Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

[pantherfan]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

I'm hoping quite a few people make it out to watch the scrimmage Saturday. I'm excited to get out and see what kind of energy and chemistry the boys have.

[Looking For 9]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

I hope Owensboro and KWC students support these guys and show them why it is such an honor to wear the purple.

[alumnifan]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

UE counts as a regular season game for them, but is an exhibition for us, just FYI.

Thanks for that information. I didn't realize that. That has to be the reason why they scheduled us when they did. If it was an exhibition game for them, they would have scheduled KWC earlier. Still, Wesleyan will have been baptized in basketball fire before that play at the Ford Center. What I don't like is the fact that KWC will have played a hard game against Bellarmine the night before they play UE, but none of that really matters because it is a payout game at UE. Wesleyan was at the mercy of Evansville's schedule, I assume. Even if Wesleyan gets beat by double digits at UE, the game will still be worth it. That kind of real game experience early in the season with four of those first five games will really help the team get their legs under them before they enter G-MAC play after the Thanksgiving Classic, which should be two wins that could help boost the team's confidence should they struggle out of the gate, which is more than likely. Overall, it is one of the best schedules KWC has had in awhile all because of the experience they gain in those early games before entering G-MAC play. Whatever jitters they have in the G-MAC opener will be nothing compared to that first game at Xavier. That game will also be well attended and could be the largest crowd KWC plays in front of this season.

[Looking For 9]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

I'm not sure everyone will go but the Cintas Center is almost sold out.

[kdubnation]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Rosters released for tomorrow morning's purple/white scrimmage. Nate Smith isn't on either ... I don't know if he's injured, ineligible, redshirting, or what the deal might be. Anyone heard anything? Maybe they STILL don't have a uniform big enough for him haha

If you're interested you can find the roster on the @KWCMBB twitter account.

[Looking For 9]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Any word from the SC?

[kdubnation]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Yes, I have a lot I want to report but I haven't had time to sit down at my computer yet, and I hate trying to post a long message from my phone. Will get my thoughts posted later this evening.

[Looking For 9]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Thanks One question did you see smith?

[kdubnation]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

My thoughts after the Purple/White game:

First, some general observations, in no particular order.

-The last few years our teams have been all about athleticism. This is not that type of team. We're not going to be able to simply out-athlete anyone this season. I actually kind of like that. If we're going to win games it's going to be because we played better as a team. Giving the ball to a great guard and getting everyone else out of the way so he can go one on one isn't how it works now.

-We are going to make a lot of 3 pointers. We knew that a lot of these guys Coach Cooper brought in were billed as shooters. Today's action proved it. Now granted, it was a scrimmage, which is different than a "real" game, but we shot a very good percentage from outside. And it wasn't just the guards. The bigs are very real outside threats, too.

-The offense was very motion and passing oriented. Like I mentioned above, there was very little one on one drive to the basket type action. Even when players did attack the rim, more often than not they ended up passing it off to an open teammate also cutting to the basket, or kicking out for a good look from outside. There are no stats availble as far as I'm aware, but if I were to guess, 75% of the baskets made had an assist to go with them. There was no standing around. Everyone was moving pretty much all the time, and when they weren't Coop was yelling at them to get where they needed to be.

-There's going to be a definite learning curve. It was obvious that the guys are still learning the sets and plays. That's not at all unexpected. As the season goes along things will get much more fluid. That said, seeing as they've had a total of 11 days before today to practice as a team together, I'd say they're probably ahead of where I would expect them to be. It could have been much uglier.

-Defensively it's hard to tell from a game like this how well they will play against real competition. Generally, they looked pretty solid today, but they're going against guys they have been going against for a while, so when they're up against teams and players they don't really know, it could be much different. Only time will tell on that front.


Initial thoughts about the players, by position:

Guards

-Erik Bell - Based on what I saw today, Erik will very likely be the starting PG. He was very effective running the purple team. He seems to have worked on his jump shot over the summer, as he shot the ball well from various ranges.

