UC 84 Bellemaine 72
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UCalum08
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Was at the game and not really much to say.
Lawrence def. looked way better but needs to work on his ft routine.
UC's defense over extended, over helped, was a step slow/behind virtually on every play.
Mick looked like a hockey coach with his rapid shift changes every 2 minutes.
Every time Thomas came out of the game he looked pissed, whiny, shaking his head. At times he seemed very non interested in what was going on. Kinda seemed like he was pouting.
Can't say I feel confident for the regular season but at the same time not overly concerned. I def. am concerned with how we are going to score this year. Just seems like our offense will be a major question every year. We continue to struggle finishing around the rim. I personally don't see much difference, if any, from previous years.
Lawrence def. looked way better but needs to work on his ft routine.
UC's defense over extended, over helped, was a step slow/behind virtually on every play.
Mick looked like a hockey coach with his rapid shift changes every 2 minutes.
Every time Thomas came out of the game he looked pissed, whiny, shaking his head. At times he seemed very non interested in what was going on. Kinda seemed like he was pouting.
Can't say I feel confident for the regular season but at the same time not overly concerned. I def. am concerned with how we are going to score this year. Just seems like our offense will be a major question every year. We continue to struggle finishing around the rim. I personally don't see much difference, if any, from previous years.
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TheLivingLegend
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This game was disappointing to me compared to last week.
- Everyone was non existent besides SK and Justin.
- WHY DOES JD NOT GET MINUTES. Hes the only one who can push the tempo and does it every time he can. Him not getting minutes is mind boggling.
- WHY DOES SANDERS GET MINUTES. Somoene tell me what he brings? Average defense? Zero offense? No Speed/Athleticism. Zero push tempo wise.
- Second half was much better than the first, defensively.
- Tempo was poor. This team will not win games if they cant get in the open floor, their half court offense isnt good.
- Lawrence, despite having 11 points didnt look great again imo. Looks unmotivated, soft and walks every time he touches the ball. He has to think about everything he does on the floor. Zero instinct.
- Everyone was non existent besides SK and Justin.
- WHY DOES JD NOT GET MINUTES. Hes the only one who can push the tempo and does it every time he can. Him not getting minutes is mind boggling.
- WHY DOES SANDERS GET MINUTES. Somoene tell me what he brings? Average defense? Zero offense? No Speed/Athleticism. Zero push tempo wise.
- Second half was much better than the first, defensively.
- Tempo was poor. This team will not win games if they cant get in the open floor, their half court offense isnt good.
- Lawrence, despite having 11 points didnt look great again imo. Looks unmotivated, soft and walks every time he touches the ball. He has to think about everything he does on the floor. Zero instinct.
Davis playing zero 2nd half minutes was total BS!!! The guy played his butt off in the first half and spurred the team to their first lead. Everyone around me was in an uproar the whole 2nd half over him not playing.
Outside of that one glaring negative, I saw many positives and I think this team has a ton of potential. The depth and intensity were impressive. I saw a lot of positives with Lawrence, unlike others. He's playing a little tentative, but I can see a bright future with this kid....sooner rather than later. Also see a lot of potential in Kevin Johnson. Overall, I thought they were pretty impressive.
But still extremely pissed about the Davis situation.
Outside of that one glaring negative, I saw many positives and I think this team has a ton of potential. The depth and intensity were impressive. I saw a lot of positives with Lawrence, unlike others. He's playing a little tentative, but I can see a bright future with this kid....sooner rather than later. Also see a lot of potential in Kevin Johnson. Overall, I thought they were pretty impressive.
But still extremely pissed about the Davis situation.
^
That...I really noticed the defense frantically double teaming while an open Bellarmine player drained a 3.
Once again, lesser athletes with better basketball sense (as a team), couldn't keep up with UC's superior physical skills. I think a smaller rotation might help - Nyarsuk seemed useless...Lawrence will be good....in a while
Like everyone else, I don't get the no JD rule - he seems to spark the team.
UCalum08
Well-known member
Yeah I saw a hand full of times we had 3 guys trying to trap one guy. UC never really corrected their defensive/pressing woes.
On offense, UC didn't run one play except for setting two guys on the elbow then 3 guys behind the 3 pt line. Its going to be a tough season to watch if we continue to struggle finishing around the rim. Opposing teams will quickly and easily be able to defend our offense. :-/
Basketball.com
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I think that it will change when the season starts for Davis, he showed some good stuff! He will play more when the real show starts! Good kid and stayed positive throughout the whole game! Mick is unpredictable, we have a long season and I think at some point all of them will be used. I think he was just trying a few things out! Go bearcats!
