RE: Open Practice at Freedom Hall
Ok, everybody take a deep breath now.
Think calming thoughts.
Remind yourself that we haven't even faced Averitt, let alone Chattanooga or UT.
Because,
HOLY S***, this is like nothing that ETSU has put on the floor since the days of Les Robinson and Alan LeForce!!!
And we don't want to get ahead of ourselves, do we?
The drills that Forbes ran the team through were intense and continuous for a solid hour - no waiting, no standing around. Guys were sweating immediately and running full court, fast break in minutes. Some were a little sloppy, especially at the end. But as Forbes said, he's aiming to get this team playing FAST, right now. Smooth will come along with work.
At center, Peter Jurkin took part in everything that I saw. He seemed to move fluidly and not shy away from contact. But, you've got to remember that he has not really seen any game action for 3 years now (2 years at Indiana with 18 minutes TOTAL playing time, and a redshirt year with surgery here). He's got a lot of ground to make up. His hands are not as good as they will be. A lot of balls were fumbled. What he can do right now is swoop in out of nowhere and knock shots away. And he can run. But this will take some time. I'm hoping that the Forbes and staff will watch their intense program carefully so that they do not overstress a guy with a history of leg difficulties. He's already doing more than I would have expected, and doing it pretty well.
At power forward, Benny Lufile is about the same size as Isaac Banks to my eye. It was neither the size nor the athleticism that surprised me most - he won't be the biggest power forward on the floor, and he's athletic, but not a flyer like Mosquera-Perea (a story for next year!). What impressed me was his non-stop motor. He's got A.J. Merriweather intensity and hustle. He never stops moving. And this is SERIOUS business to him. Not many people will outwork him. And this man can SHOOT! He was popping 3's in drills, and can hit from midrange. We will get points, and not just rebounds, from him.
Speaking of Banks - both he and Petey have been hitting the weights. His upper body is buff - VERY different from last year. He's right at home with all the new bigs in all the new high intensity drills. He can run, jump and bang with any of them (well, maybe not with Mosquera-Perea). Isaac had already become the best Bucs rebounder on a per minute basis last year. I think this new style will really suit him.
Did I say that 6'8" Toriano Stokes needed a redshirt year? Well, I might have to retract that. This young man is REALLY BIG - broad shouldered, long armed. Forbes says his weight is up in the 240's already, with no fat. He expects him to be in the 260's next year (well, maybe 250's anyway). You can pack a lot of muscle on that frame. His wingspan is every inch as impressive as claimed. He can move and throw it down. He will be a force in the middle. It's just a question of when. This is a huge get for us. Only his inexperience kept him from a power conference team.
Also in the post, Nigel Holley is not skinny. He seems to have muscled up a little from his past pictures. Since he will be facing 6'10" 230 Tuoyo, 7'1" Fishel and 6'9" 250 Ringer from Mercer, and 6'9" Kendrec Ferrara from Furman, this is a good thing.
At the point, we have a real battle. Ge'lawn Guyn is a fierce, physical, no-nonsense guy at 6'2" 185 (hey, what do you expect from a Cincinnati Bearcat?). He's got great springs and will attack the basket, and throw down. And attack you on defense. But Petey McClain has upped his game. To my eye, he is the most changed physically on the team. His upper body is just ripped. And he's playing with more aggression, enthusiasm and confidence than I've ever seen. These high intensity full court drills were made to order for him. He's got superior court vision, just ripping pin point length-of-the-court passes every time down. His handle is the best. And he seems to delight in it. Far from being intimidated, both he and Isaac are just jumping at the new challenges. I've never seen either one look so impressive.
I believe that we will likely wind up sharing point minutes between the two.
At a long 6'6" freshman Shemar Johnson is running his drills with the guards, and looking like a longer, better shooting Desonta. But Desonta has improved his game too, and is made to order for the high speed approach.
Then there is Deuce Bello - the man (and he IS a man out there) is 6'4" like Zakee was 6'5" - everything about him is bigger than his height. Broader shoulders, wiry strong long arms. He's got Justin Tubbs' hops. Unfortunately not Justin Tubbs shooting. But he seems as committed as anyone to the Forbes high speed approach. Very good things can happen if this continues.
A.J. and Lester are what we've come to expect from them - A.J. knocking himself out in this high intensity framework. Lester at 6'4" is running his drills with the bigs, and looking buffer than ever. And as good as ever from 3.
I did not not watch Cromer as closely as I would have liked. This was a 3 ring circus and you couldn't attend to it all. But he is every bit of 6'3" with fine athleticism (is a 360 throwdown good enough for you?), and the sort of all round skills that you would expect from his ridiculously full stat sheet.
So... nothing's been won so far. Rod Shaw will probably remind us that some of the Les Robinson/Alan LeForce teams turned out great. And some were terrible.
But if you've ever wished that you could have a chance to ride with that kind of team. Well, get your tickets now. This train is leaving the station.
It should be a helluva ride.
(This post was last modified: 10-05-2015 07:03 AM by swvabucsfan.)
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Open Practice at Freedom Hall
