First Impressions

[iommi]

Had major issues with OAA, but finally got things squared away; I was able to rewind to the beginning and then watch the game in its entirety.

These are my big takeaways:

Coleman: he didn't look too rusty. He looked very comfortable out there, didn't favor the knee at all and played well. The best thing about his game was he seemed to keep the ball up high for the most part and showed a few confident moves around the basket. He even drilled a jumper. I think he will be solid for us this year and am hopeful he plays all year.

Malachi: We all know he can shoot but he showed more than that. He rebounded a lot better than I've seen and I saw him a lot, since I live in NJ. He played the 3 on both ends of the court and his defense was fine. His shot selection was excellent and he finished well inside too. Very confident player and you can tell he won't be overwhelmed or overmatched in the ACC.

Franklin Howard: He looked like a guy who will contribute this year if granted that opportunity. He drained a few shots and distributed the ball well. He will be a pest at the top of the zone with his extreme length. He harasses the ball handler and has a knack for getting into passing lanes. I saw him play once in person and today he played with more confidence, perhaps because he's no longer worried about his surgically-repaired knee. Frankie could be a great player, especially when he gets stronger and learns his role in the zone. Next year, if we play him some up top with Battle, best of luck to our opposing guards getting good looks at the rim.

G: he played well in all facets. If he's not all-ACC, the talent in the conference would have to be off the charts. He could be very special this year.

Roberson looked okay, especially on the glass. I still think his offensive game is a little too mechanical.

Lydon didn't shoot well from the outside but the effort was there on both ends. I like his passion to mix it up, in spite of his slight frame.

Joseph: His stroke looks a lot better. My favorite sequence from him was on defense, when he harassed the ball handler past half court and rode his toward the sideline WITH HIS HANDS UP!!! I think he got the message about his defense. I also like him as a guy off the bench because he could be an energy guy if we start off a little flat.

Cooney: Quiet night. Still can't finish a contested layup. His shot selection was improved but he didn't make too much of an impression to me. We have some guard depth, so it was nice to see him let others shine.

Obokoh: Didn't do much. I give him an incomplete.

Overall, it was a nice first impression. Team plays together well. Our free throw shooting was horrendous, maybe just over 50%. I'm a little concerned about our lack of physicality. If Roberson doesn't play well, we might have some issues on the glass this year.

 

[rrlbees]

Had major issues with OAA, but finally got things squared away; I was able to rewind to the beginning and then watch the game in its entirety. These are my big takeaways: Coleman: he didn't look too rusty. He looked very comfortable out there, didn't favor the knee at all and played well. The best thing about his game was he seemed to keep the ball up high for the most part and showed a few confident moves around the basket. He even drilled a jumper. I think he will be solid for us this year and am hopeful he plays all year. Malachi: We all know he can shoot but he showed more than that. He rebounded a lot better than I've seen and I saw him a lot, since I live in NJ. He played the 3 on both ends of the court and his defense was fine. His shot selection was excellent and he finished well inside too. Very confident player and you can tell he won't be overwhelmed or overmatched in the ACC. Franklin Howard: He looked like a guy who will contribute this year if granted that opportunity. He drained a few shots and distributed the ball well. He will be a pest at the top of the zone with his extreme length. He harasses the ball handler and has a knack for getting into passing lanes. I saw him play once in person and today he played with more confidence, perhaps because he's no longer worried about his surgically-repaired knee. Frankie could be a great player, especially when he gets stronger and learns his role in the zone. Next year, if we play him some up top with Battle, best of luck to our opposing guards getting good looks at the rim. G: he played well in all facets. If he's not all-ACC, the talent in the conference would have to be off the charts. He could be very special this year. Roberson looked okay, especially on the glass. I still think his offensive game is a little too mechanical. Lydon didn't shoot well from the outside but the effort was there on both ends. I like his passion to mix it up, in spite of his slight frame. Joseph: His stroke looks a lot better. My favorite sequence from him was on defense, when he harassed the ball handler past half court and rode his toward the sideline WITH HIS HANDS UP!!! I think he got the message about his defense. I also like him as a guy off the bench because he could be an energy guy if we start off a little flat. Cooney: Quiet night. Still can't finish a contested layup. His shot selection was improved but he didn't make too much of an impression to me. We have some guard depth, so it was nice to see him let others shine. Obokoh: Didn't do much. I give him an incomplete. Overall, it was a nice first impression. Team plays together well. Our free throw shooting was horrendous, maybe just over 50%. I'm a little concerned about our lack of physicality. If Roberson doesn't play well, we might have some issues on the glass this year.

