Okay, so the Canadian tour is over. What have we learned?

[SWC75]

I agree with much of this. Good post. I would disagree a bit about the rebounding. We were a good rebounding team last year, and this year we will be even better. Many past years, we have gotten out rebounded by our opponents but still won because of turnovers forced, opponents' shooting percentage against the zone, blocked shots, etc. But last year we outrebounded even the good teams most of the time. That was a key to the improvement in our defense. We will be even better on the boards this year.

The key is whether we need the guards to rebound. Last year they did but we had no fast breaks because the guards couldn't release. We need our big men to be big on the boards, especially DC2 with his excellent outlet passes.

 

[igor]

Obligatory qualifier: three of our games were against subpar competition. Carleton, however, was not--they seem to be the equivalent of a strong mid-major, and were a great measuring stick for our young squad.

So what have we learned?

Here are some quick observations I've had, in no particular order:

• Tyler Ennis is for real. I knew given his HS pedigree that he'd played a high level of competition, and was going to be [obviously] handed the reins as a true frosh. I wondered how long it would take him to adjust, and whether or not he'd be an impact player his freshman year. The answer is a resounding: yes! Ennis is very advanced for a frosh, and is more than capable of stepping into MCW's shoes and quarterbacking a top 10 caliber team. No doubt in my mind anymore. Does he have some things to iron out? Sure--but he's a special talent.

• Grant has made the sophomore leap. Despite the bout with mono, the kid has improved his physique. Could still stand to add 10 more pounds, but he's going to be a very good player for us this year. We'll get some low post scoring out of him that we lacked last season. Kid looks like a young John Wallace, physique wise.

• Keita is our best center. Limited upside, but he's the best defensive player of the bunch [Rak's ability to block shots notwithstanding], and will probably finish a lot of games, as he has JB's confidence.

• Cooney can play. The first three quarters of the McGill game were gruesome, but he settled down after that and did a nice job offensively afterwards. I'd like to see him dribble a little more purposefully; seems like he wastes some time out there pounding the ball without accomplishing much. But I expect him to get better as he continues to get game time under his belt.

• Our team is gritty. The Carleton game proved this. With a team of young players mostly down big on the road in front of a hostile crowd, it wouldn't have been a surprise to see them fold up the tent and lose. But they fought hard to get back in the game and pulled it out. It revealed a lot about our team, and suggests that the top 10 preseason rankings aren't that far off.

• Not sure what Gbinije is capable of. After four games, I still don't have a feel for his offensive capabilities. He's going to play a lot this year--either as a starter or the top backcourt reserve--but I still don't have a good sense of his offensive capabilities.

• Rak won't ever be a good offensive player. Three years into his career, I think he's about maxed out offensively. But he can still be a good player for us if he concentrates on defense, rebounding, and shot blocking. And those are all things he can deliver on.

• Coleman hasn't improved...or has he? Prior to the Ottawa game, I was pretty sure about the former, but his performance tonight suggests that maybe he'll settle down and provide us with some inside scoring. He still has a way to go defensively and isn't as good a rebounder as his physical tools would suggest, but today's game was a much needed confidence builder heading into the remainder of the off-season. Something to build on.

• BJ and Buss have some game. Their time won't be this season, but the future is bright. Both hustle and seem to have some offensive potential.

• CJ is capable of leading this team to lofty accomplishments. He didn't get the opportunity to play much in this tournament, but he sported some added muscle and showed off the shooting capability that will make him a nightmare matchup in the ACC. I agree with Park / Leo tonight, who suggested that our offensive team concept overall will improve when he's able to play. CJ and Grant will be two very tough matchup problems all year long for our opponents.

• The 2 is the biggest question mark this year. Yes, I know that the pivot has some question marks, too. But I think we're going to get enough from that trio, and dependable play from Keita when the game is on the line. I THINK that Cooney / Gbinije can get the job done--but they've still got a lot of proving to do to make a believer out of me.

• The rebounding stinks. Again. Same old, same old. I know that playing zone 100% of the time makes us susceptible to giving up offensive rebounds, but the team is going to have to work harder to shore up this collective deficiency if we're going to maximize our potential this year.

• This is going to be a fun year! We lost a ton this offseason, but this team is capable of being top 10 from wire to wire. Can't wait to see what we're going to do in our first year in the ACC!

Let's Go Orange!!!

the rebounding is awesome. the helter skelter block every shot is the villian

 

[reedny]

And Canadian teams kinda suck

Carleton certainly didn't suck. They defended us as well as any high major team we've faced recently ... including a full court press to wear us down (it worked), good on-ball pressure. They also fought threw our screens easily and hurt us on the glass.

