Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Collapse

Support The Site!

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • No TV or online stream of the game tonight unfortunately. There will be live stats, so I plan to try to follow along. Probable starters from the game notes are Wyatt, Jo, Goetz, Nathan Boyle, and Ben Sisson. If those are indeed the top 5, I'm surprised as I didn't expect Boyle to start. But, those starters match well with their probable starters from a height perspective. Going to be a good experience for our boys, but having 2 guys with at least a little D1 experience in the starting 5 is a big help. Interesting to see Jo take the starting PG spot. Bell should be a huge advantage when he subs in because he will bring a lot of speed, knowledge, and intensity off the bench. Here's to a great season! I'm pumped!

    http://www.slubillikens.com/ViewArti...CLID=211815230

    Comment


    • Starting four players that we have never "really" seen is amazing.(Boyle must have had a summer full of work and is being rewarded) Having so many 6'7'+ players not start is amazing. Starting a frost is amazing. Clearly Cooper believes skill is what will get Ws. The bench should be pretty strong it will be interesting to see how Cooper uses players from the bench.

      The game will be on Saint Louis radio. Hate to listen to D1 homers but better than nothing.

      Comment


      • Boyle did look like he lifted a lot of weights over the summer. I wouldn't read too much into him starting this one; I don't see him being a regular starter (though I could be wrong). Sisson, on the other hand, does not surprise me a bit. He may be our starting center all year. If he is as skilled as he looked in the scrimmage (realizing scrimmage <> real game) he has a very good shot at freshman of the year in the conference, IMO. Otherwise, Wyatt is no surprise, Goetz is no surprise...Griffin/Bell (again, solely in my opinion) are going to be battling for the starting PG spot all year. It's kind of like a quarterback controversy. Not a bad problem to have, as long as both of them are bought into the team first mindset and don't let the competition get under their skins.

        I never did get around to typing up thoughts about all the players like I had intended. I'm just a fan, and wear purple shades - I realize this - however I don't think I can say enough about how impressed I was with Sisson. If he were 6'8" he'd be mid-major or higher D1 for sure. His skillset and size make him a perfect D2 center. The only question mark for me is his rebounding. And that's not to say he won't be a great rebounder, too, it just didn't stand out for me like his post offense and defense did.

        Quick thoughts about the others, in no particular order:

        -Bell maybe *should* be the starting PG, IMO. His speed with the ball and ability to get to the rim in the P/W game really stood out. He was quick last year, but very tentative at the rim...he didn't seem that way at all in that game. He's by far the fastest player on the team. Possibly what gives Griffin a slight edge on him is on the defensive end? It will be interesting to watch the dynamic at PG this season.

        -Griffin, speaking of...He played a lot, but to be honest I don't think I have a good read on him yet. He was obviously a very competent point guard...didn't turn the ball over, ran the offense fairly efficiently, etc. But I didn't come away with any real "wow" moments from him. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I just don't feel like I "know" him as a player yet.

        -Battaile (which the announcer pronounced "Battle") is very athletic. Probably the most athletic guy on the team, except for maybe Mayot. The way he moves and gets up and down the court reminded me a little of Jordan Jacks, though he's probably not quite THAT athletic. I see Battaile leading us in scoring some games. He also looked pretty competent on the defensive end.

        -Mayot looked more or less the same as he did last year, but more under control. He did not get called for traveling once during the scrimmage, which was a huge issue for him last year. If he stays controlled like that, he's going to present some problems for our opponents this season.

        -Boyle is thicker. Not huge...but not a lanky stick figure like he was last year. Cooper was really after him to shoot the ball during the scrimmage, as there were a couple of times when he passed up open looks. When he did shoot, it didn't look too good. His effort level on both ends was good and he got in there and really scrapped for the ball, diving on loose balls and doing those kinds of 'effort' plays which coaches love. That's probably why he gets the start tonight.

