So I was there -- met one other fan, not sure if they're on here or not. Also met Girard's mom who seemed really nice.
My observations:
First, just a couple general observations and a disclaimer. The disclaimer is this -- I think both Goodine and Girard are going to be nice players for us. I'm going to critique their games but the kids are high schoolers in an all-star game and I'm not a professional talent evaluator, so obviously this stuff should be consumed with a few grains of salt and the criticisms shouldn't be interpreted as massive knocks on the kids.
Second, it was an odd game -- felt like the DC team had played together and had some solid coaching ahead of time. Looked like the US team had met about 5 minutes prior to game time. that makes a difference. Thought the DC team also played much harder as well, for what it's worth (and they wound up winning by 30+).
On to the players:
Girard (won MVP with 17 points, 3 rebs, 4 assists for US)
The positives
Thought he played pretty well for the most part. Kid's clearly a shooter with unlimited range and a quick, compact release (not a revelation) and he looked pretty comfortable trying to make plays with the ball. I'd say he's beyond Buddy in this department and headed more toward GMac territory (maybe not as a frosh) as Janner pointed out above. He also passed the ball pretty well and looked to push the ball pretty frequently as well -- both of which are big needs for this team. The other thing hard to miss is that he has a little swag -- not the least bit intimidated nor is he shy about trying to make plays. You can tell he believes he's a stud, and that's a good thing as well. Might frustrate some folks with shot selection or turnovers at times, but I like that attitude.
The negatives
Needs to get a bit stronger. They didn't call much in this game but he got thrown off by contact a few times. Teams are going to get physical with him, so his S&C work will be important (wouldn't hurt to add a little lateral quickness if possible as well). The handle is loose. He can dribble, as I mentioned and likes to attack with the ball, but he was really the only player in this game, that I can remember, who lost the ball without someone getting a hand on it (happened a couple times) and one of few that just had it picked clean. The kid who is going to BC (I'll have a quick observation on him later), for example, gave him some problems on both ends. Defensively -- meh. He'll be OK in the zone but a little work here is important. Does have quick hands, which should make him pretty solid eventually. Ultimately, I think the biggest question is how much does this stuff get cleaned up with more exposure to higher level competition? He had a couple bad passes that got picked and I think it had something to do with the length and athleticism he may not have quite anticipated. He also got doubled and stripped near midcourt -- those are probably situations he simply dribbled out of a lot at Glens Falls, but that isn't going to happen much at this level. AT least not yet. I see him playing next year but don't see him beating out buddy or playing the 1 instead of Carey/Washington/Goodine.
Goodine
The positives
Really composed and in control of his game. Can play both ways as a young kid which is great. Had very little issue defensively and while he didn't score much (5 points I think, maybe 7) or create a ton of looks, he also didn't force the issue at all and created a couple nice mid-range looks for himself that simply didn't fall. Pretty long and pretty quick. Wouldn't be shocked if he ends up at the point (interesting that he was playing the point in this game) and think he'd be interesting there with the solid decision-making. Looked comfortable shooting the three but would be surprised if he is a stud from out there at least early on. Quick off the floor and I think deceptive athleticism.
As Tomcat pointed out in the Girard thread, not a real alpha dog right now. For people who are wondering why he's stuck in the 160 range instead of higher, that's the likely reason. Probably not going to be a blow-by guy too much though he had a nice finish through contact for a bucket. Really not a ton of negatives other than pure aggressiveness but would be surprised to see him beat out Carey, assuming JC has a good offeseason and improves the way it seems like he will.
Observations on the other guys
US Team
Justin McCoy (SF headed to UVA) -- Meh. I'm sure Bennett will get a lot out of him, but not real quick, not a great shooter or all-around offensive threat. Strong kid (225 on the roster and I'd say it's legit) with good size (6'8"). Moves OK on defense but ultimately seemed (in one viewing) a little bit limited.
Chris Arcidiacono (PG headed to Nova) -- I like him. Hard, hard-working kid who isn't as good a shooter as you think he is. Good decisions, hustles like hell and will be a nice fit in that system. Not great footspeed, not a pure shooter.
Patrick McCaffery (Iowa, McCaffery's son) -- Shades of Dolezaj. Pretty nice overall athleticism and legnth, but super skinny. Quick off the floor and long. Took one three that looked ugly but looked ok in warmups. Should be a nice if not very spectacular player.
Donta Scott (UMD SF, 6'9", 220) -- like him a lot. Can put the ball on the deck, should be an OK shooter and played really, really hard in the second half. He and Arcidiacono provided most of what little life the US team showed (Girard helped too). Think he'll play early and be a pretty good one.
