Scrimmage thoughts

[baller1]

I came away impressed after the first scrimmage. Here's my breakdown of the players as I see it.

PG's

Gilchrist - Improves this team in so many ways. Probably the best PG that OB has had here. He can score and has the athleticism to defend a high level. Most importantly, he allows Amorrow to play off the ball where he is better. He will easily have the biggest impact among the newcomers. My biggest frustration last year was our lack of a PG and we won't have that problem this year.

Baldwin - Appears to have made great strides since last season. I still don't think he's a true "1" as he looks to score often. Should provide valuable minutes off the bench behind Gilchrist.

Wings

Morgan - Could be the best player in the league. I'm excited to see him play an entire season on the wing and see what he's capable of. Needs to improve his range some but in one on one situations, he's about as good as they get in the Big Sky.

Carson - Obviously very athletic. Only problem I see is the ridiculous inconsistency. You never know what you're gonna get from him. If he can put together a consistent, good season. We will be very tough to beat in league.

Kilpatrick - Rumor has it he will be cleared to play by the first game. Hopefully that is true. We will need his outside shooting and we will need the depth when Carson goes AWOL.

Segert - Didn't play much in the scrimmage. Doesn't seem to have what it takes to play at this level. I hope I'm wrong. When you have a kid who isn't very good and who has already had some off the court problems, that's usually an equation for a kid who doesn't last very long in Pocatello.

Bigs

Busma - Didn't get a lot of touches last night. He's another one who disappears at times. I truly believe that he needs to play as well as Steijn played down the stretch last year for us to have a great year.

Tatum - Solid. Doesn't seem to do anything great but he does a lot of things well. Best perimeter shooter of the bigs. I see him having a big year.

Little - Very athletic. I keep hearing Slim Millien comparisons with him. He is no Slim. Not even close. He is far more sound on the defensive end than Slim was. But on the offensive end, it's not a contest. Slim could really score. I see Rolando as more of a putback guy. He should give some valuable minutes off the bench.

Monroe - Didn't play last night with a hamstring injury. He is a very solid Big Sky post player. Should be the first big off the bench and I wouldn't be surprised to see him start at the 5 when Busma is in the doghouse (which will happen).

Overall I think we will be better than last year. The addition of Gilchrist alone really makes us better. After a rough couple of football years, it's exciting to have a good basketball team to watch.

 

[bengalcub]

Baller what type of offense is this team running? I have heard that they will look to push and get out in transition more. Can this team score 70+ points a game on a consistent basis in BSC play.

Donnie Carson is a specimen, but he has been very hot and cold. Sometimes he looks to me like he could be one of the best players in the league. I hope he shows up for his senior year.

Busma seems so quick for a big man--at least what I saw early last year. He has a problem getting in foul trouble. I sure hope that added strength leads to a more aggressive offensive game from him.

Gilchrest--I have heard from more than one person that he may be the best PG to play at ISU since Poole.

Baldwin--this is another kid that has a Ron Harwell type body. He looks like a brick out there. What I noticed last year was that he could create his own shot, but didn't seem to have the confidence once he shot the ball. If the scrimmage Thursday was any indication--maybe he is having the same sort of SO growth that folks saw in Morgan and Carson.

Tatum--I think he is going to be very good.

Morgan--off the ball and more freedom will be a good thing for Morgan. Playing PG has helped his ball handling. I expect that he will take SF to school in the BSC with his athleticism and ball handling skills.

Kilpatrick--Athletically, he seems like he has the tools to do it all. He needs to hit the three, but I hope he realizes that he has the talent to do more than that.

Monroe--Old school fundamental kid--no flash, but has a knack for getting to where he needs to get for garbage buckets.

Segert--I have watched a ton of video on him playing HS ball. If he gets an open three he will hit it. But, I don't see him create much on his own. I too, would be surprised if he makes it at this level. He seems very slow for a guard.

Little and Lacey are kids that I have never seen play.

Taylor--is he really that good? If so, he would be a nice holdover for next year after sitting out this season.

I see this team as a squad that will finish in the top four in BSC play. I don't think ISU needs to be dominate on the inside. I think they need to push the pace and look for more points in transition. If Gilchrest can defend the smaller/quicker guards in the BSC, ISU could improve quite a bit. I look at it this way--get to the tournament and anything can happen. I think O'Brien will get them there once again. I still think the team will come out pre-conference with 3-5 wins. There probably won't be much to cheer about early on, but by the time BSC play ends--ISU will be pretty darn good.

5-9 Non League
10-6 BSC

15-15 Overall

 

[bill_idaflls]

I went to see Gilchrest and I wasn't disappointed with what I saw. He's fast, plays good defense, and finds the open man. As the scrimmage got into the second half, he seemed to get faster and drive to the basket more to finish a layup and get a free throw. He's going to get a lot of players a lot of points.

The players that caught my attention did so without me zeroing in on them. They just stood-out from what I remember from last year. Sherrod Baldwin was the biggest surprise. He played with much more confidence on the offensive side and he played good defense on Gilchrest when they were matched-up. I talked with him afterwards and he said that he's feeling much more confident this year in the system and his ability to handle the ball. Mike Lacey also looked good around the basket, rebounding and shooting well. Phyllip Taylor has a great three-point shot and he kept drilling them all night. Tatum and Busma were solid on defense and rebounded well.

What more could be said about Morgan? He's just going to wear out the other wing players in the BSC by driving to the basket. I can see the other team getting into foul trouble early with this team's aggressive play to the hoop.

Carson is a consistently tough defender. You can count on him to lock the opposing player down. I'm still his biggest fan. This year, he will dominate the BSC defensively.

And yes, Cub, this team pushed the ball up the court the whole night. This team has a very deep bench that can sustain that kind effort for two halves of a game.