Random Thoughts on the Colorado Christian Exhibition Game

[.44caliberkiller]

1. I thought defensively we played extremely well for the first 35 minutes of the game. We forced 17 turnovers and many of those were shot clock violations. Most of Colorado Christians points came from desperation 3pt heaves at the end of the shot clock. The several easy buckets we gave up were almost exclusively off offensive rebounds. The last 5 minutes of the game we seemed to relax on D after we had built a double digit lead. The sub par defense the last 5 minutes could have also been the result of our players being tired (Redding played 39min/Maldonado 37min/Mueller 35min).

2. Offensively we shot the ball very poorly from the 3pt line and FT line. I believe we were 26% from three and around 60% from the stripe. And while I don't believe we will be an above average shooting team I also don't believe it will be quite this bad on most nights.

3. Maybe the most disappointing part of the game was our lack of rebounding against an inferior opponent. Colorado Christian had a double digit rebounding advantage on Wyoming. Some of that may have been the fact that Naughton/Thompson only played a combined 19min, but we still need to be much better at rebounding if we want to be competitive in the MTN West.

4. Hunter Thompson looks like Mike Daum from South Dakota State. He has great touch for a big man and I think he can be an ALL MTN WEST type player. He was on of the few Cowboys fighting for offensive rebounds and he dove on the court several times leading to extra possessions. Although he fouled out in only 11min of playing time I don't see this being a common occurrence, as he seems to have a high basketball IQ and several of the calls against him were of the ticky tack variety.

5. Hunter Maldonado had a very slow start, playing all 20min in the first half without scoring, I believe he started off 0-5 from the field. In the 2nd half the real Maldo showed up and he finished the game with 13pts and 10reb. I think his 3pt shot will be much improved this season and he will be a good number 2 option behind JJ. However I would like to seem him drive a little more often.

6. Nyers Redding is a very good on the ball defender and he was the most aggressive Cowboys attacking the rim. I see him playing significant minutes this year and he will probably be the guy we go to to clinch games at the free throw line.

7. T.J. Taylor looks to have the potential to be very high level defender on the wing. He is very athletic and has very long arms. In the first 5min of the game he had 2blks and a steal. His offensive game is a bit raw but he looks much more comfortable attacking the rim as opposed to spot up shooting. He also seems to have pretty good basketball IQ.

8. Jordan Naughton will be the reason Wyoming finishes in the top half of the conference standings "IF" Wyoming finishes that high. We've all been tantalized by his potential since he arrived on to campus three years ago, but so far it's never materialized expect for brief glimpses. Naughton only played 8min but he was 5-5 from the field and scored 10pts, Colorado Christian had absolutely no answer for him. He could probably have scored 30pts if he played more. But there in lies the question "can Naughton remain healthy enough to play big minutes for this years Cowboys team?" If the answer is "yes" we could surprise some folks.

9. Brandon Porter is a player in the same mold as Hayden Dalton and Alan Herndon. A undersized stretch four that can shoot from the outside and has good ball handling skills for a big. He looks like he could be a little ahead of where Dalton/Herndon were when they first arrived on to campus. He is skinny but not a 10 out of 10 on the bean pole scale that Dalton and Herndon were. Against Colorado Christian Porter had a very solid game. He was 2-3 from the arc, had a very nice drive and dish for an easy basket, and a nifty coast to coast layup. I'm not sure where he fits into the rotation but he doesn't definitely need to red-shirt either.

10. Austin Mueller doesn't seem to fit the mold of what Edwards is looking for in a Wyoming basketball player. He doesn't shoot very well from the perimeter and He's not overly athletic. Mueller seems to have a very nice mid-range game but we don't seem to want to take advantage of that. I like Mueller but I see him as the end of rotation type player and certainly not a starter. If Mueller is going to play significant minutes he needs to do the dirty work other players don't want to do like rebounding. But if the Colorado Christian game is any indication he's not quite there yet, I believe he only had 2 rebounds in 35min. I think Mueller is still a year away from being a competent MTN West level player.

11. Tariq Johnson is the reincarnation of Afam Moujeke. He has the same size/build as well as that effortlessly silky smooth jump shot that Afam has. Early indication from Johnson is that he is one of our best shooters, in the game he was 6-6 from the free throw line and 1-2 from three. He can definitely be a big contributor this year.

