big, strong shoulders, man. I always tell him once you get past people, man, you should be unstoppable. In the game, he pointed at me like ‘Man, we worked on that! We worked on that!’

"Every game, I put on my computer the opponents. Like, every guard he’s going to guard. And watch them."

Shaka Smart promotes an "(Expletive) It" philosophy with shooters

Norman isn't the only MU guard to have fallen into a shooting funk this season. Kolek, Kam Jones and Stevie Mitchell have all fought through prolonged slumps.

The MU coaches promote the same mentality with every player.

"Every time you shoot, I want you to say eff it," Haynes said. "And you got to say it. That is no conscience. You don’t care. You're playing and shooting with confidence. You’re letting it go.

"And that’s what (Norman) did (against Providence). And we all celebrated, it was like a big celebration. Just like when Stevie Mitchell was going through his shooting slump this past year. He hit one in Hawaii and Oso (Ighodaro) and everybody threw their hands up."

A common issue with freshmen in college basketball is that they are worried about making mistakes and getting subbed out of game. Haynes preaches to Norman that the young guard just needs to keep everything simple: play defense and shoot when you are open.

"The minute you drop your head and show bad body language, (Smart's) going to get you out of there," Haynes said. "If my coach tells me when I’m open to let if fly, I’m going to do it. You got the green light here at Marquette to do that. Every player that steps on the floor."

DeAndre Haynes played at Kent State and professionally overseas

Haynes was the Mid-American Conference player of the year at Kent State in 2006 and left as the school's all-time leader in assists and steals. He also had a six-year professional career overseas. So he often draws on personal experiences when helping young players.

Like helping Norman not having a flat arc on his shot.

"He was literally like aiming at the basket," Haynes said. "I said, 'man, you really got to work on getting it up.'

"I had an experience when I was overseas, and I’m not one of the best shooters but I love to teach the game, but I had a shooting coach in Belgium that had me stand behind the hoop and form shoot over the basket. I had to get three swishes before I left the gym. That really worked for me.

"I had said, hey, this worked for me, we can try this sometimes. We just try different things to get him to shoot the ball up and shoot more confidence. It may start off slow with some form shooting, then we’ll pick it up a little bit. Then we do some shots on the move."

Haynes knows what's like to be a freshman trying to find his way. The MU coaching staff is bullish on Norman's potential, but there is not a lot of playing time with a veteran team.

"(Norman) was a big name and a four-star kid or whatever," Haynes said. "Then you come to college and you come off the bench. How do you handle that?

"I averaged 20-something points, too. But then I come to college and then my first year I’m playing with a guy named Antonio Gates (who later played in the NFL as a tight end) that I had to play behind. He was a point forward.

"They had to tell me, Dre, just get in there and make the simple plays. Find Antonio Gates and get him the ball. And when I’m open, have confidence to knock down my shots. That’s what I told him, my career got better every year that I was in college. And that’s going to be you.”

Norman's time is coming at MU. Nobody knows when it's going to be. He'll just keep working until it comes.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette's Tre Norman had best game of freshman season vs. Providence