(11-26-2013 08:02 PM)WesternBlazer Wrote: (11-26-2013 08:44 AM)BlazerGreen Wrote: I went to Shelton last night for the Dallas County-Mt Brook game. Ha Ha played well but it was a very tough match up for him. MB plays a version of the Fastest Forty and they pressure full court for the entire game. DC's guards had a difficult time handling the pressure, so much that Lee had to bring the ball up some. I was very impressed with his handle for a guy that size. He's got soft hands and sees the floor very well. Needs to put on some pounds to face the big bodies he'll see at D1.
I'm not sure there is an analogous player to Ha Ha that I've seen play for UAB. The closest guy talent-wise IMO is Carlos Williams. Ha Ha has that kind of quick explosion off the floor but the extra 3 inches and wingspan make him a terror defensively.
If I had to compare him to an in-state player I would have to say Robert Horry. He's got that kind of length and defensive mentality but also the good hands and soft touch to develop into a big-time scorer.
*If you get nostalgic for the Fastest Forty style, check Mountain Brook out. They pressure relentlessly and play defense as ferociously as I've seen a high school program play. They had three times the guys on the bench as DC yet almost every one of them got to play. Great for team morale and they run the other team ragged. They aren't defending 6A champs for nothing and now I better understand why.
Many project Lee as a SF because of his skill set. That bodes very well for his future as SFs are getting larger such that 6'9" is pretty much the standard. At UAB he will probably play 3 positions before he's done. I actually project a starting lineup next year of he(SF), Mehinti©, and CJ (PF), depending on how comfortable Lee is or can get playing away from the paint. Either way I see Lee also playing some PF at various points in each game...Of course, he's SOOO dominant inside defensively, so you never know.
We could also kind of run sets for Lee and Washington on offense and not really have a true 3 and 4.(I guess hybrid would describe it?) Both appear to be decent on the ball, and we know Washington can stretch the defense. I'm with you though, I really think we need Lee down low on the defensive end. I'm sure Haase has a plan, and we'll probably have to wait until we see some of the newcomers to really see what's going on.
On paper, we return Washington and Frazier as starters. Brown will likely take the other guard spot. I'm assuming Lee starts from day 1, and then we'll have one other spot kind of up in the air.
Mehinti has shown he is capable, and I think the sky is the limit for him. Watts looks like he is going to be solid.
It looks like Rideau and Madison are going to be redshirted, but I like what I've seen out of Madison in his brief time on the court.
I figure Cokley is going to see some minutes next year just because of his size.
Sullivan and Calhoun both look like solid HS players, we'll see how quickly that translates to college.
Then we still have two scholarships that we may or may not use this year. I'm thinking we'll try to get at least one more guy, although at this point I'm not sure if we are going to need a guard or a big more.(A true center would obviously help, but those guys generally aren't just hanging around. We have enough size down low to be okay I think)
I'm really excited about the team next year. I think it has the potential to be the best team UAB has had in quite a while.
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Future Basketball Blazers