12. There was a new PA announcer. I'm not sure if this is a permanent change or not but the new guy definitely has more energy than the old guy. And while I liked the old PA announcer the fan base inside the AA could certainly use the help to get more ENERGIZED.

13. I was disappointed we didn't get to see A.J. Banks or Trace Young play. I think both players could help us but I'm not sure where they fit in currently. Edwards hinted at potentially red-shirting Young in his post game comments and no real reason was given for why Banks didn't play. Banks is insanely bouncy from watching him in pregame warm-ups.

[CowboyNV]

Nice summary, .44, and spot on. I'm excited about Johnson. He has the potential to be a really good scorer, and a go to guy on the free throw line. Thompson showed flashes of why he was a 4* recruit. If they can keep him out of foul trouble and on the floor, he could be dangerous by the end of the year. It will be nice to see JJ on the floor as I think they really missed his scoring and steadying influence. I'm stoked for this year. While this had all the trappings of a typical exhibition game, there were some truly exciting moments for Cowboy fans. Here's to a great season. Go Pokes.

[Vt poke]

Pretty spot on. I think Ny struggles with his outside shot. Great free shooter and isn’t afraid to go the the hole, but often gets stuffed. Probably our best defensive player outside of JJ and Maldonado. Porter looked great, but def needs to work on his defense. In a real game, Redding and Meuller won’t be logging 35 mins, prob more like 10 and 4. I love Tariq Johnson’s game. Very smooth

[laxwyo]

I completely spaced this game. Thanks for the recap

[POKE FAN]

Appreciate the time and effort here, .44.

[TSpoke]

Nice write up. I only got to see bits and pieces of the game and the highlights but I agree with your assessment. I see in the game thread there is some heart burn about how we did. I don't think you can judge much from this game as far as how much we did or didn't win by. We didn't play 3 big pieces of our rotation(Banks, JJ, Hendricks) and got to see what some of the others can bring. The coaches used this to evaluate the other guys and see what they can bring. Probably experimenting with lineups etc.

[FromOhioToWyoming]

So Edwards said he's comfortable with an eight-man rotation in the press conference afterwards. Who are those eight guys?

Ny Redding
AJ Banks
Justin James
Hunter Maldonado
Jake Hendricks
Jordan Naughton
Hunter Thompson
?????

Also, I assume JJ averages around 21/22 points per game and if we average around 75-80 ppg as a team who will score the other 70 percent of the points? Who will be our second and third leading scorers and what will they average?

[LanderPoke]

Hunter T. definitely got Dave Hall'ed. Welcome to the MWC lol

[Pokes fan 24-7]

So Edwards said he's comfortable with an eight-man rotation in the press conference afterwards. Who are those eight guys?

Ny Redding
AJ Banks
Justin James
Hunter Maldonado
Jake Hendricks
Jordan Naughton
Hunter Thompson
?????

Also, I assume JJ averages around 21/22 points per game and if we average around 75-80 ppg as a team who will score the other 70 percent of the points? Who will be our second and third leading scorers and what will they average?

Johnson and Taylor look like they will be in the roatation too. Hard to say who the scorers will be until we see Hendricks and Banks.

[castlerocker]

Good write up murderer err....I mean killer.

[LanderPoke]

I think we'll do 9-10 because that's just what Edwards does. I don't care what he says I bet he'll play 9 or 10. Just enough players so we can't get any sort of a rotation or rhythm. It would only make sense.

Here is my list in order of minutes played this year.

1. JJ
2. Maldonado
3. Redding
4. Thompson
5. Naughton
6. Banks
7. Hendricks
8. Mueller
9. Johson
10. Taylor

11. Dung will probably play too

[Adv8RU12]

Looks like not all the players got into the game. How come?

[TSpoke]

I think we'll do 9-10 because that's just what Edwards does. I don't care what he says I bet he'll play 9 or 10. Just enough players so we can't get any sort of a rotation or rhythm. It would only make sense.

Here is my list in order of minutes played this year.

1. JJ
2. Maldonado
3. Redding
4. Thompson
5. Naughton
6. Banks
7. Hendricks
8. Mueller
9. Johson
10. Taylor

11. Dung will probably play too

I think Hendricks and Banks will get more minutes. I think Banks will take quite a few minutes from Redding at PG. I also think Porter will be in the rotation. I liked his play but maybe a crowded position.