And they did some damage to our defense, as well. Despite a size disadvantage, they took the game to us and built a pretty good size lead that lasted well into the second half. This wasn't just outside chucking; they moved the ball very well against the zone and got open shots. And they also ran that foul line to a cutter play against us repeatedly ... often successfully.

This scenario wasn't entirely unexpected given the circumstances. Carleton had a bunch of things going their way ... ridiculous officiating (including several bizarro out of bounds calls) and clutch-and grab defense (that went largely uncalled against the home team). While we broke in our freshman backcourt, their entire team was composed of either seniors or 5th year players, who were rested while our guys were playing in their third straight game ..., yada yada.

But we were lucky to get out of there with a win against a very well-coached, scrappy and disciplined team, that definitely didn't "suck".

 

[RF2044]

the rebounding is awesome. the helter skelter block every shot is the villian

If by "awesome" you are referring to smaller, less athletic teams snaring offensive rebound after offensive rebound all game long against us, then yeah--it was "awesome."

Oh Lord

 

[RF2044]

Isn't that a contradiction, RF?

Good catch--meant to type "weren't"

 

[EastCoast2]

Great analysis. I agree with everything. Did we get a good gauge of Gbinje's jumper? I saw him hit some threes. He dribbles the ball a little too high for my liking - he looks like a SF trying to play point because, well he is. Hopefully he'll improve his handle and be a dependable ball handler. We NEED more than one guy, Ennis, capable of bringing the ball up against full court pressure with the game on the line. Cooney won't be able to do this.

 

[OttoMets]

Great analysis. I agree with everything. Did we get a good gauge of Gbinje's jumper? I saw him hit some threes. He dribbles the ball a little too high for my liking - he looks like a SF trying to play point because, well he is. Hopefully he'll improve his handle and be a dependable ball handler. We NEED more than one guy, Ennis, capable of bringing the ball up against full court pressure with the game on the line. Cooney won't be able to do this.

No one's had a more difficult task than Gbinije has - from small forward to off-guard to point in the span of 12 months. And it showed (yesterday, at least; the Ottawa game was the only one I had a chance to watch). He looked shaky at the point (that last possession of the first half summed it up). More advanced defensively than I'd expected, though. So that's good.

But October and November are going to be very important months in trying to find capable backup point guard play. We're not there yet.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Good catch--meant to type "weren't"

Very long, badly missed threes favor offensive rebounding.

This is what I have determined based on past experience playing basketball and watching it over the years.

I agree rebounding needs to be worked on, but I think the style we faced is a factor.

 

[tbonezone]

i think the quality minutes we're expecting to get from the frosh pg ennis may be a bit too much.

prediction overload.

 

[orangefan13]

Cooney is still a spot up shooter, Nothing flashy. He still needs to be wide open and to have his feet set atleast 2 seconds before catching the pass. imo, he will depend on the rest of the team playing good to open his game. We need a backup SG who can drive the buss though, not just assist it unless Grant and Fair never have a offnight.

Ennis and Gbinije need to keep working on that midrange pullup/floater. Its much harder to get layups against the trees.

Rak is a ton more mobile at the four then the last two years. Difference is night and day. For everyone who is whining about his offense, he has made huge strides in his speed, dribble, and defensive movement. He was a very tentative big with little explosivness and little ball handling, now he has a real motor, some real explosivness and above average ball handling for a true (not combo) PF. I predict he is going to suprise people off motion recieving a pass off the ball.

CJ's jumper looks more confident and fluent all around.

Grant a beast off the drive. we need 3+ jumpers a game from him not 1-2.

We need a Guard with a 3 point shoot in the corner?

 

[dasher]

Cooney is still a spot up shooter, Nothing flashy. He still needs to be pretty darn wide open and to have his feet set atleast 2 seconds before catching the pass. imo, all that will equate to the rest of the team playing good opening his game. Need a backup SG who can drive the buss though not just assist it unless Grant and Fair never have a offnight.

Ennis and Gbinije need to keep working on that midrange pullup/floater. Much harder to get layups against the trees.

Rak is a ton more mobile at the four then the last two years. Difference night and day. For Everyone who is whinning about his offense, he has made huge strides in his speed, dribble, and defensive movement. Really impressed he was a very tentative big with little explosivness and little ball handling, now he has a real motor, some real explosivness and above average ball handling for a true (not combo) PF. I predict he is going to suprise people off motion recieving a pass off the ball.

