Random Thoughts on the Colorado Christian Exhibition Game
Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2018 3:53 am
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.
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.