Wayne State Exhibition

[cujaysfan]

I thought Lawson was aggressively going for defensive rebounds.

Hoping it clicks on D for him soon. I want to see more of him.

At same time, understanding he's not 100%, FF just looked bad.

[skinzfan23]

I was glad to see how well Trey did and there were at least 2 times in the game were myself and people around me thought shots that Ashworth hit, we never would have seen Nembhard hit (granted I don’t think we are going to see many dunks from Ashworth)


Largest crowd for an exhibition game ever: 17,132.

On a side note, saw a few min of Iowa’s exhibition and there couldn’t have been more than 2,000-3,000 there.

Not 17K actually there but it was a strong crowd (for an exhibition) that was into the game. Probably a legit 14K.

How did Iowa’s team look?

I agree they were probably around 14,000 in there last night, and compared to other past exhibitions I thought the crowd was into it.

Iowa looked like it had some good shooters, but very unathletic team. They are probably going to play a lot of guys so hopefully we can run them with a lot of our own guys when we play them in a few weeks.

[jayrock222]

I agree that Dotzler brings something to the table. I think he could guard the other team’s best guard when Trey is out. Who had that role last year, R2? I could also see Baylor playing the 4 at times.

[Chicagojayfan]

If this team needed more shooting, I think Lawson would be slated for a bigger role. But it seems like that may be all he's bringing at this point. Very skinny and looked to be a step behind on defense.

I thought Traudt moved fairly well in his minutes. Bahe said it best -- the better defender at the 4 will get more minutes. Will be interesting to see how he and Miller perform against real competition.

Dotzler's first step is pretty impressive. That move he made on his first drive was Nembhard-esque. He's taller than I thought. I think he brings something this team needs, but he's definitely got that wild freshman thing going on. More minutes will help him focus that energy.

Appreciate all the comments from everyone. I couldn't see the game, so it was good to get some viewpoints on what went on.

Hard to draw a lot out of a 40+ pt win, but it was good to see the big returners all do well, and for Ashworth to look like he fits in so well already.

I think Lawson will find his place. Like Miller last year, he'll need to learn to get to his spots faster. He has the length and he has Kalk at the rim, so that likely changes the way he thinks about defense. With Trey and Baylor already on the roster we don't need as much extra offense at the wing, but there were more than a few times last year we could have used another offensive guy off the bench also

At the 4, Bahe's probably right. Defensively, I still see them as being more matchup specific. Miller will likely get bullied by some of the bigger 4's, while Traudt will have trouble staying with the stretch 4's who can play like a wing.

Miller didn't exactly fill up the stat sheet, but when the other 4 on the court are playing that well, maybe it wasn't best for him to be asserting himself on offense (and the +25 seems to bear that out). Traudt looked to have some good minutes though, but we'll almost certainly need them to step up against better teams. My guess is a lot of teams won't be able to force us into our 4th/5th offensive option, but a few will be able to -- and we'll need someone to step up offensively

[RVB]

Mac told me several weeks ago that Jasen Green was the best player defensively of the three guys competing at the 4 spot. I think that strength will help Jasen get playing time.

[Outlaw_Wales]

Traudt hit a couple shots. But he looked absolutely and completely lost on defense. He couldn’t guard anyone on Wayne State. And several times was caught standing flat footed while a defender went around him to get an uncontested board. Honestly thought he looked more lost on D than Miller did R any point last year. Honestly felt like the defensive ability went off a massive cliff as soon as there were more than one backup on the floor at once. And that was just trying to guard Wayne.

[LJay]

Agreed but Wayne was four quick guards and a 3 playing center. That was not a team Traudt will shine against. Three fouls in limited minutes in a game the refs REALLY didn’t want to blow their whistles sort of confirms it.

[go_jays]

Thoughts:

These guys can really shoot it. I hope we don't become overly reliant on the three.
Need to find a way to get to the rim off the bounce. Dotzler is sneaky good at this and may get more playing time as a result.
Defense needs work. Especially on the ball.
Expected Lawson to come in sooner.
Our big three all look good. Really good.
Ashworth handled the press pretty well. Would have liked to see more of the lobs in the pick and roll.

No doubt about it..., on ball defending will be important and I'm sure will get constant attention throughout the year. But the fact is, we're not really built or the roster constructed to be really focused on that.. Say like a SDSU for example. But that's why Mac has leaned towards more help and drop style defense. It can be pretty zone-like without being a zone, of course.

I think the 3 and D is the perfect player attribute. But it's hard to find those kinda guys. LIttle bit like game-planning. You can't gameplan to stop everything a really good opponent can do. So you pick and choose what you want to focus on in stopping or attacking the opponent.

Little bit like the SPIT and TIPS thing. You recruit SPIT. Which is Speed (Athleticism), Personality (Character), Intelligence (BB IQ) and Technique (Skills).

And you teach TIPS (the reverse). Because you can't do a whole lot to improve Speed/Athleticism (sure you can enhance it, but it's mostly in your genetic makeup). You can do a little more about Personality/Character. But's also determined to a large extent in your DNA. You can improve Intelligence to a greater degree. And you can have the biggest effect on Technique/Skills. So you "train" in the reverse order because you need to have economic trainings... spend the most amount of time on things that can have the biggest impact on development. So I am sure that Mac has prioritized exactly what he wants to see in his recruits. And knocking down 3's is obviously of very high priority (probably number 1) because it's so specialized, and probably followed very closely by Personality/Character and Athleticism at 2 and 3.... and on and on down the line.

The other thing about trainings is... Never try to teach a pig to sing. I wastes your time and it annoys the pig.

[KenoshaJay]

Mac told me several weeks ago that Jasen Green was the best player defensively of the three guys competing at the 4 spot. I think that strength will help Jasen get playing time.

This. This is it.

How about Baylor at the 4?

Impressed by the Big Three.

Baylor "Anti-Samson" Scheierman was very impressive. Watch out Big E!!!

Lawson - who needs more Kenny- is long, but will get massively pushed around in league play. Nice stroke and quick hands.

Traudt will figure out the D stuff mid-season, and then watch out! Virginia rubbed off on him; his experience will pay off......

[Django]

This was my first chance I’ve gotten to really see Ash and I’m a believer after a small sample. He’s silky smooth and our big 3 never looked better playing with him. Incredible vision and smarts.

Also impressed with Lawson’s shooting (50% from 3, 4-4 FT) and play making (five rebounds and a steal +21 overall). He’s skinnier but only an inch shorter than Kaluma and has an incredible wingspan.