I thought Lawrence looked good, he was clearly nervous but started playing well after he shook of his jitters. I like Shaq, but he needs to put some arc on his shot, but wow when that kid wants to he can beat anyone off of dribble from the perimeter, he can have that 6 foot jumper whenever he wants.
david aka the TYZ
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I took alot of positives from today. To comment on the defense. I noticed in the first half, which someone alluded to in a previous post, that we were over pressing, especially after the ball crossed mid-court and it left guys wide open. I noticed in the second half they kept their pressing more to the full court and then set good traps in the half-court and Bellarmine wasn't getting those open looks anymore on seemingly every possession. I liked seeing the adjustment made. We knew the defense should be good this year, but the way they looked in the second half has me really excited.
I, too, wish Davis would get more minutes. Just watching him in warm-ups he's got such a nice stroke. I honestly don't get it either why he doesn't see more minutes, but my guess is it's because he must be completely lost on what Mick wants him to be doing out there. I'm guessing he might have been the one continually leaving his man to roam out to the corner for a wide open three to be the reason he saw his minutes disappear. We all know Mick will yank you quick if you forget your man out there. Honestly some of the plays the guys got so wide open that it was hard to tell who was supposed to be guarding them.
As far as Sanders, I think he sees minutes because he knows where to be on the floor at all times. Shaq has been known to lose his man out there. I wish Sanders would be more aggressive on offense, but I don't think he's a liability when he's on the floor like many do.
Lawrence looked 100 times better. He actually showed the flashes of why he was a high recruit. With that said, he definitely needs to get stronger. He has the moves, but in college the moves get you past your man, but you still have to finish over the help defense and he left a few close ones short. He made a couple nice moves though. I saw a little bit of good, too, on his instincts going for rebounds.
I thought Caupain and Johnson were kind of invisible today, but what I did notice was they both have very good instincts out there and give it 100%. Johnson looked good in the press. Mormon didn't play much, but I'm glad he played at least. I watched him shadowing his man on defense and was impressed (granted it was about 10 seconds). He looks like he could be a shutdown defender.
I think Guyn has shown alot of improvement. He's keeping his hands up on defense which is a big plus. I still notice that when he's on the floor that he doesn't command the ball. Alot of times Kilpatrick comes out to the top of the key and he stays out on the wing. That's not what I expect out of a point guard. But he doesn't look to be hurting us out there and he's made some nice pushes to the basket. His handles are better than I remember and he got some nice steals in the press.
Rubles looks more polished, too. This is going to be weird to say, but while I'm glad he isn't throwing up outside shots, I kind of want to see him throw some up to see if his shot has gotten better. He could be deadly if he were a dual threat. His defense is solid. He needs to focus more on finishing around the rim (as does everyone) but he is getting some really good looks.
Kilpatrick looks like a senior. He looks calm and in control and doesn't make mistakes. He has gotten to the rim with ease, which is awesome to see. We'll see if that continues to happen vs. some Division 1 competition and even more vs. top 25-type competition. But I really don't have anything negative to say about him at this point. Not saying he's perfect because we know he has his flaws, but good players learn how to play to their strengths and not expose their flaws and I'm hoping that's what we see from him this year.
I saved Jackson for last (other than Nyarsuk who hasn't shown me much of anything that he'll be more of a 5-10 minute spell when necessary). He looks like a complete different player. His aggressiveness on offense is not only good to see but it's actually been extrememly effective. Again, competition level but wow. The most impressive thing I saw from him was early in the first half when he got a rebound, dribbled once to square his body up, pump faked, got his defender in the air and got the shot off with the foul. He has just been impressive to say the least.
I, too, wish Davis would get more minutes. Just watching him in warm-ups he's got such a nice stroke. I honestly don't get it either why he doesn't see more minutes, but my guess is it's because he must be completely lost on what Mick wants him to be doing out there. I'm guessing he might have been the one continually leaving his man to roam out to the corner for a wide open three to be the reason he saw his minutes disappear. We all know Mick will yank you quick if you forget your man out there. Honestly some of the plays the guys got so wide open that it was hard to tell who was supposed to be guarding them.
As far as Sanders, I think he sees minutes because he knows where to be on the floor at all times. Shaq has been known to lose his man out there. I wish Sanders would be more aggressive on offense, but I don't think he's a liability when he's on the floor like many do.
Lawrence looked 100 times better. He actually showed the flashes of why he was a high recruit. With that said, he definitely needs to get stronger. He has the moves, but in college the moves get you past your man, but you still have to finish over the help defense and he left a few close ones short. He made a couple nice moves though. I saw a little bit of good, too, on his instincts going for rebounds.