Cooney was 3-3 on layups. He only missed when he got hacked and a foul was called. I didn't think he was quiet at all. He consistently fed Coleman all night and in the second have DC was finishing them.

 

[RoatanCuse]

Nice writeup. Thanks

 

[iommi]

Cooney was 3-3 on layups. He only missed when he got hacked and a foul was called. I didn't think he was quiet at all. He consistently fed Coleman all night and in the second have DC was finishing them.

That's fair. Cooney did look for DC a lot. TC made a few layups but I want him to finish strong. I thought he missed two but I'm sure you are right. On the one you referred to, I thought he was fouled outside and could have completed the three point play. I'm just frustrated he didn't finish THROUGH contact. He did look for his teammates, and as I said, I liked his shot selection overall. Only one was off balance.

 

[Ghost]

Had no issues with TWC:

These are my big takeaways:

Coleman: Active underneath, seemed more aggressive in the second half, but that's typical for a big man when his touches increase. Overall, looked fairly mobile and healthy. Still brings the ball down too much inside - frustrating. Play big, big man!!! Hit one mid-range jumper, missed a slightly deeper one.

Malachi: Shot the ball pretty well, rebounded pretty well, didn't seem shaky at all. About all you can ask out of a first performance from a Frosh. Nothing spectacular, but no big complaints.

Franklin Howard: This seems to be the first time in awhile where all of our Frosh seem ready to go. It's nice to have guys come in who seem to be competent with the ball in their hands. It seems like we've had a lot of dudes with incredibly shaky handles as Frosh of late, FH seemed quite competent. Not quite the well-rounded performance we saw from Malachi, but a positive overall, and no big negatives against a DII team. Will be interesting to see what happens as the opponents get better.

G: Solid outing. Shot the ball well, had a nice drive and dish, and seemed explosive at times. Seemed focused and overall a good night.

Roberson: He was fine. I was hoping for more, but it was just hope. It's still early, but nothing tonight got me all that excited that this will be a breakthrough year. Rebounded okay, and had a nice finish on the break that showed some nice touch. Otherwise, not bad, was just really hoping for more. The skill is there still - just keep wanting to see something more, because it seems like it's there. Eh, it LeMoyne...

Lydon: He's slight of build and will get pushed around a bit once we get into the real schedule. Still, he fights hard inside, and grabbed some offensive rebounds. Seems to have a nose for the ball. Seems a little slower than I expected (but what was expected was just a guess off of reports/YT vids), but nothing that bad. Overall, decent game - like I said with Howard, seems like a skilled Frosh - that alone is nice to see. They're going to make a solid trifecta, but no clue yet how the minutes will play out. He played some 5 - that will ensure he stays in the rotation to a certain extent if I had to guess.

Joseph: He came out looking to shoot. Pretty much seems like he might be our version of the Vinny 'The Microwave" Johnson...I'm not sure what to expect. He hit shots in the second half - that was very encouraging. I though his mid-range game showed potential last year, I still think it's going to be a strength. I saw nothing that makes me think he'll be a PG still, but it's a TINY body of work this year, so who cares at this point.

Cooney: Opened the second half strong taking it to the rim off the bounce with some nice dishes, and finished once or maybe twice. Missed some free throws, but seemed to be drifting on his threes - frustrating. I think we get the same Cooney this year as the past two. I was hoping to see something from TC and/or Roberson that made me go "WOW," but neither had anything resembling a wow moment. Still, maybe with Malachi hitting some Cooney can find a way to spot up more. Although for whatever reason I think he just prefers to go off a bounce and drift. It's strange - but, as mentioned many times before, it's one exhibition game sooooooooooooo, who cares. We'll see what happens.

Obokoh: Not really impressed. He'll give us some minutes as needed.

 

[orangefan13]

Even Roberson had a tough time playing defense on the wing with the loss of Rak.
I thought Malachi suprised defensively some but also had a couple of rough stretches.
No surprise if Roberson did Lydon would to.
Will be interesting watching our wing defense shape up in the next couple of weeks.

I hope today wasn't a indication of glaring holes we rarely got to double under the basket or even attempt weakside shotblocks. For comparison we did at midnight madness though.

