Open Scrimmage Thoughts

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eastcoastcal
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8:57p, 9/27/24
posted on the premium board as well but would love discussion from any folks who came:

Fun event! My honest thoughts are this is ~15 win team, better rim protection than last year, worse shooting & no top-level scorer like JT, but can push the pace better in transition. Also better depth.

I predict more non-con wins, less conference wins.

Lee Dort stood out to me, as did Blacksher.

It looks like we have much improved rim protectors & significantly improved depth at our big spot (we had nobody who could play beyond Daws last season). Conversely, there is not an alpha scorer on this roster and the shooting was bad to mediocre (free throw shooting abysmal). Defense looks improved. Our 7-10 spots look much improved over last year.

Great event, thanks to Cal basketball for hosting!
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oskidunker
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In reply to eastcoastcal • 9:28p, 9/27/24
eastcoastcal said:
posted on the premium board as well but would love discussion from any folks who came:

Fun event! My honest thoughts are this is ~15 win team, better rim protection than last year, worse shooting & no top-level scorer like JT, but can push the pace better in transition. Also better depth.

I predict more non-con wins, less conference wins.

Lee Dort stood out to me, as did Blacksher.

It looks like we have much improved rim protectors & significantly improved depth at our big spot (we had nobody who could play beyond Daws last season). Conversely, there is not an alpha scorer on this roster and the shooting was bad to mediocre (free throw shooting abysmal). Defense looks improved. Our 7-10 spots look much improved over last year.

Great event, thanks to Cal basketball for hosting!


Good event they actually played a game which was fun to watch.#10 looked to be a decent shooter. Curtis did not look great, especially from the foul line. Dort is a good rebounder and has some moves but wont be as good as Daws offensively.

Of note, Madsen thanked the band for coming and said, " I hope you can come to more games this year". Strangely the band seemed to be constantly yelling things at the players while the game was going on. Almost like when I was in the band and we harassed opposing players. Maybe Madsen asked them to make noise to create a game situation. Very Strange to be yelling at your own players.

No player totals as the main scoreboard was not used. The small scoreboards showed the score and that was it The refs were wearing shorts and did not look like real refs, but I could be wrong. The band sat in a different place above the padded benches in the south end zone. May be only for this game. Looks like more padded benches were added and the ones above the chairbacks seemed removed
Go Bears!
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Alkiadt
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In reply to oskidunker • 9:55p, 9/27/24
oskidunker said:
eastcoastcal said:
posted on the premium board as well but would love discussion from any folks who came:

Fun event! My honest thoughts are this is ~15 win team, better rim protection than last year, worse shooting & no top-level scorer like JT, but can push the pace better in transition. Also better depth.

I predict more non-con wins, less conference wins.

Lee Dort stood out to me, as did Blacksher.

It looks like we have much improved rim protectors & significantly improved depth at our big spot (we had nobody who could play beyond Daws last season). Conversely, there is not an alpha scorer on this roster and the shooting was bad to mediocre (free throw shooting abysmal). Defense looks improved. Our 7-10 spots look much improved over last year.

Great event, thanks to Cal basketball for hosting!


Good event they actually played a game which was fun to watch.#10 looked to be a decent shooter. Curtis did not look great, especially from the foul line. Dort is a good rebounder and has some moves but wont be as good as Daws offensively.

Of note, Madsen thanked the band for coming and said, " I hope you can come to more games this year". Strangely the band seemed to be constantly yelling things at the players while the game was going on. Almost like when I was in the band and we harassed opposing players. Maybe Madsen asked them to make noise to create a game situation. Very Strange to be yelling at your own players.

No player totals as the main scoreboard was not used. The small scoreboards showed the score and that was it The refs were wearing shorts and did not look like real refs, but I could be wrong. The band sat in a different place above the padded benches in the south end zone. May be only for this game. Looks like more padded benches were added and the ones above the chairbacks seemed removed


Those were real refs….
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Big C
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10:52p, 9/27/24

I sat as low as could get this evening, behind the north basket. Is this the first year they have had the lowest row a bit elevated like that, with bars in front? (I don't know, maybe it's been like that for years. In actual games, they usually don't let riff-raff like me down that low,)

Just seems like there is a steady effort to move people further and further from the action. (Go look at film from Harmon Gym and even early Haas; you will see a huge difference.)
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sonofabear51
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10:56p, 9/27/24
Harmon was so close to the front line, you could either spit on the opponent or make him deaf.

It was the absolute best.

Bring it back, you have instant home court advantage.
Start Slowly and taper off
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bigtuba1
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10:59p, 9/27/24
I was there. Some observations. Jovan Blacksher should be our primary ball handler. Very confident and good court sense. Joshua Ola-Joseph is an athletic freak. He needs to be a starter. Andrej Stojakovic is a baller. Can create his own shot. Mady Sissoko is clearly our best big but Lee Dort is a beast. Devin Curtis is a liability on the free throw line. Ryiis Petritis is a wild card. Could be a nice change of pace of the bench. Jeremiah Wilkinson threw down a put back dunk. Pretty impressive for a small guard.
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CNHTH
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12:57p, 9/28/24
I posted a take on the other thread but looking at some random photos I took I am very encouraged
1.) Lee Dort in the post. Absolutely a fan. He has amazing footwork and if a picture said a thousand words this one would say near that. Look at the score. Look at the shot clock. They got the ball into the block early to exploit the Dort vs Ola Joseph mismatch. They weren't jacking up 3s early. Dort with very good mechanics on the hook.
And defensively you see very good position with Petraitus rotating in as opposed to Blacksher. They seemed to defend it textbook.
https://imgur.com/a/NyIz9zK

