Wake Forest Basketball Player Profile: Cornelius Hudson

Sophomore forward Cornelius Hudson had a strong year as a freshman for the Deacs last year, playing in 31 games and starting in 10. He was 4th on the team in points per game at 7.5, and 4th in rebounds per game at 3.1. He does not lack confidence in his shooting ability, leading team in 3 point attempts at 4.6 per game, and finishing 3rd on the team in 3 point percentage at 32% (of players that attempted more than 20 threes on the year). His career-high last year came in a loss at Georgia Tech where he scored 19 points on 4-13 shooting. His best shooting game last season was an 18 point outing at Florida State in which he went 5-11 from the three point line. Hudson scored double-figures 11 times last season.

Hudson's strengths are his ability move to the open space on the court and his jump shot. Many of his 3 point attempts last season were a direct result of the drive and kick. Hudson would move to the open space on the court and make himself available to receive a pass from the driver, resulting in an open three point attempt. Not only does this give the Deacs chances at open 3's, but if Hudson is making them, it will open up the driving lanes later in the game for the guards.You can see below that even though he is unguarded, Hudson continues to move to a space where the guard can see him and hit him with a pass.

Because Hudson's release is so quick, and he gets so much height on his jump shot, its very hard for a defender to block his shot. This means that he can get his shot off just about any time he wants, regardless of where the defender is. So if Hudson is really feeling it, he can catch and shoot even with the defender right in his face.

Hudson also looks for 3 point opportunities in transition. When the Deacs get a steal or a rebound, Hudson usually takes off for either of the wings and looks for the pass to let one fly from deep. Again, this is a great way to get open 3 pointers or open up the lane in transition for easy layups.

It's pretty clear that last year, Hudson shot 3 pointers almost exclusively. Of his 204 attempted field goals, 144 of them from beyond the arc. That's a little over 70% of his shots coming from behind the 3 point line. So what can we expect from Hudson this year? I suspect that Hudson will add a little more dimension to his game as he progresses into his sophomore season. He will continue to find the open space and shoot a lot of 3 pointers, but we will likely see Hudson drive more and look for easy opportunities for layups or free throws. He has added 20 pounds to his frame, so he should be able to handle more contact around the basket. I think Hudson will also expand his game to be able to pump fake a defender at the 3 point line, take a dribble or two inside the arc, and pull up for an easy 2. If Hudson can add these components to his game this year, he will be an even bigger scoring threat for the Deacs than he was last year. Hopefully he returns from suspension soon.