Overall positives: point guard depth, length all over the court, defensive aggressiveness.
Overall negative: I don’t know that we have a reliable three point weapon. Definitely no Cromer like shooter eligible this year.
Individual performances:
Bradford looked like the leader we hope for. Made some great plays and also looked to really be leading the team.
Obi phyiscally looks a lot like Cromer, doesn’t have the same shooting ability of Cromer but can make you pay from deep.
J-Rod did participate and reminded me of the Furman player from Iceland. Still seems to be favoring his shoulder but you can definitely see the potential.
McCloud should be able to let us move Bradford off the ball. He looks like a true point guard and has some of that Gelawn “it” factor. He’s a crafty, fearless player and had a pretty awesome tomahawk in traffic.
Liked what I saw from Edwards. He’s a hound defensively and could potentially serve in the Deuce role if we jump into the press.
Jermaine Long looks to be the same player. He is what he is. Extremely aggressive on both ends which can lead to a lot of fouls and sloppy turnovers. His shot hasn’t improved but not going to nag him after his clutch 3 against UNCG last year.
Peter looked really good as a shot protector. I counted 4 blocks for him. He also nailed a three as the trailer. His hands haven’t improved though. Still sorta clumsy, gotta love him though.
Mladen looked pretty raw from a skills prospective. He’s a well built kid though and will help us this year.
Bo is a very talented athlete. Like Mladen, is raw from a skill perspective but is extremely athletic.
James Harrison looked pretty good. Good to have him for depth.
Burrell is just a freak. He can dunk it with ease. He didn’t have a great practice but I’m not worried about him.

This and that:

Desonta had the play of the night with a Lebron like, from behind block pinned at the top of the square. Would love to see a picture of where exactly he pinned that ball. Peter knocked down two free throws in a 1 and 1 situation which was good to see. Would have been great to have Good available this season. Easily our most consistent weapon from deep. Bo had a couple of great takes to the hoop for an and 1 opportunity. He reminds me of AJ from the fearless attacker perspective.

Sorry, had other responsibilities afterwards. Very busy day today and I'm worn out, so this'll likely be shorter than it would otherwise be...

First, overall impressions, team-wise, then player-by-player.

Unlike last year, our defense seems to be WAY ahead of our offense. *Really* getting after it all up and down the line. I got the strong impression PT was on the line and they were trying to impress with their effort. Nothing wrong with that, obviously, but it almost seemed a bit forced, as oxymoronic as that may sound. More about this when I discuss players.

Of note, Forbes seemed really in a bad, aggravated mood. Not sure I've ever seen him quite like this, and certainly not often. He got on several players from time-to-time. Not in any kind of abusive way - just strong coaching. Harrison was on the receiving end of (at least) two of those encounters. Seems like he's (Forbes) lost a few more pounds, so maybe he just needed a meal. Seriously, this was one of my overarching impressions. He seemed genuinely displeased with how things were going a lot of the time.
On the other hand, with some of the longer live-game scenarios, he let Slay and McKie run the two competing teams, and kept his hands off. That was interesting. I'll have to say I was impressed with how McKie seemed to handle "teaching moments". He would literally use his own body to demonstrate nuances of positioning, or stance, etc. Hard to convey, really, but I was impressed with his apparent attention to detail.

Let me just get this out of the way right now..................I don't think we'll have quite the success we had last year. Would LOVE to be wrong, of course, but I just don't see the same full team with few weaknesses (at the SoCon level). Definitely weaker inside (more on this later, too). Are we a poor team? No, of course not. We should definitely be considerably above .500 in conference play, but I just don't see the horses to challenge for the championship. Could I be wrong? Certainly. There's LOTS of room to improve, and let me emphasize how much the D kept the O out of rhythm, and flustered a lot of the time. I'll make a case later, maybe at the end, with how we will be pretty decent (unless I forget).

Now......on to the players.........

I'll have to say I didn't have a single "WOW" moment. None of the newcomers shocked me in a positive way. There was no DAVID BURRELL! moment like last year. Like the team as a whole, there's LOTS of room for improvement.

