Scrimmage 10/27/2010

[DunneDeal]

When: 5:00 pm
Where: the KC
This is event is open to Full Court Club Members as well as Students

I'm so excited, who isnt. This is our first look at the new guys. Had to start a thread

[Pounce Needs Pals]

Season-ticket holders can pick up their tickets at the scrimmage.

[PantherU]

Chalk me up as another who is ready for prime time. I've gotten to see the team, but I'm excited to have more people to talk to hahaha

[Rawls]

Not gonna make the scrimm or luncheon because of work. I will be there for MSOE though. I'd recommend going for anyone who can.

[DunneDeal]

I just know in the past the scrimmage has been awesome for seeing the new players, out there playing. I remember when we all were wondering what a 300 pounder looked like on the court and, how awesome we thought he was after seeing his skill.

Im just ready!

[Pounce Needs Pals]

Can players who have to sit out this season, play in this scrimmage? (James Haarsma)

[A Statement By SHAUN]

I saw big Mitch the other day...he's got a broken hand and won't play for four weeks

[DunneDeal]

James can play in this as well as both Exhibition games

[eddiec]

Oct 27, 2010 8:46:27 GMT -6 DunneDeal said:

James can play in this as well as both Exhibition games

He can play in the scrimmage, since it's basically an open practice. He cannot play in the exhibition games.

[DunneDeal]

Sorry got that confused with guys who can/will redshirt. They can play in the Ex. games

[gman2]

Scrimmage was fun. Son and I enjoyed meeting the players and coaches.

Have to agree about the team's depth. Team seems to have good, balanced scoring inside and out.

Should be an exciting year.

[Super King]

I erased my previous post and decided on some instant analysis on likely starters and key contributors instead. This is my first exposure to a lot of these guys, but I'll make an effort to provide a quick word for everyone who should feature heavily into the rotation. Make good note of just how many people looked terrific; only two players (Boga and Wolf) ended up underwhelming me.

Tone Boyle: Made damn near every shot he took. Looks bigger and more toned than he did in 2008. Is still an exceptional shooter off the dribble and the quick set, and got to the basket with ease. He will easily be a first-team all-conference player if he starts, which it looks like he will do. Seriously, this guy will rip opponents to shreds. Demovsky's analysis was way off.

Kaylon Williams: Ran the offense like a general and had a much better shot than people give him credit for. A very strong man, defended with intensity and got a foul called on him for essentially shoving Evan Richard out of the way to get a rebound. Had a spectacular runner, and shoots down the court on the break like a cannonball.

Jerard Ajami: He's both bigger and smaller than last season: He lost some weight but put on a ton of muscle. His shot is still flat when he rushes it, but he had a beautifully-arcing three late in the game that was a thing of beauty. Was a strong defender and ran the point well when he was forced to.

Anthony Hill: As strong in the post as last season, but he's got it in his head that he's a wing again. Hopefully the coaches will beat this assumption out of his brain, but he was dominant on offense and defense when he was in the game.

Tony Meier: Still has slow feet, but so did Gordon Hayward. He'll probably be the last player down the court on a good many fastbreaks this year, but in the halfcourt offense he was terrific. His post presence is much better now and he made a couple great moves to free himself from defenders. His shot looks to be as good as ever. Poised for a big year. Jeter was right about the growth spurt; he totally dwarfed James Haarsma.

Key players:

Ja'Rob McCallum: Probably going to be pulled off the bench this season to provide an offensive spark, but he'll still log starter minutes. Was sufficient but not great at the point -- and I think Souter, who put on a ton of strength, will get more minutes than people think -- but he's developed a nasty step and a tendency to drive to the basket. Still a tremendous shooter, and he'll get to the line a lot more this year.

Ryan Allen: You cannot say enough about how good he looked. Strong finisher, great defender, incredible passer, gets way high for rebounds, screams down the court on the break. Between him, McCallum, Boyle, and Williams, we suddenly have some of the best full-court offensive players in the league. UWM will need to find some way to get Allen minutes.

Lonnie Boga: Didn't see very much from Lonnie, who hurt his knee and didn't end up playing all that much. Looked hesitant to shoot the ball and got lost in the fray down low. I don't know how much of it is a slump on his part or just the sheer amount of talent around him, but he didn't have a good game at all. Made one nice three-pointer than stuck out to me. Don't think he'll have a bad year, but with the volume of capable guards, he might be the one to lose out on minutes.

Mitchell Carter: Despite playing with one hand, was the second-best post player in the game. He's developed an excellent step to the basket, and a year-and-a-half of going one on one with Ant in practice has turned him into twice the post player he was last year in this game, when he got pushed around the paint. And again, I stress, he was playing left-handed. He had a tendency to be a little lackadaisical though, but he's a beast when he's got the ball. Another player that will need to get minutes when he gets back. He's too valuable to leave on the bench. Also, Mitchell runs extremely well and should get his fair share of baskets trailing the break.

Kyle Kelm: Easily 15 pounds heavier than he was in the Spring. Looks nothing like he did at Randolph. His post game is still a work in progress, but he's got a terrific jump shot and a great ball fake, which should lead to a solid development in his ability to drive to the hoop. He should get to the line fairly often this year. He's a better post defender than you'd think, and gets high for rebounds. Played long minutes, which shows how high the program is on him.

Ryan Haggerty: Still a hustle player and an all-out effort guy, he showed some flourishes of an improved jump shot. Was solid on defense, but I think even Kelm has jumped him in the rotation, for a variety of reasons both on and off the court. Still expect him to contribute though; he's too fast and fills too many small but important gaps not to.

Bonus redshirt transfer edition:

James Haarsma: Started very sluggishly but acclimated himself nicely to the game speed and contributed down the stretch. Is a surprisingly outside-in player with a good jumper and very quick feet. His low-post game needs work in order to contribute in a conference like the Horizon League, but I think practicing against Anthony Hill every day will do him wonders. Good touch in the paint.

Other players: Evan Richard didn't see much action, and at this point I think they'll have no choice but to redshirt him. Too many other contributors. Patrick Souter bulked way up and actually looked pretty good, even making a nice mid-range jumper. Still had a tendency to outrun the offense though. Christian Wolf got pushed around and didn't make much of an impact on the game, which is unfortunate because the black team was so suspect in the post outside of Carter.

[Super King]

That's an 11-man rotation that I just listed. And I think all of them will get minutes. It'll be interesting to see how Jeter rotates on Monday; I think we'll see a baffling amount of substitutions and some four- or-five-man switches.

This team looked good. 101 points? Without a contribution from Ja'Rob or Mitchell, who were on the other team?? Fifth is too low. I'd say second or third in the league, and I mean it.

Here's the story. For the white, Boyle put in 21, Allen scored 19, Meier scored 17, Williams scored 16 (no assist numbers), Hill scored 13, Ajami scored 12, Kelm scored 3. For the black, McCallum scored 26, Haggerty, Haarsma, and Boga scored 10, Richard scored 7, Souter and Carter scored 6, Wolf and Roehlke (a walkon and former manager) went scoreless.

Lonnie had a better game than I thought. Interesting.

[A Statement By SHAUN]

Super King, I shouldn't have read your post. I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE SEASON TO BEGIN!!!! Sounds like they are going to be a great team.

[ghostofdylan]

From the handful of people to whom I've spoken, it sounds as though the newcomers -- Ryan Allen and Kaylon Williams especially -- made quite a positive first impression.

It's encouraging that Tone shot the ball as well as he did and that Tony scored so much in the type of game typically dominated by guards.

Can't wait for Monday.