Any SNer's going to the Practice Saturday morning?

[Kung Wu]

Please feel free to disagree. I didn't take notes so that is just from the memory of an older guy with CRS.

Actually not even really a disagreement, as I reread what you posted about White. I felt like he struggled a bit in the small sided games. Basically he looked like a freshman. Lots of potential but still in his shell. You are right though he has a nice shot when they aren't contested, so the technique is there.

Hall really had his way with White, as he is clearly more experienced. I will say this about Hall too ... If anyone is expecting him to come in and dominate like Durley right off, forget it. He has a bit of a learning curve ahead of him and I suspect its gonna take a few real games to get him confident. I think he will fit in quicker than the averagr JUCO transfer, but you could see he wasn't comfortable with his roll at times.

This team could really rock, but I think it may take a bit of patience in the first several games. HC3G has a unique challenge this year with newcomers.

[wufan]

Thanks for the reports!

[Shockfan8]

I appreciate the reports....I can't wait for the season to get here.....Thanks again

[Born2Shock]

I was one of the 30 or so people there...surprised there werent a few more...anyways...

I spent most of my time watching the newcomers.

EO: MUCH better than last year. The game does not seem too fast for him right now. He had several nice baby hooks and finishes around the rim during some of the 'scrimmage' portions of the practice. His free throw shooting still leaves some to be desired, but it didnt look atrocious. We'll see what he can do in front of 10k people...

White: Offensively, he seemed to see the game very well. Made several no look anticipation type passes that were really impressive. Defensively, he is a step slow, and thinking too much. I think he will get there eventually, but my impression of him before the scrimmage was as an offensive player, and he didnt change that. Think a little bigger Kampman.

Ede: Not his day. The coaches rode him like Seabiscuit most of the practice. Alot of talent, but not much refinement in his game yet. I expect he will play this year, but he seems pretty lost on both sides of the floor.

Baker: WOW. This kid is WAYYY better than I expected. And he is huge. Plays defense exceptionally well with his feet, instead of grabbing with his hands. He practiced with the guards. His shot is very sweet; elevates very well with a high release, similar to that phone booth thing they talk about with shooters. The best of the freshman, at least yesterday.

Wessel: Tough kid, and not afraid of anything. During some of the sets, he dribbled too much, and made some high school mistakes, but nobody could push him off the ball. He still plays defense a step slow, and with his hands, which will cost him, but he will be a solid contributer at some point. he doesnt have the prettiest shot, but I get the impression hes a 'maker'. He also set several Hatch-like back screens and nearly killed somebody down on the baseline.

Cotton: Better than I expected. He kinda got lost to me for awhile, because he was just a solid contributer. Didnt make alot of mistakes. Built like a fireplug. I dont think we will need him this year, but he doesnt seem to have any noticable deficiency in his game at least that I saw yesterday (Manigault completely unable to shoot, etc). I didnt get much of an overall feel for him though.

As Sullentrop said, I was much impressed with Williams. He played consistently hard through practice, plowing through screens, etc. Aggressive, but under control.

Stutz and Ragland are the vocal leaders of the team.

..Thats all I can recall for now :)

[150946shox]

Not a lot different than others have reported.

EO looked like a completely different player. Coach indicated that some practices he performs extremely well and others he performs like a "newbee".

Jake did make some freshmam mistakes, but did a lot right as well. I believe he'll get some good minutes today. Of course, I watched him play twice last year so have a different perspective than just yesterday. Like someone said earlier and I've said since last January when I first saw him, he has a nose for the ball.

Wow is all I can say about Ron Baker. So much more than I expected at this point. BTW, Coach did confirm that he will redshirt this year. I know there has been some speculation. When asked who would redshirt, Coach said definitely Ron, Joe Mitchell and Malcom Armstead. He talked about how helpful that would be next year when he loses TM, DK & JR.

Tekele Cotton was impressive, somewhat because of being so unnoticed. You didn't see Coach get in his face at all which means he was making very few mistakes. He looks very strong.

Coach indicated that he was wrestling with whether or not Carl Hall could really be a 4. He's more of a 5 and the staff is working to determine whether or not he can adapt to the traditional 4 position. Coach said he would be worrying about that all day and night.

Ede has tremendous talent, but has a ways to come. He will be a tremendous player when he gets it together.

Evan impressed me even though he did make some freshman mistakes. A couple bad passes, a little too much dribbling, one horrible shot. He also make some nice shots and plays with a somewhat Graham Hatch kind of intensity.

Doc's been telling us about Demetric Williams for some time and I see what he means. I think Demetric has really gotten it. Doc, great call. DW will be a huge benefit this year.

He also said that any current recruit who is a walk on this year but was promised a scholly next year will get one. I believe that shows that Ron Baker will not have the scholly next year as originally reported.

Gotta go now. More later if I think of anything.

[shoxtop]

Not a lot different than others have reported.

EO looked like a completely different player. Coach indicated that some practices he performs extremely well and others he performs like a "newbee".

Jake did make some freshmam mistakes, but did a lot right as well. I believe he'll get some good minutes today. Of course, I watched him play twice last year so have a different perspective than just yesterday. Like someone said earlier and I've said since last January when I first saw him, he has a nose for the ball.

