Gopher Scrimmage Friday Oct 18

Donate To GopherHole
easy said:
Am I the only one that left feeling like this will be a bottom 3 team in the Big 10? Sloppy with the ball. Not physical. Lack of athleticism. Last years team would beat this team comfortably, and they were only a middle of the pack team.
Click to expand...

Huh?
 

easy said:
Am I the only one that left feeling like this will be a bottom 3 team in the Big 10? Sloppy with the ball. Not physical. Lack of athleticism. Last years team would beat this team comfortably, and they were only a middle of the pack team.
Click to expand...

Lack of Athleticism? I'll give you the first two, but we have plenty of athleticism.
 





easy said:
Am I the only one that left feeling like this will be a bottom 3 team in the Big 10? Sloppy with the ball. Not physical. Lack of athleticism. Last years team would beat this team comfortably, and they were only a middle of the pack team.
Click to expand...

It's so hard to say based on an intrasquad scrimmage. This team will make some jump shots and a good percentage of their free throws. They'll steal the ball. They have a size deficit at forward. They'll have to improve their ball handling between now and the season, and it's a good bet that they will. Can they defend the paint? They'll have to be a scrappy team.
 






easy said:
Outside of a couple Wally dunks, the game was almost entirely played below the rim.
Click to expand...

Yeah athleticism is only jumping ability. They are actually synonyms. The word athleticism only exists so the elitists have a fancier thing to say.

/Sarcasm

Athleticism is made up of a lot of things: vertical jump, speed of jumps, strength, quickness, body control, etc.

I'd say the gophers have no shortage of those things.
 

GophersOnTheRise said:
I wasn't at the scrimmage, but I know we don't lack athleticism. Strange comment.
Click to expand...

Ok... maybe athleticism isn't a major weakness. However, the point remains that this team is not better than last years squad. I wish I left the scrimmage feeling more optimistic, but I didn't see a team that will win many Big 10 games. Hope I am wrong.

One thing I did like was the emphasis by Pitino on defense. We will really have to create chaos to win games.
 

Well when you take away athletes like Williams and Mbakwe, yes, you're probably not gonna be dunking as much. We don't lack athleticism though, not at all. Our problem is gonna be the lack of physicality in the paint. Teams are gonna eat us up down there when Eliason and Mo aren't on. Those guys can come through at times, but they're not consistent like an Mbakwe in their relentlessness on the boards. This is gonna be a big problem.

Ball handling is my other major concern. We have guys who can handle, but passing is questionable at best, as many inaccurate throws sailed out of bounds or over hands of guys down the court. That'll have to be cleaned up.

One thing I'm not as concerned about is shooting actually. We have plenty of guys comfortable shooting from 22 feet, which is great considering it appears we'll be hoisting a lot of them. Austin Hollins looks poised for a huge senior season, just so smooth, so comfortable. Dre Hollins wasn't on, but I'm not worried about him. Seeing Oto hit some shots was really nice, if he's able to carry that through, he could be one of the surprise players of the season. JUCO Dre was great, obviously, we haven't had that penetrating ability since Nolen.

Overall, this team has the look of a team that will shoot its way out of some games, but may also pull off some nice upsets for the same reason. But either way, the ball handling will HAVE to be better if we wanna compete for a tourney berth.
 

easy said:
Ok... maybe athleticism isn't a major weakness. However, the point remains that this team is not better than last years squad. I wish I left the scrimmage feeling more optimistic, but I didn't see a team that will win many Big 10 games. Hope I am wrong.

One thing I did like was the emphasis by Pitino on defense. We will really have to create chaos to win games.
Click to expand...

Last year's team was at one point #8 in the country. I understand they fell off, but there's no way this team will achieve those types of heights. BUT, the hope is they will play their best ball in conference play rather than falling off.
 



With how deep we are at Guard there's no reason we can't do the 40 min of hell a la Missouri.
 


Monty519 said:
Well when you take away athletes like Williams and Mbakwe, yes, you're probably not gonna be dunking as much. We don't lack athleticism though, not at all. Our problem is gonna be the lack of physicality in the paint. Teams are gonna eat us up down there when Eliason and Mo aren't on. Those guys can come through at times, but they're not consistent like an Mbakwe in their relentlessness on the boards. This is gonna be a big problem.

