Observations From Tonight's Exhibition Game

[GCOOZ]

I'm usually more of an observer than a contributor to this here Hogville community, but I don't see a whole lot of analysis posted about the exhibition game against NW OK ST. Probably because there were about 34 fans there tonight.  So here are my observations:

The first thing I noticed is the new scoreboard.   It might be the basketball version of the giant video board in Cowboy's Stadium in Dallas.   A very nice upgrade.

Trey Thompson – he looked much trimmer, quicker, and agile.   Looks much better this year than he did in the 5 minutes I saw him play last year.  It looks like he's going to get major minutes at the 4 and 5 this year.

Jimmie Whitt – was the best player on the floor.  He is very explosive and likes to jump high on his jump shots.  I haven't figured out if I like his stroke from outside yet.  It looked a little unconventional, but he didn't take many jump shots as he took it into the lane mostly.  He had 15 by halftime, but did not start the 2nd half for some reason.  He makes it look easy and we'll have trouble keeping him on campus for more than a year or two. 

Moses Kingsley – did not look comfortable on offense.  He picked up his second and third fouls midway through the first half.  They were identical plays on offense where he was trying to set a screen and the ref called him for an illegal pick both times (I'm assuming).  He had a couple nice blocks and battled on the boards against their undersized players.  Had a couple thunderous dunks.  At one point he got the ball around the three point line, drove to the basket faked a pass and went up and dunked it.  His momentum took him away from the goal and he slightly hung on the rim to slow his momentum, caused him to have a nasty fall on his side.  Reminded me of the play last year where he hurt his back.  He was down briefly, but got back up and and kept playing.  There was only about a minute left in the game.

Jabril Durham – He had several plays where he made the same bad decisions as he made last year.  Several times (3 or 4) he would try the impossible pass to the covered man instead of the easy pass to the uncovered man.  He did have several assists and nice plays, but considering who the competition was, I'm worried that Durham may not have what we need at the PG.  The best thing he did tonight was rebound.  He battled time and time again for rebounds.

Dusty Hannahs – He looks a little shorter than I expected, but the man has great touch.  At one point he caught the ball at least 30 feet, maybe 35 feet from the basket, pulled up and drained it like it was nothing.  Even more impressive was his floaters in the lane.  Multiple times he would fake the 3, drive and take the floater from about 12 feet.  Can't wait to see more of it.  had multiple misses that were half way down and came out. 

Willy Kouassi – This guy has a lot of energy.  He didn't look to score a whole lot, but he did look to rebound.  He threw one wild shot up and banked it in.  He cleaned up a couple misses as well.  He played the 4 with Kingsley and he played the 5.  He'll get lots of minutes because he's going to bring it on defense.  He's long and quick.

Keaton Miles – Played some really good minutes.  Pretty active, looked good handling the ball and taking it to the hoop. Rebounded well.

Manuel Watkins – same ole Manny, playing hard, getting steals.

Anthlon Bell – looked sharp.  He was coming off the screens and was really quick to catch and shoot. He's going to get plenty of opportunities to shoot the ball this season.  He made 5 of 7 threes I think and several long 2's.

Anton Beard – I looked for him on the bench, but don't think I ever saw him.  There was a manager handing out water that looked a little like him, but surely it wasn't him.

Overall I thought they looked pretty good as a team.  The guards are going to have to carry the offense, but hopefully what the bigs give up on offense, they will make up for it on defense.  I'm a little concerned that we don't have the depth to play our style of pressure defense for the entire game/season.  Down the stretch tonight, a lot of jump shots started missing the mark.  Looked like our legs were getting tired.   But, I feel more optimistic about the season now than I did before tonight's game.  We might be tough to cover with Bell, Hannahs, and Whitt on the floor together.

[TomBigBeeHog]

Thanks for the report. Glad someone got out in the rain and got a birdseye view. Wish I could have been there.

[Arkamedes]

Thank you! Your observations are greatly appreciated!

Woo Pig!!

[Razorod]

Great stuff. Keep making these kinds of posts, it really is useful for us out-of-state fans.

