Post by FLHoya on Aug 15, 2009 14:43:58 GMT -5
Blame it on the alcohol.
In one of the funnier moments I can recall overhearing at a Kenner League game, the two older gentlemen sitting next to me at McDonough today thought they might go on a quick beer run at halftime of the Clyde's-Beyond Belief game.
The gentleman seated next to me rose from his seat and announced to his companion that he was headed to the snack bar for a food run. His compadre then asked the all important question I'm sure anybody who's ever headed down to McD on a Saturday afternoon has contemplated:
They got any beer?
And suddenly, he felt compelled to check out the situation himself.
It's still pretty steamy outside in the midst of the DMV's only real sustained heat wave of the summer, so why NOT take the opportunity to tailgate in the air conditioned comfort of McD. They've got everything--ample spread out space for your provisions, good company, and a hot summer (of 2008) soundtrack on the loudspeakers.
It should come as no surprise that this was the last song played during pre-game warmups:
But it can't be all tailgate and no game...and the Kenner League fans who polished off their Wisey's sandwiches, snack bar chicken wings and 20oz sodas in time for the tip were treated to a playoff-intense matchup featuring not one, not two, but three NBA draft picks: Roy Hibbert, Jeff Green, and James Gist (what, you were expecting Lebron? Shame on anybody for believing that nonsense.)
For that matter, Hoya fans were treated to a reunion of 60% of the starting lineup of the 2007 Final Four team, once Jon Wallace and Jeff Green showed up at halftime.
Of course, that and $7.43 will get you a Chicken Madness minus the soda (talk about inflation--when I was a freshman it cost $6.00 even and you got a free can of soda with your purchase) and a Kenner League final for the first time I can remember without a single Georgetown player past or present competing.
Blame it on the Gist. Blame it on Jeff Allen. Blame it on the aw-aw-aw-aw-aw-aw-ful calls.
Blame it on a pretty darn good summer league team asserting its will.
Beyond Belief 66 CLYDE'S 50
Clyde's threw out a starting lineup of Tony Bethel, Jason Clark, Ian Hummer, Henry Sims, and Roy Hibbert--not too shabby. Beyond Belief has a few notable names--Gist, Allen, and Isiah Swann to name three--but what they lack in NBA pedigree they make up for by just being a straight nasty athletic and pesky summer league team.
Going into the game, I was curious to see how Henry Sims would play alongside Roy Hibbert--the closest we were going to get this summer to replicate Sims' likely supporting role along side Greg Monroe during the regular season. It's not a perfect match--Roy's a true center and Greg a point forward, and the offense runs differently. But the idea was--how does Sims fill the "secondary" role in the paint, playing off the alpha dog with entry passes, cuts to open space, and cleaning up on the glass.
We'll never know. Beyond Belief triple teamed Hibbert the entire first half, limiting his options in the paint. Sims could never really get into the flow, in part because the offense did run through Roy most of the time, and in part because Sims was being guarded by James Gist who, sorry, is a heckuva a lot better and more athletic than Henry Sims (no reasons to be sorry here--Gist was drafted for a reason after a long career at Maryland).
Beyond Belief also put on a tooooooooonnnnnnnnnn of perimeter pressure at the defensive end. The entire game was a nightmare on the perimeter for Bethel and Clark, and Clyde's turned the ball over easily 10 times in the first half...
...which ended with Clyde's down 29-18 and looking in big time trouble. Hibbert had gone to the bench with his third foul with 8:49 remaining in the half--the same darned foul that sent him to the bench against Davidson. Always something there to remind me--it's not just a 1983 new wave hit any more.
During halftime, Gist and Allen along with their Beyond Belief teammates practiced trick dunks and alley oops and fed off the boundless energy that had animated their team in the first half (never seen a bench get into a game so much at KL). Clyde's players meanwhile listlessly practiced jumpshots, while half the team sat on the bench looking stunned.
