Took the gf's son to his first game at Hilton. Other than (as luck would have it) having the most obnoxious Baylor fans (college students) next to us (literally 4 of the 15-20 in the building and most of those were behind their bench) it was a great day.
There are several things that stuck out to me and the first has to be the performance of Caleb Grill. The tenacity and effort he showed on the boards was refreshing and something I hope will become more pervasive across the team. A big complaint thus far has been the porous effort, awareness, and mindset the team (as a whole) have displayed in that aspect of the game. A large part of the Uconn and Iowa futilities were the ease with which both were able to corral offensive boards, with many occurring when we had a 3 or 4 to 1 proximity advantage. Too often guys lack the anticipation and tenacity to corral easily reachable balls. While length and athleticism can help, rebounding is often a byproduct of awareness and desire, something Grill displayed the entire game. That's probably something that probably escaped most non-Cyclone fans' eye.
Then there is Lipsey. His ability to recognize when to drive, pass, change speed/tempo, and shield the ball is wise beyond his years. As most have noticed, he's probably our best and most indispensable player to start the year. It's refreshing to have a PG that can drive the lane or run a fast break and not get blocked (or blowo a layup) because he understands angles and the importance of shielding the ball from defenders.
I was also extremely impressed with Tre King's ability to guard/defend the entire floor. He has the body and size to defend down low but also has the athleticism and fundamentals to guard the perimeter. This was on full display when he popped out to guard Flagler near the top of the key. A very fundamental player and one that should get more minutes at the expense of...
...Robert Jones. He is absolutely useless and struggles in every facet of the game. He has difficulty handling pinpoint passes. He struggles to recognize offensive opportunities and convert when he does take them. He is an atrocious rebounder for his size. He makes a ton of mistakes and commits silly fouls. He simply should not be getting 15 minutes per game unless it's absolutely necessary (foul trouble). Yesterday, it wasn't.
At times I'm a little perplexed at how little we use or (in some cases) how quickly we give up on Osun and running pick and roll through Lipsey. There was one game it was highly effective, one got into foul trouble, then we quick using it the rest of the game. Yesterday we really didn't see it run at all. Given Osun's ability to screen and peel and Lipsey's ability to deliver, I think it's a facet we should be developing a little more, especially given our penchant (not yesterday) for struggling for offensive sustainability.
Overall it was a great win, with the team playing about as well as one could hope (especially in the 2nd half). Super fun game to be at.
There are several things that stuck out to me and the first has to be the performance of Caleb Grill. The tenacity and effort he showed on the boards was refreshing and something I hope will become more pervasive across the team. A big complaint thus far has been the porous effort, awareness, and mindset the team (as a whole) have displayed in that aspect of the game. A large part of the Uconn and Iowa futilities were the ease with which both were able to corral offensive boards, with many occurring when we had a 3 or 4 to 1 proximity advantage. Too often guys lack the anticipation and tenacity to corral easily reachable balls. While length and athleticism can help, rebounding is often a byproduct of awareness and desire, something Grill displayed the entire game. That's probably something that probably escaped most non-Cyclone fans' eye.
Then there is Lipsey. His ability to recognize when to drive, pass, change speed/tempo, and shield the ball is wise beyond his years. As most have noticed, he's probably our best and most indispensable player to start the year. It's refreshing to have a PG that can drive the lane or run a fast break and not get blocked (or blowo a layup) because he understands angles and the importance of shielding the ball from defenders.
I was also extremely impressed with Tre King's ability to guard/defend the entire floor. He has the body and size to defend down low but also has the athleticism and fundamentals to guard the perimeter. This was on full display when he popped out to guard Flagler near the top of the key. A very fundamental player and one that should get more minutes at the expense of...
...Robert Jones. He is absolutely useless and struggles in every facet of the game. He has difficulty handling pinpoint passes. He struggles to recognize offensive opportunities and convert when he does take them. He is an atrocious rebounder for his size. He makes a ton of mistakes and commits silly fouls. He simply should not be getting 15 minutes per game unless it's absolutely necessary (foul trouble). Yesterday, it wasn't.
At times I'm a little perplexed at how little we use or (in some cases) how quickly we give up on Osun and running pick and roll through Lipsey. There was one game it was highly effective, one got into foul trouble, then we quick using it the rest of the game. Yesterday we really didn't see it run at all. Given Osun's ability to screen and peel and Lipsey's ability to deliver, I think it's a facet we should be developing a little more, especially given our penchant (not yesterday) for struggling for offensive sustainability.
Overall it was a great win, with the team playing about as well as one could hope (especially in the 2nd half). Super fun game to be at.
