NAL game- thoughts

[Chicago-bound Hoosier]

first 5-10 min of defense played in 2nd half turned this into a blowout. CAM must have lit them up at halftime.

Second game in a row where opposing guards start playing like AAs, keeping the game close. Some of the shots have been contested but still, need to tighten up the perimeter defense during these stretches. Putting Rob on the hot hand seems to put out the fire every time.

TJD- now that's how you shoot FTs. And rebound.
Hunter- shot is looking better every game. Smooth. Even his misses should have gone in last night.
Damezi- nice game kid, keep it up. Still has a long way to go but looks like he did put in some hard work over the summer.

Smith- statistically just got swallowed up in the game. Not sure why, NAL clamped down on the break out/fast break opps and he didn't get any easy buckets.

Rob is one tough on-ball defender.

This team is very deep....10 deep with Green sitting out. Looking forward to seeing them play better competition.

 

[iubud]

There were areas in the off season that I questioned about Damezi. He has answered a few of them. One area was that I hadn't seen him drive the ball to the basket. He has done that several times this year including dropping it off to Al down low for an easy layup. Defense is still a work in progress, but he is more than a player that waits to shoot the 3.

TJD is going to be good. I can see improvement in just the 3 games we have played. I like what I see from him more than any big player other than Cody and Jeffries in the past 20 years. Race is also becoming a consistent player, especially on the defensive end.

We are going to be 11 deep. I am hoping Green will ease into the lineup and our substitutions allow us to maintain and grow leads. I feel we struggle with certain combinations when we sub. Having another guard off the bench might help that.

 

[Chicago-bound Hoosier]

There were areas in the off season that I questioned about Damezi. He has answered a few of them. One area was that I hadn't seen him drive the ball to the basket. He has done that several times this year including dropping it off to Al down low for an easy layup. Defense is still a work in progress, but he is more than a player that waits to shoot the 3.

TJD is going to be good. I can see improvement in just the 3 games we have played. I like what I see from him more than any big player other than Cody and Jeffries in the past 20 years. Race is also becoming a consistent player, especially on the defensive end.

We are going to be 11 deep. I am hoping Green will ease into the lineup and our substitutions allow us to maintain and grow leads. I feel we struggle with certain combinations when we sub. Having another guard off the bench might help that.

yes really like what I see from Race. Our depth should be able withstand any major foul problems during a single game while keeping the legs fresh. Still hesitant to get starry eyed until we face tougher competition.

Agree completely on TJD. Only thing that sucks is that those other 2 players you referenced only stayed in Btown 2 yrs. We might just have to accept that could be TJD's fate as well.

 

[mushroomgod_1]

first 5-10 min of defense played in 2nd half turned this into a blowout. CAM must have lit them up at halftime.

Second game in a row where opposing guards start playing like AAs, keeping the game close. Some of the shots have been contested but still, need to tighten up the perimeter defense during these stretches. Putting Rob on the hot hand seems to put out the fire every time.

TJD- now that's how you shoot FTs. And rebound.
Hunter- shot is looking better every game. Smooth. Even his misses should have gone in last night.
Damezi- nice game kid, keep it up. Still has a long way to go but looks like he did put in some hard work over the summer.

Smith- statistically just got swallowed up in the game. Not sure why, NAL clamped down on the break out/fast break opps and he didn't get any easy buckets.

Rob is one tough on-ball defender.

This team is very deep....10 deep with Green sitting out. Looking forward to seeing them play better competition.

My thoughts after 3 games:

--Al----Has come back to earth somewhat. Good but not great all-around player. I like the guy, but I'm always reminded of his limitations. Very average rebounder for his size (6 rebs in 89 minutes so far), 1 to 1 A/TO ratio (5/5).

--Armaan---Has also come back to earth somewhat. In the end, he'll be a darn good 3 pt shooter, but I think he'll struggle this year (1/7 right now). Now 11 assists to 5 TOs after going 8/0 the first game.

