The Good:
1. Walter Offutt looked smooth, in control and like he'd been here a while. 23 points on 6-9 shooting from the floor and 4-5 from FT line. Very impression first game.
2. Nick Kellog was also very solid with 7-9 shooting and 17 points.
3. Baltic--not his best, but still pretty good. Looks like we'll see the Ivo of last year. 15 points on 4-8 shooting and led the team with 10 rebounds.
4. Stevie Taylor looked really solid at the point. Definitely a solid backup to DJ and appeared seasoned beyond his years. Quick, exciting and I think we'll like him long term. Liked him.
The Question Marks???
1. Jon Smith looks the part (tall, lanky and athletic) but did nothing in 21 minutes. No shot attempts, 4 fouls, team high 3 turnovers. Give him time.
2. Goard gets the same reviews as Jon Smith. Looked great, but did little in 15 minutes. Then again, his very first college game--so give him time. Looks like he has a high upside.
3. DJ will be fine, but pulled some of those ill-advised 25 footers without the shot clock running out shots that make you love him if they go in, but make you scratch your head when they don't. He only played the second half and never appeared to get into a rhythm, so we give him an inomplete. Did appear he had filled out phyiscially during the off season.
4. Reggie Keely looked a bit more like the Reggie from his Freshman year, but still has a ways to go if he's our main inside guy. Probably plays a lot early in the season, but there appears to be plenty of guys who could be challenging him for PT as they develop, get more comfortable, later in the season.
5. Ethan and Belton did not dress due to injuries.
The Not So Good:
1. TJ Hall and Ricardo Johnson looked like the TJ & Ricardo of last year. They looked totally lost on the court. TJ right now is simply a poor mans version of Tommy. He's only a spot up shooter, who appears to have the physical talent to do much more--but doesn't (plus he doesn't have any of the intangibles Tommy did, neither is he even remotely as consistent a shooter). Ricardo appears to have no idea what his role on the team is again this year. Then again, we're talking only one game, so let's not over react. They both "appear" to have a high upside, I just saw none of this tonight.
Misc.
*Mercyhurst was pretty good for a non-Division I team.
*Crowd of 3,000+ was much bigger than I had anticipated.
Conclusion:
Like every year I can remember, this is going to be a work in progress. Certainly appears there's more depth and potential than previous years rosters. But similar to past years, this could take 1/2 a season to sort out and see how all the parts fit.