Thomas more (exhibition)

[Loser Mentality]

if either are pushed out i think its more likely to be keith. he struggled the 2nd half of last year and seems a strange fit for a system that wants high ball skill guards that can shoot.


i think one reason KW struggles vs the better competition is he just doesn't have the handles.

I can't see Keith being pushed out at all. What i think Brannen is doing is something us as fans have yet to get a chance to enjoy. If McNeal is my starting PG, he's my leader and he's going to be at the podium. The PG usually runs the show, so hear we go!!!

 

[waterhead]

They probably don't need to start 2 bigs tonight so it would be a good chance to put the best 5 out there and make them feel good.

Scott
Williams
Cumberland
Cumberland
McNeal

The game at OSU might be a different story

 

[mdchick]

They probably don't need to start 2 bigs tonight so it would be a good chance to put the best 5 out there and make them feel good.

Scott
Williams
Cumberland
Cumberland
McNeal

The game at OSU might be a different story

He’s already said everyone’s playing at least 10 mins tonight

 

[mdchick]

No moore, Davenport and prince

 

[mdchick]

Wow Chris Vogt is starting

 

[mdchick]

Turnover central

 

[Gocats]

Like the pick & roll versus side to side under Cronin

 

[Queens_NYC]

Only got to watch the 2nd half but liked what I saw from McNeal and the Cumberlands. Wasn't too impressed with the bigs overall but I'm also trying not to be too judgmental considering the game was played at a pretty leisurely pace.

 

[Mcginnjw]

Jaevin and McNeal really impressed me with their all around play. They can seriously shoot the ball. We have 3 very good shooters. I also think MAW has the ability to get some good minutes this year.

 

[mdchick]

Chris McNeal: solid, probably best defender and better shooter than I thought he’d be

Mika Adams woods: he’s definitely our only back-up pf this year and the way McNeal plays he’s probably going to get into foul trouble which mean woods should get into games and play big minutes in a few games this year and he seems pretty good to me, he really didn’t try to shoot a 3, but he’s a down hill player and had good rotation on defense, he seems like he’s got a high b-ball IQ.

Jarron Cumberland: is good

Jaevin Cumberland: wow, easily the most impressive performance, idc if it was against D3 it would have been impressive to do that against no defense, he’s our second best player kw will probably start over him but jaevin is the best shooter since probably field williams.

Zach Harvey: really looked shy out there, his body type and athleticism reminds me of jacob Evans, but he didn’t even think about shooting, he’s got a log jam in front of him in the depth chart, but the future for him could be bright.

Kieth Williams: at times it looks like he’s not really trying out there, it could be just because he’s so athletic that he makes everything look easy, but at times his body language at times is noticeable that he’s upset about something, wether it’s not scoring pts or getting more playing time it’s a concern that I have been worried about since he’s gotten here, but there’s no question he’s an elite player, I just hope he’s not going to be Ann attitude problem in the locker room if jaevin starts playing more than he does.

Tre Scott: he’s good

Jeremiah Davenport: he’s a bearcat, really probably didn’t do a lot in the stat sheet but, he was prob the most energetic/enthusiastic player on the floor today, he’s my pick for back up PF this year his 3 point shot looks good he’s bigger than I thought he would be and seems to have a good IQ I’m happy with what I’ve seen from him so far and he looks like a good kid which doesn’t mean much to most but I like that.

Chris Vogt: our center position is a work in progress, Vogt seems to be our best option, he seems like he’s going to foul a lot, I can see a lot of over the back calls on him, also when he blocks shots he does it furiously and even if it’s all ball it’s going to look like a foul, so he needs to fix that, but he showed some nice touch and he has exponentially more b-ball IQ than diarra, he’s definitely better than I thought, it will be interesting to see him go against D1 competition.