--Justin S.---Interesting comments by the color guy last night....will he keep up his intensity, and be willing to play his role? If so, can be very effective. Just has to realize he's not a shooter. 1-5 from 3s so far, 6-11 on FTs, 17-28 on 2s (61%)

--Race T--Has 19 rebounds in 49 minutes---translates to 15.5 for 40 minutes. Has taken 8 shots in 49 minutes. Nice. 0 TOs in 49 minutes. My only concern about him is that he is definitely over-matched defensively against quick players.

--TJD--Sure looks like our best player right now, Rob would be 1B

--Jerome H.--Really looks like he's coming into his own. Looks like a player. Would like to see him be more active on the boards--only 7 rebs in 50 minutes

--Rob P--1B to TJD's 1A at this point as our best player. To me, he looks like he's still feeling the effects of his injury. Maybe playing at 85% right now?

--Damezi--I have to give him some props, he is playing hard. On one play last night he forced a turnover by following and sticking to his offensive player from one side to the other, through 2 screens. To me, the best single play I've ever seen him make. Still, he still looks to be the 9th or 10th player, depending on where you put Deron right now. We remember what happened to the 9th & 10th players on the roster last year as we got into the Big 10....his stats would be decent for a 40m game.....38 minutes, 12 points on 5/7 from the field, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 TOs. He's shot 0 FTs, which shows again that he is not driving with the ball.

--Deron--Very disappointing to this point....25 minutes, 8 pts, 4 rebounds. Is he still hurt? Is he just out of shape? Who knows?

 

[iubud]

yes really like what I see from Race. Our depth should be able withstand any major foul problems during a single game while keeping the legs fresh. Still hesitant to get starry eyed until we face tougher competition.

Agree completely on TJD. Only thing that sucks is that those other 2 players you referenced only stayed in Btown 2 yrs. We might just have to accept that could be TJD's fate as well.

It is too early to make any projections for TJD, but if he were to show an outside shot and keep making strong drives to the basket, he could test the waters after this year. He might like what he hears. I think his draft decision should be more about his body being strong enough to play a long season in the NBA. I would expect 2 years will make a big difference

An outside jumper and more drives like we saw last night will make him hard to defend. It is a good start so far..

 

[rikki-tikka-tava]

--Al----Has come back to earth somewhat. Good but not great all-around player. I like the guy, but I'm always reminded of his limitations. Very average rebounder for his size (6 rebs in 89 minutes so far), 1 to 1 A/TO ratio (5/5).

But how about that block last night? Didn't look too limited on that one...

Thought De'Ron began to show some fire last night - as long as he keeps playing every game eventually expect he'll give cause for something far better than "disappointment".

 

[Chicago-bound Hoosier]

But how about that block last night? Didn't look too limited on that one...

Thought De'Ron began to show some fire last night - as long as he keeps playing every game eventually expect he'll give cause for something far better than "disappointment".

did see a little life in De'Ron last night, more than the first 2 games. the post spin move- left hand bank shot was sweet. old school skills.

 

[VanPastorMan]

There were areas in the off season that I questioned about Damezi. He has answered a few of them. One area was that I hadn't seen him drive the ball to the basket. He has done that several times this year including dropping it off to Al down low for an easy layup. Defense is still a work in progress, but he is more than a player that waits to shoot the 3.

TJD is going to be good. I can see improvement in just the 3 games we have played. I like what I see from him more than any big player other than Cody and Jeffries in the past 20 years. Race is also becoming a consistent player, especially on the defensive end.

We are going to be 11 deep. I am hoping Green will ease into the lineup and our substitutions allow us to maintain and grow leads. I feel we struggle with certain combinations when we sub. Having another guard off the bench might help that.

I liked Brun k a lot. He is a space eater who is serviceable. THOMPSON IS ABOUT the same. So we can play big or small.

 

[iubud]

I liked Brun k a lot. He is a space eater who is serviceable. THOMPSON IS ABOUT the same. So we can play big or small.

They are both basketball players. We have had too many players come in with great athletic ability that didn't have basketball instincts. Basketball players know how to position themselves to stop an offensive player. They know where a missed shot is likely to end up. Its not something they have to think about. It is ingrained into their brains and not something they have to recall from what a coach has told them.

