Alabama A&M

[waterhead]

I think this is my preferred rotation after three games:

DeJulius 15 / Saunders 25
MAW 20 / DeJulius 10 / Mason 5 / McGinnis 5
Newman 20 / Mason 10 / Davenport 10
Davenport 15 / Lakhin 10 / Ody 10 / Hensley 5
Koval 20 / Lakhin 10 / Ado 10

The nice thing about our depth is we can play very different lineups. We can go very big or very small, all shooters or all defense.

I am bumping up my win projections by 2 games based on our quality depth and the idea that Lakhin is a major surprise as well Dejulius just had the type of game we were hoping for. I don't think DD is good for 20 or so on a nightly basis but if he can get in that 13 range average it means his %'s are going to be better than last year or the first two games of this year. That is a big IF but he was pronounced best player in pre season practice so there is hope. Lakhin also got some run just before the season started as the best stat stuffer in practice.

Early season reports you can usually take with a grain of salt...but if they hold true our offense suddenly takes a significant jump in potential output. The play of Vik so far has made me an early believer and last night DD finally got some shots to fall. Hopefully that is the rule rather than the exception.

Defensively we took a step back but some of that can be adjusted pretty easily with game film or lineup adjustments.

 

[waterhead]

Mason can take any three he wants. He is the only guy on the team with that green light.

We have at least two volume shooters in MM and JD. Then we have a bunch of capable spot/set shooters not named Ado or Ody. 10 of 12 guys can make a 3 ball.

MAW, DD, Saunders, Koval, Lakhin, Newman, Hensley, McGinnis are my spot/set shooter guys. Although McGinnis seems to also pump from anywhere which is intriguing.

DD took 8 threes last night and made 3. That was likely just a one game deal but he will have the ball in his hands a lot and if he can start seeing them fall he could become a potential volume guy. I do not expect that to happen but there are reasons to have cautious optimism.

 

[sirthought]

It was a fun game to watch. Like coach said in the post game interview, they are far from a complete team, but the promise is there. And watching them hustle is fun to see.

I didn't see the first game, so it was my first time seeing much of the players. Still just getting used to who is who visually.

I like the balance, and now I mostly wish the schedule was just a little tougher to prepare them for some bigger competition. I still it was wise to make this schedule a little lighter, as it's great we're getting to play more guys and gain experience.