Of the new guys, Bo Hodges. He of the Justin Tubbs body, but with a "penetrate-first; penetrate-second; and-then-consider-passing-or-more-unlikely, shooting-outside-last" mentality. Fearless to the hole. Eager to the hole. Just a bit too much so, but that's WAY better than the other way around. If we can keep him here 4 years we'll be very happy with that. The real deal, but unclear what his role will be. Perhaps he'll be a bit like Merriweather, but with more aggressiveness directly at the hole, whereas A.J. would tend to pick his spots. Seemed to have the demeanor of a sophomore or even a junior, rather than a freshman. Must have been playing some tough AAU ball this summer. No disappointment with Mr. Basketball. He'll have a learning curve, but it may be small. He'll make mistakes, but don't they all. Again, I didn't go "WOW", but absolutely as advertised. It may be a challenge for Forbes to figure out how best to use him, but I don't think any of us were disappointed in how he used A.J. And although that's the closest comparison, they're far from identical in style.

I can't ignore the dynamic between Overstreet and Mladden. I'll have to say that Overstreet impressed quite a bit. No doubt (in my mind) that Overstreet is ahead of Mladden. They *both* have good sealing skills inside; *neither* are elegant in movement, and would never be confused with Glass or HMP in that way. Overstreet's hands were good, and demonstrated a pretty good shooting touch and stroke - even out to about 15 ft. (Not that Forbes will likely want him taking those shots.) Mladden perhaps was able to seal even better than Overstreet, but as Bucs06 wrote, he's raw. Don't be shocked to see Overstreet getting serious minutes. I mean like "serious minutes".
So...advantage Overstreet, and mild positive surprise. He absolutely is not a waste. Likewise, mild negative surprise for Mladden.

The 'twins' of Harrison and Rodriguez.....
I give the edge to Harrison - maybe even more so than one would think - but that's because Rodriguez came with much more hype. Really couldn't tell if Rodriguez was holding back or not. Seemed like he wasn't. Both of them, and this was true of all the juco guys.....were getting beat inside from time to time, and were using their hands to try and make up for it - and the *real refs* were calling them for it. I'm going to say that how they perform will in large part depend on their speed of development, and very much on who we're playing. They'll likely get eaten alive at UK, but will hold their own in the SoCon, I suspect. Think a MUCH-less-developed Kris Acox (and I realize that's an unfair comparison). Harrison definitely a mild positive surprise. Really too early to tell on these guys.

Guards.......

Jalan McCloud. See what Bucs06 said. I agree. He's our true point guard. That said, I'm not projecting Forbes will let him run it and move Bradford off the ball. That *will* happen some, but I think Forbes likes Bradford running the show. McCloud is no Guyn (I don't think), but he's indeed "crafty", wily, etc. Will definitely see serious playing time.

On the "2017-18 Roster" thread, "PreacherPurl" states that he's expecting Williams to red-shirt. I kept thinking about that as I was watching. I can see, with McCloud there, how that makes good sense. However........Williams *does* have something intangible - and tonight he was an absolute ball-hawk. He was just like, well, pick your own favorite metaphor on D. Just oppressive and relentless. Really liked how he laid on the pressure. Was he trying to impress Forbes enough to not red-shirt him? Who knows, but he was all effort all the time.

As was Obi. He's about what I expected - much hustle, good hands, good instincts, good D, eager, quick, and moderately successful outside shot. Can play, but will likely not be a starter. Can he get 12 a game like at Longwood? I don't see that because he won't get 25-30 minutes (I don't think). But I can easily see 7-10, with enough PT.

With Bradford, Payne, and McCloud clearly the top guards, time will be precious for Obi, Williams, and Long. Long, again, is a guy who's hard to find the best role for. He had some of the same great looks as last year, and I don't think he threw one bad pass. He had one beautiful inside dish, but didn't seem to force stuff like he was wont to do last year. On the other hand, he may have had less ball-in-hand time than anyone there (not counting Reppart - who when he had the opportunity, could still stroke it).

Bucs06 states he doesn't know that we have a reliable three point weapon. Well, unless Payne, Bradford, and Burrell (not to mention Reppart), we have the same top 3-ball threats as last year, minus A.J. and Cromer, of course. Yes, big losses, but we'll make some threes. As many as last year? Not likely. There wasn't much successful 3-ball shooting tonight, but that was mostly because of the oppressive D, *and* because Forbes was clearly working hard on entry passes. He, to my mind, has seen the need for that. Early in the practice, he spent a LOT of time on that, and the big guys positioning and sealing.