[SRV]

Thanks for the report. I'm looking forward to watching them play. I think this might be a fun season to just be a fan and enjoy watching our Hogs. The expectations are not real high and this should be fun group to see develope. They may just surprise some people.

[Lanny]

Thanks for the update

[bighog2255]

Great work and thank you.

From what I observed in the 20 minutes or so of open practice, Whitt is the real deal. He will be our best player by the end of the season. Like you said, not a great jump shot, but he is long and can get to the rim.

I think we will again be a little disappointed in Moses. He came in as a bit of a project, and I don't think he has developed like we would hope. From what I have seen so far, Trey Thompson looks like a better all-around player.

Durham is solid, but unspectacular. He needs to do what he did last night....find the open shooters, grab rebounds, and be the team leader. Bell and Hannahs can both really shoot it, but their shots will be harder to come by in the season due to their size, and a lack of other offensive weapons. This is where Whitt is going to have to grow up fast.

We REALLY need Anton back, but I'm not holding my breath.

GO HOGS!

[Hog Fan from Camden]

Thanks for the update!

[nwahogfan1]

Thanks for your report.  Many things you reported I saw exactly the same way on Sunday in the Red White game.  But hard to see some weaknesses until we play someone tough.   I hope Delta St will give us a better look.

I am also concerned with our Guards quickness and play making ability with out turning it over except for maybe Whitt. I loved his game on Sunday but I need to see him against much better competition.   He got to the Lane very easily on Sunday and did not make many mistakes.   Smart player.  I wonder if the SEC teams will scout him out and put their best defender trying to take that away.  I also am not impressed with his 3 point shot form.  Puts the ball way above his head.  Seems like it would make it hard to control.  I bet Whitt takes over the 1 spot in many games unless Beard comes back and we put our two shooters on the outside.

I loved our 4s and 5s offensive aggressiveness but again I need to see them against better competition.  We need 20+ ppg and almost that many rebounds out of them.  Trey and Moses looked aggressively to score inside and I would not have thought that remembering back from last year.   Our Posts will have to get used to the ref's calls on Screens on the outside. I watched Utah's exhibition game on TV last night and ref's are really watching the outside picks for any movements and calling the nick knack fouls. 

We might be better than I thought a month ago but to me it will boil down to our PG play.  Can we not turn it over or can they make a play without turn it over.  SEC will scout us out and make you play left handed and we will see how we respond.   A good assists to turnover rate will determine the season to me.

[hawgfan4life]

Whitt is easily the best guard we have had in a long time.  If he has an outside shot, he is the best since Mayberry based on what I saw.  Kingsley was awful most of the time on offense with zero demonstrated improvement.  He needs to find one or two moves and spots and get good at those and forget everything else except dunks.  Kouassi had the best move of the night by any big with a left handed hook that would be tough to stop.  Thompson looked good.  Moved and acted like a basketball player.  Hannah's game is a great addition.  If the big guys find their roles and consistency, we will exceed expectations

[jry04]

I’m usually more of an observer than a contributor to this here Hogville community, but I don’t see a whole lot of analysis posted about the exhibition game against NW OK ST. Probably because there were about 34 fans there tonight.  So here are my observations:

The first thing I noticed is the new scoreboard.   It might be the basketball version of the giant video board in Cowboy’s Stadium in Dallas.   A very nice upgrade.

Trey Thompson – he looked much trimmer, quicker, and agile.   Looks much better this year than he did in the 5 minutes I saw him play last year.  It looks like he’s going to get major minutes at the 4 and 5 this year.

Jimmie Whitt – was the best player on the floor.  He is very explosive and likes to jump high on his jump shots.  I haven’t figured out if I like his stroke from outside yet.  It looked a little unconventional, but he didn’t take many jump shots as he took it into the lane mostly.  He had 15 by halftime, but did not start the 2nd half for some reason.  He makes it look easy and we’ll have trouble keeping him on campus for more than a year or two. 

