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Post by Cjb on Oct 14, 2014 21:01:38 GMT -5
So who's planning to be at Meet The Gaels this Saturday 10/18?
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Post by gregcrow on Oct 14, 2014 21:27:40 GMT -5
So who's planning to be at Meet The Gaels this Saturday 10/18? Sorry. I will be at Ohio Stadium for meet the Scarlet Knights!
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Post by GuyF on Oct 14, 2014 21:31:34 GMT -5
So who's planning to be at Meet The Gaels this Saturday 10/18? I'll be there.
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Post by ic59 on Oct 14, 2014 21:57:16 GMT -5
I'll be there for most of it.
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Post by Super on Oct 15, 2014 6:04:26 GMT -5
I'll be there for most of it. Nope!
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Post by hawaii bill on Oct 18, 2014 12:41:53 GMT -5
Looking forward to any comments from those who were there
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Post by Joebird on Oct 18, 2014 13:40:02 GMT -5
Here are my thoughts:
Maroon featuring English, Laury and Casimar had a big second half comeback led by English to beat White (Williams, Dublin, Amayo) 115-104.
English-Sleepwalked thru first half but went crazy from 3 in second half going about 6-8 and I believe scored about 24 points in the second half and maybe 27 total.
Laury-Looked decent, in good shape, played as you would expect. It was reported he was hitting 3's in practice but didn't look too much more comfortable from 3 then we saw last year. I doubt you will see him hit more than a couple of 3's all year.
Casimar-Kid will start, great addition. He is Kee Kee Clarke jr. -a replica. I decided to count his points and I tallied 32 with just a few misses, I believe high scorer. 24 in first half. A natural scorer, I expect him to score 2,000 points in his career and as crazy as it sounds would not be stunned if he ends as all time scorer in Iona history. Had an amazing behind the back assist. Even with all that high praise we will still see him have some problems against bigger opponents and he does make Iona small when he is in.
Williams-Looked better from 3. Will be all first or second team Maac player, arguably our best all around player.
Hines-A good shooter, improved from 3 but despite his size he is simply not a big man. Doubt he will help much with rebounding. Will get plenty of minutes and may start due to his 3 point ability.
Amayo-Even though he didn't look 100% (maybe 95%) he is an absolute blurr when he drives to the basket and it looks like many players just want to get out of his way because he is so strong and fast, a bull. Only took one outside 3 and hit it but I don't think he is that comfortable shooting from outside yet. Will prefer to drive, several monsterous slams. He will get lots of minutes and will get better as year goes on but not sure he will start, his overall game I a bit rusty.
Muhammad-a great natural point guard and can play defense. Not the best 3 shooter though he hit a couple. He will find minutes but the problem is if he is on the court the same time as Casimar the team is too small and it is going to be hard to take Casimar out. One of best defenders on team, second to Williams.
Robinson-Still looks hurt. If he can get healthy I think he could be an asset both up top on the 1-3-1 on D (as we saw a little last year) and hitting 12-15 footers. He hit most he tried in warmups. Can't find his size at this level, if he can get healthy may play a major role in future years.
Dublin-Disappointed, has a strong upper body but just not sure exactly how he will fit in. I expect him to contribute but I see him more as an eighth man, but with the teams lack of size in certain games (especially when Laury is in foul trouble) he will need to play, though he is not that tall (6-5?).
Bebis-Will be last Scholarship player off the bench. Looks like a decent passer and ball handler, but not that confidant shooting 3's yet, has some potential.
Ellis-In warm ups looked great from 3 but didn't do that much in the game. Went on a little hot streak scoring late in the game but he will have to fight for minutes. Will get a chance in some games but he is going to have to knock down 3's to play. Looks in good shape.
3 walk ons' -one got some action in points because he had some inside ability (maybe 6-5) and you may see him pla in emergency situations (injuries or foul problems)
Overall team looks like another quality Cluess team headed to the post season and with 3 veteran players this team will be tough to beat, just can't tell yet how good until we see them for real. I think we won't be quite as good of a 3 point shooting team this year, but we could be as good if not a better scoring team and we may miss Armand's overall leadership.
Should be another fun year.
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Post by resumeman on Oct 18, 2014 14:02:26 GMT -5
Thanks for the observations Joebird. Can't wait to see Casimir in action, sounds like a very exciting player. Also, Amayo's ability to drive to the hoop, may force some defenders to collapse on him and result in more open shots for some of the outside shooters. I'm hoping that Ellis can earn additional minutes and become another deep threat for us. Also feel this team has more depth, so perhaps TC will be inclined to substitute more freely to keep starters fresh. I'm also wondering whether DLIII will start or come off the bench as he did so effectively last year. Perhaps his being in better shape is a sign of better conditioning which could translate into more minutes of playing time, and perhaps less likelihood of committing fouls due diminished energy levels.
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Post by iona05 on Oct 18, 2014 14:04:30 GMT -5
Some thoughts from MTG:
1. Hard to imagine Casimir not starting from day one. Very mature for a freshman, doesn't force shots, incredible quickness, very unselfish and is a deadly shooter. Has to be preseason favorite for ROY.
2. As another poster reported Isaiah is the clear leader of the team. Will be a travesty when he is not selected preseason first team all conference. He will definitely be there by end of season.
3. Amayo playing well, but nowhere near full strength yet. Very physical, loves attacking the rim, but right now is a step too slow, which will change pretty soon I've he's fully healthy. Also is a weak outside shooter, which will expose him a bit once the league figures him out.
4. Depth on this team is tremendous. Should have fresh legs on court at almost all times.
5. Sean and Tre's long distance shooting will be missed. This team can light it up from three, but not like last year.
6. More flexibility to switch up lineups with this roster. We can play fast, we can play physical, we can play conservative. Should give us a huge advantage to customize lineups according to game situations.
7. Ibn is a more than adequate backup PG option. Quick as can be, great passer, and doesn't make mistakes. The net improvement of Casimir and Ibn over Sledge and Gonez at PG is huge.
8. Dublin is a nice player, but you can still see he is having some challenges with adjusting to out system. With only one year of eligibility hopefully he makes those adjustments before it's too late.
9. Laury and AJ all class. Hands down first teamers, and with laurys improved conditioning and outside shot, he adds another dimension to the offense.
10. Still a lot of rust to scrape off and work left to be done, but the upside on this team is tremendous.
Last comment. Bessick looks like a nice player who will give us serious size and talent inside next year. Too bad he's not eligible this year otherwise I think he would put this team over the top.
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Post by sharkey on Oct 18, 2014 14:30:07 GMT -5
thanks for the reports guys. sounds like the starting 5 will be Casimir, AJ,DL,IW and Hines. Amayo, Ibn and Dublin first 3 off bench. little concerned over the rebounding. can not wait for the season to start
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Post by iona05 on Oct 18, 2014 14:36:52 GMT -5
Not so sure about Hines as fifth starter. Still very much up for grabs.
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Post by Joebird on Oct 18, 2014 15:06:44 GMT -5
Agree 5th starter up for grabs. Forgot to mention Amayo is a good passer. He may be a step slow laterally but once he gets going he is a locomotive. I forgot to mention Bessick, Iona 05 agree with most of what you said but i was not overly impressed with bessick, see him as a contributor next year but not sure if it goes much beyond that.
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Post by oldtimer on Oct 18, 2014 15:07:15 GMT -5
Thanks Joebird fro your excellent report...They confirmed what my observation suspected ref. Casimir...He may be one of those undersized players that show up every few years whose talents overcome that obstacle...If so he goes a long way to solidifying the teams options...We will at times be undersized, but a strong motivation to ''Hit the Boards'' will help alleviate that deficiency...
It has me considering upgrading my season outlook for the Gails from good to special......
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Post by epatrick on Oct 18, 2014 15:08:55 GMT -5
I liked what I saw in Dublin. He seemed to get every rebound when Laury wasn't under the basket. Also he finishes off plays under the basket. Think he is a huge addition. And Ellis showed me a lot by mixing things up and going to the basket along with some nice assists. We probably won't see as many made threes as last year, but I believe our rebounding is a step up from last year so that missed three may well turn into offensive boards. Love the depth of the team.
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Post by Old Coach on Oct 18, 2014 15:59:39 GMT -5
Agree mostly with the player comments. . .Dublin reminds me of a player named Steve Smith who we had back in the Ruland years who was good getting a lot of put-backs, rebounds and active around the basket. With 3 strong scorers returning. . .Dublin could start with Amayo. . .with Casimir coming off the bench to step up the tempo.
With this depth. . .this could be a special team however you need to see how the chemistry develops, the level of our full court pressure and our ability to take care of the ball when our opponent presses.
Looking forward to the season.
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