CJ's jumper looks more confident and fluent all around.

Grant a beast off the drive. we need 3+ jumpers a game from him not 1-2.

Guard 3 point shooter in the corner?

any time we spend with rak at the 4 is bad for us. Fair and Grant are studs and from what I understand , so is roberson.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I think we learned that Patterson is exactly what we thought he is.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[dasher]

I think we learned that Patterson is exactly what we thought he is.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

You want to crown his @ss? Crown it. We left him off the hook!

 

[SWC75]

In the four games we had 64 offensive and 126 defensive rebounds. The Canadian teams had 75 offensive rebounds and 89 defensive rebounds. That means that when we missed, we got the rebound 42% of the time. When they missed, they got the rebound 37% of the time. That's not a dominant performance but it's not terrible. I agree that they took a lot of perimeter shots, (130 of their 259 field goal attempts were three pointers, compared to 60 of our 256) and that makes it easier for smaller teams to get offensive rebounds.

 

[Eric15]

Obligatory qualifier: three of our games were against subpar competition. Carleton, however, was not--they seem to be the equivalent of a strong mid-major, and were a great measuring stick for our young squad.

So what have we learned?

Here are some quick observations I've had, in no particular order:

• Tyler Ennis is for real. I knew given his HS pedigree that he'd played a high level of competition, and was going to be [obviously] handed the reins as a true frosh. I wondered how long it would take him to adjust, and whether or not he'd be an impact player his freshman year. The answer is a resounding: yes! Ennis is very advanced for a frosh, and is more than capable of stepping into MCW's shoes and quarterbacking a top 10 caliber team. No doubt in my mind anymore. Does he have some things to iron out? Sure--but he's a special talent.

• Grant has made the sophomore leap. Despite the bout with mono, the kid has improved his physique. Could still stand to add 10 more pounds, but he's going to be a very good player for us this year. We'll get some low post scoring out of him that we lacked last season. Kid looks like a young John Wallace, physique wise.

• Keita is our best center. Limited upside, but he's the best defensive player of the bunch [Rak's ability to block shots notwithstanding], and will probably finish a lot of games, as he has JB's confidence.

• Cooney can play. The first three quarters of the McGill game were gruesome, but he settled down after that and did a nice job offensively afterwards. I'd like to see him dribble a little more purposefully; seems like he wastes some time out there pounding the ball without accomplishing much. But I expect him to get better as he continues to get game time under his belt.

• Our team is gritty. The Carleton game proved this. With a team of young players mostly down big on the road in front of a hostile crowd, it wouldn't have been a surprise to see them fold up the tent and lose. But they fought hard to get back in the game and pulled it out. It revealed a lot about our team, and suggests that the top 10 preseason rankings aren't that far off.

• Not sure what Gbinije is capable of. After four games, I still don't have a feel for his offensive capabilities. He's going to play a lot this year--either as a starter or the top backcourt reserve--but I still don't have a good sense of his offensive capabilities.

• Rak won't ever be a good offensive player. Three years into his career, I think he's about maxed out offensively. But he can still be a good player for us if he concentrates on defense, rebounding, and shot blocking. And those are all things he can deliver on.

• Coleman hasn't improved...or has he? Prior to the Ottawa game, I was pretty sure about the former, but his performance tonight suggests that maybe he'll settle down and provide us with some inside scoring. He still has a way to go defensively and isn't as good a rebounder as his physical tools would suggest, but today's game was a much needed confidence builder heading into the remainder of the off-season. Something to build on.

• BJ and Buss have some game. Their time won't be this season, but the future is bright. Both hustle and seem to have some offensive potential.

• CJ is capable of leading this team to lofty accomplishments. He didn't get the opportunity to play much in this tournament, but he sported some added muscle and showed off the shooting capability that will make him a nightmare matchup in the ACC. I agree with Park / Leo tonight, who suggested that our offensive team concept overall will improve when he's able to play. CJ and Grant will be two very tough matchup problems all year long for our opponents.

• The 2 is the biggest question mark this year. Yes, I know that the pivot has some question marks, too. But I think we're going to get enough from that trio, and dependable play from Keita when the game is on the line. I THINK that Cooney / Gbinije can get the job done--but they've still got a lot of proving to do to make a believer out of me.

• The rebounding stinks. Again. Same old, same old. I know that playing zone 100% of the time makes us susceptible to giving up offensive rebounds, but the team is going to have to work harder to shore up this collective deficiency if we're going to maximize our potential this year.

