SWC75
Bored Historian
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No "Upside/Downside" or "Net Points"- it's an exhibition game. Just some observations from where I sat, (section 308)
- I really love watching Carleton play. They are very skilled, aggressive and confident, as befits their status in the Canadian game. They started out hitting threes, then went inside on the bigger team , making some fabulous passes and quick moves to the basket. I hope DaJuan Coleman was watching. When their guys got the ball near the basket, they caught passes and went up in one motion, finishing with either hand on either side of the basket and using the glass beautifully. They played aggressive defense throughout and frustrated out young players and out-hustled us for rebounds, short and long, 31-45, an unacceptable margin vs. any team but certainly against a shorter one. If our guys could play as well as Carleton did with the size and talent Syracuse has,we'd run the table.
- I expected SU to lose this game. We had to rally to beat them last year in Canada and with three new starters I figured that Carleton's high quality of play on both ends would be a good learning experience for our young players. It sure looked like I would be right in the first half. The Ravens whipped the ball aorund, got open shots and made them and shut off all our drives to the basket on the other end. I normally feel that assists are over-rated because a lot of assists usually means you are depending too much on jump shots but in this case the edge in assists, 5-15 Carleton had was the most revealing stat at halftime. Carleton led, 39-30 after having a 14 point lead at one point.
- But Syracuse again stepped up the defensive intensity, used more traps, got on the shooters and turned things around in the second half, when the assists were in our favor 9-5. We got out and ran whenever we could, (something that was missing from our offense the last couple of years). And we got the ball inside where Rakeem Christmas and Chris McCullough had their way. But the most stunning performance was from the freshman point guard, Kaleb Joseph, who drove through the defense for lay-ups and pull-ups and hit outside shots as well. We wound up with 19 points on 7 for 9 shooting. Ron Patterson also helped turn things around by hitting 4 of 5 threes in a 15 minute stint. SU pulled even at 52 all and took the lead for good at 58-50, going on to win at 76-68. That seems like a modest score but we scored that much only 7 times last year and only twice in our last 22 games.
- Joseph is a scoring point guard. he looks for his own offense first. That might have been impacted by the fact that our offense was functioning poorly for much of this game- points guard tend to take matters into their own hands when things are going badly. But I think it's Joseph's normal style. It's the opposite of what we saw last year with Tyler Ennis. who wanted to take care of the ball and looked to feed others first. But Joseph wants to run ore than Ennis and he had only one turnover in 26 minutes, (the team had only 7 against a pressing team), . We can win his way, too.
- Every year, (at least since the Melo Center opened), we see a caterpillar turn into a butterfly with this team. That is, a player who was struggling the year before and is somewhat dismissed by the fans as a result will emerge in the new season as a completely different and much better player. This was one game but it appeared that this year's 'butterflies' are Rakeem Christmas and Ron Patterson. Rakeem, who "showed flashes" last year looks like he's going really show the college basketball world- and those NBA scouts- something this year. He's running the court, moving fluidly through the defense, catching passes and scoring, putting the ball on the floor with drives, turning over his defender to score. He got in early foul trouble but played basically the entire second half without fouling while he was scoring 13 point, blocking a shot, making a steal, passing for two assists and grabbing three rebounds, (the later stat less than he should have but he missed most of the first half).
- Patterson came out firing. He aggressively looked to get open and caught the ball and shot it one motion, making shots from well outside the three point line but also driving in to score a basket for 15 points in the same number of minutes. He also played some back-up point guard, although, even more than Joseph, he was looking for Ron Patterson to score. He was aggressive but, unlike last year, under control, calm and collected. He was everything Trevor Cooney wasn't.
- Chris McCullough played aggressively and confidently. He seems ready to assume a major role on the team. He could get a little stronger. And he has a high-arching jump shot. the problem I have with that is that the ball tends to come down at the basket with too much velocity. If it'a not dead center, ti will tend to bounce away. he sin't going to score off the rim as someone with a lower trajectory might.
- Trevor Cooney played 35 minutes, was 0 for 6 and scored 7 points. He did manage to get to the foul line 8 times, where he got all those points, so he is trying to add to his game but he seemed to be doing little to get open outside and rushed his shots when he did. If he keeps playing like that, Ron Patterson is going take his spot in the line-up.
- Tyler Roberson continued to look not ready for prime time. He just plays with so little confidence He's reluctant to shoot and shoots like he's trying to kind of hope it in, (he did make one late jumper). He got 4 rebounds in 17 minutes which isn't terrible. But the guy people were predicting stardom for seems to be absent.
- Michael Gbinije hit an early three, then airballed the next one. He did get 6 points and 4 assists but plays like the complimentary player he was last year. I expected more.
- BJ Johnson played 8 ineffectual minutes.
- I assumed that Chinosos Obokoh would slip into Baye Keita's back up center role but he only played 3 minutes. McCullough and even Roberson were used briefly as back up centers. Which means that right now, we don't have a back-up center.
- We also don't have a back-up point guard. We may not have a point guard at all. Joseph and Patterson are both scorers while Gbinije is a jack-of-all trades, master of none. With Coleman out, it's basically a nine man team and there are some definite holes in it. There will be strengths as well, but they are still in the oven.
- We'll be good but no one can know how good and the schedule after December will be unforgiving.
- I really love watching Carleton play. They are very skilled, aggressive and confident, as befits their status in the Canadian game. They started out hitting threes, then went inside on the bigger team , making some fabulous passes and quick moves to the basket. I hope DaJuan Coleman was watching. When their guys got the ball near the basket, they caught passes and went up in one motion, finishing with either hand on either side of the basket and using the glass beautifully. They played aggressive defense throughout and frustrated out young players and out-hustled us for rebounds, short and long, 31-45, an unacceptable margin vs. any team but certainly against a shorter one. If our guys could play as well as Carleton did with the size and talent Syracuse has,we'd run the table.
- I expected SU to lose this game. We had to rally to beat them last year in Canada and with three new starters I figured that Carleton's high quality of play on both ends would be a good learning experience for our young players. It sure looked like I would be right in the first half. The Ravens whipped the ball aorund, got open shots and made them and shut off all our drives to the basket on the other end. I normally feel that assists are over-rated because a lot of assists usually means you are depending too much on jump shots but in this case the edge in assists, 5-15 Carleton had was the most revealing stat at halftime. Carleton led, 39-30 after having a 14 point lead at one point.
- But Syracuse again stepped up the defensive intensity, used more traps, got on the shooters and turned things around in the second half, when the assists were in our favor 9-5. We got out and ran whenever we could, (something that was missing from our offense the last couple of years). And we got the ball inside where Rakeem Christmas and Chris McCullough had their way. But the most stunning performance was from the freshman point guard, Kaleb Joseph, who drove through the defense for lay-ups and pull-ups and hit outside shots as well. We wound up with 19 points on 7 for 9 shooting. Ron Patterson also helped turn things around by hitting 4 of 5 threes in a 15 minute stint. SU pulled even at 52 all and took the lead for good at 58-50, going on to win at 76-68. That seems like a modest score but we scored that much only 7 times last year and only twice in our last 22 games.
- Joseph is a scoring point guard. he looks for his own offense first. That might have been impacted by the fact that our offense was functioning poorly for much of this game- points guard tend to take matters into their own hands when things are going badly. But I think it's Joseph's normal style. It's the opposite of what we saw last year with Tyler Ennis. who wanted to take care of the ball and looked to feed others first. But Joseph wants to run ore than Ennis and he had only one turnover in 26 minutes, (the team had only 7 against a pressing team), . We can win his way, too.
- Every year, (at least since the Melo Center opened), we see a caterpillar turn into a butterfly with this team. That is, a player who was struggling the year before and is somewhat dismissed by the fans as a result will emerge in the new season as a completely different and much better player. This was one game but it appeared that this year's 'butterflies' are Rakeem Christmas and Ron Patterson. Rakeem, who "showed flashes" last year looks like he's going really show the college basketball world- and those NBA scouts- something this year. He's running the court, moving fluidly through the defense, catching passes and scoring, putting the ball on the floor with drives, turning over his defender to score. He got in early foul trouble but played basically the entire second half without fouling while he was scoring 13 point, blocking a shot, making a steal, passing for two assists and grabbing three rebounds, (the later stat less than he should have but he missed most of the first half).
- Patterson came out firing. He aggressively looked to get open and caught the ball and shot it one motion, making shots from well outside the three point line but also driving in to score a basket for 15 points in the same number of minutes. He also played some back-up point guard, although, even more than Joseph, he was looking for Ron Patterson to score. He was aggressive but, unlike last year, under control, calm and collected. He was everything Trevor Cooney wasn't.
- Chris McCullough played aggressively and confidently. He seems ready to assume a major role on the team. He could get a little stronger. And he has a high-arching jump shot. the problem I have with that is that the ball tends to come down at the basket with too much velocity. If it'a not dead center, ti will tend to bounce away. he sin't going to score off the rim as someone with a lower trajectory might.
- Trevor Cooney played 35 minutes, was 0 for 6 and scored 7 points. He did manage to get to the foul line 8 times, where he got all those points, so he is trying to add to his game but he seemed to be doing little to get open outside and rushed his shots when he did. If he keeps playing like that, Ron Patterson is going take his spot in the line-up.
- Tyler Roberson continued to look not ready for prime time. He just plays with so little confidence He's reluctant to shoot and shoots like he's trying to kind of hope it in, (he did make one late jumper). He got 4 rebounds in 17 minutes which isn't terrible. But the guy people were predicting stardom for seems to be absent.
- Michael Gbinije hit an early three, then airballed the next one. He did get 6 points and 4 assists but plays like the complimentary player he was last year. I expected more.
- BJ Johnson played 8 ineffectual minutes.
- I assumed that Chinosos Obokoh would slip into Baye Keita's back up center role but he only played 3 minutes. McCullough and even Roberson were used briefly as back up centers. Which means that right now, we don't have a back-up center.
- We also don't have a back-up point guard. We may not have a point guard at all. Joseph and Patterson are both scorers while Gbinije is a jack-of-all trades, master of none. With Coleman out, it's basically a nine man team and there are some definite holes in it. There will be strengths as well, but they are still in the oven.
- We'll be good but no one can know how good and the schedule after December will be unforgiving.