I don't need to say much about Burrell, Payne, and Bradford - because, well, they're Burrell, Payne, and Bradford. Burrell seems ready to take off right where he was last season. Bradford the same - but let me add that indeed there seemed to be *just* a hint of swagger. Kinda like Bucs06 put it - he seemed like the clear captain and leader of the team. He just seemed to 'wear' that persona. And although McCloud is closer to a true PG, I don't think he can break ankles like Bradford can, nor does he have that enormously long first step.

Jurkin looked pretty good. Expect to see him with more time this year. Maybe quite a bit more, depending on how Overstreet handles true comp. I can't quite, at this moment, see Rodriguez or Harrison playing center. That said, some opponents we don't need a true center.

[LOL - just now saw that Bucs06 also said that J-Rod looked like Acox. I guess it's pretty clear, then.]

Andre Edwards was Mr. Quiet, until the last 10-15 minutes or so, when he had a great steal and length-of-the-court difficult finish. He's smooth (think a poor man's Keith Wilkes), but I think has deceptive quickness. Forbes really congratulated him on that breakaway play. Mild positive surprise there, but too little to go on, really. Not sure how he'll get PT, or who'll he'll replace.

I guess that's more than enough for now. As to how we may be able to be successful.....I think some players will have to learn/grow into roles that they may not have had to fill before. Either Harrison or Rodriguez will have to become solid and dependable inside, sort of filling the role of what Glass did for us. Did I see that tonight? Frankly, no, but it's early and they didn't come from Wichita St. McCloud will have to live up to his apparent promise. I don't think he possesses all-conference abilities, BUT.....he may be exactly the kind of guy who can maximize the skills of those around him. I can see him being able to get the ball to those who need it in the correct time and space. If *somebody* else (Williams, Long, Obi, Edwards, or Hodges?) develops more of an outside shot, it should open up whoever's occupying the 4 and 5 slots to have more success. (Yeah, I know, that's a "duh" thing, but I'm putting it in the context of 'allowing' us to be a team with a more varied scoring repertoire.) But my money says we'll score more from penetration than last year, and less via Cromer-esque bombing. In summary, we'll be "ok", but will need at least 2 of the new guys to show and develop more quickly than was apparent in order to challenge. IMO. But there's *plenty* of room for that to actually happen. And.....our D could turn out to be exceptional. Further, we still have great team speed, outside of the 5 position, of course. McCloud, Obi, Payne, Long, and Williams are quick on quick. Not to mention Bradford, Burrell, and others. Speed and solid, up-and-down-the-line team D will win some games.

Don't be shocked to see us get shellacked early on (even beyond UK), as we clearly will be exposed. We all know Forbes is a good coach; this year will likely tell us even more than last year - and whether or not we'll get to keep him a bit longer. Going WAY WAY out on a limb, I would guess 20-22 wins, but maybe more towards the 20 with our inexperience and road games early. But if that exceptional D is there from the get go, we could well exceed that prediction.

Addenda:

Couldn't get a good handle on team chemistry. *Clearly* they were all trying to impress Forbes more than get along with each other. But.....reading between the lines (and remember, this wasn't Bluenanza), I can't say that the team joy and camaraderie was as obvious as last year (it would be nearly impossible for that to be the case). Not that it was a bad vibe, but it was more intense than for Bluenanza. I think more was on the line, and Forbes clearly was more intense. Again, purely reading between the lines, he sees the problems and is working feverishly to shore up weaknesses.

(10-20-2017 02:03 AM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote:  Sorry, had other responsibilities afterwards. Very busy day today and I'm worn out, so this'll likely be shorter than it would otherwise be...

First, overall impressions, team-wise, then player-by-player.

Unlike last year, our defense seems to be WAY ahead of our offense. *Really* getting after it all up and down the line. I got the strong impression PT was on the line and they were trying to impress with their effort. Nothing wrong with that, obviously, but it almost seemed a bit forced, as oxymoronic as that may sound. More about this when I discuss players.

