So I anxiously headed over to the Marriot Center last night to check out this year's version of the BYU basketball team. I'll be honest, I haven't been this exited about a team in a while. And after seeing this team last night, I think they can be special. The great thing is they only have one senior, who happens to be the best player, Lee Cummard. I think this team has the most potential out of any of the other teams.
The only problem is that we only have one senior. Whereas in past years we've had multiple seniors. The experience factor will be huge in road games. Don't expect this year to be the year we beat UNLV on the road. That said, we can still win conference, get into the tourney, and actually win a game!
Here's a breakdown of what I observed at the scrimmage:
1. I've never been a fan of Jonathan Tavernari, mostly because I felt he took too many bad shots, but he played very well last night. I'm starting to come around on him. He knocked down a bunch of shots. Hopefully he can still be selective in his shots but still carry that confidence that makes him such a dangerous shooter.
2. It's going to be a tough decision on who could redshirt. Noah Hartsock could be a good canidade. He didn't look like he was in the best shape yesterday. But he is still a good player and could get some minutes backing up JT at the 4. Charles Abouo looked very good last night. He is huge (ripped). Look for him to get some good minutes behind Cummard if he doesn't redshirt. I actually think Michael Loyd would benefit from a redshirt, even though he probably won't. He'll probably be the second guard off the bench. He's super fast and athletic but not the best shooter.
3. I thought Matt Pinegar looked just as good or better than Lamont Morgan last night. Morgan is a decent player, but he can't shoot from the outside. He can penetrate very well and dish to the outside but thats about it. Pinegar was knocking down shoots all night long and looked very impressive on both sides of the court.
4. Jackson Emery is ripped. That boy looks like he spent some time in the gym on his mission. He struggled at times getting use to the speed again but I think he's going to have a great season. He'll probably be the first one off the bench to replace Jimmer and Lee.
5. Chris Miles and Gavon McGregor looked solid. Nothin spectacular but both can bang on the inside and get some boards. Both showed touch around the basket, something that was not present with Plaisted. This is another reason why Hartsock will be able to redshirt.
6. Jimmer Fredette and Lee Cummard are going to be great players for us this year. Look for great things, especially from Cummard.
2 comments:
It's too bad we didn't sit by each other last night. I actually wanted to give you a ring, but realized I have no way of getting a hold of you.
I like your assessment. I love JT, and I'm constantly defending him while everyone else bashes him. I think he's a great player, a big-time shooter and I want him taking shots when he gets the chance.
As far as the newcomers, I really like Abouo and Pinegar. Hartsock looks like he'll redshirt for sure.
I can't wait to see this team start playing real games. I think we'll be a force.
Ya yesterday got me fired up for the season to start. Too bad I didn't see you guys...I was looking around but couldn't find you.
Ya I think JT has improved from last year. Being with the Brazil national team looks like it has given him confidence, and motivation to work on other parts of his game, i.e. defense/passing/rebounding.
I really like Abouo and Pinegar too. I actually think Pinegar is better than Morgan. But Morgan comes in with a lot more hype. Morgan is a lot quicker too, so he can get to the basket and dish. We'll see how things play out.
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