Wow is all I can say about Ron Baker. So much more than I expected at this point. BTW, Coach did confirm that he will redshirt this year. I know there has been some speculation. When asked who would redshirt, Coach said definitely Ron, Joe Mitchell and Malcom Armstead. He talked about how helpful that would be next year when he loses TM, DK & JR.

Tekele Cotton was impressive, somewhat because of being so unnoticed. You didn't see Coach get in his face at all which means he was making very few mistakes. He looks very strong.

Coach indicated that he was wrestling with whether or not Carl Hall could really be a 4. He's more of a 5 and the staff is working to determine whether or not he can adapt to the traditional 4 position. Coach said he would be worrying about that all day and night.

Ede has tremendous talent, but has a ways to come. He will be a tremendous player when he gets it together.

Evan impressed me even though he did make some freshman mistakes. A couple bad passes, a little too much dribbling, one horrible shot. He also make some nice shots and plays with a somewhat Graham Hatch kind of intensity.

Doc's been telling us about Demetric Williams for some time and I see what he means. I think Demetric has really gotten it. Doc, great call. DW will be a huge benefit this year.

He also said that any current recruit who is a walk on this year but was promised a scholly next year will get one. I believe that shows that Ron Baker will not have the scholly next year as originally reported.

Gotta go now. More later if I think of anything.

So great to hear about EO, as well as DW. And having a new Hatch would be amazing! I am quite concerned however if Hall can't adjust to the 4 as expected. Well as I expected anyway.

In my mind, Baker was promised but I have never seen any information whether armstead will get one or not. Can anyone else confirm or deny this for me?

[Kung Wu]

He also said that any current recruit who is a walk on this year but was promised a scholly next year will get one. I believe that shows that Ron Baker will not have the scholly next year as originally reported.

He said those promised a scholarship would get them as promised. He then said those not guaranteed would have a chance to prove they are worth one, but they would have to step up and show it.

I don't know if Baker was promised a scholly (been to long since I looked as recruiting thread), but after watching him yesterday he is ready to play and worthy of a scholly RIGHT NOW. He is going to be an extremely special player over his career at WSU. Based on yesterday, I cannot imagine any circumstance where he doesn't get a full scholly and immediately become a fan favorite.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

He also said that any current recruit who is a walk on this year but was promised a scholly next year will get one. I believe that shows that Ron Baker will not have the scholly next year as originally reported.

Baker will have a scholly. I am fairly certain of this. I have no idea about Armstead. I believe, and let me stress believe, that Mitchell will not be on scholarship.

I also believe that means those with a Scholly are going to have to fight to keep it.

[wufan]

Very interesting reports as we start to get down to the nitty-gritty of the season. I agree with Downtown's assessment of the scholarship situation going into next year that scholarships will EARNED annually. That's pretty cut-throat, but I believe that HCGM has been and will continue to be upfront about that with the current and incoming players. Basically, you earn it on the floor. The competition is going to be stiff.

I love to hear the glowing reports about Baker and EO. Reports on Ede, Evan, Tekele, and Jake are as expected...lots of potential and lots of work to do. I expect that all will have the ability to be huge contributors as their careers progress if they put out the considerable amount of effort required to succeed.

Anacreon continues to be the mystery man, but with White being a freshman and Hall "adjusting" I'm glad he's here!

I wondered about Hall's ability to play the PF after watching multiple games on-line. The guy just doesn't venture far from the paint. Offensively, I imagine there will be some sets where Stutz pulls the opposing center out to the wing (where he is still a threat) and Hall is allowed to isolate the undersized opposing PF and abuse him.

With our stregth, athleticism, and length, I have to imagine that we will be an effective zone team if HCGM wants to implement such a strategy. On the other hand, our depth should allow us to man up hard and absolutely ware down the competition over a 40 minute period.

Should be a fun year!

[Capitol Shock II]

If we have trouble fitting Carl at the 4 then what do we do? Play both Garrett and EO at the same time?

[wufan]

If we have trouble fitting Carl at the 4 then what do we do? Play both Garrett and EO at the same time?

Well if Garrett can play PF with EO, he can also play it with Carl in at the center. I suppose it's an option. If Hall can't figure it out, I imagine we'll get some specialized set plays to isolate him inside. Defensively, it's a concern if he can't prevent Weems from driving the hoop or shooting the 3.

[SpanglerFan316]

If we have trouble fitting Carl at the 4 then what do we do? Play both Garrett and EO at the same time?

Hall/EO at the 5 and GS at the 4?

[SpanglerFan316]

These reports make me wonder if we are going to miss Aaron Ellis a lot this season. If Weems and Mac Jr. cannot be effectively defended, we might be in for a long season. Will Illinois State's Jackie Carmichael abuse us this year? What about Jake Koch?

It might be that we don't miss Durley at all but that we miss Ellis a great deal. Thoughts?

[vtshocker]

I think Anacreon can do what Ellis did for us. He is described as deceptively long with a good mid range jumper

[The Mad Hatter]

I think Anacreon can do what Ellis did for us. He is described as deceptively long with a good mid range jumper

That was certainly the expectation when we signed him. Also, against truly undersized 4s like Weems I think there is a good chance that we will see Ben at the 4 at times.