Hoops - Practice Report

You won't get this anywhere but the 'blog. Don't ask how we get this, but here is one person's first-hand opinion on the first few days of hoops practice. The team ran two-a-days from last Saturday through Tuesday. Some of it won't surprise you, but is good to see.


Alade Aminu: Still has quite a bit to learn about the game and offense. Very quick for a big guy and a good shot blocker. Lots of potential, just needs some developing.


D'Andre Bell: Very much a suprise to me. Considering he was just a two-star on Scout.com he plays much better. He has looked great on defense and has shown some nice moves on offense. He is all over the floor. Think 'Rio version 2.


Lewis Clinch: Plays very much like the five-star recruit he is. Excellent on offense and improving rapidly on defense. This guy is going to be a stud.


Paco Diaw: Very raw talent, but could be a factor. Another guy who is all over the floor and he is very quick. He still needs to develop his ball handling skills, but is pretty decent on offense. Could become quite a good player. Oh, and he speaks like 6 different languages.


Zam Frederick: Looking quite good actually. I would say don't worry about the point guard position. Not quite as good of a ball handler as JJ, but then again not many are. I'm looking forward to him actually showing his stuff this year.


Anthony Morrow: You know what you are getting here. Amazing offense and solid defense. The only difference I would say is he has developed a little more to his offense than just the 3.


Jeremis Smith: VERY physical guy. Great defense and devoping on offense. Has had some great dunks in practice (although not Ish caliber).


Ra'Sean Dickey: The key to this season. If he plays well we can have a great year. If not, then it could be a long one. Has played well though. Showed some incredible post moves that I never saw from Luke. He is much better than Luke offensively and even has quite a legitimate jumpshot.


Keith Jones: Doubt he gets much playing time, but has shown some good offense lately. Just not quite as much talent as the rest of the guys.


Mario West: I love this guy. He's all over the floor. He's a vocal leader. He's improved his offense. He's gonna have some significant minutes this year.


Theo Tarver: Hard to know what you are gonna get from this guy. He has shown times to look pretty good and times not so much. He has looked consistently solid on defense and has shown some pretty decent post moves at times.


Overall: The biggest problem we have is depth, especially at the big-man positions. I think this team is a better offensive team and not a huge step down on defense. I believe our depth is going to lose us some games, but our sheer talent is going to win us a few surprises. As long as Ra'Sean stays healthy and plays well then we could have a pretty good year. And you better believe that Coach Hewitt wants to fall nothing short of the NCAA this year.


Well that's about it. I can't wait till the season starts on Nov. 18th. And I hope a decent amount of people make it out to HoopsFest on Oct. 28th.