Just came back from the Jordan Classic

[Francis03]

Here are my thoughts on our guys:

Chino: good athlete, bigger frame than BMK I think he will be a productive player after his RS year.

Roberson: is good enough to get minute next year. Had 16pt 13rebs today and is a excellent rebounder plays more like a 3 than a 4. He has a better handle than either CJ or Grant. Had a really nice play where he rebounded the ball brought it up left handed and made a nice left handed pass for a layup, ball never touched his right hand. Nice form on the jumper but needs to get up shots because its not consistent enough.

Ennis: was a few plays away from a huge game, but I walked away extremely impressed! He was clearly the best floor general on the court. Had 14pt 6assist and 5rebs I believe, but I felt like I was watching a young Chris Paul seriously! Dude is a leader and a competitor. He is not the athlete MCW is but he is more skilled and deceptive than MCW. I no longer see him as a 4 year player.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

Good stuff, thanks.

 

[Gabjon]

This is an interview with Ennis prior to the JBC game...only more to like

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[anomander]

I know it was an all-stat, I mean all-star game, but after watching the Harrisons pound the ball and pout and Randle force a lot of shots, I think Cal will have some ego and chemistry problems next year. Hopefully Wiggins paid attention and goes elsewhere.

just imagine throwing in Poythress, Young, Dakari, Cauley - Stein, Wiljter, and Lee. Every team needs role players. You can't just load a team up with a roster full of me players. They will win games, a lot because the SEC is a joke, but I can see a disaster brewing.

 

[jordoo]

This is an interview with Ennis prior to the JBC game...only more to like

<iframe src='http://web.sny.tv/shared/video/embe...id=26212365&width=400&height=224&property=sny' width='400' height='224' frameborder='0'>Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe>

Very impressive kid, seemed to have all the right answers. We will be putting the ball in good hands next year.

 

[reedny]

I watched the whole game and had the following observations:

1- TE obviously has a high BBIQ and thinks like a PG. He was able to bring calm and order to a hectic playing environment that threatened to become a dunking contest (the coaching staff obviously noticed this and gave him extended minutes in the second half to give his team a chance to win). 14 points could easily have been 18 or 20 if he played as selfishly as some of the other big names out there;
2- Despite all the showmanship, Tyler remained focused on his role as a playmaker, often diming other players instead of looking for 'his own' -- which he did only when he had an open shot or lane to the rim. This showed poise and good decision-making;
3- Tyler has sneaky speed. He won't wow you with defensive quickness ala Siva/Smith, but he does have another gear that he uses to get steals (portends well for the zone);
4- He's confortable using both hands at the rim, is not overly strong but is wily enough to finish/or dish inside;
5- As General noted, at this stage his handle seems decent, not great. Having not seen him in person, this is hard to evaluate, expecially in an all-star game. But I thought, maybe in an effort to control the chaos, Tyler seemed too cavalier on several occasions dribbling and passing. However, kudos to him for not being wowed by the moment (as some of the other players were) or playing out of control;
6- He obviously has excellent court vision and understands how to get other players the ball in a position to score;
7- Defensively, I thought he did pretty well against some very talented competition, although his footwork was sloppy a few times and he failed to stay in front of his man (this was not a defensive exhibition); and
8- At this point, despite a nice mid-range jumper, Tyler lacks range on his shot. This could be attributable to his shoulder situation, but if last night's shooting motion is typical, Tyler's shot is not fluid from o3-point distance. This probably means that, until he gets stronger, recovers from his injury and/or improves his mechanics, he won't be a sharp-shooter. As far as shooting over pressure, I don't see Tyler as a volume scorer -- he's a complimentary shooter/scorer as one would expect from a point guard at the college level.

Just my 2 cents. Enjoyed the game. He's an exciting player to watch ... and I think our transition game is going to return with gusto next season.

 

[mark79]

This is an interview with Ennis prior to the JBC game...only more to like

<iframe src='http://web.sny.tv/shared/video/embe...id=26212365&width=400&height=224&property=sny' width='400' height='224' frameborder='0'>Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe>

Wow is Ennis mature. His answers and general poise would be great for a college senior and he is not even a freshman yet. I am excited to have him lead our team.

 

[tee1222]

This is an interview with Ennis prior to the JBC game...only more to like

<iframe src='http://web.sny.tv/shared/video/embe...id=26212365&width=400&height=224&property=sny' width='400' height='224' frameborder='0'>Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe>

Btw, way to go Zag by
A. Mentioning Ennis got snubbed at McDowell's
B. Saying Ennis is a warrior
C. Just overall commending him for a great year and asking relevant questions, ie MCW situation, JB and the future, etc.
D. Shoot, he even snuck a plug for Ennis to still play with Wiggins at the Cuse!

I know it's probably not even remotely a reality anymore, but still cool to hear.

