1.  DJ's game appears to be much improved.  Still sloppy at times, but he appears to be working very hard on distributing more, driving and dishing more, and minimizing bad shots--including ill-advised 40 foot bombs.  Something tells me JC has worked on disciplining his game and it appears DJ is trying.
2.  Ivo's leash with JC appears much shorter and once again it appears JC has clarified what he wants him to do and what he doesn't want him to do.  I also notice he gets pulled to the bench much quicker than last year when he falls outside of the acceptable behaviors.  Still not taking it to the rim as promised he'd do, but he's a bit less of a black hole when he gets the ball in the post.  He's trying to pass it when he feels a double team coming, but many passes have been turn overs. 
3.  Nick has added taking the ball to the hoop to his game.  He's established himself as my favorite Bobcat for the next two years. 
4.  As mentioned already, team defense has been notched up a few levels. 
5.  Similar to this time last year, we are inconsistent in getting Walter involved in the offense.  Like to see this be more consistent vs. hoping he turns it back on when it matters again.
6.  As much as I love Stevie and his enthusiasm, it's looking more and more like he's not going to be ready to take over for DJ this time next year unless he really develops this year. 
7.  Ricardo is flirting with attempting to become a consistent jump shooter.  If he can add a consistent 17 footer to his game, he takes the next step immediately.  I'm yelling, "oh no" and "pass it" a little less this year when he gets the ball.
8.  If Wilkins doesn't establish that he can consistently hit 3 pointers by Jan 9th (start of MAC play), he may find himself as the odd man out of this rotation.  Appears to be getting a little more comfortable each game and just giving him time to show he can consistently knock down the open J.
9.  Reggie showing more touch than I've ever seen around the basket.  Remember how many "bunny's" he used to miss on a regular basis at point blank range?  Showing some real touch this year. 
10.  Smith knows his role and plays it to perfection.  He may understand his role better than anyone on this squad. 
11.  Vegas doesn't have to worry much about back door covers.  We're so deep that when you're up 23 and you clear the bench, even the guys with Ohio -18 don't have to worry too much.   Last year you could always expect that we'd let the other team climb their way back into games it appeared we had a chance to put away.  So far this year, we're not letting teams hang around or come back. 

I do not believe I have ever seen this in print. COnfounding.

I think the mandate to "stand in the corner and wait for the shot" left for Champaign. Shooters can actually put the ball on the floor.

1 thought:

1. We've got ourselves a basketball team.

Guess the other thing to keep in mind is the record of our first three opponents so far is 3-7, so data will be skewed until we play teams with winning records.

Sounds like our new coach is making his players better - best way to get them to buy in.

Welcome to the board. Your opinion is duly noted. No one here will deny you an opinion.

PS. Grammar is the difference between knowing your shit and knowing you're shit.  Go Can't.

This is not a disagreement with you. I think Ivo is really good at driving hard a few steps, pulling up, and knocking down a mid-range shot. He's done it a couple times and I hope he keeps it up (so long he doesn't needlessly fade away), as it really opens things up for him. But I'll admit I still get nervous when he catches and shoots.

There are only two home games Pomeroy gives us less than an 80% chance of winning: Richmond (69%) and Akron (74%). I feel like I'm in some sort of fever dream when looking at these numbers.

Note to Ryan - I edited my previous post and it showed up as a new post. 

4-1 in those five is not implausible.

Well said...I would have added the continual struggle with foul shooting.  I said at the beginning of last year, foul shots will be their demise...We know too well how the season ended.

Stick around. We really don't have many fans of other schools here.