Ball handling is my other major concern. We have guys who can handle, but passing is questionable at best, as many inaccurate throws sailed out of bounds or over hands of guys down the court. That'll have to be cleaned up.

One thing I'm not as concerned about is shooting actually. We have plenty of guys comfortable shooting from 22 feet, which is great considering it appears we'll be hoisting a lot of them. Austin Hollins looks poised for a huge senior season, just so smooth, so comfortable. Dre Hollins wasn't on, but I'm not worried about him. Seeing Oto hit some shots was really nice, if he's able to carry that through, he could be one of the surprise players of the season. JUCO Dre was great, obviously, we haven't had that penetrating ability since Nolen.

Overall, this team has the look of a team that will shoot its way out of some games, but may also pull off some nice upsets for the same reason. But either way, the ball handling will HAVE to be better if we wanna compete for a tourney berth.
Click to expand...

Best shooting team Pitino has ever coached?
 


easy said:
Ok... maybe athleticism isn't a major weakness. However, the point remains that this team is not better than last years squad. I wish I left the scrimmage feeling more optimistic, but I didn't see a team that will win many Big 10 games. Hope I am wrong.

One thing I did like was the emphasis by Pitino on defense. We will really have to create chaos to win games.
Click to expand...

I think last year's team had more talent, but they underachieved, they could've easily gone 12-6 in the conference, pissing away games at Nebraska, Northwestern and at home against Illinois, plus they screwed the pooch in Madison up ten in the first half, we should've gone for the jugular, but Tubby did a 5 man sub.
Point is while this team isn't good enough to go 12-6, they can go 8-10, 9-9 or dare I say 10-8, they'll be on the bubble, a place last year's squad had no business being on.
 

Wrote up some thoughts on the scrimmage by player and then just general thoughts:

Gold Team

Dre Matheiu (sp?)
He had a pretty good game. I liked a lot of things I saw from him. He had a few moments where he dribbled too much or got out of control, specifically after breaking the press he'd just keep going. I think he hurt chemistry a little bit sometimes. Guys never seemed to know what he was going to do with the ball so didn't know where they should cut or where they should be in general. That typically sorts itself out as you play together more, but it seemed like the other players didn't really know what he was going to do and then didn't know how to react. He is extremely quick and a very good decision maker when he drives. Did a good job choosing when to pull up for a jumper, shoot a layup, or pass the ball off. Was very efficient as well and a good defender. Sometimes on the press, he gambled for a steal and his man got by him though which gave easy looks to the maroon team.

Wally Ellenson
His put backs were very good. Thought he did a great job rebounding and following shots. Seemed to disappear a bit on offense outside of that. Didn't drive or shoot a lot. Granted, it wasn't really needed on his team so thought he made up for it by playing good defense and rebounding

Malik Smith
Like his confidence shooting the ball, but just shot terribly. Had some awful passes and turnovers as well. Did a good job when his shot wasn't falling of driving and drawing fouls and getting points that way. Sometimes he held the ball to long and sort of killed the ball movement on offense as well. Really hurt their ability to score at times.

Mo Walker
Walker really impressed me as well. Looks so much thinner and did a good job scoring around the hoop. He seemed to be Matheiu's favorite target to dump the ball off to on his drives. Has great hands to catch the ball and finish with a lot of guys around him. Moved well up and down the court too. Seemed to look the most comfortable on the Gold team as far as knowing where to be.

Charles Buggs
Extremely athletic. Thought he did very well on the press, but is very raw on offense. Jump shot wasn't falling, ball handling wasn't anything impressive and he disappeared on offense as well. Barely knew he was out there most of the time.

Joey King
Did a much better job rebounding than I thought he would. Did a good job finishing around the basket as well. He seemed to be the most impacted by not knowing what Matheiu was going to do on offense. Seemed unsure of where he should be on the court. Not all that surprising though considering he was traded to that team at the last minute and probably didn't practice with them much. There were times he'd get the ball on the press and I personally would have liked to see him take a few dribbles, but he would look immediately to get it to a guard and sometimes force a bad pass. Shot the ball well and didn't force any shots, if anything I would have liked to see him shoot more. Did a good job taking charges on defense as well. Seemed to get a lot of fouls, but I think that was more to do with always being involved in the play.

