Facey looked real good

[SaeHusky]

I know it was Maine but Facey looked legit tonight. Very quick to the ball and showed a nice touch. I was surprised how much PT Cassell got

 

[Matrim55]

Facey has all the physical tools to be a very good college player, and now has collected the experience to make it so. Very comfortable with him as our 3rd big man this year, and presumptive starter at PF next year.

Having four-year players who consistently improve has always been such a big part of our program. I love getting guys like DHam & Adams who look like they'll be 2-year players, but am glad our recruiting shows (Diarra, Jackson) that we clearly have the intention of keeping a core of 4-year players in the program at all times.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I know it was Maine but Facey looked legit tonight. Very quick to the ball and showed a nice touch. I was surprised how much PT Cassell got

I think Cassell's PT was a function of 30+ point leads.

 

[Danzz]

He has always had the tools but Facey seems to get lost against decent teams. Maybe it will be different this year.

 

[Stainmaster]

He has always had the tools but Facey seems to get lost against decent teams. Maybe it will be different this year.

He put up 14 and 9 against Duke. It was more that he completely hit a wall after the new year. In hindsight, we should've seen it coming considering last year was his first full season of significant PT.

 

[donyell34]

I think Sam brings more to the table this year than most of us think. Just a hunch.

 

[Stinger92860]

I think Sam brings more to the table this year than most of us think. Just a hunch.

I'd like to be wrong, but I believe the Sam we saw last year and last night is what he is at this level.

 

[Silk31]

At this point Facey is best suited as that 1st big man off the bench that comes in and provides a spark. He showed some good flashes a year ago but was very inconsistent and due to our lack of depth was thrust into a bigger role than he was ready for.

No pressure on him this season though so all I want to see from him is the energy he showed in game 1. He can use this year to really make a big leap in preparation of being our unquestioned starter at PF next year.

KFace was the forgotten man in our rotation this offseason but he showed last night that he can be a force for us

 

[Kitaman]

I think Cassell's PT was a function of 30+ point leads.

Cassell is our 4th guard. I'm sure his minutes will be reduced, but I'm glad to see Ollie putting him to work. We will need him if one or two of our guards are in foul trouble. He can play the guard position, perhaps not like we are accustomed to seeing, but he will be fine to spell the others.

He's our insurance policy for Adams, Gibbs and Purvis. Not a bad policy to have in your file.

He and Omar really need to get their confidence up via making shots. Both are capable of scoring double digit points against D1 opponents.

 

[mauconnfan]

Kenyan looked stronger and more confident in many ways I agree. It is a luxury having an athlete such as he coming off your bench as the 1st or 2nd big depending on situation.

While I think Sam looked a little better I believe he was the benefactor of a game in which KO had the luxury of playing a lot of people to see where they stand. Jalen will not sit as much as he did and there will be more of Gibbs and Adams playing together than what you saw eventually. I like Sam but the minutes will go down due to the quickness and speed of the upcoming opponents I'm afraid.

 

[MexicoHusky]

I didnt see it last night that much, but i think he's looked really great against bigs with some ball handling/shooting. Defensively that is. He's pretty mobile with better than average hops.

 

[Palatine]

Together Miler and Facey had 23 points and 16 rebounds in 37 minutes.

 

[Rico444]

Kenyan looked stronger and more confident in many ways I agree. It is a luxury having an athlete such as he coming off your bench as the 1st or 2nd big depending on situation.

While I think Sam looked a little better I believe he was the benefactor of a game in which KO had the luxury of playing a lot of people to see where they stand. Jalen will not sit as much as he did and there will be more of Gibbs and Adams playing together than what you saw eventually. I like Sam but the minutes will go down due to the quickness and speed of the upcoming opponents I'm afraid.

Actually Mau, Facey is from Jamaica, not Kenya.

 

[CTBasketball]

Facey did look good. Miller and Facey are almost the same player, just that Miller is bigger and a lot more polished.

 

[businesslawyer]

If you play Facey, he will accumulate respectible scoring and rebounding numbers. He still has to prove that he can guard a tuna sandwich in a lunchbox in a refrigerator. Talk to me about him after we're back from the Bahamas.

 

[Tommyboy]

Loved his dunk that didn't count last night because Omar was fouled on the pass. Incredible athleticism.

 

[DogMania]

Hopefully Sam is finally healthy. But I think what we're seeing is what he's capable of. He looks athletically challenged at this level. He also seems to try to do too much instead of playing more like a role player in getting the ball to others on the floor. If he can come in and hold his own on both ends of the floor and not be the player responsible for a bunch of empty trips resulting from him missing a bunch of shots, he might get a few minutes here and there to help keep the backcourt fresh for the stretch run at the end of each game. The with the depth at the guard position now, PT will be very hard to find for him.

As for Facey, it looks like he'll be battling for front court reserved minutes with Phil, and I see him winning that battle if he can come in and play with energy and efficiency. He showed some nice skills, but tends to be passive. If he can come in and play aggressively though under control, he'll get his minutes. As pointed out, he struggles on the defensive end at times. He needs to play with aggression and energy to make up for his lack of strength. He's one of those players that could blow up and have a good late-career like Donny Marshall, or have a unremarkable career like some of those bigs whose names I can't remember...because of the obvious.

What will likely affect his minutes most, is KO's flexibility to put Hamilton at the 4, and use many different 3 guard combinations. I'm one who's always an advocate to put your best five players on the floor, and unfortunately in most cases Facey isn't one of them.

 

[Matrim55]

If you play Facey, he will accumulate respectible scoring and rebounding numbers. He still has to prove that he can guard a tuna sandwich in a lunchbox in a refrigerator. Talk to me about him after we're back from the Bahamas.

I think he still needs to be paired with a more experienced big man, as is the case with Brimah. They were awful together defensively because they just don't have a ton of experience playing at a high level, so they see rotations and gaps very late.

Brimah & Miller together? Muy bueno. Facey & Miller? Facey & Nolan? Pretty damn good.

Brimah & Facey? That was a sieve in 2014/15. I think it'll be better this year, but hope we don't need to see it all that often.

One of the underlying keys for next season is Facey learning certain aspects of defensive organization from Miller this season. Miller's a brain and a gym rat and a leader who grew up in & with the game, and he understands things that Facey just doesn't (yet). Hopefully, 35 games from now, the story is different.