        -Bezold...well, he's the same Bez from last year physically. Watching him coach on the floor, and from the bench, the kid is easily the smartest basketball player on the team, in terms of basketball IQ. He knows where to be...knows where everyone else should be...and communicates very well. And, to top it off, when he got himself open and got the ball, he was money with his shot. I think I might have been wrong when I said he may not see the court much this year. The only problem is I don't see him being able to really guard the good power forwards in our league like Sterling Christy, etc. And he doesn't have the foot speed to be able to guard the good wings in our league. So I don't know...is his leadership enough to overcome what he lacks defensively? Not sure.

        -Goetz is Goetz.

        -Sukhanov is tall ... probably more like 6'9" than the 6'11" he's listed at. And he is athletic. He has a very smooth jump shot, and was able to score in the post in a variety of ways, too. WAY too many fouls on the defensive end, but that's something that can be reigned in. And keep in mind, he's just a soph. I'm not sure I really saw enough to judge where he falls amongst the post players on the depth chart. Oh, and he appeared to be a very good free throw shooter, which is a huge bonus for a post player!

        -Teague kind of reminded me of a bulldog for some reason. He's got a strong, wide body, moreso than our other guards. And it doesn't seem to diminish his speed too much. The main thing that jumped out at me was his defense. He was really up in the face of whomever he was guarding, and did it without fouling. As a true freshman he looks more developed and 'ready' than most of our freshman did last season. I think he was a really good get by this coaching staff.

        -Cartwright is still a great shooter. He also just looks comfortable out there, for lack of a better word. No matter what's going on he doesn't seem to get rattled at all. He certainly understands the offense and seemed to always be where he was supposed to be.

        -Abu Arisha ... he didn't look much different from last season, honestly. Still seems somewhat hesitant with the ball, though not as badly. I don't know, he's another one that I can't really get a good read on where he's going to land in terms of playing time.

        -Fort didn't seem a lot different either. Maybe a little bulkier and stronger. Confident. He's another kid that's fun to watch if for no other reason than he's going to give you 110% full effort anytime he's on the court.

        -Gilmer ran point for the purple team when he was on the court. And honestly, he did a pretty darned good job of it! He knocked down a few shots, had some nice passes...he looked pretty good for a kid that was brought up from the club team to fill in a roster spot last year.

        -Hopewell ... oh, Zach Hopewell. I don't know where your shot disappears to during the off season...but if it would just come back sooner rather than later that would be wonderful. Seriously, Hopewell has the size and athleticism to be a solid D2 player, but on the offensive end he is just SO streaky with his shooting. With the other guards we have on this team that's just not going to earn you much playing time. His defense and effort level will earn him time...but if he could reliably knock down shots that time could double.

        -Currie is going to be fun to watch. I saw him stop smiling once, maybe twice, and that's while he was taking a drink. He just looks like he's having an absolute blast out there, and that kind of attitude can be infectious. From a basketball standpoint, he's got some rust to knock off but his base skill level is very high. You don't want him going to the foul line...but I certainly could see him being part of our front court rotation.

        -Dixon was in street clothes. A couple of times I thought I caught him limping...but then other times he seemed to be walking fine. So I'm not sure what the story is there.

        -Smith...I feel really bad for the guy. As was mentioned before, I think his injuries have all but ended his career, to be honest. I really do hope I'm wrong, not just because "hey, he's 7'2" but because he seems like a genuinely nice guy. I think there's times he'll get a little playing time, but when it comes down to it I just can't see him on the court when we're in the heat of a close conference game.

        Last edited by kdubnation; 10-30-2019, 10:21 AM.

        Comment


        • A very good write up..as good as anything you will see in the MI. I think Jo is much better than you saw. He is not a true PG and if he gets to play SG he will shine. I think against the weaker teams replace Boyle with Bell and we will run them out of the gym. I do mean run!

          Comment


          • What a summary! Great points, and all very accurate. Again, I think I either missed or unfairly evaluated Sasha's performance. My wife asked hwo the scrimmage went and I responded "The Sisson kid is going to be a stud!" You aren't alone in having excited eyes behind those purple shades.