Of note, Forbes seemed really in a bad, aggravated mood. Not sure I've ever seen him quite like this, and certainly not often. He got on several players from time-to-time. Not in any kind of abusive way - just strong coaching. Harrison was on the receiving end of (at least) two of those encounters. Seems like he's (Forbes) lost a few more pounds, so maybe he just needed a meal. Seriously, this was one of my overarching impressions. He seemed genuinely displeased with how things were going a lot of the time.
On the other hand, with some of the longer live-game scenarios, he let Slay and McKie run the two competing teams, and kept his hands off. That was interesting. I'll have to say I was impressed with how McKie seemed to handle "teaching moments". He would literally use his own body to demonstrate nuances of positioning, or stance, etc. Hard to convey, really, but I was impressed with his apparent attention to detail.

Let me just get this out of the way right now..................I don't think we'll have quite the success we had last year. Would LOVE to be wrong, of course, but I just don't see the same full team with few weaknesses (at the SoCon level). Definitely weaker inside (more on this later, too). Are we a poor team? No, of course not. We should definitely be considerably above .500 in conference play, but I just don't see the horses to challenge for the championship. Could I be wrong? Certainly. There's LOTS of room to improve, and let me emphasize how much the D kept the O out of rhythm, and flustered a lot of the time. I'll make a case later, maybe at the end, with how we will be pretty decent (unless I forget).

Now......on to the players.........

I'll have to say I didn't have a single "WOW" moment. None of the newcomers shocked me in a positive way. There was no DAVID BURRELL! moment like last year. Like the team as a whole, there's LOTS of room for improvement.

Of the new guys, Bo Hodges. He of the Justin Tubbs body, but with a "penetrate-first; penetrate-second; and-then-consider-passing-or-more-unlikely, shooting-outside-last" mentality. Fearless to the hole. Eager to the hole. Just a bit too much so, but that's WAY better than the other way around. If we can keep him here 4 years we'll be very happy with that. The real deal, but unclear what his role will be. Perhaps he'll be a bit like Merriweather, but with more aggressiveness directly at the hole, whereas A.J. would tend to pick his spots. Seemed to have the demeanor of a sophomore or even a junior, rather than a freshman. Must have been playing some tough AAU ball this summer. No disappointment with Mr. Basketball. He'll have a learning curve, but it may be small. He'll make mistakes, but don't they all. Again, I didn't go "WOW", but absolutely as advertised. It may be a challenge for Forbes to figure out how best to use him, but I don't think any of us were disappointed in how he used A.J. And although that's the closest comparison, they're far from identical in style.

I can't ignore the dynamic between Overstreet and Mladden. I'll have to say that Overstreet impressed quite a bit. No doubt (in my mind) that Overstreet is ahead of Mladden. They *both* have good sealing skills inside; *neither* are elegant in movement, and would never be confused with Glass or HMP in that way. Overstreet's hands were good, and demonstrated a pretty good shooting touch and stroke - even out to about 15 ft. (Not that Forbes will likely want him taking those shots.) Mladden perhaps was able to seal even better than Overstreet, but as Bucs06 wrote, he's raw. Don't be shocked to see Overstreet getting serious minutes. I mean like "serious minutes".
So...advantage Overstreet, and mild positive surprise. He absolutely is not a waste. Likewise, mild negative surprise for Mladden.

The 'twins' of Harrison and Rodriguez.....
I give the edge to Harrison - maybe even more so than one would think - but that's because Rodriguez came with much more hype. Really couldn't tell if Rodriguez was holding back or not. Seemed like he wasn't. Both of them, and this was true of all the juco guys.....were getting beat inside from time to time, and were using their hands to try and make up for it - and the *real refs* were calling them for it. I'm going to say that how they perform will in large part depend on their speed of development, and very much on who we're playing. They'll likely get eaten alive at UK, but will hold their own in the SoCon, I suspect. Think a MUCH-less-developed Kris Acox (and I realize that's an unfair comparison). Harrison definitely a mild positive surprise. Really too early to tell on these guys.

Guards.......

Jalan McCloud. See what Bucs06 said. I agree. He's our true point guard. That said, I'm not projecting Forbes will let him run it and move Bradford off the ball. That *will* happen some, but I think Forbes likes Bradford running the show. McCloud is no Guyn (I don't think), but he's indeed "crafty", wily, etc. Will definitely see serious playing time.