-Tarik Dixon - Seeing as how I'm just a fan and not the coach, Dixon COULD be the starting PG over Bell. Even if he's not to start the season, he could very well challenge for the starting job as the season goes on. Very solid player and I feel like Panther fans will LOVE watching him develop over the course of the next 4 years. Excellent outside shooter. Good quickness, especially for a freshman, with the ability to get to the rim, though he does look to dish once he gets there.

-Hunter Noffsinger - Hunter played well at PG today, too. Main thought I have for him is I just really hope he stays healthy from here on out. Kid's worked really hard and having to miss multiple seasons with knee injuries has to wear on him. He will be capable of playing some minutes if he does stay healthy. The only real problem is for a 5'8" guard in D2 you need to be VERY quick. With his knee issues, he's just not as quick as he used to be. So he's probably not going to be a big scoring threat, but he ran the team well and is a good passer, so he can be effective in other ways for us.

-Adam Goetz - I knew he was a shooter. Shot 50% from 3 at Mt St Joseph's. I didn't realize he is a scoring threat in other ways, though. He can put the ball on the floor. As good a shooter from mid range as he is from 3. He's not very big, so he's not likely to muscle his way to the basket, but with his jump shot he won't have to. He'll put points on the board for us. It's good that he's been playing NCAA basketball for 2 years, too, even if it was D3. He knows the grind. I got a kind of "crafty veteran" vibe from him.

-Zach Hopewell - Zach struggled with his shooting in the first half, but knocked down a 3 at the buzzer to go into the locker room. Then he came out red hot in the second. Hit several 3s from all around the arc. He's a little bigger than most of our guards, too. I could see him possibly starting at a 3rd guard position.

-Cameron Cartwright - This true freshman really surprised me with his shooting. He hit several NBA+ range 3s. I'm not sure he has an "out of range". I didn't get a good feel for what else he can do, though. He pretty much was catch & shoot, or catch & pass as it went today. So I'm not sure what other skills he might have.

-Cameron Seaton - Another kid that bombed a few 3s today. Kind of like Cartwright, I wasn't really left with a deep understanding of what he's capable of. I did notice on several occasions that he seemed to be really getting after it on the defensive end, but by the same token he didn't seem to be quite as quick as our other guards, so I kind of feel like he may be a bit lower down the depth chart and may not get a lot of playing time this season.

-Mike Gilmer - Our lone senior, coming over from the club/JV team. He'll be an "end of the bench" guy. Everything I've heard about him is he's a great kid and a hard worker.

Forwards / Center

-Nate Smith - Didn't dress. Was introduced by the PA announcer as being on "injured reserve" but of course that's not an official designation. Didn't hear anything about what his status is, or when he might be able to play. He didn't have any casts, crutches, or other obvious signs pointing to what his injury might be. He did sit on the white team bench, and was very supportive of his teammates. Compare to last season when we had guys that weren't dressed that seemed totally disinterested and didn't even want to be there. I have no clue what this kid's capable of on the court, but I do like his attitude so far.

-Mohamed Abu Arisha - Will be a good PF for us. More solidly built than his roster picture makes him look. Did well rebounding and was active around the basket with at least a couple of blocks. So much of our offense was outside oriented, it made it hard to tell how well he can score down low. He seemed to be a pretty effective passer out of the post, at least. I would be very surprised if he's not a regular starter for us.

-Deng Mayot - One of the better athletes on the team. Seemed shaky offensively early on, but once he got warmed up and comfortable he started showing some skills. Had a very nice one handed putback dunk in the first half. Scored effectively from the low post in a variety of ways, mostly in the second half. By my count he only hit 1 of either 4 or 5 free throws, though. So we're going to need him to work on that. I also expect he'll be starting.

-Zavon Godwin - To be honest, I was pretty disappointed in this freshman's showing today, though in fairness I was expecting a lot out of him. First impression in seeing him in person is he's bigger than I expected. Very solid kid. He's listed as pretty much the same size as Jordan Jacks, but in person he looks much bigger than that. He is obviously quite athletic, I just think he's not comfortable in the offense yet. I think he'll get there, and will be a big-time player for us down the road. But based on this first glimpse he's not quite ready yet.