Moses Kingsley – did not look comfortable on offense.  He picked up his second and third fouls midway through the first half.  They were identical plays on offense where he was trying to set a screen and the ref called him for an illegal pick both times (I’m assuming).  He had a couple nice blocks and battled on the boards against their undersized players.  Had a couple thunderous dunks.  At one point he got the ball around the three point line, drove to the basket faked a pass and went up and dunked it.  His momentum took him away from the goal and he slightly hung on the rim to slow his momentum, caused him to have a nasty fall on his side.  Reminded me of the play last year where he hurt his back.  He was down briefly, but got back up and and kept playing.  There was only about a minute left in the game.

Jabril Durham – He had several plays where he made the same bad decisions as he made last year.  Several times (3 or 4) he would try the impossible pass to the covered man instead of the easy pass to the uncovered man.  He did have several assists and nice plays, but considering who the competition was, I’m worried that Durham may not have what we need at the PG.  The best thing he did tonight was rebound.  He battled time and time again for rebounds.

Dusty Hannahs – He looks a little shorter than I expected, but the man has great touch.  At one point he caught the ball at least 30 feet, maybe 35 feet from the basket, pulled up and drained it like it was nothing.  Even more impressive was his floaters in the lane.  Multiple times he would fake the 3, drive and take the floater from about 12 feet.  Can’t wait to see more of it.  had multiple misses that were half way down and came out. 

Willy Kouassi – This guy has a lot of energy.  He didn’t look to score a whole lot, but he did look to rebound.  He threw one wild shot up and banked it in.  He cleaned up a couple misses as well.  He played the 4 with Kingsley and he played the 5.  He’ll get lots of minutes because he’s going to bring it on defense.  He’s long and quick.

Keaton Miles – Played some really good minutes.  Pretty active, looked good handling the ball and taking it to the hoop. Rebounded well.

Manuel Watkins – same ole Manny, playing hard, getting steals.

Anthlon Bell – looked sharp.  He was coming off the screens and was really quick to catch and shoot. He’s going to get plenty of opportunities to shoot the ball this season.  He made 5 of 7 threes I think and several long 2’s.

Anton Beard – I looked for him on the bench, but don’t think I ever saw him.  There was a manager handing out water that looked a little like him, but surely it wasn’t him.

Overall I thought they looked pretty good as a team.  The guards are going to have to carry the offense, but hopefully what the bigs give up on offense, they will make up for it on defense.  I’m a little concerned that we don’t have the depth to play our style of pressure defense for the entire game/season.  Down the stretch tonight, a lot of jump shots started missing the mark.  Looked like our legs were getting tired.   But, I feel more optimistic about the season now than I did before tonight’s game.  We might be tough to cover with Bell, Hannahs, and Whitt on the floor together.

Pretty much the same thing I saw at the game. Bell and Hannahs impressed me. Whitt is the real deal. Kouassi and Moses looked like they need work, but Thompson looks better than I ever imagined he would look at this point in his career. I know it was just one game, but he wasn't able to do the things he did last night at any point last season. That video board is worth the price of admission. We have a lot more movement on offense. It looked like we actually ran some set plays. Last year, at times, we would isolate Qualls and let him take his guy to the hoop, or we would post up Bobby and everyone would watch him do his thing on the block. Last night, we had a lot more motion on offense than I remember in the half court for a Mike Anderson coached team. We were actually making the opposing team guard us, rather than just passing the ball around the perimeter hoping someone gets a shot off. Hopefully that keeps up when we step up the competition.

I do not think we can tell if we will be good from this exhibition, but I did think we would be able to tell if we will be bad. I don't think we will be bad.

[Razorhogger]

My thoughts.

I agree with all that has been said about Whitt.  If you haven't seen them practice or play then the first thing that will jump out at you is Whitt.  He plays very very smooth.  He is very fast in the open floor a lot like BJ Young and very good instincts.  He seems to be able to digest what is happening and create angles for shots and passing lanes at a rate that can't be taught.  After watching for only a few minutes you will see that he is definitely bound for the NBA with a little more strength and development.  He is our only player that can really create their own shot......and he is good at it.  Several times getting to the middle of the lane.......and then able to create just enough contact to draw a foul.  I think he will be our go to guy late in games as the year goes on.  He will open up shots for our outside shooters and bigs with his ability to create his own shot and/or get to the lane on the drive.

