Post by hoyalove4ever on Feb 16, 2006 11:32:12 GMT -5
I attended Hargrave's game against the UNC JV team yesterday. Before I offer my observations from the game, here are some preliminary thoughts:
The JV Basketball team is UNC's only JV team. It is coached by Jarod Haase, who is an assistant with the men's team; for many years it was coached by Phil Ford. The tryouts are very competitive and all of the players who make the team were at least decent players in high school. Usually, the best player(s) have a chance to matriculate to the men's team by their junior year. The team often includes players who had the chance to attend small schools on scholarship but instead chose to attend UNC (with the cheap in-state tuition and superior academics in most cases). All the players are disciplined and focused.
The JV plays their games in the Dean Dome, which was pretty empty for the game but started to fill up toward the end as the UNC-GT game followed at 7:00 (the Hargrave-JV game started at 4:00).
First thoughts upon seeing Macklin:
He looks a legitimate 6'9"; he is NOT 190, although I'm not sure he's the 220 he's listed at on the Hargrave site; I might guess 210-215. He is neither ultra-thin nor muscular. Although he seems confident, he does not seem full of himself, and he did no showboating or other nonsense at any time.
Game observations:
The game was played with twenty minutes halfs and (obviously) on a college sized court.
Hargrave was by far the more physically gifted squad. Early on, the Hargrave guards dominated the game. Tyler Smith is very good and has the ability to be an impact player in college. He is solidly built, quick, and an explosive leaper. He was by far the leading scorer in the first half as he utilized a variety of moves both in the halfcourt and transition. I'm not sure where he's going to school but he's a good get for some team.
Macklin did not jump center, as Hargrave has another big guy, Speights, who filled that role. Macklin had six points in the first half: a powerful dunk early, a reverse layup, and a garbage dunk of a chaotic broken play in transition. His teammates did not look for him much and he did not call for the ball, as he spent much of his time either on the wing kind of out of the way, or down low but not posting up. Other than the impressive dunk early, his athletic prowess was not really on display, as he was not sprinting in the open court.
Although Hargrave was up for most of the first half, the UNC team stayed close and then mounted a furious push toward the end of the half. Hargrave basically got rattled and wilted. The score at the end of the first half was 46-45, UNC.
At halftime, I was walking toward the restroom on the main level when I heard someone yelling something like "Hey! Hey there!" I turned around and there was a man approaching me. He smiled, pointed to my Georgetown t-shirt and hat, and then asked what I thought "of him" so far. I started to say that I was excited to get the chance to see him play, etc, when he said that the reason why he asked was because he was one of the coaches. I then introduced myself to Coach Broadus! I told him that I was a lifelong fan and we briefly discussed the game. I told him that I had heard about Macklin's speed but hadn't seen it on display because he was not running full speed. Coach Broadus nodded and said "You should tell him that," which I was not about to do. I then noted that Tyler Smith was a good looking player and he agreed, and also stated the number 0, who is Armon Bassett, is also a good player, although we hadn't seen much from him. We talked for a minute or two and then he said he had to get back to his seat. What a nice guy! And how unusual yet wonderful for a coach to approach a fan! As he walked away he said thanks for the support. I could not have been more impressed with him-- aside from the fact that he was in NC on the day before an away game to follow a recruit who we have already signed. He would not have gotten back to DC until between 10:00-11:00 PM, with (presumably) an early flight the next day. Now THAT is the type of dedication and hard work that will bring our program to an elite level.
Coach Keats must have gotten after the team at the half as they came out and asserted themselves in the second half. Macklin was a suddenly catching the ball down low, where he was able to flush it with ease everytime. The guy can take off very quickly and explode to the rim from anywhere close to the block. He is a finisher inside.
Although the UNC team fought hard, Hargrave ended up winning by ten or so and surpassing 100 points. Macklin had 30 points on what I tracked as something like 13-15 from the field (almost all dunks and all interior shots). He was also 4-7 from the line I believe. His foul shot looks decent but not great.
General observations on Macklin:
First and foremost, he is NOT a post player, or was not at all yesterday. I don't believe that he posted up with his back to the basket once. He caught the ball on the perimeter a few times but never got a drive to the basket or attempted an outside shot. He is fast and he does jump well, but his rebounding position is suspect and he is a poor shoot blocker (bad timing and positioning).
The Macklin v. Hibbert debate is a bit misguided because Macklin is not at all a center right now. I think that he will get better with more skill development, but as of now I'm not sure how he would fit into our offense, other than one thing: setting ball screens and then rolling to the basket, because once he caught the ball it would be over. With time and skill development, he could be outstanding, but I'm not sure that he's an instant star. Overall, though, he certainly is a great get for GU.
