Rookie sharpshooter eager to help in any capacity

The London Lightning needed three-point shooting. Just days after wrapping up his season at SFU, Josiah Mastandrea was on a plane to Ontario — and then on the court for an NBLC game.

Added for his three-point shooting, Josiah Mastandrea tries to provide the Lightning with a boost off the bench. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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Josiah Mastandrea knows his shot is coming.

“When I got the call to come here, Doug (Plumb, London Lightning head coach) told me he wanted me to shoot the ball, play defense, run the lane, work hard, and add no bullshit. Just be a hard worker,” the 6-foot-2-inch sharpshooter said. “My role is up and down; I could play one minute one day and play 25 minutes the next day. I’m a rookie. I’m learning. I have to be ready. Coach knows I’m going to make mistakes, but he trusts me to come in and hit shots. That’s my job.”

Mastandrea has been a big part of London’s search for consistency beyond the arc, a role the young guard relishes. This week, he will get a chance to prove himself as the regular season wraps up with a home-and-home against the Sudbury Five, starting tonight in the Nickel City and ending Thursday in London.

After that, the postseason dawns. Regular season stats no longer matter. All four teams start 0-0.

For Mastandrea, that means being ready because his big shot could come at any moment.

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In 2020, Mastandrea joined Simon Fraser University after three seasons at Douglas College. Even though the team didn’t play a 2020-21 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the young guard continued to train, worked on his game, and settled in at that new level.

“It was a big change,” Mastandrea explained. SFU is a team as unique in its affiliation as Canada’s only NCAA D2 school as it is in its inability to find a nickname. “The guys were faster guys, stronger, more talented. I had to improve everything to compete at that level – physically, mentally, my whole game.”

Nevertheless, he finished the 2021-22 season as the school’s top 3-point shooter, tallying 38.2% that ranked him 20th in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Things moved quickly after that.

“I was hoping to play professionally and looking forward to it. When my (university) season ended, I was taking the week off, relaxing, just hanging out with friends and family when I got the call from the Lightning.”

Mastandrea answered that call on a Wednesday. Flew to London on Friday. Played on Sunday.

In fact, his rapid rise made history as he played for SFU in the first round of the GNAC Conference Playoffs on March 2, then for the Lightning on March 13. That made him the first player in NBL Canada history to play a college and professional game in the same month.

“It was a pretty crazy turnaround,” Mastandrea laughed. “I haven't had a break since my university season ended. But I’m a young guy. I’m not complaining.”

The speedy delivery to London was no accident, by the way. The rookie was a known quantity to Plumb, who worked with Mastandrea between his junior and senior year at Terry Fox Secondary School in Port Coquitlam, B.C. In fact, Mastandrea credited Plumb, in part, with breaking down and rebuilding his game at that critical point in his development.

“Josiah epitomizes an overachiever.” Plumb said. “He has made himself into a bonafide threat shooting the ball. He is the type of kid who works diligently, is a great teammate and deserves the opportunity to show what he can do at this level. I have known Josiah and his family since he was 15 and I'm excited for him to come in and contribute to what we are building.”

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There’s still so much to learn. And so little time.

This season, in limited action, Mastandrea has averaged 2.8 points per game in only 114 minutes spread across 12 games. He has shot 10-36 (27.8%) from 3, including netting a season-high six in a 113-83 win against Flint United on April 3. He was also part of a starting five that each logged 48 of 48 minutes in a 95-88 win over the United on April 10.

“We didn’t even know that we were doing that until we looked at the bench and saw we weren’t subbing any guys,” Mastandrea said. “At that point, we were like, ‘It's fine. We just have got to do this. We have got to grind it out here and get it done.’ It was definitely a cool experience. How many people can say they played 48 minutes in a pro basketball game?”

He feels his game evolving, improving with every minute on the court, but he knows it will take time.

“It’s a big change, for sure,” Mastandrea explained. “The physicality, the intensity, the attention to detail, it is way different. Guys at this level know what they’re doing. Everyone here was the best player at their college or high school. They were All-Canadians, All-Americans, or whatever. So, you have to know what each guy does, know each guy’s strengths and weaknesses, and be able to expose that. That’s what they are trying to do to you, too.”

He continued, “When I transferred into Simon Fraser, the first thing I struggled with is defensively, being able to guard on and off the ball, figuring out the rotations, learning what the other guys can and cannot do. I played my first game and didn’t know what was really going on, but I was just thrown in and figuring it out. But it’s getting better now, knowing the rotations, knowing our coverages, and being able to talk with the guys and trusting each other more.”

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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While his defense will get him on the floor, his shooting will keep him out there because Mastandrea is here to shoot – especially from 3. Which is good, because that is exactly where this team struggles.

Through 22 games, the Lightning are dead last in the league in terms of made 3-pointers per game (9.6) and overall 3-point shooting percentage (31.8%). For comparison, the Windsor Express and KW Titans lead the league at only 33.9%, but have made 32 and 23 more 3s, respectively, than London. Sudbury leads the league in made 3s with 262 on 33.4% shooting.

It has been said more than once by Plumb and Co. that they expect more from this talented lineup. But it has been a frustrating pursuit so far. The team has shot less than 30% in half of its games, with a low of 16% (4-25) in a 123-104 win over the Windsor Express on March 13. That was Mastandrea’s first game with the squad; he went 0-2 from 3.

Cut the numbers how you want; they do not get a ton better. In April, the Lightning shot 35% (99-280). So far in May, it’s 27% (15-56). They are shooting 34% (46-135) since parting ways with point guard Chris Jones on April 14.

On the plus side, while the Lightning shot 28% from 3 against the Express, the Bolts finished the season 5-1 against their first-round playoff opponents.

Mastandrea has been part of the team’s search for answers, a search that may continue into the postseason. But that doesn’t worry the rookie too much.

“It was our ball movement at first. When I got here, I noticed we were a little stagnant in our offense. We would just stay on one side or pass between two guys. I found when we’re running in transition, moving the ball, and we get inside-out passes, we are a way better shooting team. That’s where we need to be. Once we start doing that more, I feel like we’re a way better team.”