Some thoughts after watching the game last night. Not covering everybody, just those on my brain.
The good:
Hollins - very impressive. He just seems to know how to play. We are very lucky to have him with Devoe being out. His shot looks a little funny but it works, and I am not scared to have him out there with the ball in his hands.
Mbakwe - I'll take that kind of effort and impact. He played very hard and was getting loose balls that we couldn't get without him. Without Trevor, we would have lost this game.
Armelin - I found myself wishing he was playing more in the 2nd half. He looks like someone who is not afraid to put the ball on the floor and go to the hoop. I like this kid, albeit in limited minutes this year especially when Devoe comes back.
Williams - definitely the energy boost in the 2nd half. I think we're likely going to have to accept Rodney for who he is; an uber-athletic slasher with limited other offensive skills, at least for this year. I'll take the kind of effort he put forth tonight anytime.
The bad:
Sampson/Iverson - these 2 guys just looked like they were going through the motions. Ralph looked like the old Ralph, mechanical and programmed in his post moves. Just not fluid. Iverson looked like he didn't really care that there was a game going on.
Nolen - while he had a bunch of assists and steals, the ball was in his hands for too long, and when they trapped in the half court he didn't make good decisions with the ball. We need him to play better if we have a chance against UNC, WVU, etc.
Overall:
We did what we needed to do to win, but clearly the team was not ready to play when the ball went up. Defensively, the first 12 minutes were as bad as any defensive effort since Tubby got here. Blake was Blake, and that helped, but we need to find another perimeter scorer until Devoe comes back. I like Hollins for this role, but realistically as a freshman it is not likely we are going to get consistent production.
The good:
Hollins - very impressive. He just seems to know how to play. We are very lucky to have him with Devoe being out. His shot looks a little funny but it works, and I am not scared to have him out there with the ball in his hands.
Mbakwe - I'll take that kind of effort and impact. He played very hard and was getting loose balls that we couldn't get without him. Without Trevor, we would have lost this game.
Armelin - I found myself wishing he was playing more in the 2nd half. He looks like someone who is not afraid to put the ball on the floor and go to the hoop. I like this kid, albeit in limited minutes this year especially when Devoe comes back.
Williams - definitely the energy boost in the 2nd half. I think we're likely going to have to accept Rodney for who he is; an uber-athletic slasher with limited other offensive skills, at least for this year. I'll take the kind of effort he put forth tonight anytime.
The bad:
Sampson/Iverson - these 2 guys just looked like they were going through the motions. Ralph looked like the old Ralph, mechanical and programmed in his post moves. Just not fluid. Iverson looked like he didn't really care that there was a game going on.
Nolen - while he had a bunch of assists and steals, the ball was in his hands for too long, and when they trapped in the half court he didn't make good decisions with the ball. We need him to play better if we have a chance against UNC, WVU, etc.
Overall:
We did what we needed to do to win, but clearly the team was not ready to play when the ball went up. Defensively, the first 12 minutes were as bad as any defensive effort since Tubby got here. Blake was Blake, and that helped, but we need to find another perimeter scorer until Devoe comes back. I like Hollins for this role, but realistically as a freshman it is not likely we are going to get consistent production.
