I loved Tubby's Tipoff. The crowd wasn't great (maybe because it was late), but the team looked good.
Here, Mo Walker goes for a layup.
Austin Hollins.
Pretty form, per usual.
Armelin going for a breakaway dunk.
The dunk contest was fun. I love that we have a bunch of guys this year who can make genuinely entertaining dunks. This team is very athletic. I was very impressed with Halvorson. He's athletic, and he had a great dunk off the back of the backboard. Hollins and Armelin can jump. I really wish we could have seen Rodney out there. Trevor's built more for power than flash, but the motorcycle was a flash of genius.
The scrimmage was fun. Obviously, the players looked a bit rusty playing with each other, but it was great to see them start to pick it up. Here's my breakdown of the players:
Armelin - Chip was extremely athletic, and he looked like a livewire, a bit in the Nolen mold. He was making cuts to the basket, he was working hard on the defensive end, and he didn't give up on any plays. Unfortunately, his shot looks broken.
Ahanmisi - I haven't changed my mind on him yet, unfortunately. I don't see anything that he does at a high level. Didn't look quick, shot looked poor, not great D, etc. He does look like a good teammate, for what that's worth.
Halvorson - Should help us next year. Athletic, has a bit of a handle.
Dawson - Same ol'. Reasonably good athleticism with little coordination and no offense.
Colt - Tried hard. Still doesn't elevate particularly well. Trevor gave him fits. He and Ralph look comfortable together though. Help D still good.
Ralph - tried an outside shot or two. Looks to be trying to open his game up to a step out. Still fading way too much on his shots in the lane for my taste. Didn't look particularly aggressive on the boards.
Elliot - Long, very long. Also, not very coordinated right now. However, he looks like he really understands the game. He was in the right place more often than not. When his body catches up to his brain, he should be a good contributor.
Oto - I was impressed with Oto. The kid can shoot, and he also flashed some athleticism. By next year, I think he'll get some good minutes. I didn't see much of his D (nor of anybody else's), but I was impressed with his offensive tools.
Hollins - Smooth is the main word for him. He knows what he's doing, he can dribble the ball, and his shot looks good. Still needs a lot of work on strength. I liked what I saw out of Hollins.
Mbakwe - What can you say? He dominated the scrimmage. Gets after the boards like crazy, plays physical D, has a limited offensive game other than putbacks and etc. However, I think he's the missing piece. We sure could have used him last year.
Devoe - the most impressive player to me. Devoe looked for his own shot, created it, and made it more often than not. I loved what I saw from Devoe. His outside shot looked a lot better, plus he was adding his fadeaway jumpers. He looked great.
Al - Same ol', once again. Great D (he was killing Maverick at times), still can get past almost anybody, still can't finish at the rim, still can't consistently hit the outside J.
Mo - Looked like he has some potential, if he can get in game shape. Nice soft hands, a pretty nice touch, and aggressive around the hoop. I think he'll be a real steal. However, he does need to shed some pounds. He can't get off the floor without the aid of a block and tackle right now.
Blake - He is who we thought he was. Still the same touch, still the same smart plays, still the same athletic limitations.
I think that's everybody. Obviously Rodney didn't play. I'm looking forward to this season. A rotation of Al, Blake, Rodney, Devoe, Trevor, Colt, Ralph, and some occasional help from Austin, Mo, and maybe Armelin for defense should be enough for an exciting season. I can't wait.
Here, Mo Walker goes for a layup.
Austin Hollins.
Pretty form, per usual.
Armelin going for a breakaway dunk.
The dunk contest was fun. I love that we have a bunch of guys this year who can make genuinely entertaining dunks. This team is very athletic. I was very impressed with Halvorson. He's athletic, and he had a great dunk off the back of the backboard. Hollins and Armelin can jump. I really wish we could have seen Rodney out there. Trevor's built more for power than flash, but the motorcycle was a flash of genius.
The scrimmage was fun. Obviously, the players looked a bit rusty playing with each other, but it was great to see them start to pick it up. Here's my breakdown of the players:
Armelin - Chip was extremely athletic, and he looked like a livewire, a bit in the Nolen mold. He was making cuts to the basket, he was working hard on the defensive end, and he didn't give up on any plays. Unfortunately, his shot looks broken.
Ahanmisi - I haven't changed my mind on him yet, unfortunately. I don't see anything that he does at a high level. Didn't look quick, shot looked poor, not great D, etc. He does look like a good teammate, for what that's worth.
Halvorson - Should help us next year. Athletic, has a bit of a handle.
Dawson - Same ol'. Reasonably good athleticism with little coordination and no offense.
Colt - Tried hard. Still doesn't elevate particularly well. Trevor gave him fits. He and Ralph look comfortable together though. Help D still good.
Ralph - tried an outside shot or two. Looks to be trying to open his game up to a step out. Still fading way too much on his shots in the lane for my taste. Didn't look particularly aggressive on the boards.
Elliot - Long, very long. Also, not very coordinated right now. However, he looks like he really understands the game. He was in the right place more often than not. When his body catches up to his brain, he should be a good contributor.
Oto - I was impressed with Oto. The kid can shoot, and he also flashed some athleticism. By next year, I think he'll get some good minutes. I didn't see much of his D (nor of anybody else's), but I was impressed with his offensive tools.
Hollins - Smooth is the main word for him. He knows what he's doing, he can dribble the ball, and his shot looks good. Still needs a lot of work on strength. I liked what I saw out of Hollins.
Mbakwe - What can you say? He dominated the scrimmage. Gets after the boards like crazy, plays physical D, has a limited offensive game other than putbacks and etc. However, I think he's the missing piece. We sure could have used him last year.
Devoe - the most impressive player to me. Devoe looked for his own shot, created it, and made it more often than not. I loved what I saw from Devoe. His outside shot looked a lot better, plus he was adding his fadeaway jumpers. He looked great.
Al - Same ol', once again. Great D (he was killing Maverick at times), still can get past almost anybody, still can't finish at the rim, still can't consistently hit the outside J.
Mo - Looked like he has some potential, if he can get in game shape. Nice soft hands, a pretty nice touch, and aggressive around the hoop. I think he'll be a real steal. However, he does need to shed some pounds. He can't get off the floor without the aid of a block and tackle right now.
Blake - He is who we thought he was. Still the same touch, still the same smart plays, still the same athletic limitations.
I think that's everybody. Obviously Rodney didn't play. I'm looking forward to this season. A rotation of Al, Blake, Rodney, Devoe, Trevor, Colt, Ralph, and some occasional help from Austin, Mo, and maybe Armelin for defense should be enough for an exciting season. I can't wait.