Okay, I gotta run, but I hope that helps. GO HOYAS-- past, present, and future!
The JV Basketball team is UNC's only JV team. It is coached by Jarod Haase, who is an assistant with the men's team; for many years it was coached by Phil Ford. The tryouts are very competitive and all of the players who make the team were at least decent players in high school. Usually, the best player(s) have a chance to matriculate to the men's team by their junior year. The team often includes players who had the chance to attend small schools on scholarship but instead chose to attend UNC (with the cheap in-state tuition and superior academics in most cases). All the players are disciplined and focused.
The JV plays their games in the Dean Dome, which was pretty empty for the game but started to fill up toward the end as the UNC-GT game followed at 7:00 (the Hargrave-JV game started at 4:00).
First thoughts upon seeing Macklin:
He looks a legitimate 6'9"; he is NOT 190, although I'm not sure he's the 220 he's listed at on the Hargrave site; I might guess 210-215. He is neither ultra-thin nor muscular. Although he seems confident, he does not seem full of himself, and he did no showboating or other nonsense at any time.
Game observations:
The game was played with twenty minutes halfs and (obviously) on a college sized court.
Hargrave was by far the more physically gifted squad. Early on, the Hargrave guards dominated the game. Tyler Smith is very good and has the ability to be an impact player in college. He is solidly built, quick, and an explosive leaper. He was by far the leading scorer in the first half as he utilized a variety of moves both in the halfcourt and transition. I'm not sure where he's going to school but he's a good get for some team.
Macklin did not jump center, as Hargrave has another big guy, Speights, who filled that role. Macklin had six points in the first half: a powerful dunk early, a reverse layup, and a garbage dunk of a chaotic broken play in transition. His teammates did not look for him much and he did not call for the ball, as he spent much of his time either on the wing kind of out of the way, or down low but not posting up. Other than the impressive dunk early, his athletic prowess was not really on display, as he was not sprinting in the open court.
Although Hargrave was up for most of the first half, the UNC team stayed close and then mounted a furious push toward the end of the half. Hargrave basically got rattled and wilted. The score at the end of the first half was 46-45, UNC.
At halftime, I was walking toward the restroom on the main level when I heard someone yelling something like "Hey! Hey there!" I turned around and there was a man approaching me. He smiled, pointed to my Georgetown t-shirt and hat, and then asked what I thought "of him" so far. I started to say that I was excited to get the chance to see him play, etc, when he said that the reason why he asked was because he was one of the coaches. I then introduced myself to Coach Broadus! I told him that I was a lifelong fan and we briefly discussed the game. I told him that I had heard about Macklin's speed but hadn't seen it on display because he was not running full speed. Coach Broadus nodded and said "You should tell him that," which I was not about to do. I then noted that Tyler Smith was a good looking player and he agreed, and also stated the number 0, who is Armon Bassett, is also a good player, although we hadn't seen much from him. We talked for a minute or two and then he said he had to get back to his seat. What a nice guy! And how unusual yet wonderful for a coach to approach a fan! As he walked away he said thanks for the support. I could not have been more impressed with him-- aside from the fact that he was in NC on the day before an away game to follow a recruit who we have already signed. He would not have gotten back to DC until between 10:00-11:00 PM, with (presumably) an early flight the next day. Now THAT is the type of dedication and hard work that will bring our program to an elite level.
Coach Keats must have gotten after the team at the half as they came out and asserted themselves in the second half. Macklin was a suddenly catching the ball down low, where he was able to flush it with ease everytime. The guy can take off very quickly and explode to the rim from anywhere close to the block. He is a finisher inside.
Although the UNC team fought hard, Hargrave ended up winning by ten or so and surpassing 100 points. Macklin had 30 points on what I tracked as something like 13-15 from the field (almost all dunks and all interior shots). He was also 4-7 from the line I believe. His foul shot looks decent but not great.
General observations on Macklin:
First and foremost, he is NOT a post player, or was not at all yesterday. I don't believe that he posted up with his back to the basket once. He caught the ball on the perimeter a few times but never got a drive to the basket or attempted an outside shot. He is fast and he does jump well, but his rebounding position is suspect and he is a poor shoot blocker (bad timing and positioning).
The Macklin v. Hibbert debate is a bit misguided because Macklin is not at all a center right now. I think that he will get better with more skill development, but as of now I'm not sure how he would fit into our offense, other than one thing: setting ball screens and then rolling to the basket, because once he caught the ball it would be over. With time and skill development, he could be outstanding, but I'm not sure that he's an instant star. Overall, though, he certainly is a great get for GU.
Okay, I gotta run, but I hope that helps. GO HOYAS-- past, present, and future!