[joshvanklomp]

I didn't get to catch much of the game. Is Thompson exclusively a 5, or will he get time at the 4 too?

[LanderPoke]

I think we'll do 9-10 because that's just what Edwards does. I don't care what he says I bet he'll play 9 or 10. Just enough players so we can't get any sort of a rotation or rhythm. It would only make sense.

Here is my list in order of minutes played this year.

1. JJ
2. Maldonado
3. Redding
4. Thompson
5. Naughton
6. Banks
7. Hendricks
8. Mueller
9. Johson
10. Taylor

11. Dung will probably play too

I think Hendricks and Banks will get more minutes. I think Banks will take quite a few minutes from Redding at PG. I also think Porter will be in the rotation. I liked his play but maybe a crowded position.

Oh I forgot about Porter. He actually did impress me quite a bit

[ItSucksToBeACSURam]

Hunter T. definitely got Dave Hall'ed. Welcome to the MWC lol

His last 3 fouls were ticky tacky at best, leaning towards awful. He should be good to go.

He looked really good in his 11 minutes. He was efficient and high tempo. The Mike Daum reference earlier is a good one.

[cali2wyo]

I didn't get to catch much of the game. Is Thompson exclusively a 5, or will he get time at the 4 too?

He's definitely comfortable inside or on the perimeter. Naughton looked much better inside the paint but I think Thompson will do OK there when called upon.

[cali2wyo]

I think we'll do 9-10 because that's just what Edwards does. I don't care what he says I bet he'll play 9 or 10. Just enough players so we can't get any sort of a rotation or rhythm. It would only make sense.

Here is my list in order of minutes played this year.

1. JJ
2. Maldonado
3. Redding
4. Thompson
5. Naughton
6. Banks
7. Hendricks
8. Mueller
9. Johson
10. Taylor

11. Dung will probably play too

I really liked what I saw from Taylor last night. Had a couple blocks and steals in just the first couple minutes. I think he could be like Maldonado last year, know his role and rely on his length/athleticism first and let his offense come along through the season. Don't really want to see much of Mueller out there. And with Naughton's injury issues in the past, I have a hard time believing he'll be good for more that 15 minutes a game...

Really hard to judge where we stand without seeing Banks and Hendricks play. Also the guys we saw last night could be completely different players if JJ is on the floor with them.

[Pokes fan 24-7]

Hunter T. definitely got Dave Hall'ed. Welcome to the MWC lol

His last 3 fouls were ticky tacky at best, leaning towards awful. He should be good to go.

He looked really good in his 11 minutes. He was efficient and high tempo. The Mike Daum reference earlier is a good one.

Hunter T is going to be a stud. Our hopes this year turn on him and Jordan staying healthy. We have no real bigs beyond them.

[ItSucksToBeACSURam]

I think we'll do 9-10 because that's just what Edwards does. I don't care what he says I bet he'll play 9 or 10. Just enough players so we can't get any sort of a rotation or rhythm. It would only make sense.

Here is my list in order of minutes played this year.

1. JJ
2. Maldonado
3. Redding
4. Thompson
5. Naughton
6. Banks
7. Hendricks
8. Mueller
9. Johson
10. Taylor

11. Dung will probably play too

I really liked what I saw from Taylor last night. Had a couple blocks and steals in just the first couple minutes. I think he could be like Maldonado last year, know his role and rely on his length/athleticism first and let his offense come along through the season. Don't really want to see much of Mueller out there. And with Naughton's injury issues in the past, I have a hard time believing he'll be good for more that 15 minutes a game...

Really hard to judge where we stand without seeing Banks and Hendricks play. Also the guys we saw last night could be completely different players if JJ is on the floor with them.

This completely. Its hard to gauge anything from last night long term if 3 of our starters or 3 of our immediate impact guys weren't playing. I think JJ changes things considerably.

What last night showed, for me, was guys desire and drive. I was SUPER impressed with Maldonado in the second half. Last season he would fade into the nothing for long stretches of the games. Last night he showed the ability to take over and lead the team. That will be HUGE going forward on nights where teams take away JJ. Being able to spread the floor and offer more than one scorer will be huge. Thompson also really impressed me. If he can stretch the floor like I keep hearing, his relationship on the floor with JJ could be special.

You can see that if Edwards can get the guys on the floor that compliment each other and all bring that edge he talks about, this COULD be a really good team. I guess we'll see next tuesday.