Eric Dixon Jr. (Nova, 6'7", 275) -- strong kid who doesn't really get off the floor. Will be interesting to watch b/c he's a huge body. My 10-year-old said Dixon's leg looked bigger than him (my son) and he might be right. He handled the ball a little and played tough in the second half, but he isn't real polished. He'll contribute but I'm somewhat intrigued by what he projects to.
Hakim Hart (6'7" SG headed to UMD) -- Seemed incredibly disinterested. I wasn't impressed by the skill either. Maybe just a bad day and he's clearly long, and relatively athletic. But he completely dogged it and I really have a tough time finding anything positive to say about him.
Seth Lundy (G headed to Penn State) and Zach Freemantle (Xavier PF) -- not much to say. Maybe they'll improve at the next level but along with Hart, these guys got abused today.
DC Team
Jay Heath (PG headed to BC) -- looked good. Pretty quick, good handle, can shoot. Gave Girard fits at times. Nice player.
Cameron Brown (undecided SG) -- great size (6'6") and shot well. Really looked good. Not sure where he'll end up but I liked him.
Justin Moore (6'4" SG headed to Nova) -- Love him. Thought he was probably the best player on the floor. Athletic and deadly if open from distance.
Jason Gibson (6'0" PG headed to Towson) -- He's not a high major kid but he played really well too. Towson got a good one. He'll give teams trouble on that level without question. Plays much tougher than the 165 he's listed at.
Casey Morsell (UVA SG) -- He'll play a ton and be tough. Strong kid with a ton of quickness.
Qudus Wahab (6'10 C headed to g'town) -- Good player, a lot to work with. Was the MVP of his team and grabbed 19 rebounds. Strong and can get off the floor. Basically only scored on dunks, though he had a ton of dunks (must have scored 16 or so). He had a nice little baby hook on a putback from a couple feet but didn't see anything else. Would have been nice to watch in orange as I think he's a lock to play 10-15 minutes a game next year. Maybe more. Nice player.
Mekhi Long (URI SF), EJ Jarvis (6'8" PF headed to Yale), Abdou Tsimbila (6'8" PF headed to PSU), Kamari Williams (6'7" SF headed to BC) all looked good. Nice players for where they're headed but not standouts.
Daniel Deaver (Navy PF) is fine for Navy but not great and Charles Thompson (6'7" PF headed to Towson) didn't do a lot but were fine.
My observations:
First, just a couple general observations and a disclaimer. The disclaimer is this -- I think both Goodine and Girard are going to be nice players for us. I'm going to critique their games but the kids are high schoolers in an all-star game and I'm not a professional talent evaluator, so obviously this stuff should be consumed with a few grains of salt and the criticisms shouldn't be interpreted as massive knocks on the kids.
Second, it was an odd game -- felt like the DC team had played together and had some solid coaching ahead of time. Looked like the US team had met about 5 minutes prior to game time. that makes a difference. Thought the DC team also played much harder as well, for what it's worth (and they wound up winning by 30+).
On to the players:
Girard (won MVP with 17 points, 3 rebs, 4 assists for US)
The positives
Thought he played pretty well for the most part. Kid's clearly a shooter with unlimited range and a quick, compact release (not a revelation) and he looked pretty comfortable trying to make plays with the ball. I'd say he's beyond Buddy in this department and headed more toward GMac territory (maybe not as a frosh) as Janner pointed out above. He also passed the ball pretty well and looked to push the ball pretty frequently as well -- both of which are big needs for this team. The other thing hard to miss is that he has a little swag -- not the least bit intimidated nor is he shy about trying to make plays. You can tell he believes he's a stud, and that's a good thing as well. Might frustrate some folks with shot selection or turnovers at times, but I like that attitude.
The negatives
Needs to get a bit stronger. They didn't call much in this game but he got thrown off by contact a few times. Teams are going to get physical with him, so his S&C work will be important (wouldn't hurt to add a little lateral quickness if possible as well). The handle is loose. He can dribble, as I mentioned and likes to attack with the ball, but he was really the only player in this game, that I can remember, who lost the ball without someone getting a hand on it (happened a couple times) and one of few that just had it picked clean. The kid who is going to BC (I'll have a quick observation on him later), for example, gave him some problems on both ends. Defensively -- meh. He'll be OK in the zone but a little work here is important. Does have quick hands, which should make him pretty solid eventually. Ultimately, I think the biggest question is how much does this stuff get cleaned up with more exposure to higher level competition? He had a couple bad passes that got picked and I think it had something to do with the length and athleticism he may not have quite anticipated. He also got doubled and stripped near midcourt -- those are probably situations he simply dribbled out of a lot at Glens Falls, but that isn't going to happen much at this level. AT least not yet. I see him playing next year but don't see him beating out buddy or playing the 1 instead of Carey/Washington/Goodine.
