Freshhog and others

[nwahogfan1]

who contributed to the game board last night.  Thank you. 

Now for those who saw the first two games what did you see that gave you a better than expected optimism for this season?

I feared we would not have a go to man who can get us those tough last minute points after Portis and Qualls left.  Is anyone(s) emerging? Who do you see?

I feared we lost way too many points and boards after Portis and Qualls left.  Is that better than many of us feared?  Who might he/they be?

I feared we lost to much leadership at PG after Beard troubles.  Do you see a PG emerging?  Who

[opineonswine]

too soon to tell.  Last night's opposition wasn't bad but not as talented as many we will see during the season.  Our FG% last night was poor after being great the game before.  I think teams will make us beat them in the paint and that will be much tougher than last season. 

We do have a couple weapons we didn't have last year in Whitt and Hannahs.  Kouassi is a bit better than I expected.

Overall I was more impressed than I expected to be after the first two exhibitions.

Jabril isn't a real scoring threat but he has distributed the ball well with several assits in the two games.

We played good defense last night for the most part.

[wheelspigharvey]

Jabril isn't a real scoring threat but he has distributed the ball well with several assits in the two games.

7 I think on the game last night, I think MA mentioned no turnovers as well?  Our only "true" PG stepping into his role!

[The_Iceman]

I attended the game last night. I'll try to break down my analysis of the players:

Whitt (14pts, 3rebs, 3asts 2stls): best player on the floor, but isn't a star player type. More of a compliment guard who scores quietly. I'm not sure he is a guy you can give the ball to at the end of the game. But, he is a combination of Beverley and Madden. I think he will be even better when the 2016 class joins him.

Hannahs (15pts, 2stls, 3-5 3pt): not your typical "white-boy" out there. He can really handle the ball and get into the paint with his floaters. Can pull up from anywhere. However, if an opposing team scouts him and takes away his shot, he will be much less effective. Delta tried to do that and was successful in the 1st half.

Bell (5pts, 2-9 shooting): same player as always. Not much has changed. Will give us 7-10 ppg.

Kingsley (16pts, 8rebs, 3blks): has definitely improved. He isn't on Portis's level or anything, but he is much better than he was last year. Runs the floor like a deer. He still struggles finishing around the basket when it is not a catch and finish situation. Tends to fall away and get himself under the backboard. Free throw shooting looks improved.

Miles (5pts, 9rebs, 3asts): ....but 1-8 shooting. He missed many right around the rim. Had a couple clunkers from 3pt. Has to get better at finishing around the rim. He is very active, but needs to clean up his game.

Durham (3pts, 5rebs, 7asts, 5stls): I really wish he had the talent around him to really let him shine. He is much improved and excels at not trying to score the ball. Looked natural out there tonight. Would be a great backup PG on this team, but I fear he will get exposed with too much PT.

Thompson (4pts, 6rebs, 1ast, 1blk): I really think he should move into the starting spot at PF. This kid has excellent basketball IQ and is a great passer for a big man, but just isn't blessed with the athleticism of a Kingsley or Miles. However, I am really impressed with the way he plays the game and his attitude.

Kouassi (3pts, 5rebs, 1blk): big man, solid 6'10". Shot blocker and dunker. Not much else. Good backup to Kingsley.

Jenkins: not impressive at all. Will be surprised if he sees much of the floor. Definitely a project that is a long term investment.

Watkins (9pts, 4rebs, 3asts, 2stls): he is what he is. He can't shoot, at all. Like he is lucky to hit the rim from 15 feet out. But, he is a good passer, excellent defender, and savvy finisher around the rim.

Overall though, this team needs a talent like Beard to return. He will really help this team. With or without him, it will be a 16-18 win season and no postseason, which is all on Mike Anderson for not assembling the talent to compete in 2015-2016. There is improvement on this team for sure, but not enough to win games. Our programs only hope going forward is that the 2016 recruiting class will save us and get us back to the NCAA-Tournament.

[poloprince]

In MA I trust I've seen what he has done previously when facing adversity. That's why I remain optimistic about the upcoming season. We will definitely miss Beard defensively, but maybe a redshirt year and him rejoining the team next season wouldn't be that bad of a outcome considering the circumstances.  No one really knows who will emerge after two exhibition games, but Kingsley and Trey are two prime candidates. All the gloom and doom posts usually come from the same anti MA click. If I were you I wouldn't pay them much attention.

[HoopS]

Thanks for the posts.

[Biggus Piggus]

The big positive is that Arkansas held Delta State to 3-18 shooting from 3-point range.

The 18 offensive rebounds the Hogs got were fattened by a short opponent and a lot of backboard volleyball. Arkansas shot 21-49 inside the arc against a size-challenged defense. Keaton Miles was 0-5 from 2-pt range. That was the main problem.

Minutes distribution:

27 G Durham
27 G Whitt
25 F Kingsley
23 G Bell
23 G Hannahs
20 G Watkins
18 F Miles
18 F Thompson
14 F Kouassi
3 F Jenkins
1 G Walk-ons

My guess is that's a lot different than many people had expected. Arkansas's go-to alignment will include three guards, with four guards much more likely than two.

[TomBigBeeHog]

In MA I trust I've seen what he has done previously when facing adversity. That's why I remain optimistic about the upcoming season. We will definitely miss Beard defensively, but maybe a redshirt year and him rejoining the team next season wouldn't be that bad of a outcome considering the circumstances.  No one really knows who will emerge after two exhibition games, but Kingsley and Trey are two prime candidates. All the gloom and doom posts usually come from the same anti MA click. If I were you I wouldn't pay them much attention.

I think it would be great for him to redshirt if CMA doesn't think it would make a whole lot of difference in this season's outcome.

[chiefhawg]

Hannahs (15pts, 2stls, 3-5 3pt): not your typical "white-boy" out there. He can really handle the ball and get into the paint with his floaters. Can pull up from anywhere. However, if an opposing team scouts him and takes away his shot, he will be much less effective. Delta tried to do that and was successful in the 1st half.

Okay, it is 2015. What is your definition of a "typical White-boy" playing D-1 Basketball?

[FreshHog]

Thought I was in trouble when I saw my name in the thread title

I think the team overall is learning to mesh with what they have. Its a building process atm, and I've been pleasantly surprised at their defensive and scoring abilities... I dont think the season will be as bad as people have been thinking, but I'll still be taking the season 1 game at a time.

[ErieHog]

Things I'm happy with:

Better team defense and rebounding than I expected; a front court that will be counted on to do both, looking like it is actually equipped to do so at a very competent level.

Things that make me cringe:

Excessive mid-range shooting.   Familarity and comfort in transition (though I think this will come with time and experience)

Half of the team is great at ball movement; the other half  is working on it, but it isn't good, at all- without a scorer, the ball needs to stay in motion.  We can't afford stoppages.

I think Beard adds a bit to the team, especially in terms of teams having to respect the shooting range of our PG;  I anticipate a lot of nights where teams pack the paint, and we take a ton of mediocre to bad 12-15 foot jumpers/runners/floaters,  shoot 42% from the field, and lose conference games by 15 points.

[Razorbacks#1]

Thanks Iceman +1

[lstewart]

Initially after all the roster loses, I was thinking it was going to be a long year. Then I started thinking we might be a really good running pressing 3 point shooting team, and might be better than expected. After watching them last night, I am a little more back to my first opinion. They have some talent, but I don't think they are going to have enough to get over the hump. I'm thinking something like 15 regular season wins.

[The_Iceman]

Okay, it is 2015. What is your definition of a "typical White-boy" playing D-1 Basketball?

Something like.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogUTMs5Z3ko