Stopped by the scrimmage today. Some impressions, all prefaced with “maybe I’m dead wrong” ...
- I really like McKenzie. He has that same calm demeanor and steady handle that Woodhouse had. He can get into the paint, knock down a floater, and he looks to have really good vision. The lead PG job is between him and Cornish; I’d give it to Mac because Cornish seemed a little turnover prone, although the latter is more apt to finish at the rack. No matter how it ends up, I expect Mac to be a factor early and to have four strong years.
- Two names left out of that discussion are Almonacy and Iroegbu. They barely barely brought the ball up the floor - fewer than 10 times in four quarters. I see Mike being more or less the same guy as UC at this point - some offense off the bench, some perimeter D, not a frontline ballhandler. I didn’t see any kind of big leap, although he clearly got stronger.
- Sekunda looked great. A lot of makes. Here’s to a full season of health. We need him.
- Yeboah looked slimmer. I thought he was Saintel when I was walked in and I’m surprised he’s got 25 pounds on him. I can’t say he made any kind of impression otherwise, but I think he’s the closest thing we have to a go-to guy.
- Garcia was present but not playing.
- WARNEY ALSO PRESENT BUT NOT PLAYING! And Kam and a few others. Kam needs new jeans.
- Predicted order of minutes for the freshmen: McKenzie, Olaniyi, Ochefu, Long. Could switch the middle two. Ochefu showed some things but needs some work (he’s a freshman after all). There were glimpses for sure. Physical specimen who will figure it out in time. One time he ran the floor, took the dish from Saintel in stride, put it up softly and scored and drew the foul. He even put up a couple threes and a 15 footer over Jake - none of them hit but he’s looking for those shots. Olaniyi looked most comfortable shooting threes - a few makes and a couple bad misses - but he’s a good sized kid, runs the floor, and had a couple nice finishes. He’s more polished than the two behind him and I think he will be a nice asset the next four years. I expect Long to see limited minutes. Shot’s a little awkward and he’s still figuring things out.
- Saw a little more aggressiveness on offense from Saintel. If he can get us 6-10 points, that’s a big help.
- Predicted starting lineup: McKenzie, Yeboah, Sekunda, Saintel, Sturdivant. Could see UC in for Sekunda.
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