Very young,
Trying to find an identy.
Dawson used to playing with a more experienced squad.
Battle not healthy.
And otherwise... freshmen.
This is year two. Watched the second half.
Was often horrified. But also saw flashes of what is to come.
What did you expect?
I agree with much of this.
Dawson would be much better if surrounded by scorers.
Battle would much more dangerous with a point guard able to create chaos off the dribble, so he can stand and fire on kick outs, he's not great at creating shots.
Identity is something you find after gelling as a club. It doesn't matter always what your coach would like the identity to be, when your players may not fit it well. We have everyone on the court basically never having played together, so I'm not surprised by where we are at, and therefore not negative about it. Would I like it to be different, of course. But I see signs of promise.
I think the 2 biggest problems this year are
#1 lack of speed/grit/aggressiveness which affects ability to defend, rebound and get stops.
#2 We have zero guys on our team that can create a shot when the offense breaks down, or to break down the defense for that matter. Last year Peyton Willis was exceptional at this.
I think #1 gets better as our Freshman catch up to the game. It's always common for young players to be a step slow as they adjust.
Unfortunately #2, I don't see getting better. Maybe if Payne becomes more dominant inside, it could help with freeing up some shooters. He is very impressive for a freshman but is being asked to be our primary inside presence. That is a lot to ask. He will need at least a 1/2 season to adjust to doubles and be quick with decision making. He is going to be a force in 1-2 years and maybe by the end of this year.