Archie recruits basketball players. Crean recruited athletes that he thought he could coach to make the right plays. The difference is the basketball players' instincts are automatic. They can choose to go against their instincts but they know it was the wrong play when it doesn't work. The players that have to be taught those instincts can't be trusted to make the right play and don't understand why it was the wrong thing to do. They think it was a breakdown of their athletic ability and it will work next time.

I hope Archie's critics see as the Crean recruits cycle through and are replaced, we are getting players that take good shots and turn the ball over fewer times. Archie will find less time correcting fundamental issues and more time working on higher level items.

 

[mushroomgod_1]

But how about that block last night? Didn't look too limited on that one...

Thought De'Ron began to show some fire last night - as long as he keeps playing every game eventually expect he'll give cause for something far better than "disappointment".

Al does some things. I thought last year he gave more consistent effort than anyone else. This year I also like what I'm seeing in that regard from Brunk, TJD, Franklin, Damezi, Race....overall, the team chemistry looks so much better.

Anyway, like I mentioned, Al's A/TO and rebounding #s have never been particularly good. And he's only an average defensive player. So his "intangibles" outweigh his "tangibles" in my eyes. But Archie likes him....right now he's got more minutes than anyone else. The main thing I'd like to see from Al, and I think it's crucial for him to do to be considered a genuinely productive player, is to shoot at least 40% from 3s this year. He's not a 'pure' 3 point shooter like a Hulls or a Leal, but he should be able to hit 40% because he really only shoots them when he is wide open, and the defenses are going to be packed in again this year. He was at .348 last year while being injured 1/2 of the season......ought to be able to do that. So that means taking about 5 a game, and hitting two.

As for Deron.....it just seems like one of those things where we don't know the full story. I just feel bad for him that he can't contribute more.

 

[IU? I'm Fine]

first 5-10 min of defense played in 2nd half turned this into a blowout. CAM must have lit them up at halftime.

Second game in a row where opposing guards start playing like AAs, keeping the game close. Some of the shots have been contested but still, need to tighten up the perimeter defense during these stretches. Putting Rob on the hot hand seems to put out the fire every time.

TJD- now that's how you shoot FTs. And rebound.
Hunter- shot is looking better every game. Smooth. Even his misses should have gone in last night.
Damezi- nice game kid, keep it up. Still has a long way to go but looks like he did put in some hard work over the summer.

Smith- statistically just got swallowed up in the game. Not sure why, NAL clamped down on the break out/fast break opps and he didn't get any easy buckets.

Rob is one tough on-ball defender.

This team is very deep....10 deep with Green sitting out. Looking forward to seeing them play better competition.

This thread is a splendid discussion of perspectives on the game. It is why I keep coming to this site. Thanks to the posters for contributing.

Attended the game. Just got back to Dayton and cracked open a bottle of my favorite bourbon to watch one hour of the impeachments stuff...and an hour of news. Sad that the USA is so polarized. Please folks, come together for the good of the nation and listen respectfully to each other.

The game is different on line here as opposed to attending in person. Lots of perfect seating in AH available. Was on the centerline in J opposite the teams benches.

A great atmosphere. The pep band is awesome. Cheerleaders are something else.

Archie Miller showed up just about gametime. He was wearing the coat and tie until after the half. Great to see the players warm up. IU's defense in the first half broke down when players grouped around the ball handler and left one person open after say 20 seconds.

NAU did play decent defense. Smith kind of took a back seat. Others posted great observations that I second. Off of the ball movement wasn't great and the interdiction of NAU's #3 didn't happen.

Positives were the free throw percentages,...and.... DeRon did show some moves and was in the right place most of the time...and did actually bounce once...probably less than 6" off of the floor but I lost a bet on that one. Go DeRon! And the bench is learning. What a hoot to see Hunter, Anderson, Phin., Thompson, Frankline, Jackson-Davis etc., playing well. Impressive for the future.

Overall, mixed feelings on the first half...but very positive for the future... Didn't control the first half but did control the 2nd...and won the game.

Pleased that Archie Miller took off the coat and tie after the half and instructed Phin continuously for about 5 minutes. Can you imagine what he was saying? He was not happy with.....