Bell and Hannahs will make some games this year very interesting.  There will be nights where they are both not hitting.  But there will also be nights where they are both on and we will be very difficult to beat.  I can only imagine Kentucky or LSU with a full house when those guys are on.

We will severely struggle to score inside.  None of our bigs have the ability to catch the ball with their back to the basket, make a move, and score.  Willy K did make one basket last night but it was a wild shot that happened to go in.  I thought Trey looked much improved and may be our best big.  At this point any points our bigs give us will be clean up off of rebounds or dump offs from Whitt and Durham.

[jry04]

My thoughts.

I agree with all that has been said about Whitt.  If you haven't seen them practice or play then the first thing that will jump out at you is Whitt.  He plays very very smooth.  He is very fast in the open floor a lot like BJ Young and very good instincts.  He seems to be able to digest what is happening and create angles for shots and passing lanes at a rate that can't be taught.  After watching for only a few minutes you will see that he is definitely bound for the NBA with a little more strength and development.  He is our only player that can really create their own shot......and he is good at it.  Several times getting to the middle of the lane.......and then able to create just enough contact to draw a foul.  I think he will be our go to guy late in games as the year goes on.  He will open up shots for our outside shooters and bigs with his ability to create his own shot and/or get to the lane on the drive.

Bell and Hannahs will make some games this year very interesting.  There will be nights where they are both not hitting.  But there will also be nights where they are both on and we will be very difficult to beat.  I can only imagine Kentucky or LSU with a full house when those guys are on.

We will severely struggle to score inside.  None of our bigs have the ability to catch the ball with their back to the basket, make a move, and score.  Willy K did make one basket last night but it was a wild shot that happened to go in.  I thought Trey looked much improved and may be our best big.  At this point any points our bigs give us will be clean up off of rebounds or dump offs from Whitt and Durham.

I really agree with the bolded part. When we are forcing turnovers and hitting mid-range/threes we will blow some folks out this season. If we have an off shooting night, we will get blown out. We could have off nights last year and still win because we could go down low to Portis for a bucket. Thompson may be our only hope at that this year, but Moses may have just had an off night.

[Biggus Piggus]

Jabril Durham – He had several plays where he made the same bad decisions as he made last year.  Several times (3 or 4) he would try the impossible pass to the covered man instead of the easy pass to the uncovered man.  He did have several assists and nice plays, but considering who the competition was, I'm worried that Durham may not have what we need at the PG.  The best thing he did tonight was rebound.  He battled time and time again for rebounds.

Durham had nine assists vs. three turnovers. Selective memory.

[Biggus Piggus]

We will severely struggle to score inside.  None of our bigs have the ability to catch the ball with their back to the basket, make a move, and score.  Willy K did make one basket last night but it was a wild shot that happened to go in.  I thought Trey looked much improved and may be our best big.  At this point any points our bigs give us will be clean up off of rebounds or dump offs from Whitt and Durham.

The inside scoring will come more from the guards than the forwards. The Hogs will score a lot inside. Don't doubt it.

[azhog10]

My biggest concern is Jimmy Whitt. No not offensively, but defensively. He picked up 5 fouls, and I wasn't at the game to know how they were picked up, but fouling out against a D2 squad doesn't make me feel good about his defense. Willy fouling out is not as huge of a concern for me as you see that from time to time with bigs and often it can be because our guards are getting beat and not so much him not able to defend. For anyone at the game where his fouls of concern or were most picked up late during garbage time trying to do too much?

[TomBigBeeHog]

My biggest concern is Jimmy Whitt. No not offensively, but defensively. He picked up 5 fouls, and I wasn't at the game to know how they were picked up, but fouling out against a D2 squad doesn't make me feel good about his defense. Willy fouling out is not as huge of a concern for me as you see that from time to time with bigs and often it can be because our guards are getting beat and not so much him not able to defend. For anyone at the game where his fouls of concern or were most picked up late during garbage time trying to do too much?

