11-15-2017, 09:57 AM
Quick Preview for tonight's game:
Hampton defeated Bluefield College, 85-68 in their opener last weekend, after trailing by one at Halftime. Junior guard Akim Mitchell and Soph. guard Jermaine Marrow both scored 18 points to lead the Pirates.
Strong rebounding and better shooting in the second half made the difference. The Pirates only shot 20% from Three (2 of 10).
Marrow was their top scorer from last season (as a Freshman), averaging 15.6 ppg. They also return their top rebounder from last season, AJ Asthroth (6.2 rpg), who got 6 boards and 16 points against Bluefield and 6'6" soph. guard Greg Hartshell, who had a double-double, with 11 points and 10 boards.
About us:
No question the Pirates will have seen on tape how badly we handled tight man to man defense last Friday, so I expect we will see more of that tonight. Hopefully, the return to the friendly rims of Kaplan will also improve the shooting percentages.
The two areas I will be most looking for improvement tonight are:
1. How we handle man to man pressure (we were not moving well Friday night, because High Point did a good job of blocking our usual lanes, disrupting our set plays and banging every cutter, trying to knock them off their route) and be strong enough to fight through it to allow for more than 4 assists tonight. Also to get the fast break going. For our offense to work, we must get a high percentage of assists and we must get several "easy" buckets on fast breaks.
2.How much we have improved on our "help defense". A young team will always have more problems on defense than offense, at least early on, but we can't afford breakdowns like the ones Friday, that saw the help defense actually go the wrong way at times, thus allowing for an unimpeded drive to the basket after the prime defender was beaten.
There is no question that this is a very young team and it will get better as the season goes on. Patience will be needed as they find their footing and figure out their roles. As long as they show some improvement every time out, then even a tough early season should pay rewards come CAA League play.
Go Tribe!
Hampton defeated Bluefield College, 85-68 in their opener last weekend, after trailing by one at Halftime. Junior guard Akim Mitchell and Soph. guard Jermaine Marrow both scored 18 points to lead the Pirates.
Strong rebounding and better shooting in the second half made the difference. The Pirates only shot 20% from Three (2 of 10).
Marrow was their top scorer from last season (as a Freshman), averaging 15.6 ppg. They also return their top rebounder from last season, AJ Asthroth (6.2 rpg), who got 6 boards and 16 points against Bluefield and 6'6" soph. guard Greg Hartshell, who had a double-double, with 11 points and 10 boards.
About us:
No question the Pirates will have seen on tape how badly we handled tight man to man defense last Friday, so I expect we will see more of that tonight. Hopefully, the return to the friendly rims of Kaplan will also improve the shooting percentages.
The two areas I will be most looking for improvement tonight are:
1. How we handle man to man pressure (we were not moving well Friday night, because High Point did a good job of blocking our usual lanes, disrupting our set plays and banging every cutter, trying to knock them off their route) and be strong enough to fight through it to allow for more than 4 assists tonight. Also to get the fast break going. For our offense to work, we must get a high percentage of assists and we must get several "easy" buckets on fast breaks.
2.How much we have improved on our "help defense". A young team will always have more problems on defense than offense, at least early on, but we can't afford breakdowns like the ones Friday, that saw the help defense actually go the wrong way at times, thus allowing for an unimpeded drive to the basket after the prime defender was beaten.
There is no question that this is a very young team and it will get better as the season goes on. Patience will be needed as they find their footing and figure out their roles. As long as they show some improvement every time out, then even a tough early season should pay rewards come CAA League play.
Go Tribe!