I expected we would miss Cory on the defensive end more than we would miss his offense which was great at times but usually spotty. I think that was the case tonight. Too much penetration forcing defensive rotation. While you want to rotate defensively on penetration you don't want to have to do it every time down court as it leaves guys open and makes blocking out a little more difficult. Defense was much better in the second half. We also fight over screens thirty feet from the basket, something we did last year also. I understand the mentality of being tough and fighting through every screen but I've never liked it well out of shooting range. And considering our length on the perimeter, I think there are times we could give a little space allowing for less penetration. Pikiel said the defense was a work in progress and you could see that tonight, but there are pieces there to make this a very good defensive team. Eugene also drew his usual 2-3 charges, and Johnson was a force on defensive end. I don't know how many shots he blocked or altered but it was a lot. While this was not a Big Ten team, he was impressive on the defensive end.
Last year we were a great defensive team that couldn't shoot. While the defense needs work, this is a very good shooting team. Four or five guys tonight looked comfortable taking threes. Threes are going to be a huge part of our offensive. Our post play was much improved over last year also. Eugene was extremely quick on the post especially when he posted up outside the block. Johnson looked comfortable posting up also and will become a force on the block. I think as the season goes on Kiss could be a real effective post player too.
Starters
There has been a lot of talk about who will start. What's more important is who will finish. I think we will be at our best with this line up:
Gio
Kiss
Eugene
Johnson
Harper
Yes, Harper. He was clearly the best of the freshman, and you could see why many thought he was the best player in the state. I like him on the court over Thiam, and I think you might see that by the end of the year if not sooner. You wouldn't have thought he was a freshman tonight. Mathis showed flashes of why he was a four star player, but he was a little rough on the edges tonight. He struggled handling the ball under defensive pressure as he did when I saw him in practice, and he gets a little out of control at times as if he is trying to do too much, but you can see why Pikiel says he can become a great defensive player. Caleb looked a little like a deer in headlights. I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be having him backing up Gio against tougher competition. Kiss can do it all, and his three attempts looked more confident than they did against SHU and Gonzaga two years ago. Johnson changes our whole offense as he is a very good passer and can run the floor. He's two years away from being a great player. I didn't see little Shaq until very late in the game and really couldn't get a good read on him.
We also looked to push the ball up the floor much more than we did last year. So that's about it. Good crowd - looked like around 6,000. It was a fun night.
Last year we were a great defensive team that couldn't shoot. While the defense needs work, this is a very good shooting team. Four or five guys tonight looked comfortable taking threes. Threes are going to be a huge part of our offensive. Our post play was much improved over last year also. Eugene was extremely quick on the post especially when he posted up outside the block. Johnson looked comfortable posting up also and will become a force on the block. I think as the season goes on Kiss could be a real effective post player too.
Starters
There has been a lot of talk about who will start. What's more important is who will finish. I think we will be at our best with this line up:
Gio
Kiss
Eugene
Johnson
Harper
Yes, Harper. He was clearly the best of the freshman, and you could see why many thought he was the best player in the state. I like him on the court over Thiam, and I think you might see that by the end of the year if not sooner. You wouldn't have thought he was a freshman tonight. Mathis showed flashes of why he was a four star player, but he was a little rough on the edges tonight. He struggled handling the ball under defensive pressure as he did when I saw him in practice, and he gets a little out of control at times as if he is trying to do too much, but you can see why Pikiel says he can become a great defensive player. Caleb looked a little like a deer in headlights. I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be having him backing up Gio against tougher competition. Kiss can do it all, and his three attempts looked more confident than they did against SHU and Gonzaga two years ago. Johnson changes our whole offense as he is a very good passer and can run the floor. He's two years away from being a great player. I didn't see little Shaq until very late in the game and really couldn't get a good read on him.
We also looked to push the ball up the floor much more than we did last year. So that's about it. Good crowd - looked like around 6,000. It was a fun night.