I thought Caupain and Johnson were kind of invisible today, but what I did notice was they both have very good instincts out there and give it 100%. Johnson looked good in the press. Mormon didn't play much, but I'm glad he played at least. I watched him shadowing his man on defense and was impressed (granted it was about 10 seconds). He looks like he could be a shutdown defender.
I think Guyn has shown alot of improvement. He's keeping his hands up on defense which is a big plus. I still notice that when he's on the floor that he doesn't command the ball. Alot of times Kilpatrick comes out to the top of the key and he stays out on the wing. That's not what I expect out of a point guard. But he doesn't look to be hurting us out there and he's made some nice pushes to the basket. His handles are better than I remember and he got some nice steals in the press.
Rubles looks more polished, too. This is going to be weird to say, but while I'm glad he isn't throwing up outside shots, I kind of want to see him throw some up to see if his shot has gotten better. He could be deadly if he were a dual threat. His defense is solid. He needs to focus more on finishing around the rim (as does everyone) but he is getting some really good looks.
Kilpatrick looks like a senior. He looks calm and in control and doesn't make mistakes. He has gotten to the rim with ease, which is awesome to see. We'll see if that continues to happen vs. some Division 1 competition and even more vs. top 25-type competition. But I really don't have anything negative to say about him at this point. Not saying he's perfect because we know he has his flaws, but good players learn how to play to their strengths and not expose their flaws and I'm hoping that's what we see from him this year.
I saved Jackson for last (other than Nyarsuk who hasn't shown me much of anything that he'll be more of a 5-10 minute spell when necessary). He looks like a complete different player. His aggressiveness on offense is not only good to see but it's actually been extrememly effective. Again, competition level but wow. The most impressive thing I saw from him was early in the first half when he got a rebound, dribbled once to square his body up, pump faked, got his defender in the air and got the shot off with the foul. He has just been impressive to say the least.
JumpinJack5
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A few observations:
Again, very impressed with Caupain. He isn't amazing, but he doesn't make a lot of stupid mistakes. He plays within himself and makes good decisions, which is really all you can ask out of a freshman pg.
JD3 and Guyn should flip-flop roles. Guyn makes far too many dumb mistakes and really is no offensive threat, while JD3 offers us some of the scoring we so dearly need. I'm scratching my head on that one, just like the rest of you have mentioned.
Sanders gives us virtually nothing. He isn't as bad as Guyn, but he is still sort of a waste out there.
Lawrence was very solid, much improved from game 1. He made a few dumb freshman mistakes, but he showed that he has some nice moves to the basket.
Rubles is a completely different player when you put him on the block, I like it. He made a few mistakes, but overall, played a solid game.
Shaq didn't really do too much today, was hoping to see a repeat performance from him from last week.
Johnson looked fine, no horrible mistakes, nothing really amazing either.
JJ looked good yet again. He must continue to stay out of foul trouble and stay late after practice to shoot free throws. He looks like he will score a lot for us this year, so he better get accustomed to making them.
Nyarsuk looked solid in the first game, but looked lost today.
Again, very impressed with Caupain. He isn't amazing, but he doesn't make a lot of stupid mistakes. He plays within himself and makes good decisions, which is really all you can ask out of a freshman pg.
JD3 and Guyn should flip-flop roles. Guyn makes far too many dumb mistakes and really is no offensive threat, while JD3 offers us some of the scoring we so dearly need. I'm scratching my head on that one, just like the rest of you have mentioned.
Sanders gives us virtually nothing. He isn't as bad as Guyn, but he is still sort of a waste out there.
Lawrence was very solid, much improved from game 1. He made a few dumb freshman mistakes, but he showed that he has some nice moves to the basket.
Rubles is a completely different player when you put him on the block, I like it. He made a few mistakes, but overall, played a solid game.
Shaq didn't really do too much today, was hoping to see a repeat performance from him from last week.
Johnson looked fine, no horrible mistakes, nothing really amazing either.
JJ looked good yet again. He must continue to stay out of foul trouble and stay late after practice to shoot free throws. He looks like he will score a lot for us this year, so he better get accustomed to making them.
Nyarsuk looked solid in the first game, but looked lost today.
CaptDale
Well-known member
Just finished watching a replay of the game.
Bellarmine can pass the ball very well! We should learn from that. Plus their movement is constant. They are well-coached. They're not a great team, even for DII, but they are good. They don't take bad shots, AND they make their FT's. Hope we learned something from them.