Sorollla: he seems to be our second best option at center and not by much, he has a very similar game to Vogt, Vogt I think has a better idea of cutting to the basket, but there won’t be a big drop off at all at center when sorolla replaces Vogt

Diarra: he played some PF today that I didn’t see coming, his literal quickness is so much better than years past, but he’s still just a turnover machine out there, idk if I’d trust playing him more than 10 mpg

 

[skyblade]

Chris McNeal: solid, probably best defender and better shooter than I thought he’d be

Mika Adams woods: he’s definitely our only back-up pf this year and the way McNeal plays he’s probably going to get into foul trouble which mean woods should get into games and play big minutes in a few games this year and he seems pretty good to me, he really didn’t try to shoot a 3, but he’s a down hill player and had good rotation on defense, he seems like he’s got a high b-ball IQ.

Jarron Cumberland: is good

Jaevin Cumberland: wow, easily the most impressive performance, idc if it was against D3 it would have been impressive to do that against no defense, he’s our second best player kw will probably start over him but jaevin is the best shooter since probably field williams.

Zach Harvey: really looked shy out there, his body type and athleticism reminds me of jacob Evans, but he didn’t even think about shooting, he’s got a log jam in front of him in the depth chart, but the future for him could be bright.

Kieth Williams: at times it looks like he’s not really trying out there, it could be just because he’s so athletic that he makes everything look easy, but at times his body language at times is noticeable that he’s upset about something, wether it’s not scoring pts or getting more playing time it’s a concern that I have been worried about since he’s gotten here, but there’s no question he’s an elite player, I just hope he’s not going to be Ann attitude problem in the locker room if jaevin starts playing more than he does.

Tre Scott: he’s good

Jeremiah Davenport: he’s a bearcat, really probably didn’t do a lot in the stat sheet but, he was prob the most energetic/enthusiastic player on the floor today, he’s my pick for back up PF this year his 3 point shot looks good he’s bigger than I thought he would be and seems to have a good IQ I’m happy with what I’ve seen from him so far and he looks like a good kid which doesn’t mean much to most but I like that.

Chris Vogt: our center position is a work in progress, Vogt seems to be our best option, he seems like he’s going to foul a lot, I can see a lot of over the back calls on him, also when he blocks shots he does it furiously and even if it’s all ball it’s going to look like a foul, so he needs to fix that, but he showed some nice touch and he has exponentially more b-ball IQ than diarra, he’s definitely better than I thought, it will be interesting to see him go against D1 competition.

Sorollla: he seems to be our second best option at center and not by much, he has a very similar game to Vogt, Vogt I think has a better idea of cutting to the basket, but there won’t be a big drop off at all at center when sorolla replaces Vogt

Diarra: he played some PF today that I didn’t see coming, his literal quickness is so much better than years past, but he’s still just a turnover machine out there, idk if I’d trust playing him more than 10 mpg

I agree with you generally on the guards and forwards. But I disagree on the centers. Vogt and Sorolla both looked big and plodding and not very effective. Vogt commited a number of fouls and both had TO's. Our defense and offense were both worse with them on the floor. We tried to use them in a lot in pick-and-rolls and it's hard to see that being effective with how slow they are. It's hard to see them being effective in Brannen's system they relies on a lot of movement and up-and-down the court play.

Diarra has so much more quickness and athleticism compared to those two. I think when you account for his movement and the disruption it causes on offense and his ability to guard anyone on defense, he is just as good of an option as Vogt right now. But his potential is light years beyond that of Vogt/Sorolla. I'd play Diarra every minute possible. Diarra can be a very good or great player at center at some point. Vogt/Sorolla are big bodies who probably don't belong at UC's level of play and probably peak as below average centers.

We were best with Scott at the 5 and playing 4 small. But that's not going to work against some teams. We need Diarra to become the player he can be, even if it means more growing pains.

 

[waterhead]

Did not see the game and I don't see availability to watch it now. But I saw a few highlights. I also saw the post game presser which had some interesting things. Brannen turned it over early to the players to talk but you could tell he was VERY interested in their remarks. He was intent on listening to what their version of events were.

