Post by grapurchater on Nov 16, 2007 14:56:05 GMT -5
Alright, first, the crowd at the DC was unbelievable Wednesday, best student turnout since the home BSC Tunamint loss to HPU a couple of years back, I would guess. They were into the game and it was a tough one to be into at times. Presby’s 1-3-1 slowed RU into a halfcourt game most of the way and the Blue Hose led much of the contest.
I’m coming around to think that Martell McDuffy(6-4, Jr.) is one of the greatest late signees in school history. I’ve always loved his defense but he has really developed offensively. He’s an explosive leaper and just pretty danged exciting – think a J-Bird/Peanut Arrington combination of skills, but not as good offensively as J-Bird and not as good defensively as Peanut. Still not sure if McDuffy can create for himself against top-flight defense, but in Brad we trust on that account.
Amir Johnson (5-9, So), like McDuffy, has a solid mid-range game off the dribble and his defense is coming around. He has great instincts but he’s going to have to keep growing as a complete point guard. I thought we took a lot of bad shots – particularly when we made runs to get the lead and then got a little shot-happy. Whether it was because of a slight ankle injury to Kenny Thomas, or whatever, Brad made a nice move against that zone defense when he had Johnson and back-up point guard Cole Wilder (6-1 – yeah, right -- So) on the floor at the same time. The ball movement was crisper and Wilder knocked down a couple of big shots on his way to a career-high 8 points. He’s a walk-on, but I gotta think he’s gonna get a scholarship before his career is over. He’s very valuable to this team though defensively we’re better with Thomas on the floor.
Thomas (6-3, Jr.) is still streaky offensively. I’d love to see him string some baskets, then some games together and get some confidence. He’s not as polished athletically as I think I thought he was but I still see him doing great things against man-to-man defense out of Brad’s offense, which absolutely took apart the Hose late in the game when they had to scramble defensively. We shot a lot of lay-ups near the end of the game, a mark of a well-coached team.
I love Joey Lynch-Flohr (6-8 So). He was on the boards, on the floor and did everything except get the ball consistently and score (1-3-1 zone which as old-timers remember, center Ron Shelburne once said he’d rather be “beat with a stick” than play against). He plays with a real fire and he’s still learning. Gotta keep him out of foul trouble. If I were game-planning RU, I’d attack him with my bigs and try to get him outta there. He looks like the only real low post offensive threat right now.
I was criticized last year for admiring (6-9, Sr) Duane Ricks’ athleticism and potential. Yeah, he still has no offensive game but he runs the floor, contests shots and rebounds and he’s helping this team. He has improved each season and you have to respect that.
Jamar Jenkins (6-6 Jr. transfer) had eight points but no rebounds in 13 minutes. I suspect he will have the typical JUCO ups and downs but they need solid minutes from him every night. He has some experience, something in short supply on this team when you look at how young most of the key players are.
Phillip Martin (6-6, So) didn’t play much until late but he was a joy to watch, a kid that really knows how to play the game. Put him in a bigger, thicker body and he could really be something at the Big South level. He had four points (2-2 FG) and 4 rebounds in 12 minutes and always seemed to be doing something good – at both ends of the court. Our best player from Roanoke Catholic since Kevin “Thrill” Dill, and I can only hope he becomes a better alum.
Chris McEachin (6-5, Fr) is a skinny swingman still feeling his way. Has some athleticism but played just eight minutes, probably losing minutes to Wilder in the rotation.
Alex Gynes (6-6 Fr), the ballyhooed Australian didn’t arrive stateside as ready-to-play as advertised. He has a bigger, thicker body than some of our other guys but coaches tell me he’s more of a perimeter guy so I’m not sure that’s a good thing. All his impressive numbers in his native land were for rebounding. Right now, doesn’t look like he can help us much as his one minute played attests.
Ditto Nick McFarlin (6-7 Fr.), who looks much older than that and is bigger and thicker, too. He got three minutes and did some banging around in the low post, which is something we’re going to need this year.
Eric Hall (6-8, Jr), another late sign when McDuffy came aboard, got in five minutes and still looks athletic but he has always been a project. He has grown, though, and did score inside.
Walk-on Tyler Kleckner (6-8, Sr), who played a lot of key minutes last year, didn’t play and senior Colby Trent (6-9), who has lost about 30 pounds down to 278, didn’t get in either.
All the coaches rave about what good kids we’ve got and commend Byron, sincerely, on his recruiting. I have to remind them about the attrition we’ve had in recent years. I still don’t think we’ve got a winning mix this year – we’re going to have trouble against big, veteran teams and there are a bunch of those in our league this season. We’re also not a great ball-handling team and that really has to change to give us a chance to win. They’ve got some bad habits defensively that the coaches are working hard to fix but again, they like these guys and think they’re coachable. Hopefully, a little success early will fuel some confidence and we can go from there.
There’s a palpable excitement around the program right now that is our best asset but I don’t like the preseason schedule. We’ve got a lot of games scheduled that I think would be nearly unwinnable under the best of circumstances. How about that December stretch at Georgetown (Dec. 15), at JMU, home to WVU (Dec. 19) and at South Carolina? Holy schnikees, that’s gonna leave a mark. We get Emory & Henry on Jan. 7, then head into conference play with the Coastal/Charleston So. swing. Winthrop at home (Jan 19) is next and then the always-tough trip to UNCA before HPU and Liberty at home. Realistically, RU won’t be favored in any of those games except against E&H. Of course, when you’re as low in the RPI as we were last year, that’s not surprising.
