From Official Site

http://www.goduquesne.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/103015aab.html

For whaterver it may be worth, here is my post in response to questions from Steve regarding my observations of the scrimmage/game.  It was a full 40 minute game with three refs and a 30 second shot clock.  You are correct it was mostly man defense with a sprinkling of match-up zone by the Blue squad.

Steve:  To answer in sequence:  (1) Game played at a fast pace on both ends.  (2) Smith guarded Colter and Castro guarded Mason.  Castro actually did a decent job on Mason.  And he lit it up in the second half.  Seemed like he wasn't interested in the first half. Didn't make any difference who guarded Colter.  He was smoking hot all night long including 10 of 11 free throws.  Lots of points from all players off the fast break at both ends.  (3) Sanders can rebound. He has legitimate D-1 skills and will help later on in the year.  But, he is a nice legitimate 225 lb.-- 6-8 body.  Steel likes to fire 3's and plays decent defense.  Taryn Smith could help this year if eligible!!  He and Castro will make a nice combo of guards to start with next year. (3) Tysean Powell and Jordan Robinson both had a decent amount of offensive boards.  Robinson is doing a nice job of shaking off the rust that plagued him last year.  Powell is a beast.  He goes a legit 220 and will have a body like Ovie next year if he continues his weight. Plus, he can still ELEVATE AND I MEAN ELEVATE.  (4)  Lewis has improved as much from his Soph year to now as he did in his Frosh to Soph year.  4 or 5 blocks.    (5) Overall there is reason to be encouraged with our inside people.  That part of the Dukes game interested me more than anything in the game/scrimmage.  I think we have more than hope going for us inside.   Don't think of who will start and don't care.  I care about who will finish!! Our cupboard is no longer bare.  I believe you will like what you see.  Incidentally, for those who care, the coaches used mostly man defenses with a little match-up zone mixed in by the Blue squad.  .Let me add this edit.  My comments are not intended to denigrate any other player.  I had no problem with the showings of Micah, L.G., Jeremiah, Eric James and Jackson. I merely highlighted what stood out to me.  There were about 250-300 fans in attendance including a decent amount of students.

 

Last edited by grammudder (10/31/2015 1:25 pm)

Looks like Gill is still hanging outside on offense going 4 for 10 from the 3.

I noticed no limitations in Sanders getting up and down the floor.  As a mattter of fact now that you mentioned him, I was impressed with his up and down the floor mobility.  As to Gill, yeah he launched 10 three's but there wasn't one that was severely contested or ill chosen.  I had no problem with his shot selections.  Besides that he was able to take threes because Robinson was working the low post pretty well.  The Red team only worked Robinson down low while the Blues used a double low or dual elbow formation with Lewis and Powell.

4 of 10 with no one covering him doesn't imply getting better when the games begin. Also tells me not much defense being played.

This will be more of the same this year, as I predict.

ElDuque wrote:

4 of 10 with no one covering him doesn't imply getting better when the games begin. Also tells me not much defense being played.

This will be more of the same this year, as I predict.

That is your negative opinion which you are entitled to but I predict this will be a turn around season and the team as a whole will do far better than expected.

ElDuque wrote:

4 of 10 with no one covering him doesn't imply getting better when the games begin. Also tells me not much defense being played.

This will be more of the same this year, as I predict.

Since you want to take info from a scrimmage as an indicator of future success or failure, thoughts on Colter?  I was told he was absolutely unguardable and a floor general. This is what happens when you have guys stay 4 years and develop.

While ENH has chosen to label me as negative because my opinion is different, my cautionary note should as WEB says imply that a scrimmage is fool's gold. So to answer WEB's question, you'll have to see if there is game improvement when the competition starts. Colter has proven he can get his points in some nights, but when teams pressed him and when he attacked the lane he was always overwhelmed. That takes a team right out of its rhythm when the PG is suffocated.

My point about more of the same this year has to do with lack of defense as described by Grammudder, and using Gill like another backcourt player.

Works in scrimmages not games.

Let's see how it works against Robert Morris, for example. If Colter and Gill crush them, then you have something.

Can you understand how "not one ... Contested" equated to lack of defense in my mind?

Especially if they're playing man?

I'll come around when the win total hits 20 (one year).

Tarin Smith also performed well. Seems like our backcourt is set for this year and the next two. Just continue to build and develop the front court.

Anyone think Powell and not Gill is the key here in the front court?  Seems like he had the highest ceiling.

Great job grammudder! As for LG I really don't like my 6'8 guy taking 10 3s. I just feel like we can use his athletics and length in better ways and leave those shots to our shooters. That being said ill live with 4 for 10. I also really hope we have fixed the 3 point defense. Playing man will help but good god watching last years shooting gallery against us still causes me to wake up at night.  

Let me use the stats to maybe reinforce why I like our what I saw of inside game.  The 3,4 and 5 of the Blue team (Lewis, Powell and James) had 34 pts and 25 boards.  The 3,4 and 5 of the Red team (Robinson, Gill and Jeremiah Jones) had 31 pts and 22 boards.  Blues had 20 offensive boards while Red had 9.  Overall Blue out rebounded the Red 50 to 30 some.  Gill's numbers were 17 and 8.  Robinson's were 8 and 8.  Powell went 21 and 10. Lewis was 9 and 5.  In head to head at the 4 and 5 spots the numbers were 25 and 16 to 31 and 15.  I didn't want to talk about the intensity level of the game since it was just team players versus team players.  But it was a war between Lewis and Robinson.  If it were an Atlantic 10 game both Lewis and Robinson would have fouled each other out in the first half.  My point is they practiced hard.  Yet it was Powell and Colter who shone as practicing hardest.  The thing you will see again and again about Powell is that his athletic skills will more than not overcome his impetuosity of his youth.   Coach Ferry watched the scrimmage from the sidelines and let his assistants coach.  But, when Powell was removed from the game, Coach Ferry made it his business to talk to him on at least three occasions giving him coaching pointers.  Again, it wasn't a league game but the old saying that "you play like you practice" rang true.  Colter didn't need any pointers the way he played.  Hope these memory refreshed sideline notes mean something to whoever cares.  

Last edited by grammudder (11/02/2015 9:49 am)