On the "2017-18 Roster" thread, "PreacherPurl" states that he's expecting Williams to red-shirt. I kept thinking about that as I was watching. I can see, with McCloud there, how that makes good sense. However........Williams *does* have something intangible - and tonight he was an absolute ball-hawk. He was just like, well, pick your own favorite metaphor on D. Just oppressive and relentless. Really liked how he laid on the pressure. Was he trying to impress Forbes enough to not red-shirt him? Who knows, but he was all effort all the time.

As was Obi. He's about what I expected - much hustle, good hands, good instincts, good D, eager, quick, and moderately successful outside shot. Can play, but will likely not be a starter. Can he get 12 a game like at Longwood? I don't see that because he won't get 25-30 minutes (I don't think). But I can easily see 7-10, with enough PT.

With Bradford, Payne, and McCloud clearly the top guards, time will be precious for Obi, Williams, and Long. Long, again, is a guy who's hard to find the best role for. He had some of the same great looks as last year, and I don't think he threw one bad pass. He had one beautiful inside dish, but didn't seem to force stuff like he was wont to do last year. On the other hand, he may have had less ball-in-hand time than anyone there (not counting Reppart - who when he had the opportunity, could still stroke it).

Bucs06 states he doesn't know that we have a reliable three point weapon. Well, unless Payne, Bradford, and Burrell (not to mention Reppart), we have the same top 3-ball threats as last year, minus A.J. and Cromer, of course. Yes, big losses, but we'll make some threes. As many as last year? Not likely. There wasn't much successful 3-ball shooting tonight, but that was mostly because of the oppressive D, *and* because Forbes was clearly working hard on entry passes. He, to my mind, has seen the need for that. Early in the practice, he spent a LOT of time on that, and the big guys positioning and sealing.

I don't need to say much about Burrell, Payne, and Bradford - because, well, they're Burrell, Payne, and Bradford. Burrell seems ready to take off right where he was last season. Bradford the same - but let me add that indeed there seemed to be *just* a hint of swagger. Kinda like Bucs06 put it - he seemed like the clear captain and leader of the team. He just seemed to 'wear' that persona. And although McCloud is closer to a true PG, I don't think he can break ankles like Bradford can, nor does he have that enormously long first step.

Jurkin looked pretty good. Expect to see him with more time this year. Maybe quite a bit more, depending on how Overstreet handles true comp. I can't quite, at this moment, see Rodriguez or Harrison playing center. That said, some opponents we don't need a true center.

[LOL - just now saw that Bucs06 also said that J-Rod looked like Acox. I guess it's pretty clear, then.]

Andre Edwards was Mr. Quiet, until the last 10-15 minutes or so, when he had a great steal and length-of-the-court difficult finish. He's smooth (think a poor man's Keith Wilkes), but I think has deceptive quickness. Forbes really congratulated him on that breakaway play. Mild positive surprise there, but too little to go on, really. Not sure how he'll get PT, or who'll he'll replace.

I guess that's more than enough for now. As to how we may be able to be successful.....I think some players will have to learn/grow into roles that they may not have had to fill before. Either Harrison or Rodriguez will have to become solid and dependable inside, sort of filling the role of what Glass did for us. Did I see that tonight? Frankly, no, but it's early and they didn't come from Wichita St. McCloud will have to live up to his apparent promise. I don't think he possesses all-conference abilities, BUT.....he may be exactly the kind of guy who can maximize the skills of those around him. I can see him being able to get the ball to those who need it in the correct time and space. If *somebody* else (Williams, Long, Obi, Edwards, or Hodges?) develops more of an outside shot, it should open up whoever's occupying the 4 and 5 slots to have more success. (Yeah, I know, that's a "duh" thing, but I'm putting it in the context of 'allowing' us to be a team with a more varied scoring repertoire.) But my money says we'll score more from penetration than last year, and less via Cromer-esque bombing. In summary, we'll be "ok", but will need at least 2 of the new guys to show and develop more quickly than was apparent in order to challenge. IMO. But there's *plenty* of room for that to actually happen. And.....our D could turn out to be exceptional. Further, we still have great team speed, outside of the 5 position, of course. McCloud, Obi, Payne, Long, and Williams are quick on quick. Not to mention Bradford, Burrell, and others. Speed and solid, up-and-down-the-line team D will win some games.