Goodine
The positives
Really composed and in control of his game. Can play both ways as a young kid which is great. Had very little issue defensively and while he didn't score much (5 points I think, maybe 7) or create a ton of looks, he also didn't force the issue at all and created a couple nice mid-range looks for himself that simply didn't fall. Pretty long and pretty quick. Wouldn't be shocked if he ends up at the point (interesting that he was playing the point in this game) and think he'd be interesting there with the solid decision-making. Looked comfortable shooting the three but would be surprised if he is a stud from out there at least early on. Quick off the floor and I think deceptive athleticism.
As Tomcat pointed out in the Girard thread, not a real alpha dog right now. For people who are wondering why he's stuck in the 160 range instead of higher, that's the likely reason. Probably not going to be a blow-by guy too much though he had a nice finish through contact for a bucket. Really not a ton of negatives other than pure aggressiveness but would be surprised to see him beat out Carey, assuming JC has a good offeseason and improves the way it seems like he will.
Observations on the other guys
US Team
Justin McCoy (SF headed to UVA) -- Meh. I'm sure Bennett will get a lot out of him, but not real quick, not a great shooter or all-around offensive threat. Strong kid (225 on the roster and I'd say it's legit) with good size (6'8"). Moves OK on defense but ultimately seemed (in one viewing) a little bit limited.
Chris Arcidiacono (PG headed to Nova) -- I like him. Hard, hard-working kid who isn't as good a shooter as you think he is. Good decisions, hustles like hell and will be a nice fit in that system. Not great footspeed, not a pure shooter.
Patrick McCaffery (Iowa, McCaffery's son) -- Shades of Dolezaj. Pretty nice overall athleticism and legnth, but super skinny. Quick off the floor and long. Took one three that looked ugly but looked ok in warmups. Should be a nice if not very spectacular player.
Donta Scott (UMD SF, 6'9", 220) -- like him a lot. Can put the ball on the deck, should be an OK shooter and played really, really hard in the second half. He and Arcidiacono provided most of what little life the US team showed (Girard helped too). Think he'll play early and be a pretty good one.
Eric Dixon Jr. (Nova, 6'7", 275) -- strong kid who doesn't really get off the floor. Will be interesting to watch b/c he's a huge body. My 10-year-old said Dixon's leg looked bigger than him (my son) and he might be right. He handled the ball a little and played tough in the second half, but he isn't real polished. He'll contribute but I'm somewhat intrigued by what he projects to.
Hakim Hart (6'7" SG headed to UMD) -- Seemed incredibly disinterested. I wasn't impressed by the skill either. Maybe just a bad day and he's clearly long, and relatively athletic. But he completely dogged it and I really have a tough time finding anything positive to say about him.
Seth Lundy (G headed to Penn State) and Zach Freemantle (Xavier PF) -- not much to say. Maybe they'll improve at the next level but along with Hart, these guys got abused today.
DC Team
Jay Heath (PG headed to BC) -- looked good. Pretty quick, good handle, can shoot. Gave Girard fits at times. Nice player.
Cameron Brown (undecided SG) -- great size (6'6") and shot well. Really looked good. Not sure where he'll end up but I liked him.
Justin Moore (6'4" SG headed to Nova) -- Love him. Thought he was probably the best player on the floor. Athletic and deadly if open from distance.
Jason Gibson (6'0" PG headed to Towson) -- He's not a high major kid but he played really well too. Towson got a good one. He'll give teams trouble on that level without question. Plays much tougher than the 165 he's listed at.
Casey Morsell (UVA SG) -- He'll play a ton and be tough. Strong kid with a ton of quickness.
Qudus Wahab (6'10 C headed to g'town) -- Good player, a lot to work with. Was the MVP of his team and grabbed 19 rebounds. Strong and can get off the floor. Basically only scored on dunks, though he had a ton of dunks (must have scored 16 or so). He had a nice little baby hook on a putback from a couple feet but didn't see anything else. Would have been nice to watch in orange as I think he's a lock to play 10-15 minutes a game next year. Maybe more. Nice player.
Mekhi Long (URI SF), EJ Jarvis (6'8" PF headed to Yale), Abdou Tsimbila (6'8" PF headed to PSU), Kamari Williams (6'7" SF headed to BC) all looked good. Nice players for where they're headed but not standouts.
Daniel Deaver (Navy PF) is fine for Navy but not great and Charles Thompson (6'7" PF headed to Towson) didn't do a lot but were fine.