Coach A said that he was extending his arms/elbows on screens and that was the reason for 2 of the fouls. Said that that could be easily corrected with coaching. Also said that it is important to keep Whitt out of foul trouble because he is going to be playing 25 to 30 minutes a game so it looks like Whitt has already made a big impact.

[azhog10]

Coach A said that he was extending his arms/elbows on screens and that was the reason for 2 of the fouls. Said that that could be easily corrected with coaching. Also said that it is important to keep Whitt out of foul trouble because he is going to be playing 25 to 30 minutes a game so it looks like Whitt has already made a big impact.

Thanks. That makes sense.

[bigdaddyhawg]

A lot of focus of reviewers is on the offensive side of the ball, and that is understandable.  But I believe the quality/results of this team will be determined on the defensive end.  Mike said as much in his PC the other day.

I don't know how anyone could expect much of anything scoring wise from Koussi, Kingsley, and Thompson, but IMO they could provide a great basis for some solid defense.

We've got to play solid, pressure defense, and not give up easy baskets at the rate we did last year -- we don't have the offensive firepower to overcome that.

IF IF IF Mike can get our defense up a notch from last year, then the scoring of Bell, Hannahs, Whitt, and Keaton MAY MAY MAY be able to surprise some folks.

But defense must come first.

[Biggus Piggus]

My biggest concern is Jimmy Whitt. No not offensively, but defensively. He picked up 5 fouls, and I wasn't at the game to know how they were picked up, but fouling out against a D2 squad doesn't make me feel good about his defense. Willy fouling out is not as huge of a concern for me as you see that from time to time with bigs and often it can be because our guards are getting beat and not so much him not able to defend. For anyone at the game where his fouls of concern or were most picked up late during garbage time trying to do too much?

Gosh, I'm ecstatic that he got five fouls being aggressive against an opponent with a bench full of decent-sized guards. He's not B.J. Young. Whitt wants to play defense.

[TomBigBeeHog]

A lot of focus of reviewers is on the offensive side of the ball, and that is understandable.  But I believe the quality/results of this team will be determined on the defensive end.  Mike said as much in his PC the other day.

I don't know how anyone could expect much of anything scoring wise from Koussi, Kingsley, and Thompson, but IMO they could provide a great basis for some solid defense.

We've got to play solid, pressure defense, and not give up easy baskets at the rate we did last year -- we don't have the offensive firepower to overcome that.

IF IF IF Mike can get our defense up a notch from last year, then the scoring of Bell, Hannahs, Whitt, and Keaton MAY MAY MAY be able to surprise some folks.

But defense must come first.

very true.

[bigdaddyhawg]

He's not B.J. Young. Whitt wants to play defense.

That's cold,man.  Funny as heck!!  But cold. 

[jry04]

Durham had nine assists vs. three turnovers. Selective memory.

Agreed. I was impressed with Durham's play. He made 2 or 3 really good passes. He definitely didn't look like the same Durham, but the level of competition obviously was not the greatest. He made a really bad pass on a fastbreak that was right to a defender. Mike put Whitt at the table to check in for Durham out of frustration. Durham immediately got a rebound, pushed the fast break and made a nice pass for a layup and foul. Mike had Whitt sit down after that. I think I mentioned in the exhibition thread that Durham looked much more comfortable aside from those 2 or 3 plays.

[Hog_Swanson]

What was the final score?

[Jborohog09]

What was the final score?

103-58

[PonderinHog]

103-58

Unpossible, this team can't score, not even in a whorehouse.

[TomBigBeeHog]

Unpossible, this team can't score, not even in a whorehouse.

So bad they couldn't even score in a whorehouse full of gals with toothless gums, stretchy tattoos, bulging bellies and sagging milk sacs? Well, we better learn how to play some vicious D.

[tophawg19]

103 to 58

[PonderinHog]

So bad they couldn't even score in a whorehouse full of gals with toothless gums, stretchy tattoos, bulging bellies and sagging milk sacs? Well, we better learn how to play some vicious D.

TMI     Voice of experience

[TomBigBeeHog]

TMI     Voice of experience

I assert my 5th amendment rights at this time sir. I will not respond to any further inquiries on this matter and I consider it closed.

[jjdlc]

A lot of focus of reviewers is on the offensive side of the ball, and that is understandable.  But I believe the quality/results of this team will be determined on the defensive end.  Mike said as much in his PC the other day.

Absolutely agree.  I've also felt since last year that this team would be better defensively than last years.

On Kingsely, based on the red white game, and last night, I figure he may be a little jeckle and hyde.  We may get some games where he goes off for 20+ and others like last night where he struggles.  It seemed like last night that he was trying too hard at times.  He's going to get a lot more PT this year at any rate, so maybe at some point he'll relax and let it come to him.

[GuvHog]

Whitt is easily the best guard we have had in a long time.  If he has an outside shot, he is the best since Mayberry based on what I saw.  Kingsley was awful most of the time on offense with zero demonstrated improvement.  He needs to find one or two moves and spots and get good at those and forget everything else except dunks.  Kouassi had the best move of the night by any big with a left handed hook that would be tough to stop.  Thompson looked good.  Moved and acted like a basketball player.  Hannah's game is a great addition.  If the big guys find their roles and consistency, we will exceed expectations

Kingsley definitely needs work. He scored 27 points in the Red-White game but only managed 8 last night.

[PonderinHog]

I don't get it. How can a player be awful (Kingsley) and yet score 27 points?? To me, that doesn't make sense. I'll take 27 points in a game anytime from him.

And as usual, Guv, you're confused.

[bigdaddyhawg]

Absolutely agree.  I've also felt since last year that this team would be better defensively than last years.

I've said that a few times.

It's one reason I hated to see Nick Babb transfer.  I thought he had the ability to be a defensive stopper that we really needed.

Oh well.

Mike may be up against it just a bit this year with his guards: his best defenders may be his worst offensive players, and vice versa.  He's going to have to work his tail off to find that balance on the floor continuously.

Gonna be critical IMO, though.

[porkinsons disease]

A lot of focus of reviewers is on the offensive side of the ball, and that is understandable.  But I believe the quality/results of this team will be determined on the defensive end.  Mike said as much in his PC the other day.

I don't know how anyone could expect much of anything scoring wise from Koussi, Kingsley, and Thompson, but IMO they could provide a great basis for some solid defense.

We've got to play solid, pressure defense, and not give up easy baskets at the rate we did last year -- we don't have the offensive firepower to overcome that.

IF IF IF Mike can get our defense up a notch from last year, then the scoring of Bell, Hannahs, Whitt, and Keaton MAY MAY MAY be able to surprise some folks.

But defense must come first.

Totally agree. We really do need a smothering, pick em up when they get off the bus defense. Inside scoring from the bigs concerns me, hopefully we can make up for it with some tenacious d.

[jjdlc]

I've said that a few times.

It's one reason I hated to see Nick Babb transfer.  I thought he had the ability to be a defensive stopper that we really needed.

Oh well.

Mike may be up against it just a bit this year with his guards: his best defenders may be his worst offensive players, and vice versa.  He's going to have to work his tail off to find that balance on the floor continuously.

Gonna be critical IMO, though.

Agreed on Babb, was very disappointed with his departure.  The latter part isn't really any different from previous years though, at times our best scorers last year were liabilities on defense.  I'm hoping our D can help drive the offense this year, easy transition baskets and such, without giving up those same easy baskets.  Last night didn't really seem to tell us much in that regard though.

[dbhog]

I'm usually more of an observer than a contributor to this here Hogville community, but I don't see a whole lot of analysis posted about the exhibition game against NW OK ST. Probably because there were about 34 fans there tonight.  So here are my observations:

The first thing I noticed is the new scoreboard.   It might be the basketball version of the giant video board in Cowboy's Stadium in Dallas.   A very nice upgrade.

Trey Thompson – he looked much trimmer, quicker, and agile.   Looks much better this year than he did in the 5 minutes I saw him play last year.  It looks like he's going to get major minutes at the 4 and 5 this year.