Buuuuuuuut...never underestimate the ability of Georgetown to try and rig the proceedings in the Kenner League. Sure as John Cahill is going the other way with the charge, GU brings in the ringers during the KL playoffs. And in strode Jon Wallace and then Jeff Green during the suspiciously long halftime interval (at least 3x the normal 4 min break).
So we began the second half with a lineup of Wallace, Clark, Green, Sims, Hibbert. That sounds pretty good.
And it WAS good. Hibbert instantly converted a hook shot and then a follow dunk on Clyde's first two possessions. The energy level shot up about three clicks--amazing considering how intense the game had already been in the first.
Only four minutes into the half, Clydes had ripped off a 15-6 run to pull within 35-33, with Jason Clark going to the line for a plus-one attempt after an acrobatic layup following a spin move--something you'd like to hit like 7 buttons in sequence on the X-Box to pull off.
Problem is, he missed the part that only requires flipping the right joystick, and the free throw rimmed out.
Still...15 points in the first four minutes! This was surely going to be a romp for the 2007 Georgetown Hoyas.
Except...then it wasn't.
15 points in the first four minutes...15 points in the last sixteen minutes.
The closest Clydes got was on that Clark layup. Every time they pulled within a possession, Beyond Belief had the answer--whether it was a dunk, a follow, a three pointer, or a great drive...they were the better team by a wide margin, and [cliche alert!] just wanted it more.
By the time Jason Clark picked up a technical foul with just over a minute to go, it was already in the books...for the game and for the Kenner League season, as first DCX, Tombs, and We Are One in the quarterfinals and THEN Clydes today were all bounced from the KL Playoffs.
It's Beyond Belief vs. Bearcats/Hunger Force tomorrow. Get there early to tailgate.
Jason Clark: 14 points, 3-9 2pt, 1-3 3pt, 5-7 FT, 2RB, 2A, 2TO, 1STL
The pace of the game did not suit Clark AT ALL today. It was instructive to say the least.
It seems since about the 2007-2008 season fans have been begging on Hoyatalk for JT3 to open up the offense more and let the team run. The premise being--we've finally got the athletes to make it happen.
I never was fully on the bandwagon there--the argument seemed to easy to reduce to: Chris Wright is faster than Jon Wallace, therefore run more. It takes more than one player to make a fast paced offense, and I'm still not convinced that Monroe, Sims, or even Freeman is suited for an up and down style. They're getting closer, but not there yet.
Clark is the X-factor. Possession a wealth of speed and explosiveness, he hadn't quite smoothed out his handle and was too turnover prone to really be counted on in the open court. He made tremendous strides over the off-season, it is evident, getting a more confident and compact handle. His decision making, however, is still hit or miss.
This was a verrrrrrrrrrrrry high paced game, almost to the point of being junk ball. Beyond Belief put pressure all over the court--no guard got past halfcourt without at least two swipes at the ball from separate defenders. It placed a premium on ball handling and decision making, and while Clark didn't have THAT many turnovers (I'm almost sure he had more than the two I recorded), he made several questionable attacks at the basket in transition, resulting in bad floaters or odd attempts in traffic.
This type of hyper defense won't even be the sometimes-norm in the Big East--but junk defense of some form certainly can be...why do you think neither us nor Villanova can break 60 against each other?
So two and a half weeks later, I'd give Clark a B+ for the Kenner League. Huge strides in the one skill he needed to improve--ball handling--and the energy abounds and will be well served on this team next year. Still uncertain if he's going to be able to avoid giving us heart attacks when he makes decisions under pressure.
Henry Sims: 6 points, 3-6 2pt, 0-1 FT, 6RB (2off), 2TO
It took until the final game of the summer, in one of his lowest scoring outputs, but I finally saw the one thing I was waiting for Henry Sims to show me.
If you've been to ANY Clyde's game this summer, you've heard lichoya yelling "BE MEAN HENRY!". He finally obliged in the second half.
