Talkin' about practice
So, Coach invited me and some others to observe practice yesterday. Yes, I realize it's practice, and the bright lights aren't on, and for some of you, just quit reading now. I will make the justification that these observations are my own, as naive as they may be.
DJ Hughes will be an impact player. Big body, majorly athletic, can score, can rebound, can run, can defend. I'll be surprised if he doesn't make a major impact on this team.
Jaden Seymour could definitely be an all league player. His shot has improved, his confidence has improved. He can handle the ball, get up and down the floor, defends well, moves well. He looks really, really good.
Tyler Rice is a shooter. I saw him hit a bunch of 3s, in drills and then in the scrimmage. He's a good on ball defender. You can tell he has experience.
Justice Smith is a new man. He plays with confidence, moves well, drives it to the rim. Complete contrast to last July, when Coach Oliver invited us to practice and Oliver essentially rode him throughout practice. I talked to Tisdale afterwards and mentioned that, and Pun told me "we don't do that. We want energy, don't kill it." In the scrimmage, he had an "and one" on a great drive to the hoop through traffic. Missed the FT though.
Peterson has a great handle. Didn't score a lot in this practice, and Gabe Sisk (he can play too) did get a steal on him. All the same, Peterson clearly sees the court very well, very athletic. He had a beautiful assist driving down the lane to Hughes which looked midseason form.
Maki Johhson is a shooter. He hit a nice 3 with a man in his face in the scrimmage. He's vocal. Good defender too. GREAT get. He'll get plenty of minutes.
The aforementioned Sisk hit some shots, had some good & bad plays, and I know the coaches have suggested he may redshirt. I don't know - he could battle his way into minutes. He's a good defender, and again - athletic (seems to be a theme).
Jadyn Parker is very long and he is thin, but moves really well. He can battle inside. He has a decent jump shot, which surprised me. He will be a force inside. He's more athletic than Luke D'Guessan.
Braden Ilic is looking better, more comfortable. I didn't see him shoot a 3 (the defense is aware of that!) but he can battle inside too. I'm sure he'll get minutes at the 5 along with Parker.
Asamoah didn't have the best practice, but he did have some nice drives to the hoop. In the scrimmage he was fouled, and he did hit his two FTs. He will get plenty of minutes as well. Great basketball body, good basketball IQ.
Strothers also looks more confident. He had a couple of nice drive & kicks in the scrimmage. I think he's still needing some seasoning to get there. With as many good guards as we have, he may struggle to see minutes, but we'll see.
Karon Boyd didn't stick out, but he has talent and he's athletic. I don't know how many minutes he'll see this year, but if he sticks it out he will have a nice career here. He's a solid player. I may be missing something with him - so if he does see minutes, that's why.
The walk-on looked like a walk-on. He has a decent shot, though, and he has good height, especially for a walk-on. His dad did get on him for not getting into the gap on a drill.
Overall: ATHLETIC. And fast. They move the ball, get up & down the floor, they talk to each other. It's high energy. You better come ready to play these guys. They have talent, experience, athleticism, and they will defend. I'm excited to see them out on the floor.
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Talkin' about practice
