The team plays very unselfish and looks for the open teammate. We have two guys who really like to fill the boxscore up with points, rebounds and assists (Castle and Newton). That works well coming from the point guard and small forward position.
I was also encouraged that our team foul shooting improved to 91%. Of course, that stat is often driven by who gets fouled. Castle was 7-7 with many FT’s just touching the bottom of the nets. That’s nice to see from the PG position since he will have the ball at key times. No starter missed a foul shot other than Donovan. Karaban, Spencer and Newton were all 4-4.
Spencer has been a disappointment on his 3 ball going 2-10. He seems to be leaning back when he shoots a 3 and that flattens the shot and removes the arch.
I think what we are seeing is that Tristen Newton will be a very effective scorer off the point as a swing man. He’s very crafty and now has less ball handling responsibilities other than penetration. He has a good three shot from the corner.
Karaban is vey poise and is an efficient player, who makes the game look easy. He appears stronger when rebounding and absorbing contact on offensive moves. He sets a good example with his play and will put points on the board. Alex’s defense continues to improve.
Samson Johnson has great vertical explosion on his dunks and blocked shots. He is going to be a key player against elite competition because we will need two bigs contributing major minutes. Other than dunks I have not seen him display other post moves yet, but I believe overall that he has a good upside.
The next 7 weeks of elite competition and road trips will be a real test especially with Donovan still recovering from his foot injury and the resulting inactivity. With a healthy Donovan I see us trapping more this year on defense with the eraser back in the paint. I think we will face lots of zone this season until we prove we can hit the 3 consistently.
I was also encouraged that our team foul shooting improved to 91%. Of course, that stat is often driven by who gets fouled. Castle was 7-7 with many FT’s just touching the bottom of the nets. That’s nice to see from the PG position since he will have the ball at key times. No starter missed a foul shot other than Donovan. Karaban, Spencer and Newton were all 4-4.
Spencer has been a disappointment on his 3 ball going 2-10. He seems to be leaning back when he shoots a 3 and that flattens the shot and removes the arch.
I think what we are seeing is that Tristen Newton will be a very effective scorer off the point as a swing man. He’s very crafty and now has less ball handling responsibilities other than penetration. He has a good three shot from the corner.
Karaban is vey poise and is an efficient player, who makes the game look easy. He appears stronger when rebounding and absorbing contact on offensive moves. He sets a good example with his play and will put points on the board. Alex’s defense continues to improve.
Samson Johnson has great vertical explosion on his dunks and blocked shots. He is going to be a key player against elite competition because we will need two bigs contributing major minutes. Other than dunks I have not seen him display other post moves yet, but I believe overall that he has a good upside.
The next 7 weeks of elite competition and road trips will be a real test especially with Donovan still recovering from his foot injury and the resulting inactivity. With a healthy Donovan I see us trapping more this year on defense with the eraser back in the paint. I think we will face lots of zone this season until we prove we can hit the 3 consistently.