• This is going to be a fun year! We lost a ton this offseason, but this team is capable of being top 10 from wire to wire. Can't wait to see what we're going to do in our first year in the ACC!

Let's Go Orange!!!

I feel like all new posters should be required to take a class from RF2044 on how to make a post easy-to-read and aesthetically pleasing.

 

[RF2044]

In the four games we had 64 offensive and 126 defensive rebounds. The Canadian teams had 75 offensive rebounds and 89 defensive rebounds. That means that when we missed, we got the rebound 42% of the time. When they missed, they got the rebound 37% of the time. That's not a dominant performance but it's not terrible. I agree that they took a lot of perimeter shots, (130 of their 259 field goal attempts were three pointers, compared to 60 of our 256) and that makes it easier for smaller teams to get offensive rebounds.

That data fails to take into account the significant frontcourt size, athleticism, and depth advantage we had over all four opponents we faced in Canada [including Carleton]. Given our frontcourt components, giving up that volume of offensive rebounds absolutely was terrible--and something that bigger, stronger, more athletic teams will be able to exploit against us unless we find a way to shore up the deficiency.

I do agree with you and Dsyr that style of play was a factor, but that doesn't change that we need to do a better job to prevent opposing teams from having second and third opportunities to score on us.

 

[realorange]

One thing that Leo spoke about several times on the broadcast was boxing out. Matt took him to task and said the zone doesn't make for an easy way to do that. Leo simply said you just find somebody and box them out and it's one less opponent to go after the rebound even if you aren't able to go after it yourself. Grant and Keita do a better job than Coleman and Roc simply because they look like they want the ball and then hold on to it.

 

[SUintheVille]

We learned that despite the newbies and very limited time together, this team did pretty darn good, no matter the competition. We learned that we actually know some things now about the team and players (good and bad) that we otherwise might not have known as much, and that coaches now have a great head start on individual and team focus areas starting in Oct, much more than without this experience. What an opportunity.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

It's more about giving up scads of offensive rebounds to athletically inferior teams.

We were solid on the defensive boards.

Aren't those logically inconsistent?

Sent from my SCH-I200 using Tapatalk 2

 

[rrlbees]

I learned exactly what I was hoping to. Every single player showed me a lot of promise.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[baggerbob]

The kids also learned how to play on the road, not sleeping in their own beds, and not having the benefit of all the home fans.

 

[billsin01]

Keita is our best center. Limited upside, but he's the best defensive player of the bunch [Rak's ability to block shots notwithstanding], and will probably finish a lot of games, as he has JB's confidence.

• Cooney can play. The first three quarters of the McGill game were gruesome, but he settled down after that and did a nice job offensively afterwards. I'd like to see him dribble a little more purposefully; seems like he wastes some time out there pounding the ball without accomplishing much. But I expect him to get better as he continues to get game time under his belt.

Great post and fun to be talking hoops this time of year. That is a treat. Three thoughts on your post including the two excerpts above:

-- I dream of a day when more people understand that doing a few things really well in basketball is better than the potential to do a lot of things at a mediocre level. I really don't think many here or in the media would agree with this, but it applies to Baye. Guys like Baye are under-appreciated b/c so few folks understand just how solid he is as a defender and rebounder and he doesn't really take anything away from our attack offensively (i.e. he doesn't add a lot but he doesn't really turn it over and he shot 62% overall and 60% from the line including a bunch of big ones at the end of the season. He is what he is, but that's a good thing far more than a bad thing in his case.

-- Cooney may never be what many hoped he'd be given his athleticism and reputation as a shooter. But if he can find a way to shoot 35% from 3 this year, he's going to be a really valuable member of this team. If he's only around 30%, then he's not quite as valuable but still an OK rotation guy given his hustle, solid defense and willingness to play a role.

-- On Grant and Fair: hard not to get excited about Grant b/c the WAllace comp seems like a decent one. Probably not quite as skilled but probably a better athlete overall. Should make him a handful for everyone we play. Fair will always be a guy that people want to see handling the ball, shooting it, driving on everyone and scoring 20 ppg. Not sure that's him, but if he can just improve a bit from outside (slightly quicker release would help), he could easily be as good a 3 as we've had since Melo and one of the best players of the last 20 years (which is saying a ton given our current run of success).

 

[omgDaveSiock]

Obligatory qualifier: three of our games were against subpar competition. Carleton, however, was not--they seem to be the equivalent of a strong mid-major, and were a great measuring stick for our young squad.

