First impressions: there will be some nights this season when it looks like the Bengals have brought knives to a bazooka fight. (See at New Mexico, Nov. 14). This team is going to have trouble scoring points. Bill Evans and his staff will have to rely on great defense, points off of turnovers and general hustle, because there is not a lot of offensive firepower available -- at least, it's not showing itself right now.
Having said that, and Bill said the same thing on our post-game show last night, I'm not as negative about the prospects for this team as I was after the Great Falls game. I think there is some potential here for growth, and I have to remind myself that Chris Hansen and Marcus Bradley didn't play last night. Hansen and his 16 ppg is an obvious plus. We don't know how long it's going to take Bradley to get healthy and in game condition, but he could be a significant piece of the puzzle before the season is over.
Let's take a look at what we've seen from the individuals so far:
Jeff Solarin -- same old workhorse in the post. Two games, two double-doubles. Actually stepped out and drained a couple of face-up jumpers from 12 feet last night. If he can shoot 70 percent from the FT line, he has a real shot at averaging a double-double this year.
Hansen -- Has lost about 20 pounds in the off-season, but I don't know if that's a good thing. He's always had such a solid base, it was tough to move him off his spot and he had a nice little post-up game to go with his 3-point touch. We'll see how his game evolves, but it's clear ISU is going to go as far as Solarin and Hansen can take them this year.
Nnamdi Ezenwa -- A revelation so far, even though it's just against two NAIA teams. Had 19 points last night and 10 against Great Falls. Will replace Andre Hatchett as the designated slasher, but also showed nice form on two three-pointers last night (made one). The redshirt year has apparently made a world of difference in his game.
Ben Wilson -- A double-edged sword -- at 6-6, he's going to be a real pain in the rear for opponents at the top of the at 1-3-1 zone, and he does a nice job as a weak-side rebounder and then transitioning and pushing the ball on the break. He doesn't shoot, though, so it's not clear if he can. Teams will slough off him big time defensively until he shows he can make an occasional jump shot.
Ian Fox -- His biggest challenge is going to be not pissing off the coach. I love his style and his approach, and he's got offensive skills the Bengals are going to desperately need. But he's gotta make the old ball coach happy.
Andre Slavik -- Was the invisible man in the first exhibition game, which I guess is understandable considering he hasn't been in a real game for more than a year. Played better last night, had 8 points and 5 rebounds, but he's going to have to become more of a physical presence on the defensive glass.
Ajak Magot -- Have been waiting to see that explosiveness on defense this year, but it's been slow to develop. He needs to make one or two dramatic blocks a game, just to announce his presence in the paint. Offensively, anything you get from Ajak will be a bonus.
Geno Luzcando -- Biggest disappointment of pre-season so far. He was billed as a very good athlete who was going to come in and contribute immediately, but so far he's 0-8 from the field and looks lost on the court. The adjustment from small division basketball in Utah to the college ranks apparently is going to take awhile.
Erik Nakken -- Walk-on has an opportunity for minutes IF, if he can make some 3s. So far during the exhibition games, he has not.
Novak Topalovic, Spencer Nicolds and Marcus Bradley -- Incomplete grades at this point. Topalovic played 14 minutes in the first exhibition game, a lot more than Bill Evans probably intended, because both Magot and Slavik got in foul trouble. He and Nicolds will both redshirt, and both need it from both a physical and a skills standpoint. It's unclear when Bradley will get on the court and how long it will take him to get into game shape, but he doesn't have a redshirt season available, so the sooner the better.
Post-script: recruiting some shooters is going to be critical this year. Hansen, Ezenwa and Solarin will all be gone after this year, and I'm betting they're going to take about 60 percent of the team's offense with them. The rest of the roster, at least at this point, offers little in the way of offensive excitement. Recruiting is going to be big this year.
Having said that, and Bill said the same thing on our post-game show last night, I'm not as negative about the prospects for this team as I was after the Great Falls game. I think there is some potential here for growth, and I have to remind myself that Chris Hansen and Marcus Bradley didn't play last night. Hansen and his 16 ppg is an obvious plus. We don't know how long it's going to take Bradley to get healthy and in game condition, but he could be a significant piece of the puzzle before the season is over.
Let's take a look at what we've seen from the individuals so far:
Jeff Solarin -- same old workhorse in the post. Two games, two double-doubles. Actually stepped out and drained a couple of face-up jumpers from 12 feet last night. If he can shoot 70 percent from the FT line, he has a real shot at averaging a double-double this year.
Hansen -- Has lost about 20 pounds in the off-season, but I don't know if that's a good thing. He's always had such a solid base, it was tough to move him off his spot and he had a nice little post-up game to go with his 3-point touch. We'll see how his game evolves, but it's clear ISU is going to go as far as Solarin and Hansen can take them this year.
Nnamdi Ezenwa -- A revelation so far, even though it's just against two NAIA teams. Had 19 points last night and 10 against Great Falls. Will replace Andre Hatchett as the designated slasher, but also showed nice form on two three-pointers last night (made one). The redshirt year has apparently made a world of difference in his game.
Ben Wilson -- A double-edged sword -- at 6-6, he's going to be a real pain in the rear for opponents at the top of the at 1-3-1 zone, and he does a nice job as a weak-side rebounder and then transitioning and pushing the ball on the break. He doesn't shoot, though, so it's not clear if he can. Teams will slough off him big time defensively until he shows he can make an occasional jump shot.
Ian Fox -- His biggest challenge is going to be not pissing off the coach. I love his style and his approach, and he's got offensive skills the Bengals are going to desperately need. But he's gotta make the old ball coach happy.
Andre Slavik -- Was the invisible man in the first exhibition game, which I guess is understandable considering he hasn't been in a real game for more than a year. Played better last night, had 8 points and 5 rebounds, but he's going to have to become more of a physical presence on the defensive glass.
Ajak Magot -- Have been waiting to see that explosiveness on defense this year, but it's been slow to develop. He needs to make one or two dramatic blocks a game, just to announce his presence in the paint. Offensively, anything you get from Ajak will be a bonus.
Geno Luzcando -- Biggest disappointment of pre-season so far. He was billed as a very good athlete who was going to come in and contribute immediately, but so far he's 0-8 from the field and looks lost on the court. The adjustment from small division basketball in Utah to the college ranks apparently is going to take awhile.
Erik Nakken -- Walk-on has an opportunity for minutes IF, if he can make some 3s. So far during the exhibition games, he has not.
Novak Topalovic, Spencer Nicolds and Marcus Bradley -- Incomplete grades at this point. Topalovic played 14 minutes in the first exhibition game, a lot more than Bill Evans probably intended, because both Magot and Slavik got in foul trouble. He and Nicolds will both redshirt, and both need it from both a physical and a skills standpoint. It's unclear when Bradley will get on the court and how long it will take him to get into game shape, but he doesn't have a redshirt season available, so the sooner the better.
Post-script: recruiting some shooters is going to be critical this year. Hansen, Ezenwa and Solarin will all be gone after this year, and I'm betting they're going to take about 60 percent of the team's offense with them. The rest of the roster, at least at this point, offers little in the way of offensive excitement. Recruiting is going to be big this year.
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