That said, contrary to others, I think Guyn is way better than you think. He's got good handles and he is capable of taking it to the hoop when there's room. He doesn't do it very often, but when he did this game, it was a really nice move.
On the other hand, Caupain played OK, but was not impressive in any one particular facet. We didn't see enough of Johnson or Morman to learn much. JDIII looked good, but he must be on Cronin's shit list for some reason. He hustles. I think we'll see a lot of Guyn at the point, so if he can develop a touch for the 3 (which we're finally getting smart enough to avoid unless wide open), he'll be really tough.
JJ is unlike the previous years. When he puts the ball on the floor, I no longer cringe. I know he'll TO a few, but not like he used to. We'll have to wait and see how he fares vs real competition and centers of size.
Lawrence played better, had a few points, but no flashes of brilliance. Don't know how long he's had that FT preshot routine, but I think he's trying to distinguish himself from the crowd to get attract NBA scouts, or something.
I like Shaquille, but he's going to be a frustrated player if he doesn't get more minutes. I hope he continues to play hard. The guy has a great vertical leap!
SK is SK. He'll get his points. Glad to see him trying to drive.
Rubles plays tough but has no shooting touch. Unfortunately, that's an innate trait. I'm not sure it can be developed. He needs to watch SK - he's the poster boy for shot finesse on this team. We need Rubles offensively as well as defensively. He just lacks those spin moves in the paint, finger roll layups off the glass, etc. But he plays hard.
Nyarsuk should switch to volleyball.
Bellarmine can pass the ball very well! We should learn from that. Plus their movement is constant. They are well-coached. They're not a great team, even for DII, but they are good. They don't take bad shots, AND they make their FT's. Hope we learned something from them.
That said, contrary to others, I think Guyn is way better than you think. He's got good handles and he is capable of taking it to the hoop when there's room. He doesn't do it very often, but when he did this game, it was a really nice move.
On the other hand, Caupain played OK, but was not impressive in any one particular facet. We didn't see enough of Johnson or Morman to learn much. JDIII looked good, but he must be on Cronin's shit list for some reason. He hustles. I think we'll see a lot of Guyn at the point, so if he can develop a touch for the 3 (which we're finally getting smart enough to avoid unless wide open), he'll be really tough.
JJ is unlike the previous years. When he puts the ball on the floor, I no longer cringe. I know he'll TO a few, but not like he used to. We'll have to wait and see how he fares vs real competition and centers of size.
Lawrence played better, had a few points, but no flashes of brilliance. Don't know how long he's had that FT preshot routine, but I think he's trying to distinguish himself from the crowd to get attract NBA scouts, or something.
I like Shaquille, but he's going to be a frustrated player if he doesn't get more minutes. I hope he continues to play hard. The guy has a great vertical leap!
SK is SK. He'll get his points. Glad to see him trying to drive.
Rubles plays tough but has no shooting touch. Unfortunately, that's an innate trait. I'm not sure it can be developed. He needs to watch SK - he's the poster boy for shot finesse on this team. We need Rubles offensively as well as defensively. He just lacks those spin moves in the paint, finger roll layups off the glass, etc. But he plays hard.
Nyarsuk should switch to volleyball.
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bearcat jeff
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"I thought Caupain and Johnson were kind of invisible today" - This is exactly what you want from a freshman if he isn't an instant impact guy. Just don't hurt me with the minutes you play. However, I also think Caupain and KJ are going to be really good players and that Caupain will be really solid by years end and going forward.
JD3's situation is a head scratcher. My hope is Mick is just getting the frosh playing time. We NEED JD3s offense!! I truly believe a line up of JD3, SK, Shaq, Rubles and JJ would score.
JJ could have been to a whole new level had he gotten the message he got this past offseason 3 years ago.
Mormon has the groin injury so not a huge surprise his time was limited in anticipation of the first game.
JD3's situation is a head scratcher. My hope is Mick is just getting the frosh playing time. We NEED JD3s offense!! I truly believe a line up of JD3, SK, Shaq, Rubles and JJ would score.
JJ could have been to a whole new level had he gotten the message he got this past offseason 3 years ago.
Mormon has the groin injury so not a huge surprise his time was limited in anticipation of the first game.
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About Bellarmine not being a great team for division II....
http://athletics.bellarmine.edu/news/2013/11/1/MBB_1101135403.aspx
^ From this site:
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--The Bellarmine University men's basketball team is starting the season ranked in the top five of all of the major NCAA Division II preseason polls as the NABC Coaches Poll came out on Monday with the Knights occupying the No. 4 position. Last month, The Sporting News also had Bellarmine in the No. 4 spot and the DII Bulletin ranked the Knights No. 5.