 

[iommi]

Ghost: I actually thought DC looked improved as far as not bringing the ball down. He only did that a couple times and one of those times it was more to dribble and get to the rim. There were a couple times where he really kept the ball no lower than his chest, which is a marked improvement. Old habits die hard but I think he at least wounded his old tendencies during this long off-season.

 

[orangefan13]

Cooney was 3-3 on layups. He only missed when he got hacked and a foul was called. I didn't think he was quiet at all. He consistently fed Coleman all night and in the second have DC was finishing them.

Drove the middle of the lane. He did the same thing early on last year, then stuck to mostly baseline drives come acc play. Looks like that could change this year as he looks smoother then ever almost as time slows down for him to take his time and make the right play in the lane.

He keeps that up and he to could be considered a PG.

 

[Ghost]

Ghost: I actually thought DC looked improved as far as not bringing the ball down. He only did that a couple times and one of those times it was more to dribble and get to the rim. There were a couple times where he really kept the ball no lower than his chest, which is a marked improvement. Old habits die hard but I think he at least wounded his old tendencies during this long off-season.

Yeah, there was one up and under where he went to the other side of the rim that was implemented perfectly - think he got a three point play (or at least fouled). He definitely showed progress - he hasn't played in awhile, but it seemed like he used to combine bringing the ball down with the wasted dribbles and he was far better tonight than when he was doing that. He showed a lot of promise.

 

[iommi]

Yeah, there was one up and under where he went to the other side of the rim that was implemented perfectly - think he got a three point play (or at least fouled). He definitely showed progress - he hasn't played in awhile, but it seemed like he used to combine bringing the ball down with the wasted dribbles and he was far better tonight than when he was doing that. He showed a lot of promise.

Yes, the key is to be decisive. If you dribble at his size, do it with purpose to carve space. Being decisive is the key; it's something I wish Roberson would learn.

As an aside, I thought it also looked like Coleman put on some weight from a few months ago. I'm not saying he looked chubby like a few years ago but just very solid.

 

[Flacusian]

Had major issues with OAA, but finally got things squared away; I was able to rewind to the beginning and then watch the game in its entirety.

These are my big takeaways:

Coleman: he didn't look too rusty. He looked very comfortable out there, didn't favor the knee at all and played well. The best thing about his game was he seemed to keep the ball up high for the most part and showed a few confident moves around the basket. He even drilled a jumper. I think he will be solid for us this year and am hopeful he plays all year.

Malachi: We all know he can shoot but he showed more than that. He rebounded a lot better than I've seen and I saw him a lot, since I live in NJ. He played the 3 on both ends of the court and his defense was fine. His shot selection was excellent and he finished well inside too. Very confident player and you can tell he won't be overwhelmed or overmatched in the ACC.

Franklin Howard: He looked like a guy who will contribute this year if granted that opportunity. He drained a few shots and distributed the ball well. He will be a pest at the top of the zone with his extreme length. He harasses the ball handler and has a knack for getting into passing lanes. I saw him play once in person and today he played with more confidence, perhaps because he's no longer worried about his surgically-repaired knee. Frankie could be a great player, especially when he gets stronger and learns his role in the zone. Next year, if we play him some up top with Battle, best of luck to our opposing guards getting good looks at the rim.

G: he played well in all facets. If he's not all-ACC, the talent in the conference would have to be off the charts. He could be very special this year.

Roberson looked okay, especially on the glass. I still think his offensive game is a little too mechanical.

Lydon didn't shoot well from the outside but the effort was there on both ends. I like his passion to mix it up, in spite of his slight frame.

Joseph: His stroke looks a lot better. My favorite sequence from him was on defense, when he harassed the ball handler past half court and rode his toward the sideline WITH HIS HANDS UP!!! I think he got the message about his defense. I also like him as a guy off the bench because he could be an energy guy if we start off a little flat.

Cooney: Quiet night. Still can't finish a contested layup. His shot selection was improved but he didn't make too much of an impression to me. We have some guard depth, so it was nice to see him let others shine.

Obokoh: Didn't do much. I give him an incomplete.

Overall, it was a nice first impression. Team plays together well. Our free throw shooting was horrendous, maybe just over 50%. I'm a little concerned about our lack of physicality. If Roberson doesn't play well, we might have some issues on the glass this year.

