Post by endwee on Oct 13, 2014 14:30:29 GMT -5
Had a great time watching the guys, talking with OT and IC59, meeting Coach Leichner and saying hello to Coach Grasso and Coach O'Keefe. SID came over and dropped some knowledge on us as well. Here's my take away:
Overall, team is FAST. Some guys are in better shape than others - Coach and the team leaders are pushing the new guys to keep up. We had three walk-ons practicing and it sounds like we might dress them and they might just be practice players - Coach still hasn't decided. All three can play and are in great shape. One was consistently the first player finished with sprints. My guess for starting five is: AJ, Williams, Hines, Casimir, and Laury.
Here's a player-by-player breakdown:
Williams - Unquestionable leader of the team. Taken over for Armand. Extremely demanding of the new guys - yelling at them to keep up and pushing them in the way Cluess pushes everyone. Very vocal and always in the right spot. Jumper looked better than ever. He is going to have an unreal year barring injury.
AJ - Physically more muscular. Insanely confident and playing like someone that knows how good he is. Knocked down three after three. Was also out rebounding most players on the floor. Thought he might take over as vocal leader - but it seems he's more of a lead by example guy, which suits him fine.
Laury - Definitely in the best shape he has been in since arriving. Looked very comfortable shooting from distance - you can tell he's worked on the jumper. Still a great finisher and a mismatch problem. More vocal with the new guys. Seems to have taken Bebis under his wing - yelled at him and encouraged him at the same time.
Hines - Bulked up over the summer and looks to be in good shape. Sounds like he's going to start over Dublin. His jumper looked stronger and his passing is underrated. Looking for a big jump this year. Seems to have trouble shooting when closely guarded. When open, he is a knock down shooter. So, our ball movement will dictate his success, in my opinion.
Casimir - A stone-cold scorer - Shoots every time he is open and rarely misses. Defense seems to be a work in progress. He's pesty but tiny. Bigger guards will present a problem. Seems to understand Cluess' demands and offense and never looked winded for one second. Will be a crowd fave.
Muhammad - Mature and smart player - But, he's tiny as well - A bit smaller than Casimir but more muscular - He's quick and better defensively than Casimir - He's pass first for sure - Should be a very good backup.
Amayo - Seemed to be struggling to keep up with the pace - but he's a helluva passer and just a good basketball player - He didn't really shoot at all - Sounds like he will start eventually but needs to acclimate.
Dublin - Not as tall as I was expecting - but muscular and a good space eater - Will be a good defender and rebounder. Offensively, I'd call him a garbage man - meaning he'll get lots of put backs and offensive boards. His jumper is flat. I think he'll be our 6th man.
Ellis - Was knocking down a ton of shots - Looks to be in awesome shape - Lack of playing time seems to be about defensive assignments - Seems like the staff is counting on him to eliminate mental lapses and take advantage of his talent - Let's hope.
Bebis - Good shooter and in good shape - Needs work defensively - but jumper is solid - Going to have to fight for playing time.
Bessick - A front line of Robinson, Bessick, and Hines next year could be formidable and awesome - Bessick needs to get on board with the Cluess' demands for running, sprinting, and being in shape - But he's a steal from James Madison - Huge and skilled
Robinson - Didn't practice - Just shot jumpers on the gun - Good, mature kid - Says he will practice fully this week.
Overall, team is FAST. Some guys are in better shape than others - Coach and the team leaders are pushing the new guys to keep up. We had three walk-ons practicing and it sounds like we might dress them and they might just be practice players - Coach still hasn't decided. All three can play and are in great shape. One was consistently the first player finished with sprints. My guess for starting five is: AJ, Williams, Hines, Casimir, and Laury.
Here's a player-by-player breakdown:
Williams - Unquestionable leader of the team. Taken over for Armand. Extremely demanding of the new guys - yelling at them to keep up and pushing them in the way Cluess pushes everyone. Very vocal and always in the right spot. Jumper looked better than ever. He is going to have an unreal year barring injury.
AJ - Physically more muscular. Insanely confident and playing like someone that knows how good he is. Knocked down three after three. Was also out rebounding most players on the floor. Thought he might take over as vocal leader - but it seems he's more of a lead by example guy, which suits him fine.
Laury - Definitely in the best shape he has been in since arriving. Looked very comfortable shooting from distance - you can tell he's worked on the jumper. Still a great finisher and a mismatch problem. More vocal with the new guys. Seems to have taken Bebis under his wing - yelled at him and encouraged him at the same time.
Hines - Bulked up over the summer and looks to be in good shape. Sounds like he's going to start over Dublin. His jumper looked stronger and his passing is underrated. Looking for a big jump this year. Seems to have trouble shooting when closely guarded. When open, he is a knock down shooter. So, our ball movement will dictate his success, in my opinion.
Casimir - A stone-cold scorer - Shoots every time he is open and rarely misses. Defense seems to be a work in progress. He's pesty but tiny. Bigger guards will present a problem. Seems to understand Cluess' demands and offense and never looked winded for one second. Will be a crowd fave.
Muhammad - Mature and smart player - But, he's tiny as well - A bit smaller than Casimir but more muscular - He's quick and better defensively than Casimir - He's pass first for sure - Should be a very good backup.
Amayo - Seemed to be struggling to keep up with the pace - but he's a helluva passer and just a good basketball player - He didn't really shoot at all - Sounds like he will start eventually but needs to acclimate.
Dublin - Not as tall as I was expecting - but muscular and a good space eater - Will be a good defender and rebounder. Offensively, I'd call him a garbage man - meaning he'll get lots of put backs and offensive boards. His jumper is flat. I think he'll be our 6th man.
Ellis - Was knocking down a ton of shots - Looks to be in awesome shape - Lack of playing time seems to be about defensive assignments - Seems like the staff is counting on him to eliminate mental lapses and take advantage of his talent - Let's hope.
Bebis - Good shooter and in good shape - Needs work defensively - but jumper is solid - Going to have to fight for playing time.
Bessick - A front line of Robinson, Bessick, and Hines next year could be formidable and awesome - Bessick needs to get on board with the Cluess' demands for running, sprinting, and being in shape - But he's a steal from James Madison - Huge and skilled
Robinson - Didn't practice - Just shot jumpers on the gun - Good, mature kid - Says he will practice fully this week.