I don't know if you can call any team in D-II "great", but within that context, they are pretty darn good
About Shaq...he needs to get some arc on his shot - his shot has a terrible angle to fall in the hole...it's like a line drive
Thought Caupain looked good at times - led a couple of nice fast breaks with good dish - looked like a newbie at other times
Agree 100% about Rubles...Inside, with defensive pressure, he has no clue
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bearcat jeff
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But Rubles is a good facilitator.
UCalum08
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I was a little turned off by Shaq's attitude. Granted, Cronin took him out the second he made a mistake but he really let his emotions show. Every time he came to the bench he ignored his teammates, constantly shaking his head is disgust. Hopefully its not a big issue and I am looking too much into it but it def. didn't seem like a good thing yesterday.
I am a huge fan of Shaq and am waiting for him to bust out and become a stud out there. I personally think he could/should be the best slasher on this team. Not sure what its going to take to get him there but there is no reason why he can't get close to the rim and get a good shot or get fouled majority of the time. His length and athleticism is crazy and I don't think we have seen half of his potential. I realize he is only a sophomore but he has been around for 3 years now. Hopefully its time.
I am a huge fan of Shaq and am waiting for him to bust out and become a stud out there. I personally think he could/should be the best slasher on this team. Not sure what its going to take to get him there but there is no reason why he can't get close to the rim and get a good shot or get fouled majority of the time. His length and athleticism is crazy and I don't think we have seen half of his potential. I realize he is only a sophomore but he has been around for 3 years now. Hopefully its time.
CaptDale
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david aka the TYZ
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bearcat jeff;72737[B said:
Completely agree and to be clear to everyone when I said they were invisible I didn't mean it negatively. They both to me looked really good for true freshman that are in their first exhibition games. The fact that they are out there and not making bone-headed mistakes says alot.
One thing I do kind of question about Cronin and I've said this in past years is when he subs 3 or 4 of the starters at once and brings in the back-ups all at once. In an exhibition game it doesn't bother me as much because it's nice to see what they can do (or can't do) and obviously in garbage time its nice because you have the game in hand and you can see your team of the future out there. But sometimes I wish I could see Caupain with the rest of the starters or Johnson or Lawrence with the rest of the starters. It seems most of the time one was on the floor of the three freshman that got minutes they were all on the floor. And Davis, too. It just seems to me they won't develop as much when their in game experience is alongside other players who are still developing. You are only as good as your weakest link and how can a player shine with a couple weak links out there at once?
david aka the TYZ
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Bearcat_NTS
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I have to straighten you guys out..again...
1. Sanders gets so many minutes because Shaq Thomas gets lost far too much on defense. He cannot stay on the court doing this.
2. Nyarsuk barely played because they didn't have a traditional big man. Hard for him to guard out on the perimeter against a team that passes so well.
3. Mick clearly wanted to work on the press (it was awful btw) and JDIII is too slow. I would expect him to get more minutes in the regular season.
4. Mick wasn't kidding when he said Johnson and Morman can play defense. From what I've seen, all the freshman will play.
5. Lawrence has a long way to go on defense and he isn't strong enough to get to the basket to contribute. Any points he scores will be from jumpers.
6. I've been saying all off-season that Kilpatrick needs to get more efficient on offense. That is what he has done thus far.
7. Jackson looks so much better this year. He should average around 10 and 8.
1. Sanders gets so many minutes because Shaq Thomas gets lost far too much on defense. He cannot stay on the court doing this.
2. Nyarsuk barely played because they didn't have a traditional big man. Hard for him to guard out on the perimeter against a team that passes so well.
3. Mick clearly wanted to work on the press (it was awful btw) and JDIII is too slow. I would expect him to get more minutes in the regular season.
4. Mick wasn't kidding when he said Johnson and Morman can play defense. From what I've seen, all the freshman will play.
5. Lawrence has a long way to go on defense and he isn't strong enough to get to the basket to contribute. Any points he scores will be from jumpers.
6. I've been saying all off-season that Kilpatrick needs to get more efficient on offense. That is what he has done thus far.
7. Jackson looks so much better this year. He should average around 10 and 8.
JDIII isn't playing as much because he is sitting behind our leading scorer. I know many of you think he is a PG, but he isn't. He is a 2 guard, so in order for him to see the floor you either have to sit SK, or move SK over to the 3 spot, which means sitting Sander or Thomas and losing quite a bit of length on the floor.