            Cooper told Boyle at one point to go out and produce, so I think he has earned the respect in practice and by putting in serious work in the weight room in the off-season. I think they are giving him an opportunity tonight to see how he handles it. If he performs, he may very well be included in a starting rotation. I don't dislike the starting 5 at all, just surprised by Boyle. Thinking that we can bring in Bell, Mo, Deng, Cartwright, and Hopewell off the bench is CRAZY! That is some talent off the bench. This is just such a different team than at this point last season.

            Comment


            • I just heard the game will be on radio WBIO. I think we have even more off the bench. I believe the ones you stated started some games last year. Maybe not Cartwright but he scored 21 in game.

              I hate saying this but I must pre game. This game means nothing. Playing a pretty good D1team with tourney experience. It is just good to travel and play another team. So I am not one bit excited..the pacing and shooting paper into the waste basket is just due to the weather.

              Comment


              • I listened to the game on the radio, and Cooper talked to Joel about the team before the game. He said that Sasha isn't eligible until Dec 13th, and Currie may not be eligible until then either but they are working on his paperwork currently. Bell and Gilmer didn't travel to the game because they are dealing with something internally, but he expects them back soon. Tarik is still sidelined with an injury, but I missed when he discussed exactly what it was. He said Tarik was very positive about the situation and they couldn't wait to have him back. Last, Deng is no longer with the team and is exploring his options for the future. Cooper also said Boyle earned his opportunity to start with his off-season work, as we had expected yesterday.

                As for the game, I think it went about as expected. Nate Smith didn't play but a few minutes. We saw that Jo isn't afraid to shoot the ball. I'd just like to see his percentage go up a little. We did not shoot free throws well as a team (2-10). Team had 21 TOs, with Bezold and Goetz accounting for 12 of those. But some of that is expected when you play bigger, faster teams. I would have loved to have had a closer game at the end, but our boys had a good first half. I'm still really excited for this year.

                Comment


                • Re: Sasha and Currie...that's the kind of stuff you run into sometimes with transfers but still...damn. Re: Deng...double damn...what happened there, I wonder?? That's a big loss, IMO.

                  Comment


                  • Not having players except for injury is poor in every aspect. Just poor management of what needs to be done. WBB has four transfers and none ever missed a game. Seems like most areas about management of players has gone south and better get corrected fast. Why in the hell did he allow players to be one the floor Saturday????

                    Comment


                    • Yeah I mean on the transfers it's probably something like certain credits not transferring over so they didn't have enough to be eligible first semester. Usually summer courses can be used to make up those things, though, so ??? As for Deng, what in the world happened there? Good thing we were up to 18 players since we're now sitting at 14 for the time being.

                      Comment


                      • I have to say, I was feeling really optimistic about the team after the P/W game. Obviously I was not expecting to go to SLU and win, or even really "keep it close" so much but to have scored less than 50 points and now to be hearing about having one player leave the team, others ineligible (albeit briefly) and others that didn't travel due to some vague "internal issue" ... jeez. Now I don't know WHAT to think. I guess it was too much to ask for us to at least get to the regular season before the letdowns begin.

                        Comment


                        • Yeah I don't know how to feel about all of these developments. I'm disappointed to lose Deng, as I thought he was showing signs of leadership in the P/W game. I have no idea on any details, so I won't even speculate. I can't imagine why Currie or Sasha would be ineligible given they are coming from public universities and have either dropped down or changed sports entirely. Doesn't make much sense to me. And this vague internal issue is so odd to me from senior players, especially one that doesn't even play. I think Cooper has a low tolerance for people operating outside of his parameters. Hopefully these issues aren't related to that, as these players should be aware of his expectations by this point.

                          I don't know what to think. Maybe the team will have everyone back and will score more in the Samford game. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

                          Comment


                          • KWC VC
                            Luke Morrison from South Oldham. I do not know much about him....reports says he can really shoot.

                            Comment


                            • Yes, I did see that signing, and looking through the Twitterverse it looks like he was drawing some D1 interest prior to signing with us. Sounds like a nice get!

                              Comment


                              • sign him sign him now !

                                Comment

                                Ad3

                                Collapse
                                Working...
                                X