If Alec Peters has been Valparaiso’s Batman, then Shane Hammink has been its Robin.
The senior swingman has flourished as a reliable and consistent second option behind the Crusaders’ career scoring and rebounding leader.
“You have to put work into your game, but I’m flying under the radar,” Hammink said. “There’s not much pressure put on me to do too much. It’s all on AP. He takes a lot of pressure away from me.”
Still, Valparaiso relies heavily on Hammink, who was a preseason second team all-Horizon League selection. His importance isn’t lost on Crusaders coach Matt Lottich.
“We count on him to get easy baskets because he’s capable of doing it. … When he’s good, we’re a lot better,” Lottich said.
Hammink has been overwhelmingly good more often than not.
He has scored at least 22 points six times, including a career-high 24 on Jan. 22 against Illinois-Chicago. He has scored 23 points four times this season. He has reached double figures in 18 of the Crusaders’ 21 games.
He also matched his career high with five assists against the Flames, a total he has registered seven times, including four this season.
Hammink is averaging 15.3 points and 3.9 rebounds for Valparaiso (17-4, 7-1), which carries a six-game win streak into a 1:30 p.m. Sunday game (ESPN3) against Northern Kentucky (14-8, 5-4) at the Athletics-Recreation Center. He has a team-high 58 assists, also with a team-high 63 turnovers.
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Taking care of the ball has been a point of emphasis for Hammink, who has responded after committing five turnovers in the Crusaders’ loss to Oakland.
“He’s limiting his turnovers,” Lottich said. “When he gets into trouble a little bit, he’s turning the ball over at a high clip. We’re trying to cut down on that, but we still want him to be aggressive and be a primary playmaker.”
Indeed, Hammink’s biggest strength is his ability to drive to the basket, using his athleticism and length.
He’s shooting 49.5 percent (106-for-214), including 59.1 (88-for-149) on 2-pointers and 82.7 percent (91-for-110) as part of the Crusaders’ exceptional free-throw shooting. He’s shooting 27.7 percent (18-for-65) on 3-pointers, an area he has focused on improving.
“Shane’s been great — he’s played well,” Lottich said. “He’s been able to get to the rim, he’s been getting a lot of layups. His outside shot’s starting to fall, which opens stuff up for him, and I’m not surprised because he’s been working on it.
“The thing that gets overlooked is how well he’s defending. He needs to continue to defend at a high rate.”
As a junior, Hammink had a solid debut with the Crusaders after sitting out one season following his transfer from LSU. He averaged 8.9 points and 3.1 rebounds. He started 10 of the final 11 games, with the lone exception being senior night.
Hammink has been a fixture in the lineup this season, the only player besides Peters to have started each of the team’s games.
“The game’s slowed down,” Hammink said. “I’m just making better reads, getting more involved with everybody. I’m scoring a few more points than last year, taking a few more shots. It’s been good.”
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff