Love sitting close to the action for the first time just to get a better feel. This is a much different group with a lot of newcomers, so it is always good to see in person. Here is my big picture thought on this group, and an impression of each player.
This team is a lot longer and has more depth. There is not much of a drop-off down the roster. The question is how much high-end talent is on the roster? Regardless, I think the floor is a little higher. This team also seems to like playing together a lot. Now, the season hasn't even started but there is a very positive energy you can see and feel. Elliott seems to bring that energy and it starts with him it seems. His energy and attitude is contagious. It is also a much better shooting team. Of course it was Clarion so you can't make too many judgements in 40 minutes, but you can get a feel.
John is still down with the knee, and him sitting on the bench with a brace is not a great sight. I've heard from several people that it was a minor MCL and he will be fine for the season. With that being said, it is still not a sight you want to see about ten days out. When it happened, those around him thought it was much worse (serious ACL). So they avoided a huge issue and will play it safe. William was also out, dealing with a minor injury.
Jamarius could have decided how many points he wanted to score tonight. There was no one on the floor with his physicality and strength. Not really a game for him today. This season will be anchored with him and John. JB looks healthy and in great shape. About as strong as you can get for a guard.
Nelly was pretty good. He lost control of the ball several times and had issues controlling it. Other than that, he did exactly what you expect. Ran things, scored, got in passing lanes, etc. He is a lot quicker than he looks. Nelly is really small but as we have seen, he is crafty and has nice strength off the bounce.
Blake Hinson was very quiet early on, and then boom. Seemed like he scored his 20 in about 10 minutes of game action. Physically, he is built like a defensive end. Huge frame with a lot of power. He doesn't have much wiggle to him, as he seems to struggle in the open floor. He got away with a couple of charges today. What surprised me was the shooting. He shoots basically a line drive, but it looked very good. Blake did not hesitate at all and he showed deep range. Really strong kid that doesn't seem to have a position. If he shoots it like this though, you just play him at the four and deal with the disadvantages.
Greg Elliott can shoot it. All of the rumblings from practice seem to be true. He didn't get many shots, but it is a quick release and you can tell that he is extremely confident with it. He is smaller than I thought, as the back court really lacks size with him and Nelly. There does not seem to be a lot of athleticism there either. Seems like a great kid that really controls the vibe of the team. There was a lot of good outside shooting numbers tonight, but I think Greg is the best and has the best chance to shoot around 40% from three.
Let's do the twins together. May not be fair to them and probably happens all the time, but they are so similar and had comparable outings. Let me say this, I like these kids a lot. Really difficult for me to tell the difference really. They are both really long and can move for their length. Rail thin and you have to worry about that, but this is not the old Big East. Both of them have touch, although I don't know if the quick 25 foot shots will continue. We even saw a nice euro-step and finish. They both may struggle this season at times, but I am a believer of both. Very bright future here. It is hard to find ~6'11 kids with that kind of touch and energy. Neither one has any idea what they don't know. They are just playing hard and having fun.
Nike looked pretty good. He was wearing a tight sleeve on the knee and came off the bench. He seems somewhat comfortable and in good shape. Not a lot to go off of in this one, but I think he will catch up quickly.
Nate Santos was fine. Such a big and physical guard, but he only uses it to his advantage sparingly. You can see that he has gotten a lot stronger, but is still projecting as a three and D guy at the moment. This is a deeper back court with experience, so I think it is going to be a struggle for consistent minutes.
Federiko Federiko also came on late in the game and produced his numbers in spurts. Another really long player, but most of his production came from simply luck and overwhelming an overmatched front court. He did record ten rebounds, but I see a player that plays much smaller than he is. Tends to shrink his frame around the rim and plays a bit slow. When he does grab a defensive rebound, he is very hesitant and struggles to find the outlet teammate. Several times today, he had the rebound and couldn't find anything. Instead of putting it on the floor to set up a passing lane, he just stood in place and didn't take a single dribble. There is a lot of length here, but I don't know if there will be minutes for him in big games once John returns.
That is about it. Hard to take too much away, but I think it will be a team that is more enjoyable to watch. They appear to play well together and enjoy their teammates. Which is not something we have seen here under this staff. They have several guys that appear capable of making threes. They can mix and match and go to the bench with versatility. I do worry about rebounding and wonder if the team is athletic enough across the board.
Will be interesting to see how the rotation forms once the competition increases and Hugley returns. Will be fun to watch. One last note - Dior Johnson has hired who many feel is the best lawyer in Pittsburgh. For whatever that is worth.
This team is a lot longer and has more depth. There is not much of a drop-off down the roster. The question is how much high-end talent is on the roster? Regardless, I think the floor is a little higher. This team also seems to like playing together a lot. Now, the season hasn't even started but there is a very positive energy you can see and feel. Elliott seems to bring that energy and it starts with him it seems. His energy and attitude is contagious. It is also a much better shooting team. Of course it was Clarion so you can't make too many judgements in 40 minutes, but you can get a feel.
John is still down with the knee, and him sitting on the bench with a brace is not a great sight. I've heard from several people that it was a minor MCL and he will be fine for the season. With that being said, it is still not a sight you want to see about ten days out. When it happened, those around him thought it was much worse (serious ACL). So they avoided a huge issue and will play it safe. William was also out, dealing with a minor injury.
Jamarius could have decided how many points he wanted to score tonight. There was no one on the floor with his physicality and strength. Not really a game for him today. This season will be anchored with him and John. JB looks healthy and in great shape. About as strong as you can get for a guard.
Nelly was pretty good. He lost control of the ball several times and had issues controlling it. Other than that, he did exactly what you expect. Ran things, scored, got in passing lanes, etc. He is a lot quicker than he looks. Nelly is really small but as we have seen, he is crafty and has nice strength off the bounce.
Blake Hinson was very quiet early on, and then boom. Seemed like he scored his 20 in about 10 minutes of game action. Physically, he is built like a defensive end. Huge frame with a lot of power. He doesn't have much wiggle to him, as he seems to struggle in the open floor. He got away with a couple of charges today. What surprised me was the shooting. He shoots basically a line drive, but it looked very good. Blake did not hesitate at all and he showed deep range. Really strong kid that doesn't seem to have a position. If he shoots it like this though, you just play him at the four and deal with the disadvantages.
Greg Elliott can shoot it. All of the rumblings from practice seem to be true. He didn't get many shots, but it is a quick release and you can tell that he is extremely confident with it. He is smaller than I thought, as the back court really lacks size with him and Nelly. There does not seem to be a lot of athleticism there either. Seems like a great kid that really controls the vibe of the team. There was a lot of good outside shooting numbers tonight, but I think Greg is the best and has the best chance to shoot around 40% from three.
Let's do the twins together. May not be fair to them and probably happens all the time, but they are so similar and had comparable outings. Let me say this, I like these kids a lot. Really difficult for me to tell the difference really. They are both really long and can move for their length. Rail thin and you have to worry about that, but this is not the old Big East. Both of them have touch, although I don't know if the quick 25 foot shots will continue. We even saw a nice euro-step and finish. They both may struggle this season at times, but I am a believer of both. Very bright future here. It is hard to find ~6'11 kids with that kind of touch and energy. Neither one has any idea what they don't know. They are just playing hard and having fun.
Nike looked pretty good. He was wearing a tight sleeve on the knee and came off the bench. He seems somewhat comfortable and in good shape. Not a lot to go off of in this one, but I think he will catch up quickly.
Nate Santos was fine. Such a big and physical guard, but he only uses it to his advantage sparingly. You can see that he has gotten a lot stronger, but is still projecting as a three and D guy at the moment. This is a deeper back court with experience, so I think it is going to be a struggle for consistent minutes.
Federiko Federiko also came on late in the game and produced his numbers in spurts. Another really long player, but most of his production came from simply luck and overwhelming an overmatched front court. He did record ten rebounds, but I see a player that plays much smaller than he is. Tends to shrink his frame around the rim and plays a bit slow. When he does grab a defensive rebound, he is very hesitant and struggles to find the outlet teammate. Several times today, he had the rebound and couldn't find anything. Instead of putting it on the floor to set up a passing lane, he just stood in place and didn't take a single dribble. There is a lot of length here, but I don't know if there will be minutes for him in big games once John returns.
That is about it. Hard to take too much away, but I think it will be a team that is more enjoyable to watch. They appear to play well together and enjoy their teammates. Which is not something we have seen here under this staff. They have several guys that appear capable of making threes. They can mix and match and go to the bench with versatility. I do worry about rebounding and wonder if the team is athletic enough across the board.
Will be interesting to see how the rotation forms once the competition increases and Hugley returns. Will be fun to watch. One last note - Dior Johnson has hired who many feel is the best lawyer in Pittsburgh. For whatever that is worth.