Don't be shocked to see us get shellacked early on (even beyond UK), as we clearly will be exposed. We all know Forbes is a good coach; this year will likely tell us even more than last year - and whether or not we'll get to keep him a bit longer. Going WAY WAY out on a limb, I would guess 20-22 wins, but maybe more towards the 20 with our inexperience and road games early. But if that exceptional D is there from the get go, we could well exceed that prediction.

"Likely to be shorter", eh?

Once a basketball junkie gets started on hoops, it's hard to stop, even when you're exhausted. There's just so much to try to get a handle on this early.

Thanks to you and Buc06 for taking the time to put it into words

(10-19-2017 09:39 PM)Bucs06 Wrote:  Desonta had the play of the night with a Lebron like, from behind block pinned at the top of the square. Would love to see a picture of where exactly he pinned that ball.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIBtQ9ji9vk

This video contains the block and some other good clips along with Coach Forbes's thoughts on last nights practice about the team.

I think we need to hesitant about judging the team chemistry last night compared to Bluenanza last year. I think with this being an open practice, we may see more of the chemistry part in two weeks at Bluenanza. Practice is work and more serious. I saw plenty of supportive comments and gestures, but they were focused on skills and the nitty gritty stuff. Bluenanza is always more fun and "show". I think that's where we will see the guys' personalities and chemistry the most to judge.

And I kept being a bit overwhelmed at the size (numerically) of the team. Sheesh, that's a lot of players.

I find it funny that someone compared Obi to TJ. My daughter and I got tickled that Obi was wearing 0 last night AND his hair was similar to TJ's. Maybe the visual combination there made that comparison happen more easily?

I also noted that defense seemed to be well ahead of offense at this stage. Lots of hustle, but that leads to some sloppy playing at times right now. They seem to be highly motivated to play with a lot of aggression, so getting that tightened up and less sloppy could be a big key this season.

(10-20-2017 07:23 AM)queenladybug817 Wrote:  I think we need to hesitant about judging the team chemistry last night compared to Bluenanza last year. I think with this being an open practice, we may see more of the chemistry part in two weeks at Bluenanza. Practice is work and more serious. I saw plenty of supportive comments and gestures, but they were focused on skills and the nitty gritty stuff. Bluenanza is always more fun and "show". I think that's where we will see the guys' personalities and chemistry the most to judge.

I also noted that defense seemed to be well ahead of offense at this stage. Lots of hustle, but that leads to some sloppy playing at times right now. They seem to be highly motivated to play with a lot of aggression, so getting that tightened up and less sloppy could be a big key this season.

Good point - Forbes' open practices are work sessions, not show pieces. He's got limited time to try to mold this team into what he wants it to be. For the players, playing time and maybe even redshirts are at stake. It's another day on the construction site. Frankly that's why I've usually enjoyed the open practices a lot more than the Bluenanza - excepting last year's spectacular display.

But I think that Poster's got some good points, too. Especially in the front court, this is a long way from where it needs to be, and Forbes knows that better than anyone. But I think that he also sees potential and is not going to rest until he gets things closer to where he knows they can be.

(10-20-2017 07:23 AM)queenladybug817 Wrote:  I think we need to hesitant about judging the team chemistry last night compared to Bluenanza last year. I think with this being an open practice, we may see more of the chemistry part in two weeks at Bluenanza. Practice is work and more serious. I saw plenty of supportive comments and gestures, but they were focused on skills and the nitty gritty stuff. Bluenanza is always more fun and "show". I think that's where we will see the guys' personalities and chemistry the most to judge.

And I kept being a bit overwhelmed at the size (numerically) of the team. Sheesh, that's a lot of players.

I find it funny that someone compared Obi to TJ. My daughter and I got tickled that Obi was wearing 0 last night AND his hair was similar to TJ's. Maybe the visual combination there made that comparison happen more easily?