So what have we learned?

Here are some quick observations I've had, in no particular order:

• Tyler Ennis is for real. I knew given his HS pedigree that he'd played a high level of competition, and was going to be [obviously] handed the reins as a true frosh. I wondered how long it would take him to adjust, and whether or not he'd be an impact player his freshman year. The answer is a resounding: yes! Ennis is very advanced for a frosh, and is more than capable of stepping into MCW's shoes and quarterbacking a top 10 caliber team. No doubt in my mind anymore. Does he have some things to iron out? Sure--but he's a special talent.

• Grant has made the sophomore leap. Despite the bout with mono, the kid has improved his physique. Could still stand to add 10 more pounds, but he's going to be a very good player for us this year. We'll get some low post scoring out of him that we lacked last season. Kid looks like a young John Wallace, physique wise.

• Keita is our best center. Limited upside, but he's the best defensive player of the bunch [Rak's ability to block shots notwithstanding], and will probably finish a lot of games, as he has JB's confidence.

• Cooney can play. The first three quarters of the McGill game were gruesome, but he settled down after that and did a nice job offensively afterwards. I'd like to see him dribble a little more purposefully; seems like he wastes some time out there pounding the ball without accomplishing much. But I expect him to get better as he continues to get game time under his belt.

• Our team is gritty. The Carleton game proved this. With a team of young players mostly down big on the road in front of a hostile crowd, it wouldn't have been a surprise to see them fold up the tent and lose. But they fought hard to get back in the game and pulled it out. It revealed a lot about our team, and suggests that the top 10 preseason rankings aren't that far off.

• Not sure what Gbinije is capable of. After four games, I still don't have a feel for his offensive capabilities. He's going to play a lot this year--either as a starter or the top backcourt reserve--but I still don't have a good sense of his offensive capabilities.

• Rak won't ever be a good offensive player. Three years into his career, I think he's about maxed out offensively. But he can still be a good player for us if he concentrates on defense, rebounding, and shot blocking. And those are all things he can deliver on.

• Coleman hasn't improved...or has he? Prior to the Ottawa game, I was pretty sure about the former, but his performance tonight suggests that maybe he'll settle down and provide us with some inside scoring. He still has a way to go defensively and isn't as good a rebounder as his physical tools would suggest, but today's game was a much needed confidence builder heading into the remainder of the off-season. Something to build on.

• BJ and Buss have some game. Their time won't be this season, but the future is bright. Both hustle and seem to have some offensive potential.

• CJ is capable of leading this team to lofty accomplishments. He didn't get the opportunity to play much in this tournament, but he sported some added muscle and showed off the shooting capability that will make him a nightmare matchup in the ACC. I agree with Park / Leo tonight, who suggested that our offensive team concept overall will improve when he's able to play. CJ and Grant will be two very tough matchup problems all year long for our opponents.

• The 2 is the biggest question mark this year. Yes, I know that the pivot has some question marks, too. But I think we're going to get enough from that trio, and dependable play from Keita when the game is on the line. I THINK that Cooney / Gbinije can get the job done--but they've still got a lot of proving to do to make a believer out of me.

• The rebounding stinks. Again. Same old, same old. I know that playing zone 100% of the time makes us susceptible to giving up offensive rebounds, but the team is going to have to work harder to shore up this collective deficiency if we're going to maximize our potential this year.

• This is going to be a fun year! We lost a ton this offseason, but this team is capable of being top 10 from wire to wire. Can't wait to see what we're going to do in our first year in the ACC!

Let's Go Orange!!!

 

[Trueblue25]

Isn't that a contradiction, RF?

Quoting this message because the site won't let me post otherwise for some reason...


In all honesty, I think Johnson could contend with Cooney as the 2nd string 2 guard...

Johnson seems like a quick learner and an explosive defensive and offensive talent.

The most important thing I noticed was that when cooney makes mistakes, all hell breaks loose or it results in something negative.

When BJ makes mistakes he stays with the play and makes up with it with tenacious, persevering effort that I honest do not see in anyone else on this team except maybe Kieta.

 

[orange2win]

Ennis needs to play 38 minutes a game.

Not during the cup cake part of the schedule. JB is way too crafty to leave all his eggs in one basket. We will soon see what back-up plan he prefers.

Once the conference games start, you may be right. That is, until we get a good lead and then Ennis will likely sit for a while.

Making it through the full season without turning an ankle, catching the flu or fouling out early, is not to be anticipated. An alternative plan needs to always be at the ready.