Bryoming
Well-known member
REALLY glad that I made the trip up for the home opener! The halfway done facelift of the AA really helps out the in-game experience, and the product on the court speaks for itself.
Grabau - UNC shut him down from the arc, but he did a good job of dishing it off to other players to score and a nice job of driving to the hoop when the opportunity presented itself.
Adams - He's got the look of a first team all conference player this year. If he can consistently hit the three like he did today he's going to be every team's nightmare. If they have to worry about playing out on him so he doesn't hit the three he's going to blow by his defender for a highlight reel dunk. He's also got a really good eye for dishing it to the post players to score. I have a feeling that when he and Nance are on the floor together this team will be pretty unstoppable offensively.
Hankerson - I was REALLY impressed with Hankerson's play. He's a capable ball handler (he's not going to run the point anytime soon, but he's serviceable). Other than the turnover on the first possession of the game he had really solid ball security. He's not going to lose his starting spot anytime soon.
Cooke - He obviously worked his ass off this offseason. He's still the most active post defender we have, and he did really well on boxing out. His offensive game looked much more polished than in recent years. He still needs to work on free throws, but the rest of his game looks way more refined.
Nance - Started off a little cautious, but about halfway through the first half you could see him getting his groove back. He did look a half-step slow this game, but I'm sure he'll be back to normal in no time. The team clearly revolves around him, but he's unselfish and will get rid of the ball if the look he want's isn't there.
Herndon - Looked good to me. He's got really good ball skills for a big man. The dude is a toothpick that got pushed around in the post a little bit, but he's going to be able to provide quality minutes to relieve Cooke and Nance.
Sellers - Sellers is Sellers. He's the biggest post player we have and does a good job of shutting down the lane. He's never going to be much of an offensive threat, but he'll be able to spell Nance and Cooke for a few minutes here and there.
Lieberman - This kid has got some serious handles! He's going to be a nice little point guard for us. I didn't see much from him shooting wise, but he was smart with the ball and quick on defense. We'll see more of him as the season goes along.
Bentz - He didn't see much time this game, but I have a feeling he'll be seeing more this season. Shyatt said after the game that he needs to get Bentz and Lieberman in there more often so that Grabau gets some rest.
McManamen - Played really solid defense against UNC's best shooter and has a nice looking shot from range. He's going to see a lot of time and will bring a legitimate deep threat with him every time he steps on the floor.
Overall I came away very impressed. This is going to be a REALLY good basketball team. I was especially impressed with our defensive rotation the 2nd half. It was also a pleasant surprise to see them push the ball up the floor for the quick score. It doesn't appear that holding on to the ball until the shot clock runs out is going to be our primary offense this season. I know that UNC isn't going to be the hardest team we play all season, but they aren't bad. Take away #2 (who is possibly the best three point shooter I've ever seen) and they aren't even in this game. It's going to be an exciting season!
Grabau - UNC shut him down from the arc, but he did a good job of dishing it off to other players to score and a nice job of driving to the hoop when the opportunity presented itself.
Adams - He's got the look of a first team all conference player this year. If he can consistently hit the three like he did today he's going to be every team's nightmare. If they have to worry about playing out on him so he doesn't hit the three he's going to blow by his defender for a highlight reel dunk. He's also got a really good eye for dishing it to the post players to score. I have a feeling that when he and Nance are on the floor together this team will be pretty unstoppable offensively.
Hankerson - I was REALLY impressed with Hankerson's play. He's a capable ball handler (he's not going to run the point anytime soon, but he's serviceable). Other than the turnover on the first possession of the game he had really solid ball security. He's not going to lose his starting spot anytime soon.
Cooke - He obviously worked his ass off this offseason. He's still the most active post defender we have, and he did really well on boxing out. His offensive game looked much more polished than in recent years. He still needs to work on free throws, but the rest of his game looks way more refined.
Nance - Started off a little cautious, but about halfway through the first half you could see him getting his groove back. He did look a half-step slow this game, but I'm sure he'll be back to normal in no time. The team clearly revolves around him, but he's unselfish and will get rid of the ball if the look he want's isn't there.
Herndon - Looked good to me. He's got really good ball skills for a big man. The dude is a toothpick that got pushed around in the post a little bit, but he's going to be able to provide quality minutes to relieve Cooke and Nance.
Sellers - Sellers is Sellers. He's the biggest post player we have and does a good job of shutting down the lane. He's never going to be much of an offensive threat, but he'll be able to spell Nance and Cooke for a few minutes here and there.
Lieberman - This kid has got some serious handles! He's going to be a nice little point guard for us. I didn't see much from him shooting wise, but he was smart with the ball and quick on defense. We'll see more of him as the season goes along.
Bentz - He didn't see much time this game, but I have a feeling he'll be seeing more this season. Shyatt said after the game that he needs to get Bentz and Lieberman in there more often so that Grabau gets some rest.
McManamen - Played really solid defense against UNC's best shooter and has a nice looking shot from range. He's going to see a lot of time and will bring a legitimate deep threat with him every time he steps on the floor.
Overall I came away very impressed. This is going to be a REALLY good basketball team. I was especially impressed with our defensive rotation the 2nd half. It was also a pleasant surprise to see them push the ball up the floor for the quick score. It doesn't appear that holding on to the ball until the shot clock runs out is going to be our primary offense this season. I know that UNC isn't going to be the hardest team we play all season, but they aren't bad. Take away #2 (who is possibly the best three point shooter I've ever seen) and they aren't even in this game. It's going to be an exciting season!