If there's one overarching criticism I have about Henry Sims, it's that he doesn't assert himself on the interior. He's got a decent touch with the face up jumper, and he moves okay, but he's not backing you down or squeezing in tough baskets with physical play. Defensively it's more concerning--it's still too easy to out-muscle him down low, and too often he favors going for unrealistic block attempts or ball watches, leaving himself on the outside of a box-out trying to get a defensive rebound. He doesn't quite have the athleticism to overcome poor positioning.
In the second half though, finally there was Sims playing above the rim on rebounds, fighting for loose balls, ripping the rock away from opponents and playing with a snarl on his face on the defensive glass. This was a welcome sight, and really the side of Sims' game that needs to emerge on a regular basis during the Big East season for us to become a reliable contender.
Is Sims the key player for the Hoyas' chances next season? I still say...sort of. Really, the key player is Sims + Vaughn, because I'm of the opinion that both will have good nights some of the time, and it's a matter of putting in the right guy for the right situation to excel. We absolutely, 100% need another legit frontcourt option next to Monroe to make defenses think and keep offenses off the glass--this much is clear.
For the summer, a solid B for Henry--stronger than he was, but a ways to go...he'll only benefit from the James Gists and Jeff Clarks of the world showing him a thing or two.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
So here we are, feels like we just got started and it's already done. Such is life in the crazy messed up scheduling of the Kenner League. If you're counting, it was T-minus three months until the season opener as of this past Thursday.
Weird two plus weeks for me too...I survived combination of fatigue from bad sleep, a mild cold, several late nights at work, and a $4 parking fee that first night of games. I was honestly kind of happy to have Kenner League finally come along because I was facing a boring August calendar. At the end of it all, I'm happy I still have some boring August calendar left!
Thanks for reading, will of course catch you all again likely on the night of Nov. 17th after the home opener against Temple.
I will actually be at the KL Final tomorrow, though not recapping. Got a meeting to discuss HHC communications stuff. Actually, maybe we do have one victory to talk about today:
We're getting the Twitter account.
Song of the moment I wrote this sentence: Talking Heads, Wild Wild Life:
In one of the funnier moments I can recall overhearing at a Kenner League game, the two older gentlemen sitting next to me at McDonough today thought they might go on a quick beer run at halftime of the Clyde's-Beyond Belief game.
The gentleman seated next to me rose from his seat and announced to his companion that he was headed to the snack bar for a food run. His compadre then asked the all important question I'm sure anybody who's ever headed down to McD on a Saturday afternoon has contemplated:
They got any beer?
And suddenly, he felt compelled to check out the situation himself.
It's still pretty steamy outside in the midst of the DMV's only real sustained heat wave of the summer, so why NOT take the opportunity to tailgate in the air conditioned comfort of McD. They've got everything--ample spread out space for your provisions, good company, and a hot summer (of 2008) soundtrack on the loudspeakers.
It should come as no surprise that this was the last song played during pre-game warmups:
But it can't be all tailgate and no game...and the Kenner League fans who polished off their Wisey's sandwiches, snack bar chicken wings and 20oz sodas in time for the tip were treated to a playoff-intense matchup featuring not one, not two, but three NBA draft picks: Roy Hibbert, Jeff Green, and James Gist (what, you were expecting Lebron? Shame on anybody for believing that nonsense.)
For that matter, Hoya fans were treated to a reunion of 60% of the starting lineup of the 2007 Final Four team, once Jon Wallace and Jeff Green showed up at halftime.
Of course, that and $7.43 will get you a Chicken Madness minus the soda (talk about inflation--when I was a freshman it cost $6.00 even and you got a free can of soda with your purchase) and a Kenner League final for the first time I can remember without a single Georgetown player past or present competing.
Blame it on the Gist. Blame it on Jeff Allen. Blame it on the aw-aw-aw-aw-aw-aw-ful calls.
Blame it on a pretty darn good summer league team asserting its will.
