Okay, I went tonight. Here's an update -
In the first game, the high schoolers of Pulley were pitted against Charles Buggs, Austin Hollins, and Mo Walker. Some thoughts:
- First, Buggs, the guy I was most excited to see. He did not disappoint. He's a legit 6'9, and probably two inches taller than Trevor (who was there, moving around well, and watching the game). He's skinny, but he's strong, you can tell. He is going to be a great defender. He moves his feet well, he explodes off the court on blocks, and he's got a nasty streak. He rejected Kyle Washington and yelled "UH-UH!" at him, which was funny. He uses his body very well. He bumps guys, and is not afraid of contact. On the offensive end, his game looked pretty good. He finished strong with both hands around the basket, even through contact. He looked for and was hitting his jumpers as well, including a pretty one off the bounce. He's a very good passer, though he goes for the no-look too often. He has some okay jump hooks as well. I really like the aggressiveness he showed. Now, the downsides. He looked a bit lazy at times, losing his man on boxouts, not getting back quickly enough on D, and not always being aggressive enough in the passing lanes. All in all, though, I think that he's a kid who could potentially contribute a little this year. He's not going to be a starter, or anything, but he'll contribute with some D, some hustle, some grit, and even potentially some scoring, though he does need to bulk up. He's the same size, and looks similar, including in his game, to Kyle Washington.
- Austin was his normal self, quietly racking up the points, and playing solid D. Nothing much new here. Jumper wasn't great all the way through, but he played hard.
- Mo looked like he did before the injury ... before an injury. He looked like he hurt his foot, and he was limping around out there at the end, though he didn't seem too concerned, and actually played on it for a while. His jumper looks okay, and he still is great at using his body to shield people on rebounds, layups, and post moves.
- However, the HPA high-schoolers really dominated the Gophers (plus PJ Hill and a UNI guard), mostly because they could not miss from 3. Broman was hitting every shot, from all over the court. Renard Suggs also was looking good, taking it right at Hill and the UNI guys, and even Austin, hitting shots in the lane, and from 3. And, of course, Kyle Washington looked good. He seems like a great character guy, always encouraging his teammates, yelling out assignments, playing tough D, and seeming to be in the right place at the right time. He still has the same smooth stroke, good rebounding eye, and touch around the hoop that makes him an important get for the Gophers (though less essential because of Buggs, IMO).
The second game pitted Andres Hollins and Ingram against Rodney Williams and Joe Coleman.
- Andre Hollins was ice cold. He remarked loudly that he was 0-10, before missing at least two more badly. I'd love to see him take it hard to the basket when he's missing, but Rodney spiked one of his layups in a way I've never seen before, which may have dissuaded him. He did not look very good, but I'm not overly concerned.
- Andre Ingram looked very good. Blah, blah, blah, it's just Pulley, but he's obviously in much better shape than last year. He looks quicker, stronger, and more explosive. He was getting rebounds all over the place, making strong moves around the basket and jump hooks with both hands, and even his jumper looked okay,, even if it wasn't going in. If he works this hard next year, he'll be able to contribute in the (hopefully) limited minutes in which Trevor needs a breather.
- Joe Coleman played like he usually does in Pulley. He shot a LOT. In the first half, he had some spectacular dunks, and was awful from the field, missing badly. In the second half, his fading jumper started going in, which was encouraging. If he can make one dribble moves and drain jumpers, it opens up his drives to the basket. However, just like Andre Hollins (and unlike Buggs and Julian Welch), his layups and shots around the basket are affected a lot by contact, because he doesn't always have the best body control in the air. Joe also really needs to work on his ballhandling more. Guards can take him out of his game. Jordan Taylor was on the other team, and he and others could get the ball out of Joe's hands by pressuring him.
- Rodney looks stronger, and even more athletic, if possible. His jumper looked good... it just wasn't going in. I think he's worked on it though. He still have problems not being aggressive enough to look for his shot, but he did have some strong drives to the hole, and he obviously has the freakish athleticism on defense and finishing around the rim. Not much new with Rodney.
All in all, it was a hopeful night, I think. Pulley can't tell you when a guy's going to be great (see Bostick, Devron), but it can tell you when a guy's going to be not so great, at least right away (see Ahanmisi, Maverick). So far, it's clear that both Buggs and Ellenson need seasoning, but I don't see any reason they couldn't both contribute if needed this year. Plus, the other guys are clearly working very hard this summer. Everybody is in fantastic shape. Plus, the team clearly loves each other. They come out to support each other at Pulley, they pal around with each other, and that's a great sign. As always, Pulley has made me hopeful.
