So nobody went to get free hotdogs and watch the team? Some great fans to be sure!
I was in attendance. My observations.The kid from Montreal looked like a much more athletic version of Sepp. he had a nice take to the basket, hit a 3. Servilus. I think he will surprise folks. He was the last signee? Owen Dease has a nice looking stroke and will be a difficult matchup with his hybrid skills on the perimeter. Barnes might be the most athletic guy on the roster and the kid from U of Indy, Whitaker plays under control, looks polished. Pettigrew looks promising, Kobe Walker will give us a down low presence, rebounding defense put backs. The guy from St Mary’s looks like a project and won’t provide much offense. Today a lot guys were trying to get shots up and not necessarily playing team ball. It does appear we have more shooters this year and ball handlers. I think our post scoring presence/and or defense will be our Achilles heel. Justice didn’t play???
Thanks for a nice analysis. How about the New Zealand 7 footer?
@burnee77 I talked to justice after the scrimmage. He said he would be ready to go by the first game no problem!
Carter looked good, I think he is in the starting line up, not sure he is as good of an outside shooter as cooper but has other aspects. He is very athletic and he is proportionally built and strong, looked to be more comfortable around the basket too. Shon is a shot blocker and rebounder but isn’t as polished as I thought he would be. I think Kobe and JT see back up minutes and will be very good if they commit more than a year. Brown will probably be the starter at the point and will be good if he can keep control. Rakim looked like he will play minutes too, backing up the point. Deese and Barns are both starters imo. Brody will play minutes and could be an off ball shooter or run the point as an alternative some, Tucker will be down the bench. Serellis (44 I’m butchering names, sorry) is an absolute man, built like a brick house. He was aggressive attacking the basket, his shot didn’t look great yesterday but who knows. He won’t be bullied and was a decent defender… This is all my opinion based on 1 scrimmage where it was 1/2 serious. Roger is a great human and really wants to succeed. I also got some insider information hahaha. I talked to Roger’s mom as I do anytime I see her. She informed me she is switching from purple to silver, silver is on back order but should be good to go by the season opener 😂, she’s great! Justice told me he would be ready to go by the first game. I talked to shon and Kobe, both were super nice and outgoing, you could tell they liked the fan support and attention; both just seem like great young men. I think we have a decent team but a great group of guys that we need to support.
Thanks for a nice analysis. How about the New Zealand 7 footer?
Carter Hopoi is listed as 6'10" although I guess he could have added a couple of inches. Paul provided a recap.
Actually 6’11”
He must still be growing. Two months ago he was said to be 6-10 and I think when we first heard about him he was said to be 6-8 or 6-9.
Being honest, I think it is hard to get a read from the guys based on intersquad scrimmaging. The way Oren's article made it out was that this was 2 10min halves with one half being offensive focus and the other half being defensive focus. My personal wishes is that Hoppoi becomes a stud just because he has that pro ball experience over seas.
Delayed response, but yes Servilus is a chiseled man. Reggie Evans esk. Hoppoi is more of a back to the basket player and didn't show much from outside. Outside of muscling up he could use work on his handles as a he seemed a little loose with the dribble. Looks to have a high ceiling, runs floor well. He does have above average athleticism. Not as finesse as Cooper S. Like some have noted, hard to gain a whole lot from a scrimmage. Stating obvious will take half a season for the chemistry but I am most concerned about our post defense/foul trouble.
Well, at least we’ll have a “post presence “!