Beyond Belief 66 CLYDE'S 50
Clyde's threw out a starting lineup of Tony Bethel, Jason Clark, Ian Hummer, Henry Sims, and Roy Hibbert--not too shabby. Beyond Belief has a few notable names--Gist, Allen, and Isiah Swann to name three--but what they lack in NBA pedigree they make up for by just being a straight nasty athletic and pesky summer league team.
Going into the game, I was curious to see how Henry Sims would play alongside Roy Hibbert--the closest we were going to get this summer to replicate Sims' likely supporting role along side Greg Monroe during the regular season. It's not a perfect match--Roy's a true center and Greg a point forward, and the offense runs differently. But the idea was--how does Sims fill the "secondary" role in the paint, playing off the alpha dog with entry passes, cuts to open space, and cleaning up on the glass.
We'll never know. Beyond Belief triple teamed Hibbert the entire first half, limiting his options in the paint. Sims could never really get into the flow, in part because the offense did run through Roy most of the time, and in part because Sims was being guarded by James Gist who, sorry, is a heckuva a lot better and more athletic than Henry Sims (no reasons to be sorry here--Gist was drafted for a reason after a long career at Maryland).
Beyond Belief also put on a tooooooooonnnnnnnnnn of perimeter pressure at the defensive end. The entire game was a nightmare on the perimeter for Bethel and Clark, and Clyde's turned the ball over easily 10 times in the first half...
...which ended with Clyde's down 29-18 and looking in big time trouble. Hibbert had gone to the bench with his third foul with 8:49 remaining in the half--the same darned foul that sent him to the bench against Davidson. Always something there to remind me--it's not just a 1983 new wave hit any more.
During halftime, Gist and Allen along with their Beyond Belief teammates practiced trick dunks and alley oops and fed off the boundless energy that had animated their team in the first half (never seen a bench get into a game so much at KL). Clyde's players meanwhile listlessly practiced jumpshots, while half the team sat on the bench looking stunned.
Buuuuuuuut...never underestimate the ability of Georgetown to try and rig the proceedings in the Kenner League. Sure as John Cahill is going the other way with the charge, GU brings in the ringers during the KL playoffs. And in strode Jon Wallace and then Jeff Green during the suspiciously long halftime interval (at least 3x the normal 4 min break).
So we began the second half with a lineup of Wallace, Clark, Green, Sims, Hibbert. That sounds pretty good.
And it WAS good. Hibbert instantly converted a hook shot and then a follow dunk on Clyde's first two possessions. The energy level shot up about three clicks--amazing considering how intense the game had already been in the first.
Only four minutes into the half, Clydes had ripped off a 15-6 run to pull within 35-33, with Jason Clark going to the line for a plus-one attempt after an acrobatic layup following a spin move--something you'd like to hit like 7 buttons in sequence on the X-Box to pull off.
Problem is, he missed the part that only requires flipping the right joystick, and the free throw rimmed out.
Still...15 points in the first four minutes! This was surely going to be a romp for the 2007 Georgetown Hoyas.
Except...then it wasn't.
15 points in the first four minutes...15 points in the last sixteen minutes.
The closest Clydes got was on that Clark layup. Every time they pulled within a possession, Beyond Belief had the answer--whether it was a dunk, a follow, a three pointer, or a great drive...they were the better team by a wide margin, and [cliche alert!] just wanted it more.
By the time Jason Clark picked up a technical foul with just over a minute to go, it was already in the books...for the game and for the Kenner League season, as first DCX, Tombs, and We Are One in the quarterfinals and THEN Clydes today were all bounced from the KL Playoffs.
It's Beyond Belief vs. Bearcats/Hunger Force tomorrow. Get there early to tailgate.
Jason Clark: 14 points, 3-9 2pt, 1-3 3pt, 5-7 FT, 2RB, 2A, 2TO, 1STL
The pace of the game did not suit Clark AT ALL today. It was instructive to say the least.
It seems since about the 2007-2008 season fans have been begging on Hoyatalk for JT3 to open up the offense more and let the team run. The premise being--we've finally got the athletes to make it happen.
I never was fully on the bandwagon there--the argument seemed to easy to reduce to: Chris Wright is faster than Jon Wallace, therefore run more. It takes more than one player to make a fast paced offense, and I'm still not convinced that Monroe, Sims, or even Freeman is suited for an up and down style. They're getting closer, but not there yet.
Clark is the X-factor. Possession a wealth of speed and explosiveness, he hadn't quite smoothed out his handle and was too turnover prone to really be counted on in the open court. He made tremendous strides over the off-season, it is evident, getting a more confident and compact handle. His decision making, however, is still hit or miss.
This was a verrrrrrrrrrrrry high paced game, almost to the point of being junk ball. Beyond Belief put pressure all over the court--no guard got past halfcourt without at least two swipes at the ball from separate defenders. It placed a premium on ball handling and decision making, and while Clark didn't have THAT many turnovers (I'm almost sure he had more than the two I recorded), he made several questionable attacks at the basket in transition, resulting in bad floaters or odd attempts in traffic.
This type of hyper defense won't even be the sometimes-norm in the Big East--but junk defense of some form certainly can be...why do you think neither us nor Villanova can break 60 against each other?
So two and a half weeks later, I'd give Clark a B+ for the Kenner League. Huge strides in the one skill he needed to improve--ball handling--and the energy abounds and will be well served on this team next year. Still uncertain if he's going to be able to avoid giving us heart attacks when he makes decisions under pressure.
Henry Sims: 6 points, 3-6 2pt, 0-1 FT, 6RB (2off), 2TO
It took until the final game of the summer, in one of his lowest scoring outputs, but I finally saw the one thing I was waiting for Henry Sims to show me.
If you've been to ANY Clyde's game this summer, you've heard lichoya yelling "BE MEAN HENRY!". He finally obliged in the second half.
If there's one overarching criticism I have about Henry Sims, it's that he doesn't assert himself on the interior. He's got a decent touch with the face up jumper, and he moves okay, but he's not backing you down or squeezing in tough baskets with physical play. Defensively it's more concerning--it's still too easy to out-muscle him down low, and too often he favors going for unrealistic block attempts or ball watches, leaving himself on the outside of a box-out trying to get a defensive rebound. He doesn't quite have the athleticism to overcome poor positioning.
In the second half though, finally there was Sims playing above the rim on rebounds, fighting for loose balls, ripping the rock away from opponents and playing with a snarl on his face on the defensive glass. This was a welcome sight, and really the side of Sims' game that needs to emerge on a regular basis during the Big East season for us to become a reliable contender.
Is Sims the key player for the Hoyas' chances next season? I still say...sort of. Really, the key player is Sims + Vaughn, because I'm of the opinion that both will have good nights some of the time, and it's a matter of putting in the right guy for the right situation to excel. We absolutely, 100% need another legit frontcourt option next to Monroe to make defenses think and keep offenses off the glass--this much is clear.
For the summer, a solid B for Henry--stronger than he was, but a ways to go...he'll only benefit from the James Gists and Jeff Clarks of the world showing him a thing or two.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
So here we are, feels like we just got started and it's already done. Such is life in the crazy messed up scheduling of the Kenner League. If you're counting, it was T-minus three months until the season opener as of this past Thursday.
Weird two plus weeks for me too...I survived combination of fatigue from bad sleep, a mild cold, several late nights at work, and a $4 parking fee that first night of games. I was honestly kind of happy to have Kenner League finally come along because I was facing a boring August calendar. At the end of it all, I'm happy I still have some boring August calendar left!
Thanks for reading, will of course catch you all again likely on the night of Nov. 17th after the home opener against Temple.
I will actually be at the KL Final tomorrow, though not recapping. Got a meeting to discuss HHC communications stuff. Actually, maybe we do have one victory to talk about today:
We're getting the Twitter account.
Song of the moment I wrote this sentence: Talking Heads, Wild Wild Life:
