Grand Valley State (Exhibition)

[UCalum08]

Just to add to all the great observations, how about Shaq going perfect from the FT line? He is a career make one miss one. I really hope that he shoots well this year because that would be a huge lift because he should get fouled a lot.

 

[HoosierCat]

Impressed with the freshmen. Evans has a nice outside shot and looks to already be a natural fit for the Bearcat defense. Tre Scott was a nice surprise to me, more physically built than I expected. Jenifer is as advertised but will need to cut down the turnovers, I believe will come in time.
All the others look like they are picking up where they left off and will only get better. I thought KJ looked improved already (not sure what has happened to him at the free throw line). Moore needs to continue getting better on D to see more playing time, but did look improved.
All in all, good game, little sloppy 2nd half.

 

[L-T]

Shaq has looked very good in both the scrimmage and last night. Loved the fact that he had 6 assists along with his very good shooting percentages. He will be a key player if he continues to bring the kind of senior leadership he is showing thus far.

I was a big supporter of Jenifer after the first scrimmage and nothing I saw last night has changed my mind. There weren't a lot of transition opportunities last night, which is where he will really shine, but he showed off some solid shooting skills (which he didn't show at the scrimmage). If he is a decent outside shooter, along with all the other skills he brings to the table, I'll say it again.....no way in hell he only gets single digit minutes. If you compare his stat line with Caupain, they were almost identical on a per minute basis. The difference is that he makes everyone around him a lot better than Caupain does with his ability to see the floor and pass the ball. I'm not saying that he should push Troy to the bench, but Mick has to figure a way to get this kid involved in a significant way. I watched him defensively a lot as well, and he looks very solid to me....very quick feet. I have a close friend who attends almost every single practice and was bragging about his free throw shooting, saying he has watched him a lot and normally he gets nothing but net on his free throws. Lol, right after he said that, naturally he missed his only free throw attempt.

This same person has said that we have been really emphasizing offense a lot more this year, which I was happy to hear. We struggled defensively last night, but is there anyone worried about our defense? I'm not. I know Mick will get that fixed! Overall, a solid performance. Even Quadri looked pretty good. 1st impression.....love this freshman class!!!

 

[waterhead]

Not a big fan of Shaq and Jenifer shooting 3ss.

Not a big fan of that either but you could tell Shaq added some loft to his shot and it looks much better. Jenifer's shot is not pretty but as long as he can knock down 1 of 3 from deep I will be fine with that.

 

[UCBearcats]

Evans looked like the real deal. He was aggressive with the ball in his hands and has a very nice stroke. His stroke from the foul line was a sight for sore eyes.

We've got some guys on this squad who can shoot, if the offense can stay free wheeling against good competition we're going to be a tough team to defend. Hopefully as the season goes on we'll find ways to get the ball into the post and feed our bigs. With Ellis, DeBerry and Clark we should get a lot of post up looks if our shooters are making 3's.

I love the balance of this team and I love the apparent strength of our bench. I'm sure there will be some growing pains with these freshman in spurts but they've got a lot of energy and I think all 3 can contribute.

 

[L-T]

Not a big fan of that either but you could tell Shaq added some loft to his shot and it looks much better. Jenifer's shot is not pretty but as long as he can knock down 1 of 3 from deep I will be fine with that.

Up until recently, have we ever been a big fan of any of Mick's recruits shooting 3s? Absolutely not.....because he has basically never recruited that lights out, picture perfect, sweet shooter. We recruit these guys who cause us to cringe the first time we see their stroke, and then we start typing in here that we're not a big fan of them shooting 3s. However, he seems to be improving in his recruitment of better shooters now. Does Jenifer have a sweet stroke? Not really (still formulating an opinion on that), but I didn't see Mick going crazy when he threw them up there, so he must not be that bad. He looks like a guy who will eventually be a threat from 3, but his game today is getting us out in transition, delivering the rock, penetrating defenses, etc. If he was the best player in the nation in 7th grade (Mick's words), I'm sure the 3 point shot was probably part of why he was ranked that high.

 

[TheLongHaul]

Who even ranks kids in 7th grade? I'm sure that ranking was pretty much worthless, no offense to Jenifer. Thought he looked good and will be a capable 3 point shooter when wide open.

 

[L-T]

Evans looked like the real deal. He was aggressive with the ball in his hands and has a very nice stroke. His stroke from the foul line was a sight for sore eyes.

We've got some guys on this squad who can shoot, if the offense can stay free wheeling against good competition we're going to be a tough team to defend. Hopefully as the season goes on we'll find ways to get the ball into the post and feed our bigs. With Ellis, DeBerry and Clark we should get a lot of post up looks if our shooters are making 3's.

I love the balance of this team and I love the apparent strength of our bench. I'm sure there will be some growing pains with these freshman in spurts but they've got a lot of energy and I think all 3 can contribute.

At the scrimmage, Evans started a little slow, then came on like gangbusters. By the end, I was thinking how solid he looked in every phase of the game. I was totally impressed. I still gave the edge to Jenifer in that game. Last night, Evans kept on ascending in my eyes and I now put him ahead of Jenifer as far as where they have taken my fandom level to this point. Both are way up there in my eyes. The future is very bright if we can keep these freshmen here for 4 years. Not even talking much about Scott at this point, but he looks really good as well!

 

[waterhead]

Some takes from the game...

FT's...76%
3 pts...56%

18 of our 22 assists came from 4 guys (Thomas (6), Caupain, Ellis, Jenifer (4))

Clark hasn't been much of an offensive factor in scrimmage or exhibition but he had 10 boards and 3 blocks so hopefully he doesn't get lost in the new offense.

Shaq may be the most improved veteran. He worked on his shot and added loft. Obviously added weight and muscle. Looks very focused. Had 6 assists.

Evans looks smooth and I'm glad he's got an outside shot.

Scott looks like a serviceable backup for Clark

Jenifer...how exciting is he? He's got vision and he can get the ball up court...had some great passes. There were some ill advised passes that will not work against better competition but he will learn as he goes. His footwork on D was very good I thought. Legit

 

[waterhead]

I remember a time when we had guys like Dixon and Bishop bringing the ball up the court because we only had one guard and he was either hurt or taking a breather.

We now have two skilled PG's and that is going to go a long way.

We are as deep and skilled as we have been in a long while. Depth will help us wear teams down and the skill will help with matching up with almost any team we come across.

The freshmen did not disappoint!

 

[ConnecticutHoops]

UConn Exhibition....

I am not trying to hijack the thread. Great insight on the BearCats. Not surprising to me at all as I have the BearCats as 1 of my FF teams. I was disappointed with UConn's first scrimmage. Hamilton and Brimah look the same physically. They both looked like their games fall into the category of status quo from last year. That is disappointing. Jalen Adams has star power written all over him BUT had 5 TO's. He is the real deal though and will be a prime time player after a half year of experience. Shonn Miller is our best player and he is a stud. Overall I was disappointed BUT do expect great improvement. Sterling Gibbs is struggling to take the ALPHA role and that is very concerning.

I am really looking forward to watching Jennifer of Cincinnati! That kid is so underrated and I'm sure has a major chip on his shoulder to show he is 1 of the best Freshman in the country.

 

[BearcatSpaniard513]

Jenifer really impressed me. His confidence with the ball when he has it in his hands is off the chart. He has excellent vision of the court and will not hesitate to throw the ball up court for a fast break or a no look pass in transition. His stroke needs work and he releases the ball too close to his chest. Looked decent on D, but it was DII Grand Valley State. I am extremely excited about his Bearcat career.

Evans has a ton of confidence as well. He did not hesitate to toss up a 3 his first shot of the game and his shot looked good. I think he'll see at least 15+ minutes a game depending on how his defense and rebounding go.

Tre Scott was athletic and seemed like a good all around player. Will definitely need to keep hitting the weights. He was outrebounded a couple times due to being out of position or being undersized. I think he will be a good player and belongs here, but has some work to do.

