We have our first scrimmage video! Here is the "uncut" (i.e., totally cut) footage. The game started with Moore and Keels shooting for teams, and it reportedly "took a while" before someone missed. I expect those two to be captains. Moore for sure. Mark looks bigger. Great to see the guys on the floor!
I've been reading that Griffin is a really good defender...this is great to hear since we need some quickness to guard wing players...
Thanks for posting the scrimmage video- always gets me excited! I didn’t see Theo John. Injured maybe? Love the front line of Mark, Paulo, and AJ. If Roach can knock down the 3 consistently, pick your poison.
Isn't that Moore and Roach shooting for teams at the beginning? Not Moore and Keels.
Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!
Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
9F 9F 9F
https://ecogreen.greentechaffiliate.com
Here's the latest photo
dda673dbb13f5d1da650bfd35a3c6d71.jpg
Rich
"Failure is Not a Destination"
Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016
-Williams gained weight! Not sure how much, but it's certainly noticeable
-Blakes is big, in a good way. He looks taller than Roach and certainly thicker
-On Blakes, you could see the defensive execution (and potential) on display. A line-up of Blakes, Griffin, Moore, Banchero, and Williams isn't getting pushed around
-Griffin is athletic. Like, this was a scrimmage and that he got up high on that dunk. Can't wait for him to poster a few opposing players
-Keels is a big dude, but he looked slow out there
-Don't think Banchero tried. And when he made a move, he made it look too easy
-The Williams/Banchero pairing is gonna be fun
-Baker still looks hesitant to shoot the ball
-I really like Moore's game (play D. Shoot 3s. Make easy passes). Can he do that during games instead of trying to do too much?
-Who is #55? He's tiny but jacked
Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill
President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club
I was getting excited when the social media team was posting clips at the end of last week, and now I'm even more excited. Worth noting that Theo John wasn't at the scrimmage (apparently he had class!).
Some early thoughts:
- Obviously Moore and Roach aren't going to become 3 point specialists over a summer. But I've discussed on this board ad nausea how there are plenty of examples of returning college players making noticeable jumps in that regard, even late in their careers (MSU's Kenny Goins, who ended the Zion season, is a prime example). It seems like both Moore and Roach at least seem more confident in their shots from this very small sample. If that is indeed the case, and they can become consistent 33-35% shooters, that changes the outlook for this team tremendously.
- I'm getting more and more excited about Blakes. Who cares if he doesn't have a superstar ceiling... every team needs a Jordan Goldwire/Tyler Thornton style guy, and Blakes has that feel about him. I don't think he's going to see major minutes as a freshman, but I also think there will be a game or two where he makes an impact. The fact that we don't appear to be going after 5*, OAD type PGs in the class of 2022 makes me think the staff is similarly excited about his potential.
- Mark definitely put some muscle on his arms at a bare minimum.
- Worth noting that Wendell looked to be running the point exclusively for his side, especially since Roach, Keels, and Blakes were on the opposition. I've said it all summer: Coach K appears confident with Moore initiating the offense. His ability to do so successfully adds a lot of depth to this team and could assuage many of our concerns about our guard play.
- You could hear the talking on defense, even in this scrimmage. That's a great sign so early on in the summer.
- I love watching Keenan get some buckets in this scrimmage. Him playing against the main guys reminds me of how I look playing in my 5 on 5 league against guys who are WAY out of my league athletically, yet he still gets the job done and contributes. Fun to see from a walk on.
- Paolo is going to play the 4, but man does he look like a Kevin Durant style player, or even a Ben Simmons who can shoot. Every "Way Too Early" Ranking that has us out of the Top 10 is overlooking the fact that we might have the most impactful freshman in the country and the potential No. 1 overall pick in 2022 on the squad.
I can't wait for this season.
Scott Rich on the front page
Trinity BS 2012; University of Michigan PhD 2018
Duke Chronicle, Sports Online Editor: 2010-2012
K-Ville Blue Tenting 2009-2012
Unofficial Brian Zoubek Biographer
If you have questions about Michigan Basketball/Football, I'm your man!
^ should be fun. A lot of top 10 prognosticators don't know the Duke personnel as well as a lot of fans do. A lot of folks are unaware of the leap Williams made late last season.
I've had some concerns about defense, still do, but reading that Griffin is a tough defender makes me feel better...
Banchero is a dang beast. Ball-handling, driving, shooting, passing, defense, agility, bulk, court-awareness. He's got everything. I'm sure we all kind of knew that, but personally, I didn't really comprehend just how good he really might be. I know, it's just one edited video of just a scrimmage, but wow.
Wendell appeared to be running point even when Jeremy was on his team.
Hard to tell from the "uncut" video (since almost all we saw were makes), but Wendell's three point stroke looks better. AJ's looks good too. Trevor seemed a little hesitant. Also, great to see AJ effectively guarding first Jeremy and then Paolo at different points in the game. Paolo seemed like an effective shotblocker; the one play in which he blocked the shot, got the rebound, then led the break was fun to watch.
I like what we saw from Jaylen too, though after watching this video, I strongly expect our starters to play a LOT of minutes.
Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill
President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club
Another thing I noticed after watching the full video: Mark quite confidently took two perimeter jumpers (not quite 3s I believe), one of which he made. If he can make defenses respect that type of shot our ability to space the floor grows exponentially. Having a guy like Jon Teske at Michigan who only shot around 25% from 3, but took them confidently enough that he had to be guarded out to the line, opened up a lot of options. And I'm betting Mark knows that an ability to do that increases his stock in the NBA a ton. Perhaps that's a wrinkle that could be developing?
Scott Rich on the front page
Trinity BS 2012; University of Michigan PhD 2018
Duke Chronicle, Sports Online Editor: 2010-2012
K-Ville Blue Tenting 2009-2012
Unofficial Brian Zoubek Biographer
If you have questions about Michigan Basketball/Football, I'm your man!