I also noted that defense seemed to be well ahead of offense at this stage. Lots of hustle, but that leads to some sloppy playing at times right now. They seem to be highly motivated to play with a lot of aggression, so getting that tightened up and less sloppy could be a big key this season.

Good point by Joe Avento in JC Press article that defense knew sets that offense was running. Would love to see even as a work in progress team play someone else. Closed scrimmages that the coach opted for were probably a better plan, but I would have liked to have seen at least one exhibition game, even with the little that it offered in competition.

Let me be clear that I wasn't saying good team chemistry isn't there; it's just that one couldn't tell as easily as one could at Bluenanza last year. I in no way was trying to insinuate that it was absent.

And yes, although the defense knew what was coming, it was far more than that. It was glue-like, in-your-jersey stuff the whole way. My suspicion (and only that) is that Forbes has grasped that we'll *need* that D more this year. And also, as I reported, 'jobs' are on the line.

To round my thoughts out and follow-up on others, this was a very focused practice open to fans, not a true crowd-pleasing event. The players were concentrated and reasonably stoic in drills, as they should be in front of their coaches while playing time and team success is on the line. There were plenty of smiles and quiet chatter on the sidelines/behind the baskets, and the team was vocal when someone made a good play. Defense will carry this team through rough patches; I was happy to see a hard scrimmage with defensive hustle instead of CPA pickup basketball and a bunch of lazy fastbreaks and 1 on 1.

Coach had commented recently that rebounding wasn’t where he wanted it. Get rebounding where he wants it, that’s 2 out of 3 (defense, rebounding...offense to follow as the scorers self-identify and lineups gel for scoring opportunities). No individual player comments to go at length on, but I do think McCloud is here for a reason, and I wager that J-Rod was holding back a little due to the shoulder. Not saying he was inhibited, but I would hope advised to go easy until past the risk of re-injury.

(10-20-2017 11:39 AM)shampoo Wrote:  Coach had commented recently that rebounding wasn’t where he wanted it. Get rebounding where he wants it, that’s 2 out of 3 (defense, rebounding...offense to follow as the scorers self-identify and lineups gel for scoring opportunities).

You may have seen something I didn't (could very easily be the case), but all I saw on that was his comment about wanting Burrell to be a better defensive rebounder. No problem with that idea, but I think *when* we have either Harrison and/or Rodriguez in there, that takes some of the pressure off Burrell. So much depends on either Overstreet or Mladden being effective. I actually think that will be a problem, but likely not a giant, gaping one. And I'm thinking Jurkin's minutes go up 20-30+%, too.

Like your phrasing of "scorers self-identify and lineups gel for scoring opportunities".

As has been said repeatedly.......IT'S TOO EARLY!

Thanks, doc. The comments on rebounding were in the 10/16 JC Press update on J-Rod.

Forbes will be happy to see a player who averaged nearly double digits in rebounding last season on the court, considering he hasn’t been thrilled with his team’s work on the board so far during the preseason.

“I think we’ve really progressed since our first practice,” Forbes said. “We’re not a really good rebounding team right now. I’ve been hard on them about that. We don’t have any excuses. We’re athletic and we have size. We just have to do a better job of rebounding the ball.”

http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Basketba...m&lp=4&p=1

Here's Avento's take on the evening
http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Basketba...e#cxrecs_s

There's a Johnson City Press photo gallery, too. I can see the physical similarity between Cromer and Obi-Rapu commented on by Bucs06 and LadyBug. It's not just the hair. He's muscled up like Cromer did his senior year. The Roster has him 5 pounds heavier, matching Cromer's 6'3" 195. Check the 'guns'. Now if they only shoot like Cromer's.
http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/gallery/...y#cxrecs_s

Anyone heard when season tickets are going to start shipping out? Less than a month until our home opener so I assume it’s getting close.

(10-23-2017 06:58 PM)Bucs06 Wrote:  Anyone heard when season tickets are going to start shipping out? Less than a month until our home opener so I assume it’s getting close.

An email I got last night shows that they are having a Delivery Draft type contest on Monday to select season ticket holders to get their tickets hand delivered by coach and the team. I am assuming then that the rest of the tickets will be mailed out next week after that.

Reminder: Bluenanza at 7 tonight. I'd say at least 50% chance I won't make it.....