When I saw this on our schedule I was wary about playing in a tournament with three top 25 teams
I would have seen it a success to come away 1-1, and we almost did that. We had the shot and it was in and out
It would have been great to change the cal basketball narrative with a road win over a top P6 team
But despite the losses, I think this tournament helped the team
It showed the players how you have to play against an athletic, long and talented team, especially against an aggressive defense
In the Seton Hall game, Grant wasn't getting any shots, and Fox got in his face and said he needed to be more aggressive. In the second half, Grant asserted himself (although he probably would have been called with a push off with Pac12 refs). Not only did Grant score, but it hopefully gave him the confidence to do that more in the future. We certainly need him to be one of our primary scorers, and until that game I was concerned that wasn't going to happen against P6 teams.
It showed Kelly has improved, and can play and defend P6, athletic, long posts. Not only can he play/defend them, but he out classes them with his post footwork, smart passing, and now mid-range shooting! He has the chance to make an all conference team, although he certainly will be in the scouting report with a circle around his name
This game showed that Brown can be a player who can burn an overly aggressive defense with his drives. He's obviously worked on his handle, and is no longer one speed, one direction... he's not an elite dribbler yet, but adding hesitations, up and unders, reverse pivots, etc to his game certainly makes him harder to defend than the head down straight downhill drive of prior years. He still needs to finish better and add a floater or pull up, but I was encouraged by his drive and high off the glass finish. That's something I hadn't seen from him before.
After the Southern Utah game, I was singing the praises of Sam as a player who can defend 1-4. But although he added some hustle and depth, the guards blew by him with cross overs, and hesi's. Hopefully he'll learn from this and get better. I still think he is a contributor off the bench this year.
Sheppard played poorly on both offense and defense. But on offense I see his potential as a finesse player who can get his own shot. Unfortunately when he got those shots he missed them. But this game was also good for him to play against two strong and athletic defensive teams like he will see in the Pac12. There is an adjustment period that most players go through when they jump a level. His defense worries me more, and is harder to fix considering he is an experienced player.
Hyder is having issues. Whether that is injury related, rust related, confidence related, or ability/skill related ... I don't know, but we need him to play better as he's are only other legit ball handler
I would have seen it a success to come away 1-1, and we almost did that. We had the shot and it was in and out
It would have been great to change the cal basketball narrative with a road win over a top P6 team
But despite the losses, I think this tournament helped the team
It showed the players how you have to play against an athletic, long and talented team, especially against an aggressive defense
In the Seton Hall game, Grant wasn't getting any shots, and Fox got in his face and said he needed to be more aggressive. In the second half, Grant asserted himself (although he probably would have been called with a push off with Pac12 refs). Not only did Grant score, but it hopefully gave him the confidence to do that more in the future. We certainly need him to be one of our primary scorers, and until that game I was concerned that wasn't going to happen against P6 teams.
It showed Kelly has improved, and can play and defend P6, athletic, long posts. Not only can he play/defend them, but he out classes them with his post footwork, smart passing, and now mid-range shooting! He has the chance to make an all conference team, although he certainly will be in the scouting report with a circle around his name
This game showed that Brown can be a player who can burn an overly aggressive defense with his drives. He's obviously worked on his handle, and is no longer one speed, one direction... he's not an elite dribbler yet, but adding hesitations, up and unders, reverse pivots, etc to his game certainly makes him harder to defend than the head down straight downhill drive of prior years. He still needs to finish better and add a floater or pull up, but I was encouraged by his drive and high off the glass finish. That's something I hadn't seen from him before.
After the Southern Utah game, I was singing the praises of Sam as a player who can defend 1-4. But although he added some hustle and depth, the guards blew by him with cross overs, and hesi's. Hopefully he'll learn from this and get better. I still think he is a contributor off the bench this year.
Sheppard played poorly on both offense and defense. But on offense I see his potential as a finesse player who can get his own shot. Unfortunately when he got those shots he missed them. But this game was also good for him to play against two strong and athletic defensive teams like he will see in the Pac12. There is an adjustment period that most players go through when they jump a level. His defense worries me more, and is harder to fix considering he is an experienced player.
Hyder is having issues. Whether that is injury related, rust related, confidence related, or ability/skill related ... I don't know, but we need him to play better as he's are only other legit ball handler