One thing that stood out to me when CJB was talking was that the pace has to get a LOT faster! Obviously he didn't like the effort much in the first portion of the game.

I will take the other thoughts on players from what has been offered on this board but from the sounds of things the guards and wings did pretty well on the whole and the bigs weren't quite as impressive which makes sense. I like hearing MAW and JD looked pretty decent and it's the talented 4 star that wasn't maybe quite ready yet. Harvey will get it going I'm sure so I am okay with hearing good things about the other frosh for now.

Not a lot of good things to say about the bigs today it sounds and that is probably my biggest concernt right now. Sounds like we are in good hands on the perimeter.

 

[sirthought]

I was really pleased with most everyone out there tonight. It's Thomas More, so it probably doesn't say much, but the offense was looking in better shape than I expected. There are criticisms, but overall it looked good for a first game.

Still miles to go, but compared to some other teams I've watched this week, the Bearcats are shooting pretty well and seem to have a grasp of at least what they want to do. Compared to Mick ball, I really loved the movement and the backdoor cuts. It seemed to open up some shooters and we actually looked like their was an offensive game plan. There seemed to be a nice balance of guys driving to the hoop, passing inside, and throwing it back out for an outside shot.

I do worry about the fast break three pointers. It's great if you're making them, but if you're on a fast break, the higher percentage is the layup/dunk and perhaps a foul. I admit, it was impressive that they shot 50% from 3 point land tonight. The majority of those we not really contested, so kudos to Brannen's system for giving the green light and hopefully that shooting touch continues.

We all know the bigs are not anyone's first or second pick right now, but I thought they actually played pretty well for a first outing. They were aggressive at times and didn't shy away from working for a shot, yet also were willing to pass out. It seemed like what you'd want them to do overall.

The best thing I can say about this game is that they really tried to score in balanced ways. Everyone got a chance, and for the most part people were in a position to succeed. That wasn't always the case in past years, and if the main one or two guys weren't on, then the whole team suffered.

I don't know that we can comment on defense as much because the opponent was just so physically overmatched. The Bearcats did not seem to lose their defensive identity. There was some pressing and guys played more in the face of their matchup than a looser zone. But it's early and a young-ish team and they are still learning about the college game.

So much fun to watch this team.

 

[sirthought]

Here is a link to watch on demand. If you have an ad blocker turned on the video will not play.

https://gobearcats.com/watch/?Archive=4978

The video starts before shoot around, so you have to drag it in the timeline to the start of the game.




I think with the freshmen, Woods and Davenport are obviously point guards trained to drive to the hoop within the flow. That's a bit different than I expect Harvey is used to playing, which is likely more on breakaways or in isolation plays. I don't know if that analysis is correct, as I've only seen a few YouTube videos, but in any case I expect Harvey will figure it out. I'm sure things are going incredibly fast for all of them right now.

I hope in these early games they really work on getting the bigs in scoring position so they can work on it and hopefully get better for when the competition gets tougher. OSU will be a huge challenge.

 

[waterhead]

Here is a link to watch on demand. If you have an ad blocker turned on the video will not play.

https://gobearcats.com/watch/?Archive=4978

The video starts before shoot around, so you have to drag it in the timeline to the start of the game.




I think with the freshmen, Woods and Davenport are obviously point guards trained to drive to the hoop within the flow. That's a bit different than I expect Harvey is used to playing, which is likely more on breakaways or in isolation plays. I don't know if that analysis is correct, as I've only seen a few YouTube videos, but in any case I expect Harvey will figure it out. I'm sure things are going incredibly fast for all of them right now.

I hope in these early games they really work on getting the bigs in scoring position so they can work on it and hopefully get better for when the competition gets tougher. OSU will be a huge challenge.

Thanks for the link...I could not find it!!

