I decided to move the premium report I generated for the premium subscribers last week so y'all can see what we are generating over there, and also to see the discussion from a different group of posters. It might give you a different perspective from what was discussed here about last week's scrimmage.
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Head coach Billy Kennedy and the Texas A&M staff unveiled the 2016-2017 basketball team with a twenty-minute open scrimmage at Reed Arena Thursday evening. The white team outlasted the maroon team 36-32 in a contest that started cold but ended with plenty of heat inside the paint with a new-look post-centric squad.
DJ Hogg and Tyler Davis led all scorers with 13 points each. Tavario Miller added 10 points. Freshman Eric Vila chipped-in 9 points (all on 3-point goals) and freshman big man Robert Williams drew gasps from the crowd with three spectacular blocked shots...one ending up in the visitor's team tunnel entrance.
Post Play
Overall, the theme of the night was the depth, talent and athleticism in the post. There's no question this team is the most talented and athletic of any A&M team in recent memory. Tyler Davis and Tonny Trocha-Morelos played well as expected and they will be rated as the best 1-2 post duo in the SEC. Trocha-Morelos led the team with six rebounds and added six points. But the surprise came with the two players who will likely play a back-up role this season. Senior Tavario Miller has always been a defensive presence in his career with little focus on his offensive skills. But if tonight is any indication, he'll be a scoring option on the block. He has developed a nice turn-around baby-hook shot that he scored twice over Tyler Davis. The offense was feeding him in the post which is something that rarely happened in his first three years. I'm not saying he'll be a "go-to" player on offense, but defenses will need to account for him when he sets-up in the post.
The newcomer that received the most buzz was freshman Robert Williams. While he stands only 6-foot-9, his 7-foot-6 wingspan allows him to play much longer...more like a 6-foot-11 player. He's an elite athlete who runs the floor well in transition which led to a alley-oop thunderous dunk in transition that brought the crowd to their feet. He led the team with three blocked shots and he changed several shots...including point-blank shots by Tyler Davis whom he did a good job guarding for the first period of the scrimmage.
What also makes this group of big men very good is their ability and desire to pass in the post when defensive help approaches that leaves the backside man open. The team got several easy baskets with good passing in the paint.
Perimeter Play
With all the promise and excitement in the paint, this season will ultimately hinge on perimeter play and the ballhandling at the point guard position. Admon Gilder played significant minutes at point guard as expected. He played the position effectively and minimized mistakes turning the ball over only once. However, forcing Gilder into that role minimizes his strength as a scorer. He tallied only two points, and he was at his best last season hitting some critical baskets in pressure situations as a shooting guard. If he does his job and gets the ball into the paint, his ability to score isn't needed as much, but it would help this team if the coaching staff can confidently put the ball in somebody else's hands late in the game and give Gilder the ability to set-and-shoot big shots down the stretch.
Behind Gilder at the point, graduate transfer JC Hampton and sophomore transfer preferred walk-on Chase Carlton registered the most minutes in the scrimmage at the point. Carlton is a high-energy player who spent last season at Ranger JC under former A&M coach Billy Clyde Gillespie. Something tells me he'll become a fan favorite at some point. Carlton led the team with four assists and tied for the second most rebounds with four. Hampton is bigger and thicker than advertised coming from Lipscomb. He made a couple of nice plays attacking the basket, scoring four points and generated two assists.
Where I think the rubber meets the road for this 2016-2017 team on offense will be with two of the tallest perimeter players in college basketball. DJ Hogg started off cold on Thursday, missing several long range shots, but once he started attacking the basket and backed off the perimeter defense, not only did he heat up, but the offense as a whole seemed to run much hotter. After scoring only 12 points in the first 10 minute session, Hogg and the white team lit up the scoreboard with 24 points.
On the maroon side, freshman Eric Vila was very effective on the perimeter hitting three of four 3-point attempts on the night. At 6-foot-10 with the athleticism and quickness of a shooting guard, he'll be able to get his shot off...and it's a smooth shot. But ultimately, if he proves himself as a reliable 3-point shooter, then the entry passes into the post will be much easier with a defense that's stretched. And ultimately, I think that is the key to success this season. If Vila and Hogg are hot and formidable from the perimeter, this offense has the potential to be very good.
Here's the breakdown of minutes played tonight by player (20 minutes total):
20 Gilder
20 DJ Hogg
20 Trocha-Morelos
20 Hampton
19 Vila
18 Davis
18 Miller
18 Collins
17 Williams
17 Carlton
7 Smith
3 Eubanks
3 French
*****************************************************************************************************
Head coach Billy Kennedy and the Texas A&M staff unveiled the 2016-2017 basketball team with a twenty-minute open scrimmage at Reed Arena Thursday evening. The white team outlasted the maroon team 36-32 in a contest that started cold but ended with plenty of heat inside the paint with a new-look post-centric squad.
DJ Hogg and Tyler Davis led all scorers with 13 points each. Tavario Miller added 10 points. Freshman Eric Vila chipped-in 9 points (all on 3-point goals) and freshman big man Robert Williams drew gasps from the crowd with three spectacular blocked shots...one ending up in the visitor's team tunnel entrance.
Post Play
Overall, the theme of the night was the depth, talent and athleticism in the post. There's no question this team is the most talented and athletic of any A&M team in recent memory. Tyler Davis and Tonny Trocha-Morelos played well as expected and they will be rated as the best 1-2 post duo in the SEC. Trocha-Morelos led the team with six rebounds and added six points. But the surprise came with the two players who will likely play a back-up role this season. Senior Tavario Miller has always been a defensive presence in his career with little focus on his offensive skills. But if tonight is any indication, he'll be a scoring option on the block. He has developed a nice turn-around baby-hook shot that he scored twice over Tyler Davis. The offense was feeding him in the post which is something that rarely happened in his first three years. I'm not saying he'll be a "go-to" player on offense, but defenses will need to account for him when he sets-up in the post.
The newcomer that received the most buzz was freshman Robert Williams. While he stands only 6-foot-9, his 7-foot-6 wingspan allows him to play much longer...more like a 6-foot-11 player. He's an elite athlete who runs the floor well in transition which led to a alley-oop thunderous dunk in transition that brought the crowd to their feet. He led the team with three blocked shots and he changed several shots...including point-blank shots by Tyler Davis whom he did a good job guarding for the first period of the scrimmage.
What also makes this group of big men very good is their ability and desire to pass in the post when defensive help approaches that leaves the backside man open. The team got several easy baskets with good passing in the paint.
Perimeter Play
With all the promise and excitement in the paint, this season will ultimately hinge on perimeter play and the ballhandling at the point guard position. Admon Gilder played significant minutes at point guard as expected. He played the position effectively and minimized mistakes turning the ball over only once. However, forcing Gilder into that role minimizes his strength as a scorer. He tallied only two points, and he was at his best last season hitting some critical baskets in pressure situations as a shooting guard. If he does his job and gets the ball into the paint, his ability to score isn't needed as much, but it would help this team if the coaching staff can confidently put the ball in somebody else's hands late in the game and give Gilder the ability to set-and-shoot big shots down the stretch.
Behind Gilder at the point, graduate transfer JC Hampton and sophomore transfer preferred walk-on Chase Carlton registered the most minutes in the scrimmage at the point. Carlton is a high-energy player who spent last season at Ranger JC under former A&M coach Billy Clyde Gillespie. Something tells me he'll become a fan favorite at some point. Carlton led the team with four assists and tied for the second most rebounds with four. Hampton is bigger and thicker than advertised coming from Lipscomb. He made a couple of nice plays attacking the basket, scoring four points and generated two assists.
Where I think the rubber meets the road for this 2016-2017 team on offense will be with two of the tallest perimeter players in college basketball. DJ Hogg started off cold on Thursday, missing several long range shots, but once he started attacking the basket and backed off the perimeter defense, not only did he heat up, but the offense as a whole seemed to run much hotter. After scoring only 12 points in the first 10 minute session, Hogg and the white team lit up the scoreboard with 24 points.
On the maroon side, freshman Eric Vila was very effective on the perimeter hitting three of four 3-point attempts on the night. At 6-foot-10 with the athleticism and quickness of a shooting guard, he'll be able to get his shot off...and it's a smooth shot. But ultimately, if he proves himself as a reliable 3-point shooter, then the entry passes into the post will be much easier with a defense that's stretched. And ultimately, I think that is the key to success this season. If Vila and Hogg are hot and formidable from the perimeter, this offense has the potential to be very good.
Here's the breakdown of minutes played tonight by player (20 minutes total):
20 Gilder
20 DJ Hogg
20 Trocha-Morelos
20 Hampton
19 Vila
18 Davis
18 Miller
18 Collins
17 Williams
17 Carlton
7 Smith
3 Eubanks
3 French