Solid recruiting class. I agree with either L-T or Bulldog (I forget which one) when they said if Jenifer were 4 inches taller he would not be here. Evans was a HUGE get and Scott will contribute nicely here. Add Washington and Cumberland next year and this is a solid team. Mick needs another Evans or Cumberland commitment for the 2016 class. The future is looking GOOD!

 

[jacobkdoyle]

The 22 assists part will work. They should never turn it over 10 times vs that team. The turnovers must get fixed. I wouldn't worry about that total if it wasn't a major problem last year, but we are just too sloppy with possession of the ball too often.

If this team has a chance to go where we want them to go, the turnovers must stop.

The bigs have to get it figured out. 7 of the turnovers came from non-guards. Can't happen.

10 turnovers is not a lot. Especially when 4 of them come from offensive fouls.

 

[jacobkdoyle]

Just for some perspective...Shaq had 19 assists ALL of last year, and had 6 last night. That is huge. I don't want to get my hopes up bc he played well in exhibition last year too, but this was very encouraging.

 

[jacobkdoyle]

Jenifer really impressed me. His confidence with the ball when he has it in his hands is off the chart. He has excellent vision of the court and will not hesitate to throw the ball up court for a fast break or a no look pass in transition. His stroke needs work and he releases the ball too close to his chest. Looked decent on D, but it was DII Grand Valley State. I am extremely excited about his Bearcat career.

Evans has a ton of confidence as well. He did not hesitate to toss up a 3 his first shot of the game and his shot looked good. I think he'll see at least 15+ minutes a game depending on how his defense and rebounding go.

Tre Scott was athletic and seemed like a good all around player. Will definitely need to keep hitting the weights. He was outrebounded a couple times due to being out of position or being undersized. I think he will be a good player and belongs here, but has some work to do.

Solid recruiting class. I agree with either L-T or Bulldog (I forget which one) when they said if Jenifer were 4 inches taller he would not be here. Evans was a HUGE get and Scott will contribute nicely here. Add Washington and Cumberland next year and this is a solid team. Mick needs another Evans or Cumberland commitment for the 2016 class. The future is looking GOOD!

Don't forget about Nysier Brooks. His size will be helpful in replacing Ellis and DeBerry.

 

[TheLongHaul]

Jenifer really impressed me. His confidence with the ball when he has it in his hands is off the chart. He has excellent vision of the court and will not hesitate to throw the ball up court for a fast break or a no look pass in transition. His stroke needs work and he releases the ball too close to his chest. Looked decent on D, but it was DII Grand Valley State. I am extremely excited about his Bearcat career.

Evans has a ton of confidence as well. He did not hesitate to toss up a 3 his first shot of the game and his shot looked good. I think he'll see at least 15+ minutes a game depending on how his defense and rebounding go.

Tre Scott was athletic and seemed like a good all around player. Will definitely need to keep hitting the weights. He was outrebounded a couple times due to being out of position or being undersized. I think he will be a good player and belongs here, but has some work to do.

Solid recruiting class. I agree with either L-T or Bulldog (I forget which one) when they said if Jenifer were 4 inches taller he would not be here. Evans was a HUGE get and Scott will contribute nicely here. Add Washington and Cumberland next year and this is a solid team. Mick needs another Evans or Cumberland commitment for the 2016 class. The future is looking GOOD!

There are very few people on this roster that you could not say that about.

Agree with the rest. Recruiting seems to be improving which is imperative. Also, really hoping Mick can maximize DeBerry this year because I think he could be a monster on offense.

 

[CinciSportsFan]

Is there a replay of the game anywhere? I wasn't able to watch it.

 

[TheLongHaul]

Try this:

http://www.gobearcats.com/collegesportslive/?media=508459

 

[Bulldog01]

Who even ranks kids in 7th grade? I'm sure that ranking was pretty much worthless, no offense to Jenifer. Thought he looked good and will be a capable 3 point shooter when wide open.

Top 25 freshman in high school already probably hold offers from every major college there is

 

[Bulldog01]

Jenifer looked like he has D1 defense skills