 

[mdchick]

i Agree diarra has better tools than Vogt and sorolla, but he doesn’t know spacing offensively, he doesn’t know rotation defensively and he is a bad decision maker when he is trying to make a pass. Further more I worry about his rebounding, because I don’t think he can box anyone out. But I’m not saying Vogt and sorolla are super stars I think they are a better option at this point of the season

 

[waterhead]

Thanks for the link...I could not find it!!

Got a chance to watch it. Not too much we need to say about Williams, Cumberland or Scott.

I like the way McNeal plays the game. He just gets after it on both ends and plays with a lot of confidence.

Jaevin can shoot the rock!!

MAW and Davenport both looked better than I was expecting them to. Harvey looked like I thought those other two would look. MAW looks physically ready to play at this level and handled the ball well. Davenport looks like he could become a plus defender...he has very quick feet for his size. Considering his injury he was moving around like nothing happened which is very good.

I think we will find out a lot more about the bigs in the next game. They didn't do a lot but I didn't think they played bad other than perhaps some mistakes that need to be cleaned up.

If Brannen wants them to play faster it's going to be hard to control turnovers. I think he said the ball was getting "stuck" so maybe he just means the ball needs to move faster. That's not always an easy thing to do when defenders get in your passing lanes.

It wasn't as clean as it's going to need to be against OSU so I don't feel super good about the next game but then they have some time to catch up and clean up.

 

[cincyalum2014]

When we went with Trevon at the 5 and played small with Mcneal, Cumberland x2 and Williams, we gave up 3 consecutive offensive rebounds against Thomas More whose biggest guy was 6-6. Wesson and company at OSU will eat that lineup alive. I understand its just a EXH and you could tell the cats weren't showing really anything other than cutting to the basket. I am so happy Jaevin is here, kid can shoot, Mcneal is exceeding my expectations, Cumberland is the man, Soralla and Vogt are in there to alter shots and get rebounds and foul nothing more, nothing less. Harvey looked very nervous which was expected, Adams-Woods- man he is fast, like really fast with exceptional ball skills for an 18 year old. Jury is still out on Mamadou, I hope he can put it all together sooner rather than later. Davenport is very long and athletic and I think for how under recruited he was could turn into a Shaq Thomas type player

 

[waterhead]

I agree with you generally on the guards and forwards. But I disagree on the centers. Vogt and Sorolla both looked big and plodding and not very effective. Vogt commited a number of fouls and both had TO's. Our defense and offense were both worse with them on the floor. We tried to use them in a lot in pick-and-rolls and it's hard to see that being effective with how slow they are. It's hard to see them being effective in Brannen's system they relies on a lot of movement and up-and-down the court play.

Diarra has so much more quickness and athleticism compared to those two. I think when you account for his movement and the disruption it causes on offense and his ability to guard anyone on defense, he is just as good of an option as Vogt right now. But his potential is light years beyond that of Vogt/Sorolla. I'd play Diarra every minute possible. Diarra can be a very good or great player at center at some point. Vogt/Sorolla are big bodies who probably don't belong at UC's level of play and probably peak as below average centers.

We were best with Scott at the 5 and playing 4 small. But that's not going to work against some teams. We need Diarra to become the player he can be, even if it means more growing pains.

I didn't see that from Sorolla (slow and plodding) and Vogt is still fairly mobile for his size. 7 footers with solid frames and decent mobility don't grow on trees. I don't expect either of them to move around like Justin Jackson. We will have to see if they can get good positioning in the paint and body up on capable bigs. We aren't running any offense through them for sure but we don't need to. That would be a bonus but I think they are what they are at this point. We will need both of them for 10 fouls in a few games. The small lineup looks better though for sure.

 

[waterhead]

Work horses...

Cumberland
Cumberland
Scott
Williams
McNeal


Situational work...

Sorolla
Vogt
MAW
Davenport
Moore

Work to do...

Diara
Harvey

These last two have to clean up mistakes if they want to play a lot. Looking a little lost for the moment