Player of the Game: Djibril Thiam
Wow, Thiam looked like an all-conference player tonight. I expected to see more of this talent last year out of Thiam, but I think his offensive game was limited with Ewing, Ogirri, and Tyson Johnson there. In addition to looking great offensively, he continues to work the boards well, especially on the offensive end. He is also very good at getting blocks from the weak side. He still needs to work on his free throw shooting though. That could be a killer in a close game. Overall though, I was very impressed with the progress Thiam has made.
Two other guys really impressed me tonight. One was Jaydee Luster. This guy has uncanny quickness and good court vision. He is a very pesky defender that will get a few steals each game. He is a great choice as PG for this team. I don't think turnovers will be a problem with Luster and he has the ability to score if left open. I think we have a good one in Luster. The other guy that caught my eye tonight was Afam Muojeke. I was a bit worried that he would force shots because he was "the guy" as far as the offense went this year, but I didn't see that at all. I thought he took good shots for the most part and has a great first step which allows him to get past his man and get to the basket. He shot pretty well from the line as well which I hope he can keep up because I think he will be on the line a lot throughout the season. I wish he would crash the boards a bit more though.
Here's my take on some of the other guys. Sylla played about the way I expected him to play from what I have seen in practice. I just don't see him being much of a factor. Their tallest player was 6'5 and Sylla was still a non-factor offensively. That doesn;t give me much confidence in the guy. AJ Davis played a decent game. He didn't really impress me, but he didn't disappoint me either. I do think that Manzano needs to be starting over Davis though. I thought Manzano played well in the limited minutes he saw. I'm pretty sure every shot Manzano took, besides one, was at the rim. He is very good at finishing in traffic once he gets near the rim. Like Muojeke, I think Manzano will spend a fair amount of time at the free throw line. He didn't shoot too well from there tonight though. It would be interesting to see his free throw shooting percentage in Junior College. Hopefully he starts knocking down more of those freebies.
Now, for the weaknesses...free throws and 3 point shooting. Both of these areas HAVE to improve if we want to compete in the upper level of this conference. We are athletic enough that I think we will draw a good amount of fouls and have a significant number of free throw attempts. Poor free throw shooting isn't uncommon when dealing with athletic teams because the players often rely on their athleticism in lieu of fundamentals. The problem is that free throw shooting relies heavily on having good shooting fundamentals. These guys all need to be working on their mechanics to help improve their free throw shooting percentage. 3 point shooting isn't really something you can teach which worries me a bit. I'm worried our poor distance shooting will allow opponents to sag off into the lane in order to prevent our guys from driving the ball to the basket. Having a few guys with the ability to consistently knock down the 3 would not only give us some big points, but it would also open up the middle of the floor for guys like Manzano and Muojeke. Overall though, I really like the makeup of this team. I think we have a chance of making the NIT this year.
Wow, Thiam looked like an all-conference player tonight. I expected to see more of this talent last year out of Thiam, but I think his offensive game was limited with Ewing, Ogirri, and Tyson Johnson there. In addition to looking great offensively, he continues to work the boards well, especially on the offensive end. He is also very good at getting blocks from the weak side. He still needs to work on his free throw shooting though. That could be a killer in a close game. Overall though, I was very impressed with the progress Thiam has made.
Two other guys really impressed me tonight. One was Jaydee Luster. This guy has uncanny quickness and good court vision. He is a very pesky defender that will get a few steals each game. He is a great choice as PG for this team. I don't think turnovers will be a problem with Luster and he has the ability to score if left open. I think we have a good one in Luster. The other guy that caught my eye tonight was Afam Muojeke. I was a bit worried that he would force shots because he was "the guy" as far as the offense went this year, but I didn't see that at all. I thought he took good shots for the most part and has a great first step which allows him to get past his man and get to the basket. He shot pretty well from the line as well which I hope he can keep up because I think he will be on the line a lot throughout the season. I wish he would crash the boards a bit more though.
Here's my take on some of the other guys. Sylla played about the way I expected him to play from what I have seen in practice. I just don't see him being much of a factor. Their tallest player was 6'5 and Sylla was still a non-factor offensively. That doesn;t give me much confidence in the guy. AJ Davis played a decent game. He didn't really impress me, but he didn't disappoint me either. I do think that Manzano needs to be starting over Davis though. I thought Manzano played well in the limited minutes he saw. I'm pretty sure every shot Manzano took, besides one, was at the rim. He is very good at finishing in traffic once he gets near the rim. Like Muojeke, I think Manzano will spend a fair amount of time at the free throw line. He didn't shoot too well from there tonight though. It would be interesting to see his free throw shooting percentage in Junior College. Hopefully he starts knocking down more of those freebies.
Now, for the weaknesses...free throws and 3 point shooting. Both of these areas HAVE to improve if we want to compete in the upper level of this conference. We are athletic enough that I think we will draw a good amount of fouls and have a significant number of free throw attempts. Poor free throw shooting isn't uncommon when dealing with athletic teams because the players often rely on their athleticism in lieu of fundamentals. The problem is that free throw shooting relies heavily on having good shooting fundamentals. These guys all need to be working on their mechanics to help improve their free throw shooting percentage. 3 point shooting isn't really something you can teach which worries me a bit. I'm worried our poor distance shooting will allow opponents to sag off into the lane in order to prevent our guys from driving the ball to the basket. Having a few guys with the ability to consistently knock down the 3 would not only give us some big points, but it would also open up the middle of the floor for guys like Manzano and Muojeke. Overall though, I really like the makeup of this team. I think we have a chance of making the NIT this year.