Jimmie Whitt – was the best player on the floor.  He is very explosive and likes to jump high on his jump shots.  I haven't figured out if I like his stroke from outside yet.  It looked a little unconventional, but he didn't take many jump shots as he took it into the lane mostly.  He had 15 by halftime, but did not start the 2nd half for some reason.  He makes it look easy and we'll have trouble keeping him on campus for more than a year or two. 

Moses Kingsley – did not look comfortable on offense.  He picked up his second and third fouls midway through the first half.  They were identical plays on offense where he was trying to set a screen and the ref called him for an illegal pick both times (I'm assuming).  He had a couple nice blocks and battled on the boards against their undersized players.  Had a couple thunderous dunks.  At one point he got the ball around the three point line, drove to the basket faked a pass and went up and dunked it.  His momentum took him away from the goal and he slightly hung on the rim to slow his momentum, caused him to have a nasty fall on his side.  Reminded me of the play last year where he hurt his back.  He was down briefly, but got back up and and kept playing.  There was only about a minute left in the game.

Jabril Durham – He had several plays where he made the same bad decisions as he made last year.  Several times (3 or 4) he would try the impossible pass to the covered man instead of the easy pass to the uncovered man.  He did have several assists and nice plays, but considering who the competition was, I'm worried that Durham may not have what we need at the PG.  The best thing he did tonight was rebound.  He battled time and time again for rebounds.

Dusty Hannahs – He looks a little shorter than I expected, but the man has great touch.  At one point he caught the ball at least 30 feet, maybe 35 feet from the basket, pulled up and drained it like it was nothing.  Even more impressive was his floaters in the lane.  Multiple times he would fake the 3, drive and take the floater from about 12 feet.  Can't wait to see more of it.  had multiple misses that were half way down and came out. 

Willy Kouassi – This guy has a lot of energy.  He didn't look to score a whole lot, but he did look to rebound.  He threw one wild shot up and banked it in.  He cleaned up a couple misses as well.  He played the 4 with Kingsley and he played the 5.  He'll get lots of minutes because he's going to bring it on defense.  He's long and quick.

Keaton Miles – Played some really good minutes.  Pretty active, looked good handling the ball and taking it to the hoop. Rebounded well.

Manuel Watkins – same ole Manny, playing hard, getting steals.

Anthlon Bell – looked sharp.  He was coming off the screens and was really quick to catch and shoot. He's going to get plenty of opportunities to shoot the ball this season.  He made 5 of 7 threes I think and several long 2's.

Anton Beard – I looked for him on the bench, but don't think I ever saw him.  There was a manager handing out water that looked a little like him, but surely it wasn't him.

Overall I thought they looked pretty good as a team.  The guards are going to have to carry the offense, but hopefully what the bigs give up on offense, they will make up for it on defense.  I'm a little concerned that we don't have the depth to play our style of pressure defense for the entire game/season.  Down the stretch tonight, a lot of jump shots started missing the mark.  Looked like our legs were getting tired.   But, I feel more optimistic about the season now than I did before tonight's game.  We might be tough to cover with Bell, Hannahs, and Whitt on the floor together.

Beard is suspended and cannot be on the bench.

[rusvegashog]

Thanks for the update. Didn't even know college basketball had started till I saw Kentucky on ESPN earlier, Now I'm jonesing for some Hawg Ball. Regardless of expectations I'm stoked for the season to start. Seems like the league is trending upward, but will see. Please don't chastise me for asking a question that no doubt has been asked a million times on here and answered, but is it possible that Anton plays this year? Thanks again.

[mhuff]

Great stuff. Keep making these kinds of posts, it really is useful for us out-of-state fans.

[mhuff]

Thanks for the update. Didn't even know college basketball had started till I saw Kentucky on ESPN earlier, Now I'm jonesing for some Hawg Ball. Regardless of expectations I'm stoked for the season to start. Seems like the league is trending upward, but will see. Please don't chastise me for asking a question that no doubt has been asked a million times on here and answered, but is it possible that Anton plays this year? Thanks again.

