Capital Classic

[hoyas315]

[thedragon]

[hoyas315]

[hoyas315]

[seaweed]

Apr 13, 2024 17:07:00 GMT -5 hoyas315 said:

Ten assists btw 3 guys. That’s what I’m talking about.

[hoyas315]

[DFW HOYA]

That attendance figure on the stat sheet was brutal: 250.

Twenty years ago, the Washington Post bemoaned the declining average over the prior six years: just 9,006 a game, including a low of 7,473 the season before. The 1979 and 1981 games sold out Capital Centre and crowds over 15,000 or more were not uncommon in its first 10 years.

[saxagael]

Watching the incoming Hoyas was a blast. Mulready was a bit rusty and showed he hadn't been able to play much this year. But, the connections with passes between Mulready and Sorber were really good. Mulready is a solid 6'4", not the 6'6" that was listed. I had seen Mulready two years ago and his game is much better. He defended the USA guards well with defending with his feet cutting off drives. Mulready's outside shot really seems rusty, but his court vision and head up play was really good to see after watching Epps stare at his opponents feet all season only looking to break down his man, not find open players.

Sorber was amazing to watch. He move up and down the court really well. He is far more athletic and agile than the videos I had seen of him coming up to this. Sorber was easily hitting 3s warming up and his form is really good. He has a lot of length, but while playing with the enthusiasm of a kid he was battling for the ball and feisty (not as feisty as Caleb). I don't remember the last time the Hoyas had a player like him, but have played against players like him at UConn and elsewhere. At 6'9" or 6'10" (Marshall is 6'11" and Sorber just shorter and far shorter than the Florida bound 7'7" player) with length to go with that height, the agility and movement was really impressive from Sorber near the basket. His inside footwork is pretty good, but doesn't have bulk (he had lost 20 pounds coming into this year to help with knee and back issues prior, and improve mobility). He plays offensively like a long wing, but on defense can defend in and out with good rim protection skills. I didn't really know what to expect from him, but he really was impressive. Pairing Sorber and Fielder as stretch 4 wings could cause a lot of serious problems for opponents.

Caleb was also a surprise, mostly as he actually ran point to start the game and the 6'7" advantage running point is nuts. He knows what he is doing at point, gets low to protect the ball, but also his height gives him great court vision. The way he played today was far better suited to him than covering the Gonzaga big (6'10" player). In the Gonzaga game Caleb didn't shoot well from outside at all with a very flat shot. Today, he has a really nice 3 point stroke going, which was still a bit flat, but had good form. Caleb starting at point and doing that really well was great to see, and he was matched on Mikey Lewis (out of Prolific Prep and headed to St. Mary's California Gaels) and didn't give Mikey a lot to work with. Caleb had Mikey shift off him and Mikey started going off (top scorer in the game), but Caleb continued to defend well. Caleb drew a couple charges (he'll be a good Hoya) and was really feisty around the ball and getting chippy with coaches on the USA bench.

Of the three both Sorber and Caleb looked like they could be solid contributors early. Caleb had the best body control and shot. He also was playing heads-up point guard creating for others better than the Hoyas had last season for most games. I really want to see Sorber on the court badly. Hoyas still need a big for Big East inside battles, but Sorber and Fielder with a solid point guard and two wings could be really good. This year may still be a little rough, but the following year with these players, a point guard (if not Caleb), Fielder, and McKenna shooting well could be a really good team for the Hoyas.

[saxagael]

Apr 13, 2024 17:50:14 GMT -5 seaweed said:

Apr 13, 2024 17:07:00 GMT -5 hoyas315 said:

Ten assists btw 3 guys. That’s what I’m talking about.

The passing was insanely good with these three, with drop passes, bounce passes, up top passes, skip passes, and each one of them had a bounce pass behind them to a player no look. The court vision of these three is quite good and the ball IQ.

The best part of the passes was also the catches, Sorber had a few drop passes ot him and he has soft hands that catch and hold onto the ball really well. All three were catching passes really well.

Sorber getting the ball in the middle had a quite a few great quick passes out to wide open teammates on the wing (I have deeply missed seeing a Hoya do that for the last 7 years or more).

[saxagael]

Apr 13, 2024 17:57:01 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

That attendance figure on the stat sheet was brutal: 250.

Twenty years ago, the Washington Post bemoaned the declining average over the prior six years: just 9,006 a game, including a low of 7,473 the season before. The 1979 and 1981 games sold out Capital Centre and crowds over 15,000 or more were not uncommon in its first 10 years.

There were closer to 1,000 or more at the game. But, there were a lot of family, coaches, and players in the stands. Yesterday when I went to get tickets there were very few sold, which was really strange. Everybody around us had bought their tickets yesterday or this morning. One of the parents of a first game player said tickets didn't seem to be available until Thursday. Tickets were $25 or $100 with about 50% fees added by ticket master to the $25 ticket. There weren't many $100 tickets available (they were on the short stands side of the court).

I remember in the mid to late 90s tickets were available weeks in advance.

[DanMcQ]

[HoyaAtHeart]

Apr 13, 2024 17:57:01 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

That attendance figure on the stat sheet was brutal: 250.

Twenty years ago, the Washington Post bemoaned the declining average over the prior six years: just 9,006 a game, including a low of 7,473 the season before. The 1979 and 1981 games sold out Capital Centre and crowds over 15,000 or more were not uncommon in its first 10 years.

A case of bad promo + no major sponsors. Even before the Jordan era, the CC used to showcase alot more higher profile guys on both the US/Local sides.