Friday, November 16, 2007
Michigan Recap
In a dominating performance, the starters played sparingly giving the freshmen and the bench players lots of PT. As far as the starters go, there were some pretty solid performances save for Roy who missed a few easy shots. This wasn't really a game to measure the first team, however, as the early lead gave our bench considerable floor time.
Offensively, Freeman played well and under control, taking open outside shots and a couple times going to the rim. Wright was not nearly as patient, constantly turning down open jumpers to drive into multiple coverage. While fearless, the freshman point guard spent quite a bit more time missing difficult layups or runners when he could have been setting up teammates or taking high percentage shots. A lot of positives may result from his extended playing time, though, as he will likely get the chance to watch film with the coaching staff and learn how to find easier scoring opportunities.
Also positive were backdoor cuts from the freshmen showing that they are picking up some of the Princeton principles. Macklin had a good bounce-pass feed to a backdoor cutting Wright in the first half.
Macklin ran the floor well and, while not a go-to option offensively, did well with put-backs and feeds from driving guards. He showed some serious hops on a dunk set up by a Chris Wright drive. He also had a garbage time set where he dribbled in from half court, once between his legs, and threw up a hook shot layup. Clearly, it was not a serious effort from Vernon, but you get the feeling watching him that he would thrive in the open court. As awkward as Roy is running the floor, Macklin glides, covering lots of ground quickly. Developing a jump shot or post moves will get him much more playing time, but if we start running the break Macklin will be a big asset.
Rivers took the point in a three guard offense when JWall and Sapp were on the bench. Playing with Wright and Freeman, he managed the offense and sank a baseline three pointer in the first half. After a while he seemed to defer to the freshman, giving Wright the ball to bring up court and start the offense. Showing team first leadership, he recognized the need to get early exposure for the young guards instead of trying to pile up points for himself.
Tyler got quite a bit of playing time, but didn't show much on the offensive end.
Probably the performance that was most striking, however, was the Hoya defense. The team played with an intensity uncommon in past November performances. I can't remember having seen another team throw up so many airballs. The Hoyas played tight man D and rotated well up top when playing zone. Michigan's Grady hit shots consistently in transition, but after a while we started trapping him in the half court and forced the ball out of his hands.
Some highlights if you weren't able to catch the game:
WRC pre-game with interviews of JT3 and Roy.
ESPN Game Highlights
ESPN Top Play Number 6:
Offensively, Freeman played well and under control, taking open outside shots and a couple times going to the rim. Wright was not nearly as patient, constantly turning down open jumpers to drive into multiple coverage. While fearless, the freshman point guard spent quite a bit more time missing difficult layups or runners when he could have been setting up teammates or taking high percentage shots. A lot of positives may result from his extended playing time, though, as he will likely get the chance to watch film with the coaching staff and learn how to find easier scoring opportunities.
Also positive were backdoor cuts from the freshmen showing that they are picking up some of the Princeton principles. Macklin had a good bounce-pass feed to a backdoor cutting Wright in the first half.
Macklin ran the floor well and, while not a go-to option offensively, did well with put-backs and feeds from driving guards. He showed some serious hops on a dunk set up by a Chris Wright drive. He also had a garbage time set where he dribbled in from half court, once between his legs, and threw up a hook shot layup. Clearly, it was not a serious effort from Vernon, but you get the feeling watching him that he would thrive in the open court. As awkward as Roy is running the floor, Macklin glides, covering lots of ground quickly. Developing a jump shot or post moves will get him much more playing time, but if we start running the break Macklin will be a big asset.
Rivers took the point in a three guard offense when JWall and Sapp were on the bench. Playing with Wright and Freeman, he managed the offense and sank a baseline three pointer in the first half. After a while he seemed to defer to the freshman, giving Wright the ball to bring up court and start the offense. Showing team first leadership, he recognized the need to get early exposure for the young guards instead of trying to pile up points for himself.
Tyler got quite a bit of playing time, but didn't show much on the offensive end.
Probably the performance that was most striking, however, was the Hoya defense. The team played with an intensity uncommon in past November performances. I can't remember having seen another team throw up so many airballs. The Hoyas played tight man D and rotated well up top when playing zone. Michigan's Grady hit shots consistently in transition, but after a while we started trapping him in the half court and forced the ball out of his hands.
Some highlights if you weren't able to catch the game:
WRC pre-game with interviews of JT3 and Roy.
ESPN Game Highlights
ESPN Top Play Number 6:
