Lunch Bunch Report - great update w/Willie Reese

Thanks to "JezebelJacket" at the Hive, for this fantastic update. They had Willie Reese as a guest on Monday and there was a ton of great stuff discussed. You need to click here to read the whole thing. You will see updates on what some alumni are doing (Tom Hammonds, James Munlyn, Duanne Ferrel, Bruce Dalrymple) as well as good recruiting info and comments on this year's team. You NEED to read the whole thing.

Here are a few highlights I have pulled out.

9. Will Bynum is a transfer from Arizona. He will be eligible to play on Saturday. Willie compares Will to a Jason Williams who played at Duke. Will is very explosive. He can play the point guard and the #2 guard. Will has helped Jarrett Jack prepare tremendously for St. Louis. Will is from Chicago. He is just “itching” to play….he may just take one from half court.

10. Theodis Tarver is progressing well. The NCAA rule has now changed regarding how many games you can play and redshirt. You can only play in 6 games now and then be redshirted.

11. Luke Schenscher is playing well. Luke has worked really hard. Malcolm Mackey wanted someone to work out against with last summer so Luke stayed around. Luke would show up at 7:30 a.m. and go 1 on 1 against Malcolm 4 or 5 times a week. Every game Luke has improved. Luke has had solid play down the middle.

12. All of the players are very excited to have the support of the fans. But everyone is staying humble.

16. Jeremis Smith, a 6’7” forward from Fort Worth, Texas. Jeremis is a taller, bigger version of Ish. Jeremis averaged 24 points per game as a junior. Jeremis is like a younger Charles Barkley. Jeremis can play either 4 or 3. He plays with a lot of attitude. He has great grades. Jeremis’ high school coach is the “winningest” (yes, I know it’s not really a word) coach in high school in the USA. Jeremis can hit the ground running.

17. Q: Do you anticipate that any of our four recruits are looking at the NBA? A: Ra’Sean Dickey was at one time projected for the NBA but he had an off summer. Ra’Sean has a shot at the NBA but needs some work in college ball to achieve that goal.

29. Q: Can you please talk about the preseason and fall regiments? A: Paul Hewitt is very big on conditioning. You have got to be in good shape. In summer and fall the guys have to run track, work in the weight room. Scott McDonald is doing a great job. Guys even work out in the pool. Sometimes they have to get up at 6 a.m. and run the track and work out in the pool. We are working hard on individual skill work. We are covering all the bases.

31. Q: Thought that I saw Zam Frederick at the game Saturday. A: Yes, Zam was at the game Saturday.

34. Q: Did Ed Nelson have a problem with his playing time? Is that why he transferred? A: Ed Nelson really caught us by surprise. Ed never complained about playing time. He got plenty of playing time and he would have gotten even more once Chris Bosh jumped to the NBA. Willie says that it is his job to work with the big guys. Ed’s mom got involved with the decision. She just did not understand the “big picture” with Chris Bosh going to the NBA. Ed made a very quick decision. When we played Connecticut you could tell on Ed’s face that he knew that he made the wrong decision. Ed would have gotten a lot of playing time this year.

36. Q: Can you tell us what you are looking for in the next signing year? A: We will be looking to sign 2 or 3 guards. Looking for an outstanding guard…an All-American. We are looking at a couple of kids in the Atlanta area.