RF2044
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Given all of the negativity associated with the looming NCAA disposition, I wanted to step back and post something a bit more positive. My father had the opportunity to head up to SU practice last night, and had some interesting mid-season observations [short report this time around]:
Let’s Go Orange!!!
- The majority of practice that he observed was spent focusing on breaking down how to defend Clemson’s offensive sets. So the “scrimmaging” that was done was more of a controlled walk through, with the core rotation mostly playing on defense. My father noted that Coach Boeheim stopped practice several times to coach the team about their rotations, what to do situationally, etc. in a low key manner. The team seems very coachable.
- Michael Gbinije continues to be a focal point of the offense. His transformation is nothing short of remarkable. We’re really starting to see the player who made the McDonald’s All American game out of high school, with his talent, shooting, and versatility. He didn’t stand out in the practice, but that was somewhat of a good thing [no ball handling miscues, etc.].
- Trevor Cooney shot well in the drills—his hot streak appears to continue. Cooney is a very hard worker, in drills and during practice. No wonder the coach loves him. He and Gbinije are getting more vocal than in the past in practice. JB also appreciates when key members of the team assume responsibility for demonstrating leadership, so it is good that these two are embracing that role.
- It’s very important to note [from the perspective of someone who used to be a regular practice attendee] that there is no pressure in practice—or at least, not the same type of pressure that you see in games. As such, a lot of times you’ll see younger players do things in practice and / or perform better than they seem to when they hit the floor during games. The difference? There’s not as much pressure if you miss a shot or blow a defensive assignment in practice.
- Three examples of this from yesterday’s practice: Ron Patterson had a very strong day shooting the ball [per what JB said about him earlier this season, it must have been one of the two days of the week that he sizzles the nets]. He was dialed in from three. Patterson is a very hard worker who always goes 100% in practice, and the coaching staff has taken notice. Kid also always has a smile on his face, and is a “yes sir, no sir” type of kid. Highly coachable.
- BJ Johnson also shot the ball well in drills. Again, low pressure in practice. It would be nice to see this translate into games, because we could use the frontcourt depth.
- Chinoso Obokoh similarly looked a lot better than he did in the Georgia Tech game. He’s a physical kid who scraps despite being outmuscled by Rak, and holds his own. The coaches paused to correct him a few time with his rotations—so maybe an effort is being made to groom him so that they can find a way to squeeze 2-3 minutes out of him. His calling cards are defense and rebounding—and we could use the depth].
- Kaleb Joseph had a good practice. He took—and made—a ton of mid-range jump shots from the foul line area. Those are shots he hasn’t been hitting lately, so hopefully that carries over to the game Saturday [I strongly believe we could use an infusion of scoring from both Joseph and Roberson down the stretch.
- Tyler Roberson had a particularly good practice. Kid was the best rebounder out there on the practice floor—very active, and he goes after every carom like he owns the ball [we’ve actually seen in games how above average of a rebounder he is]. Offensively, he had a good day. Again, it’s important to keep in mind that practice is a low pressure situation, but he consistently drilled that 16 foot jumper he seems semi-reluctant to take during games. Like Joseph, we need him to step up offensively, and at least get to the point where we can pencil him down for 7 ppg.
- Dejuan Coleman did some stuff in drills, and spent the rest of the time working hard on the sidelines with rehab stuff for a portion of the practice. “Slim” is making incremental progress toward getting his full mobility back. Given the gusto with which he attacks his rehab / physical therapy, I wouldn’t bet against him.
- One final item to highlight. After practice ended, and the team was wrapping off their individual extra shooting work, the last player on the floor was Rakim Christmas—working on his footwork and low post moves with Mike Hopkins. Long after the other players were gone, Rak was out there working on his back to the basket game with Hop. No wonder he’s displayed such stark improvement!
Let’s Go Orange!!!
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Just kidding
