My Take:
There's a new sheriff in town. This is not Mark Fox basketball. This is attack, attack, attack - pace - get that ball up the court. I don't know how any kid who wants to play basketball wouldn't want to play this way. These kids are gonna play loose, not worried about making a mistake like they were under Fox. Crean was engaged during their warm-up drills, and he stood under 1 basket the whole scrimmage exhorting the team to push the pace and slapping hands with anyone who made a move to the basket he was under, whether they hit the shot or not. The players were clearly having fun, a stark contrast to the tension exhibited by players during the Fox years. We will play a 4 out - 1 in, passing game with tons of movement, exactly what I've wanted to see for years. Nobody will be pounding the air out of the ball wasting time on the shot clock. Players are more apt to be yelled at for not shooting than for shooting a suspicious shot.
As for individual players, I think Crump is the stand-out scorer on this team, for good or bad. Tyree is just so offensively minded. Tyree will try to make plays off the dribble and will pull up from anywhere, though I thought that aspect of his game was remarkably absent tonight. He played within the offense and took shots when they were there.
Claxton is coming into his own offensively and is a force on the defensive end. Nic just plays on a different height level from everyone else. If he can stay consistent, the sky's he limit for him. He could be our next NBA player.
Ogbeide made a few nice moves inside and even hit a short turnaround jumper in the lane. He is probably least helped by the transition to an uptempo pace, but he's adapting. And he is a very dependable rebounder, if he can stay out of foul trouble.
Amanze is super athletic, but has much to learn about the subtleties of the offensive game. Big upside though. He dominated in the drills, but got lost during the scrimmage. You can't help but be impressed by him.
Hammonds looks like he's gotten bigger, but he's got a way to go in this offense. He's used to trying to let the game to him, but Crean wants the players on the floor to make plays. I thought he forced some tonight and made some bad decisions. He still has great potential.
Hightower is pretty fearless. He's super athletic and pushes the pace just like Crean wants. He busts it on defense and has his eyes open for the open pass on offense. If he can hit FTs and the occasional jumper, he gets to the basket well enough to be our PG. I think he's the best we have at that position.
Personally, I've never been the biggest Turtle fan, but he may adapt well to Crean's style. I don't think he does any one thing well, but he's not bad at anything. I don't really like him as a lead guard, but I also don't think he shoots well enough or can get to the basket well enough to play off the ball. I hope he proves me wrong.
For Jordan Harris to play a lot, he's got to make more shots and stop turning the ball over. I think his shot is too flat generally, and he was fumbling the ball nearly everytime it came to him, though I think he made the game winning drive and shot. I really like Jordan, but I want to see him better.
Tye Fagan made some nice, subtle plays during the scrimmage. Nothing about his game really jumps out at you except he makes plays to help his team. I don't remember seeing him shoot during the scrimmage, but he does a lot of little things to help his team - an assist here, a steal there. Little things that add up. Not spectacular, but steady. I like guards like that. I want to see more of him.
Ignas is much bigger than I thought. He's probably a good 6'5". I want to see his shot improve. His mechanics look pretty good. He handles the ball pretty well, but I thought he was just maybe a 1/4 step slow. That could be adapting to the pace. I could see him as contributor at PG as the season progresses.
JoJo Toppin is just, wow, an athlete. He won the dunk contest and has serious hops. I thought he defended very well with his long arms. I don't recall him shooting during the scrimmage either, but I may have missed it. He did hit a FT or 2 that I saw and his form was very good. We are going to have some serious SFs next season with the freshmen that will be coming in. I think JoJo will help this season. He's too athletic not to.
When I finished, I realized I had forgotten Mike Edwards. I have always liked Edward's athletic ability. He's one of the most athletic guys on the team. I watched him dominate teams in Europe when he just played ball. Mike might really benefit from the change in philosophy. If he would just play and not think or hesitate, Mike could do some good things. He is a gazelle running up and down the court. Fingers crossed, he might have a solid senior year.
I was talking the other day with a former NBA player and NCAA champ; I asked him what he thought about us this year. He was skeptical about where our scoring is gonna come from. I can see his point. Maten, our clear #1 scorer, is gone, and Parker, probably our #2, graduated. Objectively, where do the points come from? Well, we might get outscored this year, but it won't be because we were afraid to shoot the ball. I see this as a transition season. The team is learning a new way - but a fun way. Fans need to come out and support this team. We will lose some. Heck, we're picked 13th in the conference. But we will be exciting. I don't think Crean has any pressure on him. He sure looked like he was having fun tonight. When he gets his players, we could be formidable. But this team could surprise people.