-Amandas Urkis - This kid from Lithuania scored the first 6 points for the purple team by drilling a couple of 3s. A minute or two later he hit a 3rd one. Then he went kind of quiet, but I think it was a glimpse of what he can do. He did play well down low, too, playing tough post defense and getting rebounds. Scored on a couple of nice post moves. Watching him, he seems more mature than a true freshman. This is another guy that I just can't wait to watch how he develops over 4 years. So glad Cooper is bringing in freshmen.

-Nick Fort - I remember Coach Cooper saying that he plays bigger than he is. Watching today, you could tell exactly what he was talking about. Fort is certainly undersized for a PF, but he really was able to hold his own down low on the defensive end. He seems comfortable with the ball in the post on offense, and had a couple of nice passes from down there, as well as being able to score. Early impression is that he's a really tough kid, and he's yet another true freshman that we get to see for years to come.

-Nathan Boyle - Boyle seemed kind of lost out there today. I think he's another one that's just going to need more time to absorb the offense and needs to mature and become physically stronger. He's a local kid that Owensboro will be rooting for, but as of right now he's a bench warmer.

-Tyler Bezold - I'll say this for "Beez" - he seemed to be loving every minute of the day. I don't remember ever seeing the smile leave his face throughout the whole game. In terms of basketball, he's the kind of kid that works his tail off every second he's in the game. But he's not big enough to be very effective as a 4, and he's not fast enough to be effective as a 3. He may play a few minutes here and there, but honestly I think the biggest thing he will bring to the team will be a positive attitude and leadership from the bench.

Lineups

If you held me down and forced me to tell you who our starters are based on today, my best guess wuold be this:

PG - Erik Bell
SG - Adam Goetz
3G - Zach Hopewell
PF - Mo Abu Arisha
PF - Deng Mayot

And I think you'll see Dixon, Urkis, and Fort the first 3 guys off the bench. But, of course, I could be WAY wrong. It's happened before.

[pantherfan]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

I was very encouraged by today's scrimmage. This team is already a better team than last year. They may lack some of the athleticism, but they seem to play well together. I saw more ball movement in 1 half then I've seen in the last couple years! And boy can these guys shoot. Their 3 pt % had to be pretty high. It was great to see guys smiling and encouraging one another. Cooper seems to be a very upbeat coach. The players seem to feed off of him and seem to really respond to him. It was great to see the assistant coaches so involved as well. I was a fan of Coach Miller under Happy, but these young assistants seem to be much more involved and the team seems to listen and feed off them as well. It was exciting to see young freshmen on the court with talent that needs to be refined. The ceiling for this team looks pretty high over the next few years.

As for players, kdubnation provided some great insight. I think Erik improved his all around game. His defense looked good, he was much more vocal in running the offense, and his shot looks MUCH improved. The Goetz kid can shoot the lights out, Amandas looks like he can be an absolute defensive force, and Mo looks very versatile. I was also disappointed by Godwin's performance. He seemed to have a deer in the headlights look. But, he showed spurts of raw athleticism. I can't wait to watch him grow over the next 4 years. I think Deng was the best player on the court today. He had a nice touch shot, he rebounded well, and he worked well around the rim. As of today's showing, he seemed to be the biggest post presence on offense. His outback was great and he soared above the rim a few times for rebounds. I picked the same 5 starters, but I think Cooper has several combos he could go with. The available depth at PG is positive.

All in all, I left the SC today feeling good about the season. The team will continue to grow as the year progresses, and at the end of the year will likely be a solid team.

[Looking For 9]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Great feedback guys...exciting reading.... even better than I had hoped for this early.

I would love a solid half Thursday...I will be at the game and try to do as good with my feedback you have.

[Lawson]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Two weeks until the first regular season game.....any news on tickets.

[kdubnation]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Tickets are available for pickup starting Wednesday. If you need them mailed you need to call the athletics office.

[kdubnation]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

The KWC women lost to U of Evansville today by 1, on a buzzer beater 3 pointer. They led most of the second half. Great showing by the Lady Panthers!

[Looking For 9]

Re: Kentucky Wesleyan Basketball

Yes and one of their best transfers did not play. I hope she does not need to redshirt. Tough couple of games to start the season but that will help in the G-MAC.