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Pick Up Games - June 16, 2010

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  • Pick Up Games - June 16, 2010

    1. Deer Slayer and I watched the team play today.

    2. Demetric Williams and Ben Smith sat out because they had sickle cell anemia immunization shots today. Demetric said it hurts quite a bit.

    3. Next season, the Shockers will probably have the best point guard play and depth in a very long time.

    4. Joe Ragland is very impressive. He is fast and quick. Not quick silver quick, but he is getting up there. He is 6-0/180. His build is fairly thick, not wiry as I expected. He has big calves. His calves reminded me of Wendell Preadom. His main attribute, which I admire the most, is he can drive, finish and dish effectively. He is a very good traffic player.

    He did not take many outside shots. In fact, I can only remember one and he nailed it.

    5. Ben Smith had his shot today too. He played very little and sat on the side most of the time.

    6. My most favorable impression was the overall maturity and confidence of the returning players. I was particularly impressed with Garrett, J.T., Toure and Graham. This bunch will be tough next season.

    7. Graham played skin. If you have never seen him without a shirt, you might be surprised. He looks like someone, who could be on the cover of Power Lifting Magazine. Very buff.

    8. Garrett is oozing confidence. Even though he missed several 1' jump shots, I liked what he was doing on both ends of the floor. He was solid. He was a skin too. Nary an ounce of fat did I see. He will be a load for the defender next season. He made some nice outside set shots. Also, he has really improved his play in traffic.

    9. A big surprise to me was Tyler Richardson. He was very active with the ball, particularly on the fast break, when he was pushing the ball. He is a nice shooter. I was not surprised by his shooting, but I was by his ball handling and aggressiveness.

    10. Jerome Hamilton has some ball handling skills, which I had not seen before. Call me crazy, but I swear he resembles Kobe Bryant from a distance. He was pretty active around the basket. I have yet to see much of his outside shot.

    11. Toure did not press today. He let the game come to him. He attempted few outside shots. He dribble penetrated a lot today. He finished or dished effectively most of the time. He played with a lot of confidence. He took a hard fall on his back. He was helped to his feet. He gimped around for a couple of minutes, but he continued to play.

    12. Josh Walker was a surprise today. During the shoot around, he made three consecutive 3 balls from 30'+. Later, I saw him make 7 or 8 consecutive 3 balls from just beyond the arc. During the game, he did not shoot as well and a hand was not in his face. He is a rugged looking kid at 6-8/220.

    13. David Kyles is still a freak. Most of his play today was horse around stuff. His athleticism is a joy to watch.

    14. Gabe Blair was not present.

    15. J.T. was pretty active today. No sloughing off. He shot a lot of 3 balls, but with modest success. He was tough around the basket. Garrett guarded J.T. most of the time. Garrett's man defense has really improved, even though J.T. won most of the battles.

    16. Aaron was not present.

    17. Orupke was not present.

    18. Cowboy sat down with Deer Slayer and I, but as soon as he saw Dave Dahl come in, he dropped us like a hot potato. He moved to another section to join Dave and the point guard, who played for the Shockers in the 70s. I swear I can never remember his name. A good guy.
    "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it is about the future."

    --Niels Bohr








  • #2
    Was Uncas there too?
    The mountains are calling, and I must go.

    Comment


    • #3
      awesome RDR as always. Thanks
      Shocker basketball will forever be my favorite team in all of sports.

      Comment


      • #4
        I get the feeling Toure is gaining experience and knowledge by the handful. This year it will not be up to him, and he can use his reputation to step back and throw off defense. I see Demetric and Joe, along with Snith, Kyles, and Hatch allowing him to roam free around the outside. Dribble drive and dish or kick.

        Comment


        • #5
          So basically, RDR, what you didn't like was: You didn't get to see D Will or Smith play much or at all, didn't get to see Ellis or Blair at all becuase they weren't there, and you got dropped like a bad blind date for a cheerleader.

          ;-)

          Comment


          • #6
            Ron Mendell is the guard who was sitting with Dave Dahl. He is writing a book about basketball in the state of Kansas. He has spent a lot of time researching it. He was a sportswriter for the Eagle through the mid 70's. He said today that he should finish it in 2011.

            Comment


            • #7
              Thanks for the report. It is greatly appreciated.

              Comment


              • #8
                Good stuff as always RDR.

                Thanks.
                Deuces Valley.
                ... No really, deuces.
                ________________
                "Enjoy the ride."

                - a smart man

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by ShockTalk
                  So basically, RDR, what you didn't like was: You didn't get to see D Will or Smith play much or at all, didn't get to see Ellis or Blair at all becuase they weren't there, and you got dropped like a bad blind date for a cheerleader.

                  ;-)
                  I am fraid you are correct, sir.

                  Getting dropped by Cowboy hurt like h*ll.
                  "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it is about the future."

                  --Niels Bohr







                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I also went to watch today, and that was probably me, that joined you RDR and Deerslayer. You gave a good account, but I would like to add:

                    1) Hatch, indeed, looks buff and stronger, and his shot is smooth without any hitches to it. Much like the first year he was here. He drove to the basket some and finished for other players as well. Looking good.

                    2) Ben Smith, while he had a little problem draining shots in the game while being guarded, I saw him drain 3 3's in a row in a shoot-around. He's got a shot.

                    3) When Joe Ragland turns it on driving to the basket, he is almost as fast as Kyles, not quite, but pretty close, and he can finish in traffic, he is a good finisher. And has a nice shot from outside too. If you were worried about replacing Hannah, don't be anymore. Between Joe and Demetric, we are going to be good at point guard.

                    4) I liked the way Stutz was looking today too. He seems comfortable on the court now, and this could be a breakout year for him.

                    5) J.T. loves that outside shot, drained some, but missed some too. He looks good, and still has the good inside moves.

                    6) Richardson surprised me also. He had some good moves and drives, but needs to learn to finish better in traffic. He also has a good outside shot, but it runs hot and cold. Sweet when he hits.

                    7) Hamilton looked mostly to be a defensive presence, although he did take a couple of sweeping hook shots.

                    Demetric didn't play, I would have liked to see him play, and Orukpe and Ellis.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      RDR and others thanks for the reports.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Pick Up Games - June 16, 2010

                        Originally posted by Ricardo del Rio
                        3. Next season, the Shockers will probably have the best point guard play and depth in a very long time.
                        It's possible, but in 2006/2007 we had an experienced junior in Matt Braeuer, an experienced senior JUCO transfer in Keron Bradley. And when I say experienced they had NCAA tournament experience and substantial wins against ranked opponents.

                        I am not thinking that these less experienced point guards we currently have are better and more deep than that _already_. I'm not saying they aren't good. And I think this season is gonna be awesome, but how quick we forget what we had so recently. This group could mature into a better squad though -- it certainly could.

                        I will chalk this comment up to hyper-enthusiasm. I am also super excited!


                        Originally posted by Ricardo del Rio
                        7. Graham played skin. If you have never seen him without a shirt, you might be surprised. He looks like someone, who could be on the cover of Power Lifting Magazine. Very buff.
                        Man crush!!


                        Originally posted by Ricardo del Rio
                        8. Garrett is oozing confidence. Even though he missed several 1' jump shots, I liked what he was doing on both ends of the floor. He was solid. He was a skin too. Nary an ounce of fat did I see. He will be a load for the defender next season. He made some nice outside set shots. Also, he has really improved his play in traffic.
                        Has he put on a bit of size? Is he going to the basket more aggressively and consistently?


                        Originally posted by Ricardo del Rio
                        11. Toure did not press today. He let the game come to him. He attempted few outside shots. He dribble penetrated a lot today. He finished or dished effectively most of the time. He played with a lot of confidence. He took a hard fall on his back. He was helped to his feet. He gimped around for a couple of minutes, but he continued to play.
                        Sounds like a leader is arising. This is AWESOME if it's so.


                        Originally posted by Ricardo del Rio
                        15. J.T. was pretty active today. No sloughing off. He shot a lot of 3 balls, but with modest success. He was tough around the basket. Garrett guarded J.T. most of the time. Garrett's man defense has really improved, even though J.T. won most of the battles.
                        Those two getting to practice together is awesome. Makes me feel all warm and gushy inside about how good we could be.


                        Thanks a ton for this update! It's just what we needed to tide our gold and black blood over for a bit.
                        Kung Wu say, man who read woman like book, prefer braille!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Pick Up Games - June 16, 2010

                          Originally posted by Kung Wu
                          It's possible, but in 2006/2007 we had an experienced junior in Matt Braeuer, an experienced senior JUCO transfer in Keron Bradley. And when I say experienced they had NCAA tournament experience and substantial wins against ranked opponents.
                          Karon transferred from Marquette, and I think Matt would have been a Sophomore... but I agree with your point.
                          "Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should accomplish with your ability."
                          -John Wooden

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Pick Up Games - June 16, 2010

                            Originally posted by wu_shizzle
                            Originally posted by Kung Wu
                            It's possible, but in 2006/2007 we had an experienced junior in Matt Braeuer, an experienced senior JUCO transfer in Keron Bradley. And when I say experienced they had NCAA tournament experience and substantial wins against ranked opponents.
                            Karon transferred from Marquette, and I think Matt would have been a Sophomore... but I agree with your point.
                            Ah yes, Marquette transfer -- thanks for the correction. I think M.B. was a jr. though in 06/07.
                            Kung Wu say, man who read woman like book, prefer braille!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Pick Up Games - June 16, 2010

                              Originally posted by Kung Wu
                              Originally posted by wu_shizzle
                              Originally posted by Kung Wu
                              It's possible, but in 2006/2007 we had an experienced junior in Matt Braeuer, an experienced senior JUCO transfer in Keron Bradley. And when I say experienced they had NCAA tournament experience and substantial wins against ranked opponents.
                              Karon transferred from Marquette, and I think Matt would have been a Sophomore... but I agree with your point.
                              Ah yes, Marquette transfer -- thanks for the correction. I think M.B. was a jr. though in 06/07.
                              Yep, you're right about Matt.
                              "Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should accomplish with your ability."
                              -John Wooden

                              Comment

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