 

[Francis03]

Btw, way to go Zag by
A. Mentioning Ennis got snubbed at McDowell's
B. Saying Ennis is a warrior
C. Just overall commending him for a great year and asking relevant questions, ie MCW situation, JB and the future, etc.
D. Shoot, he even snuck a plug for Ennis to still play with Wiggins at the Cuse!

I know it's probably not even remotely a reality anymore, but still cool to hear.

Zags, when he doesn't get caught up slobbing over UK, always does a good job with his SU content.

 

[bornagainOrange]

Zags, when he doesn't get caught up slobbing over UK, always does a good job with his SU content.

Its only so blue ball nation stays following him on twitter. Or maybe he to is on the books for www. Other then that, I like him

 

[realorange]

Wow is Ennis mature. His answers and general poise would be great for a college senior and he is not even a freshman yet. I am excited to have him lead our team.

Agree. The other impressive interview some might have caught on TV was with Jabari Parker. He was very articulate and even mentioned his appreciation for the opportunity to take part in the academic side of Duke.

 

[VaBeachOrFan]

Agree with the above assessments. . . he does look exciting and under control. I'm hoping this means SU will return to the style of the 2009-10 team where the guards may not have rebounded as well as last year but leaked out and were always ready for an outlet pass. The Wes-Andy-AO lineup punished some good teams that year, so that's not a bad thing.-VBOF

 

[Francis03]

Its only so blue ball nation stays following him on twitter. Or maybe he to is on the books for www. Other then that, I like him

I understand it's business. Gotta keep the BBN trolls and bandwagon riders happy to get those hits on his articles to pay the bills.

 

[reedny]

Zags, when he doesn't get caught up slobbing over UK, always does a good job with his SU content.

Good points, Francis. Zags has been an SU supporter where he can be. But Dykes, while maybe not 'anti-syracuse' (he was decent to us in the Arkansas game), insists on humping Kentucky's leg at every opportunity. Since he ignores just about everything else, when UK's in the picture he's incapable of providing competent basketball commentary.

As far as UK, hard not to notice that all the top programs had one or 2 players in last night's lineup -- except Kentucky, which had 6. It's gotten to the point of absurdity. How all these 'analysts' can keep attributing this to "coaching" with a straight face is beyond me. At this stage, Cal's functions have been reduced to media interviews and opening the locker room door for the rappers.

 

[SWC75]

I watched the whole game and had the following observations:

1- TE obviously has a high BBIQ and thinks like a PG. He was able to bring calm and order to a hectic playing environment that threatened to become a dunking contest (the coaching staff obviously noticed this and gave him extended minutes in the second half to give his team a chance to win). 14 points could easily have been 18 or 20 if he played as selfishly as some of the other big names out there;
2- Despite all the showmanship, Tyler remained focused on his role as a playmaker, often diming other players instead of looking for 'his own' -- which he did only when he had an open shot or lane to the rim. This showed poise and good decision-making;
3- Tyler has sneaky speed. He won't wow you with defensive quickness ala Siva/Smith, but he does have another gear that he uses to get steals (portends well for the zone);
4- He's confortable using both hands at the rim, is not overly strong but is wily enough to finish/or dish inside;
5- As General noted, at this stage his handle seems decent, not great. Having not seen him in person, this is hard to evaluate, expecially in an all-star game. But I thought, maybe in an effort to control the chaos, Tyler seemed too cavalier on several occasions dribbling and passing. However, kudos to him for not being wowed by the moment (as some of the other players were) or playing out of control;
6- He obviously has excellent court vision and understands how to get other players the ball in a position to score;
7- Defensively, I thought he did pretty well against some very talented competition, although his footwork was sloppy a few times and he failed to stay in front of his man (this was not a defensive exhibition); and
8- At this point, despite a nice mid-range jumper, Tyler lacks range on his shot. This could be attributable to his shoulder situation, but if last night's shooting motion is typical, Tyler's shot is not fluid from o3-point distance. This probably means that, until he gets stronger, recovers from his injury and/or improves his mechanics, he won't be a sharp-shooter. As far as shooting over pressure, I don't see Tyler as a volume scorer -- he's a complimentary shooter/scorer as one would expect from a point guard at the college level.

Just my 2 cents. Enjoyed the game. He's an exciting player to watch ... and I think our transition game is going to return with gusto next season.

We haven't had too many point guards that were sharp-shooters, other than GMAC. It's enough that they can hit one occasionally. I really liked Ennis's change of pace on his drives to the basket and his ability to use either hand. It reminded me of the pearl, Devo and Dion, the bets we've had at getting to the basket and scoring, which in turn sets up passes. I think Tyler's biggest adjustment will come from his dribble, which gets high at times, (as does MCW's). He'll be vulnerable to qucik hands, at least at first.