Gotta get this court mess completed before MA responds to his status . Could play...... Nothing in granite

[azhog10]

Gosh, I'm ecstatic that he got five fouls being aggressive against an opponent with a bench full of decent-sized guards. He's not B.J. Young. Whitt wants to play defense.

You can be excited. Like I said I didn't see the fouls but if they were of the reaching type, or failure to stay in front I would be worried. You can be excited but a young guard who can't stay on the floor and is expected to possibly lead you in scoring isn't good.

Not saying he will foul a lot. It was just something I noticed from the box score and was glad to hear it had to do with setting screens.

[Arazorbackguy1]

This team is elite 8 bound.

[HognitiveDissonance]

My thoughts.

I agree with all that has been said about Whitt.  If you haven't seen them practice or play then the first thing that will jump out at you is Whitt.  He plays very very smooth.  He is very fast in the open floor a lot like BJ Young and very good instincts.  He seems to be able to digest what is happening and create angles for shots and passing lanes at a rate that can't be taught.  After watching for only a few minutes you will see that he is definitely bound for the NBA with a little more strength and development.  He is our only player that can really create their own shot......and he is good at it.  Several times getting to the middle of the lane.......and then able to create just enough contact to draw a foul.  I think he will be our go to guy late in games as the year goes on.  He will open up shots for our outside shooters and bigs with his ability to create his own shot and/or get to the lane on the drive.

Bell and Hannahs will make some games this year very interesting.  There will be nights where they are both not hitting.  But there will also be nights where they are both on and we will be very difficult to beat.  I can only imagine Kentucky or LSU with a full house when those guys are on.

We will severely struggle to score inside.  None of our bigs have the ability to catch the ball with their back to the basket, make a move, and score.  Willy K did make one basket last night but it was a wild shot that happened to go in.  I thought Trey looked much improved and may be our best big.  At this point any points our bigs give us will be clean up off of rebounds or dump offs from Whitt and Durham.

Speaking of BJ Young, what is he doing now?

[Wisco Pig]

Speaking of BJ Young, what is he doing now?

According to the latest link I could find (see below), he played at least part of last season overseas for a team in Batumi, Georgia.  As best as I can tell, however, he's no longer on their roster.

http://roadtotheassociation.com/2015/04/05/scenic-route-b-j-young/

[HogimusMaximus]

Kingsley definitely needs work. He scored 27 points in the Red-White game but only managed 8 last night.

Luck?

[Hog Fan from Camden]

A lot of focus of reviewers is on the offensive side of the ball, and that is understandable.  But I believe the quality/results of this team will be determined on the defensive end.  Mike said as much in his PC the other day.

I don't know how anyone could expect much of anything scoring wise from Koussi, Kingsley, and Thompson, but IMO they could provide a great basis for some solid defense.

We've got to play solid, pressure defense, and not give up easy baskets at the rate we did last year -- we don't have the offensive firepower to overcome that.

IF IF IF Mike can get our defense up a notch from last year, then the scoring of Bell, Hannahs, Whitt, and Keaton MAY MAY MAY be able to surprise some folks.

But defense must come first.

Very good points you make here!  For us to be any good, our defense must make up for the offense or lack of!

[jry04]

A lot of focus of reviewers is on the offensive side of the ball, and that is understandable.  But I believe the quality/results of this team will be determined on the defensive end.  Mike said as much in his PC the other day.

I don't know how anyone could expect much of anything scoring wise from Koussi, Kingsley, and Thompson, but IMO they could provide a great basis for some solid defense.

We've got to play solid, pressure defense, and not give up easy baskets at the rate we did last year -- we don't have the offensive firepower to overcome that.

IF IF IF Mike can get our defense up a notch from last year, then the scoring of Bell, Hannahs, Whitt, and Keaton MAY MAY MAY be able to surprise some folks.

But defense must come first.

To be fair, scoring is exactly what we should expect from Thompson. He isn't a great defender yet, but is supposed to be our best interior scorer. He looked good in the exhibition. If we cannot expect him to provide points off the bench, then he isn't doing his job.

[SuperSid4Ever]

Thanks for your observations.  The hoops team is, always has been, and always will be in my blood and on my sleeve. :razorback: