1st Half RU-CCNY - Can We Learn Anything?

[jellyman]

I could not make it to the game - last minute issues, unfortunately. So I am watching on BTN Plus.

Obviously, the game against St. Johns, though it did not count, tells us much more about RU than the game against CCNY - even though this game actually counts.

Still, can we learn anything, watching a glorified scrimmage - a scrimmage that is not even as good a scrimmage as the RU's team internal scrimmages in practice?

I think I am willing to say we can learn a couple of things:

1) Thiam appears to be able to shoot FT's well ... that is a good thing. His baskets and rebounds are great, of course, but he IS 6'10" going against 6'3" and 6'2" guys (kind of like Mike Williams guarding 6'9 240 pound PF's 2 years ago - except Williams was better relative to those mismatches than the CCNY players are relative to Thiam).

2) Mensah does not look like a good FT shooter ... that is a problem.

3) Omoruyi does not look like the most improved player on the floor, and still appears to have a problem finishing around the basket - even against smaller, less skilled players. And did not look great missing his FT (not great form) ... this is not a good thing.

4) Doucore showed decent body control - and really nice FT form on his 2 FT ... that may be a good thing.

5) RU still cannot hit 3's ... this remains a problem, though it is one game.

6) Baker, despite missing 3 3's, still looked really good to me ... smooth, patient, good passing (maybe showed the best passing of all the RU players in the 1st half). He did have 3 turnovers, but I still liked how he moved and looked.

7) RU played 10 players in the 1st half (including Dadika) - and will not play Williams ... who did not play in the 1st half? Bullock. And Johnson. Doorson played about 3 minutes.

That is about all I would think we could really tell in the 1st half.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Agree with assessment. Tough to get too excited despite final score.

Not sure agree with #6 with Baker. I am not concluding anything yet. I wasn't impressed and wasn't unimpressed. Didn't like how he got thru screens and his shot didn't look smooth. No rotation.

 

[Knights2003]

I think very little can be taken away from a team standpoint. I don't understand why Rutgers would schedule a Division 3 team. Here are some random thoughts on my end from some individual players.

Thiam - looks more willing to take the ball to the hoop. I understand he was the taller than any player on CCNY by at least 5", but he rarely took the ball inside the 3-point arc last year even against lower competition. His 11 rebounds should have an asterisk, but again, it shows a willingness to go and get the ball. I was impressed with his foul shooting. I realized that I could not recall his FT shooting form from last year because he shot so few of them.

Baker - passes the eye test. His shot looks like good form, but sort of shoots a knuckle-ball, which was surprising to me. I was very impressed with his court awareness. He seems like a great addition, and even seemed to be giving encouragement/suggestions to other players as they were coming off the court. I see him as a future captain.

Doucoure - agree with jelly with his body control. He is enormous and appears to be a good athlete. He is raw on offense, and is a work in progress, but should be a good defender and rebounder.

Mensah - I'm not as down on him as some others on the board. He appears to be a capable 8-10 minute guy. He has a Big 10 body, and appears to be fairly quick with a nice mid-range jumper. Why he can't translate that to foul shooting is a mystery to me.

The other players were basically what I expected. Again, it's tough to gauge against a team like CCNY.