sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
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This is proving to be a very interesting team to watch. Sometimes it is in a good way. Sometimes it is in a not-so-good way; where you get the same type of vibe as when you rubber neck at a horrible accident on the road you are driving on.
Most of the wild swings in the quality of play come from substitution patterns. As of right now, we have five relatively solid players that can be expected to do something constructive when they get the ball on offense and to play reasonably well on defense when the other team has the ball.
I submit that the biggest key to the success of the team has nothing to do with the 'Big Five', but with the 'Littlr Four' scholarship players also on the team. Two of these guys have to emerge as reliable backups.
The good news today is that DC2 is showing some signs of improvement. His defense is mediocre at best and he is struggling to score but he is beginning to rebound better, is blocking some shots and even making some good passes. He should at least be serviceable as he continues to work off the rust on his game.
Frankie Howard didn't get much run but looked quite good in limited minutes. Made a really nice kick out pass and got inside to get a rebound and a putback. Also continues to show good instincts playing in the zone.
KJ again had a major opportunity to establish himself in JB's Circle of Trust and again completely failed. He looked awful shooting the ball, struggled to do anything right when he had the ball and was again notably lost on defense. His plus/minus must have been astonishingly bad. Don't know what is going on with him but I am astonished to see a sophomore play this way.
CO remains a poor defensive player and a worse player on offense, where he spends most of his time making wildly illegal picks and standing near the top of the key, his back to the basket, gazing into the crowd behind the other end of the court. What are you looking at CO?
Anyway, I think JB really wants KJ to be part of the rotation and think KJ is rapidly running out of chances to prove himself. It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow. With the team playing 3 games in 3 days, he can't play Silent G and TC 38-40 minutes in the coming two tough games. Will he continue to go to KJ or will FH get the nod as the third guard tomorrow?
Great game for Silent G. He takes a long time to get off his shot and will consequently be shut on that front against good man defenses, but when a team plays whatever the hell that defense was that Charlotte was trying to play, he is going to rack up some serious point totals. Good to see him posting up down low some too.
However great Silent G was, TC wasn't far behind. He has really expanded his game this season. Is much better going to the hoop, notably better handling the ball and continues to pile up assists despite not handling the ball much. Has clearly been working on shooting off the run on inbounds plays, where he hit a several 3s on set plays JB has brought from NBA play books. He is easily our best player feeding the post and just looks like a different player out there. It will be interesting to see how he does against tougher competition the rest of this tournament.
TL had his best game at the college level and appears to have seized complete control of a position in the regular rotation. He is our best shot blocker, our second best rebounder, one of our best shooters and his all out hustle when he is out there just makes the team much better. Love his hands and his basketball IQ as well. He has great instincts and as he gains the confidence of his teammates, he is just going to get better.
TRob tried to be aggressive with the ball and make power moves with confidence. Also took a bunch of mid range jumpers he has been passing up He was largely unsuccessful but I think he has to keep doing this until he becomes a scoring threat. We can't win playing offense 3 on 5. On the positive side, he rebounded well and played good interior defense.
I have no idea how good this team is right now. Would not be surprised if the team wins by 10 tomorrow or loses by 25.
Most of the wild swings in the quality of play come from substitution patterns. As of right now, we have five relatively solid players that can be expected to do something constructive when they get the ball on offense and to play reasonably well on defense when the other team has the ball.
I submit that the biggest key to the success of the team has nothing to do with the 'Big Five', but with the 'Littlr Four' scholarship players also on the team. Two of these guys have to emerge as reliable backups.
The good news today is that DC2 is showing some signs of improvement. His defense is mediocre at best and he is struggling to score but he is beginning to rebound better, is blocking some shots and even making some good passes. He should at least be serviceable as he continues to work off the rust on his game.
Frankie Howard didn't get much run but looked quite good in limited minutes. Made a really nice kick out pass and got inside to get a rebound and a putback. Also continues to show good instincts playing in the zone.
KJ again had a major opportunity to establish himself in JB's Circle of Trust and again completely failed. He looked awful shooting the ball, struggled to do anything right when he had the ball and was again notably lost on defense. His plus/minus must have been astonishingly bad. Don't know what is going on with him but I am astonished to see a sophomore play this way.
CO remains a poor defensive player and a worse player on offense, where he spends most of his time making wildly illegal picks and standing near the top of the key, his back to the basket, gazing into the crowd behind the other end of the court. What are you looking at CO?
Anyway, I think JB really wants KJ to be part of the rotation and think KJ is rapidly running out of chances to prove himself. It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow. With the team playing 3 games in 3 days, he can't play Silent G and TC 38-40 minutes in the coming two tough games. Will he continue to go to KJ or will FH get the nod as the third guard tomorrow?
Great game for Silent G. He takes a long time to get off his shot and will consequently be shut on that front against good man defenses, but when a team plays whatever the hell that defense was that Charlotte was trying to play, he is going to rack up some serious point totals. Good to see him posting up down low some too.
However great Silent G was, TC wasn't far behind. He has really expanded his game this season. Is much better going to the hoop, notably better handling the ball and continues to pile up assists despite not handling the ball much. Has clearly been working on shooting off the run on inbounds plays, where he hit a several 3s on set plays JB has brought from NBA play books. He is easily our best player feeding the post and just looks like a different player out there. It will be interesting to see how he does against tougher competition the rest of this tournament.
TL had his best game at the college level and appears to have seized complete control of a position in the regular rotation. He is our best shot blocker, our second best rebounder, one of our best shooters and his all out hustle when he is out there just makes the team much better. Love his hands and his basketball IQ as well. He has great instincts and as he gains the confidence of his teammates, he is just going to get better.
TRob tried to be aggressive with the ball and make power moves with confidence. Also took a bunch of mid range jumpers he has been passing up He was largely unsuccessful but I think he has to keep doing this until he becomes a scoring threat. We can't win playing offense 3 on 5. On the positive side, he rebounded well and played good interior defense.
I have no idea how good this team is right now. Would not be surprised if the team wins by 10 tomorrow or loses by 25.
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