Post by SirSaxa on Dec 24, 2004 13:53:45 GMT -5
Saxacd and I had a great time watching our team develop before our eyes this week. The growth and understanding that took place from Monday to Thursday was quite remarkable.
Forwards
Clearly, this is the strength of this team, especially when good Brandon shows up as he did vs. Clemson. Bowman and Green are both very athletic, can score inside and out, can move with or without the ball, can hit the boards, and can drive other teams crazy. When Owens comes in to spell them, he provides experience, athleticism and energy. Usually good defense. The "Princeton Offense" can be great for Green and Bowman becuase it opens things up for them and gives them opportunities to slash to the hoop. When the two of them have things going simultaneously, this team becomes quite tough to defend. On defense, our guys can be muscled. And as mentioned many time this week, Green is the leader of this team and the key to whatever success we achieve. My favorite Hoya recruit since Big Mike. Craig signed a really good one in Jeff.
Center
Hibbert showed me a lot more than I expected. I love his fire and enthusiasm! He can also be very difficult for teams to defend. They can't afford to concentrate too much on our forwards and forget about Roy. He is most effective close to the hoop and doesn't appear to have much of a shot from farther out. But that is OK. He isn't strong enough yet, nor aggressive enough to always get his dunk. He can get blocked, and pushed out of position. Of course, he just turned 18 a week ago. He also looks to pass all the time and appears to be a bright kid who wants to learn. Roy is going to be a valuable Hoya this season, and even more so down the road.
When Green plays center in his place, we obviously lose a lot of bulk. Against big teams, we are going to have some trouble.
Guards
Our three guard rotation of Wallace, Cook and Reed provides quickness and shooting ability. It appears to me that Wallace has the best understanding of the offense and ability to run it. He seems to be the most natural point guard. Cook and Reed are more effective at the two. Cook needs to focus on his passing. Reed needs to keep doing whatever it is he is doing because he has made great strides this season - and that allows him to utilize his quickness, a big advantage against most of the competition.
Bench.
Owens and Reed got the most minutes and made the biggest contributions. not sure what happened with Ross... but he didn't get a lot of PT here. Coming into Hawaii, Roy was coming off the bench. departing, it seems like our starters and rotation are set for the Big East season. Not to say that a 7 man rotation is enough for a season, but unless someone gets hurt or someone other than Reed and DJ start to show more, foul trouble is the only way some of those other bench players are going to see serious minutes.
Offense.
When we run it well, it is a thing of beauty. As saxacd called it, "Princeton with a Georgetown twist". He was referring to those backdoor cuts that Bowman converted into acrobatic reverse slams that brought the house down. I never saw any Princeton kids finishing like that.
Defense.
We aren't that big or deep. Our guards are not tall. Our team is pretty young. And we can get overpowered inside. But we do have quickness. If we can stay out of foul trouble, we can give most teams some trouble.
Coaching.
Wow, all of our coaches are totally into the game and into coaching. All game long. JT3 sets the tone though, calm, in control, positive. Every time a player comes off the floor, he gets a pat and a "good job" from JT3. he is not a yeller, not a screamer. Very positive. I really like this guy and like what I saw from the rest.
Big East.
We have some really good teams in our conference. We are a young and building team. But I think we'll give some teams fits, and we will pull off a few upsets. Most importantly, we can have some fun this year and know that we are building in the right direction.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all and congratulations to our Hoyas!!
Forwards
Clearly, this is the strength of this team, especially when good Brandon shows up as he did vs. Clemson. Bowman and Green are both very athletic, can score inside and out, can move with or without the ball, can hit the boards, and can drive other teams crazy. When Owens comes in to spell them, he provides experience, athleticism and energy. Usually good defense. The "Princeton Offense" can be great for Green and Bowman becuase it opens things up for them and gives them opportunities to slash to the hoop. When the two of them have things going simultaneously, this team becomes quite tough to defend. On defense, our guys can be muscled. And as mentioned many time this week, Green is the leader of this team and the key to whatever success we achieve. My favorite Hoya recruit since Big Mike. Craig signed a really good one in Jeff.
Center
Hibbert showed me a lot more than I expected. I love his fire and enthusiasm! He can also be very difficult for teams to defend. They can't afford to concentrate too much on our forwards and forget about Roy. He is most effective close to the hoop and doesn't appear to have much of a shot from farther out. But that is OK. He isn't strong enough yet, nor aggressive enough to always get his dunk. He can get blocked, and pushed out of position. Of course, he just turned 18 a week ago. He also looks to pass all the time and appears to be a bright kid who wants to learn. Roy is going to be a valuable Hoya this season, and even more so down the road.
When Green plays center in his place, we obviously lose a lot of bulk. Against big teams, we are going to have some trouble.
Guards
Our three guard rotation of Wallace, Cook and Reed provides quickness and shooting ability. It appears to me that Wallace has the best understanding of the offense and ability to run it. He seems to be the most natural point guard. Cook and Reed are more effective at the two. Cook needs to focus on his passing. Reed needs to keep doing whatever it is he is doing because he has made great strides this season - and that allows him to utilize his quickness, a big advantage against most of the competition.
Bench.
Owens and Reed got the most minutes and made the biggest contributions. not sure what happened with Ross... but he didn't get a lot of PT here. Coming into Hawaii, Roy was coming off the bench. departing, it seems like our starters and rotation are set for the Big East season. Not to say that a 7 man rotation is enough for a season, but unless someone gets hurt or someone other than Reed and DJ start to show more, foul trouble is the only way some of those other bench players are going to see serious minutes.
Offense.
When we run it well, it is a thing of beauty. As saxacd called it, "Princeton with a Georgetown twist". He was referring to those backdoor cuts that Bowman converted into acrobatic reverse slams that brought the house down. I never saw any Princeton kids finishing like that.
Defense.
We aren't that big or deep. Our guards are not tall. Our team is pretty young. And we can get overpowered inside. But we do have quickness. If we can stay out of foul trouble, we can give most teams some trouble.
Coaching.
Wow, all of our coaches are totally into the game and into coaching. All game long. JT3 sets the tone though, calm, in control, positive. Every time a player comes off the floor, he gets a pat and a "good job" from JT3. he is not a yeller, not a screamer. Very positive. I really like this guy and like what I saw from the rest.
Big East.
We have some really good teams in our conference. We are a young and building team. But I think we'll give some teams fits, and we will pull off a few upsets. Most importantly, we can have some fun this year and know that we are building in the right direction.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all and congratulations to our Hoyas!!
