I know it's early in the bball season and we played a young, inexperienced Syracuse team and an overmatched JMU team, but already see many things about this year's team for great optimism.
- Diakite's all around play
- Staying out of foul trouble
- Rebounding dominance
- Overall defensive performance
- Clark's maturity
- Key's confidence
- Huff actually getting consistent PT
- Stattman's development, especially on defense with his length and better than expected agility
- Overall athleticism, size and length
- Championship banner hanging above the court and the Final Four mural inside of JPJ's main entrance
There are also some things to worry about early (that will surely all improve):
- 3 point shooting
- Turnovers
- Injuries and limited depth due to them
- Ball handling beyond Clark
- Deer in the headlights look/play from 1st year players (will certainly improve as games go on)
- Lack of a true go to scorer in key moments or as shot clock runs down
Overall though it's been really exciting watching the season begin and seeing the potential in this group. Many of the negative things will continue to improve game by game, but the biggest worry will continue to be depth in the backcourt especially a primary ball handler behind Clark. This team is so different from any other team over the last 8 years or so will be great watching the improvement in all areas as the season goes on and I expect the team in March to be so much different from the team we see now.
- Diakite's all around play
- Staying out of foul trouble
- Rebounding dominance
- Overall defensive performance
- Clark's maturity
- Key's confidence
- Huff actually getting consistent PT
- Stattman's development, especially on defense with his length and better than expected agility
- Overall athleticism, size and length
- Championship banner hanging above the court and the Final Four mural inside of JPJ's main entrance
There are also some things to worry about early (that will surely all improve):
- 3 point shooting
- Turnovers
- Injuries and limited depth due to them
- Ball handling beyond Clark
- Deer in the headlights look/play from 1st year players (will certainly improve as games go on)
- Lack of a true go to scorer in key moments or as shot clock runs down
Overall though it's been really exciting watching the season begin and seeing the potential in this group. Many of the negative things will continue to improve game by game, but the biggest worry will continue to be depth in the backcourt especially a primary ball handler behind Clark. This team is so different from any other team over the last 8 years or so will be great watching the improvement in all areas as the season goes on and I expect the team in March to be so much different from the team we see now.