2.) Defensive alignment. Again I love Wilkinson and petraitus and Sissoko. Wilkinson's stance and footwork / alignment is textbook good defense. Petraitus is positioned perfectly against Stojacovich and Sissoko is communicating and calling out the open shooter in the corner (Dessler).
https://imgur.com/a/BO26Szy

3.) I love that Wilkinson is fighting over the screen instead of dropping. Not just him but it seemed team wide. With all the pick and roll acc teams play I loved seeing this. It shows that our wings are talented enough to get back to their man and allow the defense to recover and not shift to compensate.
https://imgur.com/a/iaGpmvY
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BC Calfan
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1:36p, 9/28/24
Enjoyed the event last night. Great to get an up close look at all the new talent. Some thoughts.

-I was surprised at how hard guys were playing for a scrimmage. They went all out. Every missed shot, at least one player got knocked over because the rebounding was so fierce. Refs let them play---maybe they are getting an early adjustment to ACC style of play.

-Most impressive player was Blacksher. Confident, in total control, playing free yet deliberate. He'll have no problem running offense when he's in. Super shifty, always seems to have his defender on his heels. Has a good connection with Ola-Joseph. Threw him at least one no-look alley oop for a thunderous dunk. Only problem is Blacksher is skinny. Was surprised at that---I think he might be 170 lbs. But, he doesn't put his body in dangerous spots---hes not gonna drive and draw contact, more like beat his man for floaters.

-Wilkinson is a player. Most athletic on the floor. Had a couple "wow" drives, at least 2 where he took long euro step strides for athletic finishes. Not your ordinary freshman, seems very poised, I don't think he'll be intimidated at Cameron or Dean Dome.

-Mahoney is an interesting player. I think he plays this year. He is probably the 4th biggest player on the team after Mady, Dort and JOJ (Curtis is taller of course but so thin). Well-built too. He played aggressive, knows what to do---more than a spot up. Although he bricked 2 free throws in a row which was odd. (The free throw shooting as a team was atrocious)

-Jury is out on Andrej. He looked unsteady out there. Sometimes he sets up for 3s, sometimes he drives to bucket, sometimes he's working for a mid-range J---and none of it looked decisive. So I think he needs some time and coaching to figure out what kind of player he will be. He did throw down two ferocious dunks. I know he's the star recruit and there's politics and optics involved, but I don't put him in the starting lineup yet.

-The bigs played hard. They're physical, they can defend the rim but I don't think we can run offense through them like Fardaws. They showed flashes but I think they're still raw.

-While JOJ did look for his outside shot he also had some good interior play. He's an important piece for this team. He can be an energy guy and light up Haas with his dunks. His defense on ACC level forwards will be critical. He has the physical tools.

-Petraitis wasn't able to show much but played some good D.

-Tucker is a solid backup and steady presence.

-DJ Campbell was fine too. Looks like a linebacker out there.

-The overall good: great depth and athleticism. We will blow out the cupcakes.

-The overall bad: no true alpha to get that momentum changing bucket, shooting might be an issue.
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smokeyrover
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2:12p, 9/28/24
Appreciate all the reports. Did BJ Omot play?
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CNHTH
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In reply to smokeyrover • 2:47p, 9/28/24
smokeyrover said:
Appreciate all the reports. Did BJ Omot play?

I don't recall seeing Omot on the floor.
He was on the court but I don't recall seeing him play…
The gold team was Stojacovich, Dort, Tucker, Campbell, Mahoney for the majority
The blue team was Blacksher, Wilkinson, Ola-Joseph, Petraitus, Sissoko for the majority
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LOUMFSG2
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3:02p, 9/28/24
Ah, interesting on Omot, thanks!

If Omot was held out for some reason, that could be an opportunity for improvement, assuming his absence is not long term. Based on last year and transfer rankings, I think he could be one of our top players.
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oskidunker
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In reply to LOUMFSG2 • 3:21p, 9/28/24
LOUMFSG2 said:
Ah, interesting on Omot, thanks!

If Omot was held out for some reason, that could be an opportunity for improvement, assuming his absence is not long term. Based on last year and transfer rankings, I think he could be one of our top players.


What else is new. Top player cant play ala Tyson.
Go Bears!
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LOUMFSG2
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3:23p, 9/28/24
Tyson needed an eligibility waiver, but I don't think that is the situation with Omot.

Has anyone heard anything about why Omot didn't play is this open scrimmage?
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HoopDreams
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11:34p, 9/28/24
I spoke to Omot in the autograph line. He said he's just resting a minor injury and will be back soon

by the way, are they now allowing numbers above 5?

perhaps not numbers like 58, but maybe 0-9 (before they allowed 1-5, they later allowed 0)
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LOUMFSG2
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8:51a, 9/29/24
I didn't notice it, but it appears they changed the rules on numbers last year, even though no Cal players had a uniform number with the digits 6-9 last year.

And it seems players can now wear any number 0-99. Jaden Goodall looks like he'll be wearing 17 this year.
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AZ Bear
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In reply to CNHTH • 4:45p, 9/30/24
I'm really encouraged by your comments on Dort, and you're right about the picture conveying a lot! To have a really great year, I think both Mady and Dort need to be a bit better than most people expect.

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