Iommi, Good takeaway and in fact spot on in many areas. I especially like your characterization of Roberson's game as being "a little too mechanical". That is a very accurate appraisal of what I see when I watch him as well. I think that aspect is in direct correlation to the amount of confidence he plays with. I'm hoping now that he is in his 3rd year and will be given the keys to the car more by JB / or Hop as it were, he will hopefully become more comfortable and confident.

I would love to see him play with complete abandon and not be reluctant to just let it rip! He is capable of dominating on the boards in a way that we haven't seen in a long, long time. He had several games last year with around 16 boards. I could see him pushing 20 this year in a game or 2. Bottom line: the kid has mad talent and just needs to let it rip.

 

[orangefan13]

Yes, the key is to be decisive. If you dribble at his size, do it with purpose to carve space. Being decisive is the key; it's something I wish Roberson would learn.

As an aside, I thought it also looked like Coleman put on some weight from a few months ago. I'm not saying he looked chubby like a few years ago but just very solid.

I made this video of Roberson in the offseason to give a different look of some of the game he had in highschool.
Just a observation but I think he could shoot the ball alittle better when he puts his whole body or dribbles into his shot. When its just the typical elbow, arms, square up, and use your legs like good shooters he tends to shoot real flat. His legs appear to mean more to his arms and his release when he has the turnaround or dribbling leaning bank.

I remember watching two plays at midnight madness. One he drove the baseline left side and made a sweet kickout pass to Joseph the other he took a few dribbles but threw the dish to the wrong hand of a cutter had he had the right hand could have been a sweet assist to a dunk, like a point forward.

 

[llandz]

The only thing I have to add to this is that I went to a practice a week and a half ago and Lydon was one of the best 3 shooters on that day. Let's give him another game or two before we consider whether or not he has an outside shot. Maybe he had to get one game under his belt before he gets his outside shooting timing down.

Also hate to say it but also in the same practice Cooney could not hit the side of a barn from the 3. He is either on or off is his problem.

 

[shandeezy7]

Saw a lot of nice things tonight, but still very much concerned with what we all believe to be our major weaknesses going into this season: interior defense and interior scoring. Didn't see anything that really alleviates my concerns with either. Still TBD though I suppose.

 

[Ghost]

Saw a lot of nice things tonight, but still very much concerned with what we all believe to be our major weaknesses going into this season: interior defense and interior scoring. Didn't see anything that really alleviates my concerns with either. Still TBD though I suppose.

We're going to struggle inside. Rebounding will be a huge issue, probably the biggest we have. DC and Roberson will have their nights, but I'm not sure they can be counted on for consistency. Still early though.

 

[Cusefan0307]

We were a terrible defensive rebounding when we were a great team in 11-12. I don't think it matters what personnel we have. The zone just isn't conducive to good defensive rebounding. I do like the activity of Lydon on the boards, tipping guys to people. He, DC, and Roberson all have the look of crashing the offensive glass.

Lydon is clearly our best shot blocker from what I saw. The biggest weakness I see with Lydon besides strength is his lack of aggressiveness. If you can shoot, shoot it. Don't hesitate. JB is a master at getting his guys to be aggressive. All you have to do is look at Gbinije and Christmas last year.

I actually came away impressed with Trevor. He didn't force anything offensively and really was the only guy that I saw make a concerted effort getting the ball to DC. If he makes his free throws, his game looks prettier, but he did everything but score, and he started the 21-2 run at the start of the second half by being aggressive to the basket.

DC was the biggest take away for me. He's definately healthy. He was hustling as much as anyone the entire game. He still takes needless dribbles and brings the ball down from time to time, but that probably has to do with the fact he's always done it, and hasn't had the ability to practice to teach that out of him.

 

[wadegarrett]

Malachi's shot selection was very good and he played smart. The kid squares up real nice and takes balanced jump shots. Cooney should take notice.

Really impressed by the team last night, but it will only go as far as Coleman takes us. I wouldn't be surprised to see Lydon play alot of minutes at the 5. He seems like a veteran in the zone already.

 

[OttoMets]

...

Cooney: Opened the second half strong taking it to the rim off the bounce with some nice dishes, and finished once or maybe twice. Missed some free throws, but seemed to be drifting on his threes - frustrating. I think we get the same Cooney this year as the past two. I was hoping to see something from TC and/or Roberson that made me go "WOW," but neither had anything resembling a wow moment. Still, maybe with Malachi hitting some Cooney can find a way to spot up more. Although for whatever reason I think he just prefers to go off a bounce and drift. It's strange - but, as mentioned many times before, it's one exhibition game sooooooooooooo, who cares. We'll see what happens.

Obokoh: Not really impressed. He'll give us some minutes as needed.

Roberson was little more quiet than I'd hoped, but he did have a quasi-wow moment in the second half when he took a pass in transition and made a decisive move around two or three defenders to score. Very smooth and confident, none of the spasticity that we've seen before.

Cooney...we might want to reconcile ourselves to the idea that he's the same player he was last season. Liked his hustle on the defensive glass very much, though.

 

[orangefan13]

We had 70 shots to their 56, because of a 12 turnovers differential and our 21 offensive boards.

We pulled down 23 defensive boards off their 36 misses.
Also...
-17 of their misses were three balls.
- Lydon fumbled 2-3, Malachi had one muscled away that he brought low.
- I know they recovered the ball on atleast 3 of our blocks.
Given all that missing 13 isn't to bad especially for first game of the season.

 

[billsin01]

Cooney...we might want to reconcile ourselves to the idea that he's the same player he was last season. Liked his hustle on the defensive glass very much, though.

Yes. I hope the discussion on cooney is minimal this year b/c he's neither as bad as haters think nor as good as the orange colored glasses folk will hope he'll be. We'd be at our best if he was a 20-25 mpg guy, but that's probably unlikely.

Regardless, the point is we've seen from cooney more or less exactly what he's going to be.

 

[orangefan13]

Was rewatching the second half and there was a play where Chinso recovered baseline nicely and stole the ball after joseph hit two three pointers. I know its only one play but he wasn't ready to do that last year.

 

[Dave85]

I made this video of Roberson in the offseason to give a different look of some of the game he had in highschool.
Just a observation but I think he could shoot the ball alittle better when he puts his whole body or dribbles into his shot. When its just the typical elbow, arms, square up, and use your legs like good shooters he tends to shoot real flat. His legs appear to mean more to his arms and his release when he has the turnaround or dribbling leaning bank.

I remember watching two plays at midnight madness. One he drove the baseline left side and made a sweet kickout pass to Joseph the other he took a few dribbles but threw the dish to the wrong hand of a cutter had he had the right hand could have been a sweet assist to a dunk, like a point forward.

I think TR will really shine in big games with lots of pressure. He seems to really step up and play well under those situations.

 

[Dave85]

Yes. I hope the discussion on cooney is minimal this year b/c he's neither as bad as haters think nor as good as the orange colored glasses folk will hope he'll be. We'd be at our best if he was a 20-25 mpg guy, but that's probably unlikely.

Regardless, the point is we've seen from cooney more or less exactly what he's going to be.

I think conversations about TC are off the table. If TC is having an off night then MR becomes the focal point. I think that will take a lot of fan pressure off how well TC does in a game. TC at this point is going to be a solid starting player. He's going to win 2 or 3 games for us single handedly this year. And he will make solid contributions during big games. But with all the other talents on the team winning the game is less on his shoulders this year than last year in my opinion. KJ did not help TC's popularity last year.

 

[Dave85]

DC was the biggest take away for me. He's definately healthy. He was hustling as much as anyone the entire game. He still takes needless dribbles and brings the ball down from time to time, but that probably has to do with the fact he's always done it, and hasn't had the ability to practice to teach that out of him.

Bad habits are hard to reprogram. I just hope he stays healthy. I'm more interested in him playing defense than scoring on offense. Of course rebounding all the time is important.

 

[Dave85]

I made this video of Roberson in the offseason to give a different look of some of the game he had in highschool.
Just a observation but I think he could shoot the ball alittle better when he puts his whole body or dribbles into his shot. When its just the typical elbow, arms, square up, and use your legs like good shooters he tends to shoot real flat. His legs appear to mean more to his arms and his release when he has the turnaround or dribbling leaning bank.

I remember watching two plays at midnight madness. One he drove the baseline left side and made a sweet kickout pass to Joseph the other he took a few dribbles but threw the dish to the wrong hand of a cutter had he had the right hand could have been a sweet assist to a dunk, like a point forward.

If TR doesn't go NBA after this season he may be John Wallace good his senior season! I think his problem is not physical or skill but just mental. He has to be more competitive.