Was able to watch some of the men's basketball practice last night.
Here is what I saw:
Watched them scrimmaging among each other for about 15 minutes. Both sides played man to man defense, which has been the case in other practices I have seen in the preseason.
All the scholarship players were there except Howard Washington. I am going to assume he had a class.
Frank was dressed but was still wearing that giant protective boot on his left ankle. He seemed in good spirits. Joked around with some of the walk-ons. Took a bunch of free throws. Shot about 70%. His form was good.
The coaches changed the teams several times to get the matchups they wanted, but Sidibe and Chukwu were always on different sides and always played center.
Bourama moved well and showed no signs of discomfort or limping. That is probably the biggest takeaway I had from the practice. Chukwu outscored Sidibe but at least part of that was because Sidibe's teammates didn't do a good job getting him the ball. BS rebounded the ball well and I think did a reasonably good job defending the paint.
Marek was on Chukwu's team most of the time and made several nice feeds to get Paschal the game in good position down low. Marek's body looks a little longer than last season but not bulkier. No question he is playing more assertive and with more confidence. If he is open, he will take the shot. But his first instinct still seems to be to try and set someone else up for an easy basket.
PC appears to have done some work in the weight room. His upper body and arms are noticeably bigger than last year. He established good position down low better than BS did and when he got the ball there, he finished most of the time (BS did get one block on him).
Braswell was kind of in the background most of the time. He isn't real dynamic trying to get open; mostly hangs out on the perimeter. He looks like a capable defender and a reasonably good rebounder (he blocked out well a couple of times). When he got the ball, he almost always passed it to someone else almost immediately. I would say he might be lacking confidence with the ball right now. I didn't see him shoot once but his form when practicing FTs or just shooting jumpers unguarded is excellent.
Buddy is another guy who mostly hung out on the perimeter but he was a lot more active. He moves around without the ball, trying to get open. He will take a couple of dribbles and probe for a weakness. Looks like he is going to be a good passer. Definitely likes to work give and go plays.
Buddy's shooting form is really good. I think he hit 1 of 3 3 point jumpers, all of which he was very open. He got a couple of rebounds. Like so many on this team, he is really thin but he is fearless and plays hard. I think he will be a liability defensively, especially rebounding, playing on the baseline. I think he will fit in better playing up top in the zone. At one point, the team broke out into FT shooting practice. He and Tyus shared a basket and appeared to have a FT shooting contest. Both were really good at this. I believe both made their first 10. Buddy only grazed the rim twice.
With HW and FH not playing, Jalen Carey played PG a lot. He attacked the basketball when in transition or semi-transition with mixed results (missed a bunny with Chukwu in his face). Really quick. Very aggressive in transition. When in half court settings, he didn't do much except help work the ball around the perimeter. He took one outside shot and missed it pretty badly. I saw him get picked off the ball a couple of times where he did not fight through the pick and left his guy wide open (believe it was Tyus both times). His shooting form is excellent. He has some work to do on defense but he is really quick and athletic. Has the raw talent to be outstanding defensively over time.
Hughes looked really good. If he gets the ball and is open within 22 feet of the basket, he is going to shoot it and it is probably going to go in. He is capable of penetrating and pulling up for a mid range jumper too. I think he will be okay but not great rebounding on the baseline; seems pretty physical and jumps well. He didn't stand out on defense in a good or a bad way. Very smooth, effortless style. Didn't hold the ball much. Quiet assassin.
Oshae looked about the same as last year physically. Played about the same too. Threw up a couple of 3s, drove and drew a foul, drove and scored. Dominated the boards. Mostly hung out on the perimeter. Looked to be having fun.
That leaves Tyus. He was really impressive. Physically, he looks a lot like he did last year. He added some muscle but not a ton. Played like he did last year too but he seems more in control; more confident. It appeared he could do whatever he wanted out there and he did just that. Hit the one 3 he took. Got to the paint when he wanted. Scored in the paint when he wanted and he set up teammates with good passes too. And he locked down his name on defense too. Played the hardest of any of the players. He is setting the tone and was the unquestioned leader of the team (though Frank will surely help here when he returns). If this part of one practice means anything (any you have to be careful to assume what you see in practice is what you will see in real games), TB is going to be an All American. A walk-on was supposed to be playing PG on his team most of the time, but Tyus ran the offense and he looked very good doing it. I assume this was one of the things he worked on during the off season. Only saw one jumper but it was hitchless and all net.
I wish we had a little more beef out there. I am thinking Elijah is going to shoot well enough from the outside he will have to be covered, which will open space for everyone else. I am thinking Marek has shown he also needs to be accounted for, and it looks like Paschal has improved enough that defenses may have to cover him on the many pick and rolls he likes to try that are ignored by friend and foe alike.
No question the defense is going to be really good. If the offense is just decent, this is a top 10 team. If it turns out to be good, watch out.