There's a new sheriff in town. This is not Mark Fox basketball. This is attack, attack, attack - pace - get that ball up the court. I don't know how any kid who wants to play basketball wouldn't want to play this way. These kids are gonna play loose, not worried about making a mistake like they were under Fox. Crean was engaged during their warm-up drills, and he stood under 1 basket the whole scrimmage exhorting the team to push the pace and slapping hands with anyone who made a move to the basket he was under, whether they hit the shot or not. The players were clearly having fun, a stark contrast to the tension exhibited by players during the Fox years. We will play a 4 out - 1 in, passing game with tons of movement, exactly what I've wanted to see for years. Nobody will be pounding the air out of the ball wasting time on the shot clock. Players are more apt to be yelled at for not shooting than for shooting a suspicious shot.
As for individual players, I think Crump is the stand-out scorer on this team, for good or bad. Tyree is just so offensively minded. Tyree will try to make plays off the dribble and will pull up from anywhere, though I thought that aspect of his game was remarkably absent tonight. He played within the offense and took shots when they were there.
Claxton is coming into his own offensively and is a force on the defensive end. Nic just plays on a different height level from everyone else. If he can stay consistent, the sky's he limit for him. He could be our next NBA player.
Ogbeide made a few nice moves inside and even hit a short turnaround jumper in the lane. He is probably least helped by the transition to an uptempo pace, but he's adapting. And he is a very dependable rebounder, if he can stay out of foul trouble.
Amanze is super athletic, but has much to learn about the subtleties of the offensive game. Big upside though. He dominated in the drills, but got lost during the scrimmage. You can't help but be impressed by him.
Hammonds looks like he's gotten bigger, but he's got a way to go in this offense. He's used to trying to let the game to him, but Crean wants the players on the floor to make plays. I thought he forced some tonight and made some bad decisions. He still has great potential.
Hightower is pretty fearless. He's super athletic and pushes the pace just like Crean wants. He busts it on defense and has his eyes open for the open pass on offense. If he can hit FTs and the occasional jumper, he gets to the basket well enough to be our PG. I think he's the best we have at that position.
Personally, I've never been the biggest Turtle fan, but he may adapt well to Crean's style. I don't think he does any one thing well, but he's not bad at anything. I don't really like him as a lead guard, but I also don't think he shoots well enough or can get to the basket well enough to play off the ball. I hope he proves me wrong.
For Jordan Harris to play a lot, he's got to make more shots and stop turning the ball over. I think his shot is too flat generally, and he was fumbling the ball nearly everytime it came to him, though I think he made the game winning drive and shot. I really like Jordan, but I want to see him better.
Tye Fagan made some nice, subtle plays during the scrimmage. Nothing about his game really jumps out at you except he makes plays to help his team. I don't remember seeing him shoot during the scrimmage, but he does a lot of little things to help his team - an assist here, a steal there. Little things that add up. Not spectacular, but steady. I like guards like that. I want to see more of him.
Ignas is much bigger than I thought. He's probably a good 6'5". I want to see his shot improve. His mechanics look pretty good. He handles the ball pretty well, but I thought he was just maybe a 1/4 step slow. That could be adapting to the pace. I could see him as contributor at PG as the season progresses.
JoJo Toppin is just, wow, an athlete. He won the dunk contest and has serious hops. I thought he defended very well with his long arms. I don't recall him shooting during the scrimmage either, but I may have missed it. He did hit a FT or 2 that I saw and his form was very good. We are going to have some serious SFs next season with the freshmen that will be coming in. I think JoJo will help this season. He's too athletic not to.
When I finished, I realized I had forgotten Mike Edwards. I have always liked Edward's athletic ability. He's one of the most athletic guys on the team. I watched him dominate teams in Europe when he just played ball. Mike might really benefit from the change in philosophy. If he would just play and not think or hesitate, Mike could do some good things. He is a gazelle running up and down the court. Fingers crossed, he might have a solid senior year.
I was talking the other day with a former NBA player and NCAA champ; I asked him what he thought about us this year. He was skeptical about where our scoring is gonna come from. I can see his point. Maten, our clear #1 scorer, is gone, and Parker, probably our #2, graduated. Objectively, where do the points come from? Well, we might get outscored this year, but it won't be because we were afraid to shoot the ball. I see this as a transition season. The team is learning a new way - but a fun way. Fans need to come out and support this team. We will lose some. Heck, we're picked 13th in the conference. But we will be exciting. I don't think Crean has any pressure on him. He sure looked like he was having fun tonight. When he gets his players, we could be formidable. But this team could surprise people.