I haven't been this excited about a win in a long, long time.
Some thoughts on our rotation:
Frank Howard - really seems to be shouldering the load from a leadership standpoint. He made several 'answer' plays today where he either drove and scored, or drove and assisted to end a Maryland run. He needs to clean up a few of the unforced errors but I don't have a problem with a few turnovers when he's trying to create for his teammates... 10 assists today and controlled tempo the whole game, going against a pretty pesky defender in Cowan. He easily could have had another 6 points tonight as his last 2 three point attempts were mostly down before they rolled around the rim and out.
Tyus Battle - not much to say here, kid just has a knack for making plays. His midrange game is phenomenal and hard to stop, because so few players have a midrange game anymore - so defenders aren't prepared for it.
O'Shae Brissett - dude needs to cut down on the 3 point shot attempts. He's so dynamic going to the basket that it takes away from his game when he's settling for low percentage long range shots. I think that percentage will come up in time - it looks like he has the basic fundamentals to become a good shooter from distance, but for right now I'd like to see him focus more on the midrange, offensive boards, and driving to the basket. I LOVE the way he attacks the glass. He had a couple of MANSIZED rebounds tonight. He's only going to get better and better.
My worry with him is that he's sort of in that 'tweener' region where he's not yet dominant at the college level, but he has NBA-like measurables and potential. Do we get a second year from him? Between him, Howard, and Battle, we have 3 guys who can drive it to the basket. A nice luxury.
Marek Dolezaj - the Junkyard Dog - kid does all the dirty work. He's super physical and isn't afraid to mix it up. His offensive skillset needs a lot of work but he's got such a good feel for the ball - where it's going, how it's going to bounce... he just gets INVOLVED in everything. I'm not crazy about him launching up a 3 point attempt with 3 minutes left in a tight game, but you just have to love how he gets after it, up high going for rebounds, or down low on the floor diving for loose balls. I wish he were about 20% stronger, as he still coughs the ball up too easily, but I do love that he isn't afraid of contact.
Pascal Chuckwu - he's 20 times better than he was last year. I'm not saying he's good... but last year he could barely get up and down the court (even before the eye injury). He causes havoc with his long arms, and he and Frank seem to have developed some nice chemistry on the dribble/drive/dish. The thing that really really impressed me tonight was that he was on the floor diving for loose balls TWICE. When's the last time you saw that from a 7'2" kid? Love it.
Bourama Sidibe - probably has the best offensive skills for an incoming big man at SU in a long, long time. I'm really happy with how he is developing and only expect him to improve. He and Pascal had a tough matchup with Fernando tonight and they both really battled hard all game. I'll take 14 points, 5 boards, and 4 blocks out of the center position any day (well, I'd like to see a few more rebounds, but with Marek and Oshae combining to pull in 20 tonight, there weren't many extra boards to be had).
These guys are our 6 best players and there is a dropoff after them. Boeheim will probably go 8 deep this year but only situationally... foul trouble or matchup will allow Thorpe and Moyer to get some playing time but the other 6 are your main guys this year.
Thorpe just doesn't look like an ACC guard to me. He looks like a kid from Canisius who comes into the dome and scores 16 points on 7-19 shooting and his team loses by 21. He can be an effective 3rd guard for this team, but so far he doesn't look anywhere near as talented as Battle and Howard. We can't afford for him to come in and have 2 turnovers in 4 minutes on the floor. He needs to protect the ball and pick his spots offensively.
Moyer... needs some work. He just isn't fluid athletically. There will be games where his size and rebounding will be needed, but he's clearly behind Brissett and Dolezaj when it comes to being productive forwards.
Howard Washington... incomplete - can't evaluate him effectively because I've only really seen him play in the exhibitions against D2 talent.