Maroon Team

Andre Hollins
Really barely noticed he was on the court. Didn't do much and not sure he really played a lot either. Was sort of an after thought. Would expect him to be better during the season.

Elliott Eliason
Had a few nice passes and hustled well, did well rebounding. Defense was pretty solid as well. The definition of a hustle player that did all of the little things.

Austin Hollins
Was easily the player I was most impressed by and the best player on the floor. Thought he did everything right, made no mistakes and was just all around great. Comes with being a senior. He shot well, finished at the hoop well, passed well. Just was overall a complete player and did a great job. Was really fun to watch.

Maverick Ahanmisi
Tied for the most improved player from last year. Shot well, was decisive, looked quicker and stronger as well. Was a very solid player and did a good job.

Oto Oseaniks
Also tied for most improved player from last year. Had a nice mix of scoring inside and outside. Didn't force anything and made smart decisions. Looked a lot more confident and comfortable on the court. As a guy who made 2 three's last year and multiple air balls, I would need to see him to it in a real game as well, but for a scrimmage he looked very improved.

Daquen McNeil
Was solid. Can tell he is a freshman in that he seems to still be learning and trying to figure out what he needs to do and what his role is. Showed some promise though. I think he should develop into a pretty good player.

General Thoughts

Could tell the maroon team really clicked well together and had a very solid grasp of the offense they were running. Had incredible ball movement and chemistry together. Gold team didn't seem to have that same chemistry and seemed more hesitant with decisions and passes. Overall, both teams really did a good job of running, playing hard, always moving. The movement away from the ball was awesome. Something we didn't see a lot of in the past. Both teams shot VERY well (outside of Malik Smith) and guys looked comfortable and confident shooting the ball. I think that says a lot about Pitino's coaching. I liked the overall feel of the scrimmage and the fan turn out. Liked Pitino's comments. Did a good job keeping it fairly short considering autographs were after the game and showers. The biggest weakness for the team right now is turnovers, some of that is expected with a fast paced offense, but still needs to be fixed up a bit. I was very encouraged by everything I saw and think they will be a tough team this year. I will be curious to see the final starting line up and how Pitino handles minutes in game. I think Dre Matheiu, Malik, Walker, Joey, Andre, Elliot, Austin, Mav, and Oto all have a legitimate chance to start. The big thing I do like about the PF situation is that there is a guy in each class. Oto (Jr.), Joey (So.), Buggs (Fr.) and then you'll have Josh Martin as well. Provides very good depth and experience for guys as they get older and improve. The rebounding looked good, but it was also rebounding against our own guys. Will be curious to see what they look like rebounding against other teams. Also curious how the press and running will look against teams that maybe don't practice that style every day.
 

bemidjigopher said:
I think last year's team had more talent, but they underachieved, they could've easily gone 12-6 in the conference, pissing away games at Nebraska, Northwestern and at home against Illinois, plus they screwed the pooch in Madison up ten in the first half, we should've gone for the jugular, but Tubby did a 5 man sub.
Point is while this team isn't good enough to go 12-6, they can go 8-10, 9-9 or dare I say 10-8, they'll be on the bubble, a place last year's squad had no business being on.
Click to expand...


This years team might have better scorers, Austin and Dre H have an extra year of experience, mav shot the ball well last night, Dre M scores in ways last years team couldn't, really need to get some points in the paint though, if Oto plays like he did last night it would make a world of difference, i didn't think either of the centers had a particularly promising night on the offensive end of the court.

Outside of Syracuse and Florida State I doubt we will get much of an idea of how the team will play on the defensive end of the court and especially the defensive boards until the Big Ten season.
 

jovs said:
This years team might have better scorers, Austin and Dre H have an extra year of experience, mav shot the ball well last night, Dre M scores in ways last years team couldn't, really need to get some points in the paint though, if Oto plays like he did last night it would make a world of difference, i didn't think either of the centers had a particularly promising night on the offensive end of the court.