Better Days ahead...
I’m coming around to think that Martell McDuffy(6-4, Jr.) is one of the greatest late signees in school history. I’ve always loved his defense but he has really developed offensively. He’s an explosive leaper and just pretty danged exciting – think a J-Bird/Peanut Arrington combination of skills, but not as good offensively as J-Bird and not as good defensively as Peanut. Still not sure if McDuffy can create for himself against top-flight defense, but in Brad we trust on that account.
Amir Johnson (5-9, So), like McDuffy, has a solid mid-range game off the dribble and his defense is coming around. He has great instincts but he’s going to have to keep growing as a complete point guard. I thought we took a lot of bad shots – particularly when we made runs to get the lead and then got a little shot-happy. Whether it was because of a slight ankle injury to Kenny Thomas, or whatever, Brad made a nice move against that zone defense when he had Johnson and back-up point guard Cole Wilder (6-1 – yeah, right -- So) on the floor at the same time. The ball movement was crisper and Wilder knocked down a couple of big shots on his way to a career-high 8 points. He’s a walk-on, but I gotta think he’s gonna get a scholarship before his career is over. He’s very valuable to this team though defensively we’re better with Thomas on the floor.
Thomas (6-3, Jr.) is still streaky offensively. I’d love to see him string some baskets, then some games together and get some confidence. He’s not as polished athletically as I think I thought he was but I still see him doing great things against man-to-man defense out of Brad’s offense, which absolutely took apart the Hose late in the game when they had to scramble defensively. We shot a lot of lay-ups near the end of the game, a mark of a well-coached team.
I love Joey Lynch-Flohr (6-8 So). He was on the boards, on the floor and did everything except get the ball consistently and score (1-3-1 zone which as old-timers remember, center Ron Shelburne once said he’d rather be “beat with a stick” than play against). He plays with a real fire and he’s still learning. Gotta keep him out of foul trouble. If I were game-planning RU, I’d attack him with my bigs and try to get him outta there. He looks like the only real low post offensive threat right now.
I was criticized last year for admiring (6-9, Sr) Duane Ricks’ athleticism and potential. Yeah, he still has no offensive game but he runs the floor, contests shots and rebounds and he’s helping this team. He has improved each season and you have to respect that.
Jamar Jenkins (6-6 Jr. transfer) had eight points but no rebounds in 13 minutes. I suspect he will have the typical JUCO ups and downs but they need solid minutes from him every night. He has some experience, something in short supply on this team when you look at how young most of the key players are.
Phillip Martin (6-6, So) didn’t play much until late but he was a joy to watch, a kid that really knows how to play the game. Put him in a bigger, thicker body and he could really be something at the Big South level. He had four points (2-2 FG) and 4 rebounds in 12 minutes and always seemed to be doing something good – at both ends of the court. Our best player from Roanoke Catholic since Kevin “Thrill” Dill, and I can only hope he becomes a better alum.
Chris McEachin (6-5, Fr) is a skinny swingman still feeling his way. Has some athleticism but played just eight minutes, probably losing minutes to Wilder in the rotation.
Alex Gynes (6-6 Fr), the ballyhooed Australian didn’t arrive stateside as ready-to-play as advertised. He has a bigger, thicker body than some of our other guys but coaches tell me he’s more of a perimeter guy so I’m not sure that’s a good thing. All his impressive numbers in his native land were for rebounding. Right now, doesn’t look like he can help us much as his one minute played attests.
Ditto Nick McFarlin (6-7 Fr.), who looks much older than that and is bigger and thicker, too. He got three minutes and did some banging around in the low post, which is something we’re going to need this year.
Eric Hall (6-8, Jr), another late sign when McDuffy came aboard, got in five minutes and still looks athletic but he has always been a project. He has grown, though, and did score inside.
Walk-on Tyler Kleckner (6-8, Sr), who played a lot of key minutes last year, didn’t play and senior Colby Trent (6-9), who has lost about 30 pounds down to 278, didn’t get in either.
All the coaches rave about what good kids we’ve got and commend Byron, sincerely, on his recruiting. I have to remind them about the attrition we’ve had in recent years. I still don’t think we’ve got a winning mix this year – we’re going to have trouble against big, veteran teams and there are a bunch of those in our league this season. We’re also not a great ball-handling team and that really has to change to give us a chance to win. They’ve got some bad habits defensively that the coaches are working hard to fix but again, they like these guys and think they’re coachable. Hopefully, a little success early will fuel some confidence and we can go from there.
There’s a palpable excitement around the program right now that is our best asset but I don’t like the preseason schedule. We’ve got a lot of games scheduled that I think would be nearly unwinnable under the best of circumstances. How about that December stretch at Georgetown (Dec. 15), at JMU, home to WVU (Dec. 19) and at South Carolina? Holy schnikees, that’s gonna leave a mark. We get Emory & Henry on Jan. 7, then head into conference play with the Coastal/Charleston So. swing. Winthrop at home (Jan 19) is next and then the always-tough trip to UNCA before HPU and Liberty at home. Realistically, RU won’t be favored in any of those games except against E&H. Of course, when you’re as low in the RPI as we were last year, that’s not surprising.
Better Days ahead...