Quick Thoughts on the Mansfield Scrimmage

By Ryan Shannon

I have been preparing for a trial all week, so this will be pretty short.  But I wanted to give some thoughts on the scrimmage, because there were some things that impressed me, and many that did not.

What Impressed Me

1. Andrew Nicholson.  I love the confidence and swagger.  He was not hesitating to take any shot in which he thought he could make.  That is what I want out of this program’s superstar.  I mean the dunks are nice, but I like that 18-foot jumpshot even better.  He is becoming a complete offensive force.  8 rebounds to go along with 29 points.  If he keeps up efforts such as this, we will have some of the best inside play in the conference, regardless of who is at the 4.

2. Daquan Cook’s 9 rebounds.  We may have found our 4.  In our offense the 4 does not need to score as much, Andrew will get the touches and the other forward can dive or cut.  But we need the 4 to rebound.  That’s what Daquan did last night.  It has never been a question of whether Daquan had the ability to play at the Division I level, rather whether he had the mental strength to play at this level.  Hopefully he continues performances such as these.

3. Chris Matthews’s 8 assists and 0 turnovers.  I wanna preface this by saying, there was a lot about Chris’s game that I did not like last night, which I will write about later.  This was definitely a positive however.  He took care of the basketball, and his passing was sharp. 

4. Jonathan Hall’s all around game.  We need Hall to be an all around player for us in order for this team to be successful.  Reminds me a lot of Ahmad Smith.  If his shooting gets better, that could only be a bonus.

5. We did not pull a Syracuse. 

6. The women’s team’s score.  71-18? Gotta love what Jim Crowley is doing there.  Congratulations, looks like another great season is ahead from the women’s team. 

What Did Not Impress Me

1. We were 8 points better than Mansfield.  As Rasheed Wallace always says “ball don’t lie.”  The score says that we are better than Mansfield by 8 points.  I don’t believe that we truly are, but we should crush this team.  Teams like Lasalle and Massachusetts, teams that will probably be around us in the standings, are not only 8 points better than Mansfield. 

2. We were outrebounded 38-33.  We need to be tougher in the paint.  I don’t care how big Carr is.  The fact is, he is not a Division I player.  We should beat teams like this on the boards.  I am looking forward to seeing what Brett Roseboro does for our rebounding. 

3. Where is Lewis Leonard?  I wonder what the deal is with him.  He was a prolific scorer at the JUCO level.  I hope everything is ok with him.  I still believe he can help us, we need a guard that can score.  Especially with Matthews shooting the way he did.  Which brings me to…

4. Chris Matthews’s  being incredibly consistent at being inconsistent.  Can Chris Matthews just make about 30-40% of 3 point attempts per game? Please? My God, he cannot go 1-8 for our team to be truly successful in A-10 play this year.  This was the most disheartening thing for me last night.  We need him to be a consistently successful shooter in order for this team to win.  He can stretch defenses and keep defenses from dropping defenders on Andrew.  But he needs to be more consistent from the outside!

5. Malcolm Eleby.  Bleh. Malcolm Eleby is to point guards as Trent Dilfer is to quarterbacks.  He doesn’t lose you games, but he sure doesn’t win you games.  4 points? 3 assists? Less than 60% free throw shooting? 28 minutes? I’m feeling sick looking at that stat line.  Ogo will start by the end of the year.  Malcolm, I want you to succeed, I really do.  But you need to stop playing scared and attack.  You are the point guard.  Attack.

6. Not seeing a lot of House, Conger, and Simmons.  I don’t know yet what we have with these players.  I can make no assessment.  I cannot wait to see Roseboro though.

Looking forward to the season premier versus Cleveland State.  Won’t have a trial to prepare for at that point, so there will be a full and thorough review.  Go Bonas.