Outside of Syracuse and Florida State I doubt we will get much of an idea of how the team will play on the defensive end of the court and especially the defensive boards until the Big Ten season.
Click to expand...

Wanted to add to my post as well, attacked the basket so much better than last year. Guys didn't look scared to drive. It was wonderful.
 

The maroon team played well together, the gold team didn't. Maroon won, it was really never in doubt. I like to watch how players interact, the team is a long way from playing together and being ready to compete in the big ten. Way too many missed open players and passes. We are going to need a team to win, it's not there. The best part, Minnesota won and it was a very good crowd.
 

After reading all of the comments from last night - I'd guess the consensus is some good, some bad, some indifferent. It's hard to tell from an open scrimmage. I remember seeing Rico Tucker in an open scrimmage once and walking away thinking that this dude is going to be great. Then he had trouble making layups .... in games.
 

Can I just play devils advocate on Oto playing well in scrimmage:
* He played with the starters.
* He did hit a few jumpers, but most of his points came on broken plays resulting in lay-ups with interior defenders being Mo, Buggs and King...hardly world beaters on defense.

I still think he's our best 4 option as of now, but I'm not sold this is the goods we're going to see throughout year.

I am excited about the Dre that has Popeye Jones' ears...I think he scored because he had too on his team. I do think he's more a pass first guy, but will take shot if necessary. Remember when Nolen would drive lane into short corner and jump up as if he was going to go up with a shot, but everyone in the gym knew that he was looking to kick it to someone else.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Oto looks like I've never seen him. Stroking it all over the court. Making shots, too! :)
Click to expand...

Awesome to hear. I can't believe I'm saying this, but competent play from Oto could be the key to making it onto the Bubble this year.
 

Angry said:
Wally is like Rodney with a jump shot. Has a nose for the ball around the rim but didn't finish tonight on a few put backs.
Click to expand...

Let's not exaggerate. Rodney with a jump shot would be a 1st round NBA pick. But it's still good to hear.
 

Very good assessment. We can take Tubby out of the equation, but we can't make the kids value possessions. I enjoy an up-tempo game and sharp passing to the open man for a clean shot, but sloppy passing will not be fun to watch. It was a problem last year that needs to be corrected. I'm hoping that Coach Pitino can channel the spirit of Coach Wooden and get the kids to play quickly, but under control.

Monty519 said:
Well when you take away athletes like Williams and Mbakwe, yes, you're probably not gonna be dunking as much. We don't lack athleticism though, not at all. Our problem is gonna be the lack of physicality in the paint. Teams are gonna eat us up down there when Eliason and Mo aren't on. Those guys can come through at times, but they're not consistent like an Mbakwe in their relentlessness on the boards. This is gonna be a big problem.

Ball handling is my other major concern. We have guys who can handle, but passing is questionable at best, as many inaccurate throws sailed out of bounds or over hands of guys down the court. That'll have to be cleaned up.

One thing I'm not as concerned about is shooting actually. We have plenty of guys comfortable shooting from 22 feet, which is great considering it appears we'll be hoisting a lot of them. Austin Hollins looks poised for a huge senior season, just so smooth, so comfortable. Dre Hollins wasn't on, but I'm not worried about him. Seeing Oto hit some shots was really nice, if he's able to carry that through, he could be one of the surprise players of the season. JUCO Dre was great, obviously, we haven't had that penetrating ability since Nolen.

Overall, this team has the look of a team that will shoot its way out of some games, but may also pull off some nice upsets for the same reason. But either way, the ball handling will HAVE to be better if we wanna compete for a tourney berth.
Click to expand...
 

howeda7 said:
Let's not exaggerate. Rodney with a jump shot would be a 1st round NBA pick. But it's still good to hear.
Click to expand...

+1 Rodney was also a contributor as a freshman. They aren't at the same level yet.
 

If the FT numbers (21 -28) hold-up, that will be a very big change from last year and the past few years. Again, it's just a scrimmage, not a true game. Let's see what happens when the games start.
 

freshtrout said:
If the FT numbers (21 -28) hold-up, that will be a very big change from last year and the past few years. Again, it's just a scrimmage, not a true game. Let's see what happens when the games start.
Click to expand...

FT% = Irrelevant :)
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom