Kenner League 7/17 Blog
The scheduled 4:40 game that was devoid of Georgetown players was switched to the opening slot at 2 pm. It contained little to report on; the main thing that stuck with me from the game a non-player, non-coach who sat on Beyond Belief's bench who vaguely reminded me of the Counting Crows lead singer. Not your typical hoops entourage member.
Julian Vaughn, Vee Sanford and Clyde's Squad: 75
Higher Level 67
Julian Vaughn, a great friend of the arts, fellow English major, provided the expected. He had a steady 4-5 FG in the first half with a nice jumper from the foul line and similar results in the second half. As the tallest and strongest player on the court, he achieved some success around the basket though many times he was unable to make progress to basket and had to look outward for an outlet. I am always impressed by his ability to get up when he goes after the ball, but he is not the type of player that can anchor a defense for 40 minutes a night and he seemed to disappeared for portions of the scrimmage. After the opposing center snuck inside for a huge two handed dunk in the second half, Vaughn was re-energized and upped his intensity and chased down a few boards.
Vee Sanford was at the center of my main gripe about JT3's coaching job last year. As we were torched again and again by the quicker Ohio's quicker guards, perhaps fresh young legs off the bench would have helped stopped the bleeding- but Vee was never given the game opportunity to develop. Stat lines like his Butler ones- 1 minute, 1 steal, 2 points the door wide open for speculation on how effective he could be on a longer leash. His phenomenal leaping ability, those easy 360 jams in warm ups, did nothing to temper my expectations that he would have a chance to shine over watered down Kenner competition.
From the start, he was shaky, committing three turnovers in the opening minutes, but calmed down and ran the point more effectively- finishing the first half 3-6 including a nice follow and made an off balance three. The second half he tried to assert himself further, but to little avail- finishing 3-9 and 0-3 from long range. His great athleticism just did not transfer to quickness, he lacked explosiveness and did not stand out among the guards on his team. His ball handling was fair, but loose- it seemed liable to be exposed by stronger defensive pressure.
Especially in comparison with the Freshman guards who were on later, I regretfully have to label Vee the Underwhelming Performer of the Day. My hopes of him as a potential primary ball handler this year were hindered (of course, it is but one scrimmage), but there is certainly a place for him in the Georgetown scheme. He ran well without the ball and considering his body control and ability to finish, he could mimic Chris Wright's slicing cuts that so often allows teammates to find him near the basket for easy layups.
Tombs 72
Team Turner 61
When JEFF GREEN the most decorated Hoya in JT3 era makes an appearance, the crowd is at full attention. And for Jeff Green to join the Tombs with all four Freshman, Austin Freeman and Hollis Thompson is an out and out gift to the fans. I wonder if any of the Frosh had their “welcome to the big leagues” moment as Jeff Green was effortlessly shredding the opposition. Its comforting to see the continuity of the best active Georgetown playing with a line up that started 3 freshman (Moses, Lubick and Starks)- it raises the spirit of the program. It makes Hoya greatness, on both a team and individual level, seem as if it isn't so far away.
The opponents, Team Turner, were no Washington Generals. Composed of Maryland and GW players they had some fight in them and the game never devolved into layup lines.
First Look:
The Four Freshman, the main attraction of the Kenner League.
All fans are anxious about mitigating the damage of Greg Monroe's departure so natural the two big men, Moses Abraham and Nate Lubick, are the frosh who under the most scrutiny. Vaughn and Sims cannot anchor a front court on their own- if big man by committee is going to lead to any success this season, the new guys have to contribute.
The first thing you notice is that Moses Abraham is a man. He was the same body type as Jeff Green but a bit thicker. He won the tip but soon made it clear where his offensive area is- an ugly foul line shot, an ineffective post move but I loved how he always attempted to slam it home when he was near the hoop. Never succeeded, it kept being batted away (he definitely needs work on his hands) but the aggression on its own was noteworthy. He collected a handful of agile rebounds in a row in the second half off of foul shots- but that all highlights his weakness: when in position, he has the athletic ability to get the ball. Too often, he was not in a position to make an effective move on a live ball, nor did I see him alter many shots. All and all, I was not disappointed because of his size alone- we've desperately been hurting for physicality of the bench and Moses can help fix that.
Our top rated recruit, Nate Lubick, also a big, strong, post player, quickly declared his candidacy for the Ugliest of the Day award. His double clutch shot from outside the three point line had people wincing before it finally left his finger tips. When he launched a second, equally as ill-fated, three pointer in the second half, he sealed the deal.
We can only hope that is a scrimmage only tinkering project that never strays far from McDonough. There was positive signs outside of this- he showed his surprising speed by getting to a loose ball on the other end of the court and passing it off to Austin for an easy lay up. His sprint is more of a prance, though, queue up an equestrian themed nickname.
My favorite was his willingness to sacrifice his body, he took a nice charge attempt and you can tell instantly he is the kid not afraid to to dive on the floor. He was very eager to pass, he had a lot of touch passes down low, a few of them he probably would have been better served to take himself. His heart is in the Georgetown offense, he is trying to make the smart players pass, but the execution was lagging.
The Hoya's return one of the most experienced, talented backcourts in the country- I have no idea how JT3 is going to find minutes for Aaron Bowen, but the kid deserves to see the court. He is a similar player to Hollis Thompson, a bit shorter and does not have the same length, but he was terrific on offense. His three point shot was beautiful, the end over end rotation, and he shot it with confidence. He scored at least 12 pts with 2 Threes and soaring follow to a layup of Austin's that spun out. He was fun to watch and he brought his own fan club- he had the loudest cheers of the day.
The Georgetown Point Guard torch was passed from JWall to Chris Wright and next in line is Markel Starks. Clark and Austin provide a solution for getting the ball down the court and into the
offense, but Starks provides (teetering a wildly overambitious nickname) the floor general leadership. He is thin, but muscular, and his ball handling skills are elite- he was unaffected by the opponents defensive pressure. His shot was solid and he had a quick release. I had him marked for just under 10 points, but he provided a steady hand. A comfortable lead only slipped away when both Starks and Jeff were on the bench and I was shocked that it didn't seem superfluous to include Starks' absence as a reason for the slipping lead. When he returned he locked in on defense and got a 5 second call on the opposing team. CWright is the leader of our team, but he cannot go all 40 minutes, nor can he always avoid foul trouble- and in those times Starks will have an opportunity to prove himself. I cannot wait to have his speed coming from the bench- Markel Sparks was the MOST IMPRESSIVE HOYA at Saturday's Kenner League.
RED CARD: Austin Freeman was ejected with under 5 left to go in the game for shouting at an opponent he had to be separated from. Otherwise, Austin looked liked his old self- in both halves he went on one of his patented scoring bursts that made him so deadly for most of last year. On an assortment of drives, three's and mid ranger, Austin scored around 20 points. His aim was sharp and he looked in good shape- it was exciting to see.
A pick-up style scrimmage floods the game with offensive by easing the defensive intensity to unreal levels and, as we know, not everyone is effected equally. Today's VICTIM OF INFLATION recognition goes to Hollis Thompson. Jeff Green's productivity took away rebounds and scoring opportunities away from all of the Tombs, but none more than Hollis Thompson. Green started in his place on the wing, and aside from a missed 3 pointer, Hollis was hardly heard from in the first half. Late in the second half Hollis drained a three, had a few rebounds in traffic, and dishes a few assists. He appears to be stronger than last year and with his length, there is the very real possibility we could run him at the four against a small team.
The final game with an easy win by DC Legends fronted by Chris Wright and Henry Sims. Chris is such a known quantity- he's a streaky shooter- he missed two open three's to start the game and responded by using his size and strength to get to the rim and finish inside and made some nice kicks to the wing. He was the best player on the floor.
Henry Sims is still such a mixed bag. Whether you cling to the positives or negatives to make predictions about the regular season probably tell more about your personal optimism or pessimism than anything else. He hit a mid range jumper, showed better hands by grabbing a rebounding and holding onto it while swarmed by guards, has the best length of any Hoya, was able to alter shots, but when he was posted up, gave up ground quickly and a few easy baskets were scored on him. Henry's man was similar in size, but got four quick fouls in the first half and after that the Bulldog's had only skinny swing men to cover Henry so the stats after that revealed little.
A Note on the Statistics:
I tried to keep a tab on all the Hoyas' shooting numbers, but I wouldn't vouch for perfection on any of them. For one, I found myself sitting in front of voice of Georgetown basketball Rich Chvotkin so I was distracted by eavesdropping into his comments about the games. Secondly, sitting by the aisle was a poor choice. When the stream of fan traffic causes you too miss a few shots and you realize your numbers are going to be well of anyways, it slackens the diligence. As with any scrimmage statistics, extrapolate them to your regular season expectations at your own peril.
The scheduled 4:40 game that was devoid of Georgetown players was switched to the opening slot at 2 pm. It contained little to report on; the main thing that stuck with me from the game a non-player, non-coach who sat on Beyond Belief's bench who vaguely reminded me of the Counting Crows lead singer. Not your typical hoops entourage member.
Julian Vaughn, Vee Sanford and Clyde's Squad: 75
Higher Level 67
Julian Vaughn, a great friend of the arts, fellow English major, provided the expected. He had a steady 4-5 FG in the first half with a nice jumper from the foul line and similar results in the second half. As the tallest and strongest player on the court, he achieved some success around the basket though many times he was unable to make progress to basket and had to look outward for an outlet. I am always impressed by his ability to get up when he goes after the ball, but he is not the type of player that can anchor a defense for 40 minutes a night and he seemed to disappeared for portions of the scrimmage. After the opposing center snuck inside for a huge two handed dunk in the second half, Vaughn was re-energized and upped his intensity and chased down a few boards.
Vee Sanford was at the center of my main gripe about JT3's coaching job last year. As we were torched again and again by the quicker Ohio's quicker guards, perhaps fresh young legs off the bench would have helped stopped the bleeding- but Vee was never given the game opportunity to develop. Stat lines like his Butler ones- 1 minute, 1 steal, 2 points the door wide open for speculation on how effective he could be on a longer leash. His phenomenal leaping ability, those easy 360 jams in warm ups, did nothing to temper my expectations that he would have a chance to shine over watered down Kenner competition.
From the start, he was shaky, committing three turnovers in the opening minutes, but calmed down and ran the point more effectively- finishing the first half 3-6 including a nice follow and made an off balance three. The second half he tried to assert himself further, but to little avail- finishing 3-9 and 0-3 from long range. His great athleticism just did not transfer to quickness, he lacked explosiveness and did not stand out among the guards on his team. His ball handling was fair, but loose- it seemed liable to be exposed by stronger defensive pressure.
Especially in comparison with the Freshman guards who were on later, I regretfully have to label Vee the Underwhelming Performer of the Day. My hopes of him as a potential primary ball handler this year were hindered (of course, it is but one scrimmage), but there is certainly a place for him in the Georgetown scheme. He ran well without the ball and considering his body control and ability to finish, he could mimic Chris Wright's slicing cuts that so often allows teammates to find him near the basket for easy layups.
Tombs 72
Team Turner 61
When JEFF GREEN the most decorated Hoya in JT3 era makes an appearance, the crowd is at full attention. And for Jeff Green to join the Tombs with all four Freshman, Austin Freeman and Hollis Thompson is an out and out gift to the fans. I wonder if any of the Frosh had their “welcome to the big leagues” moment as Jeff Green was effortlessly shredding the opposition. Its comforting to see the continuity of the best active Georgetown playing with a line up that started 3 freshman (Moses, Lubick and Starks)- it raises the spirit of the program. It makes Hoya greatness, on both a team and individual level, seem as if it isn't so far away.
The opponents, Team Turner, were no Washington Generals. Composed of Maryland and GW players they had some fight in them and the game never devolved into layup lines.
First Look:
The Four Freshman, the main attraction of the Kenner League.
All fans are anxious about mitigating the damage of Greg Monroe's departure so natural the two big men, Moses Abraham and Nate Lubick, are the frosh who under the most scrutiny. Vaughn and Sims cannot anchor a front court on their own- if big man by committee is going to lead to any success this season, the new guys have to contribute.
The first thing you notice is that Moses Abraham is a man. He was the same body type as Jeff Green but a bit thicker. He won the tip but soon made it clear where his offensive area is- an ugly foul line shot, an ineffective post move but I loved how he always attempted to slam it home when he was near the hoop. Never succeeded, it kept being batted away (he definitely needs work on his hands) but the aggression on its own was noteworthy. He collected a handful of agile rebounds in a row in the second half off of foul shots- but that all highlights his weakness: when in position, he has the athletic ability to get the ball. Too often, he was not in a position to make an effective move on a live ball, nor did I see him alter many shots. All and all, I was not disappointed because of his size alone- we've desperately been hurting for physicality of the bench and Moses can help fix that.
Our top rated recruit, Nate Lubick, also a big, strong, post player, quickly declared his candidacy for the Ugliest of the Day award. His double clutch shot from outside the three point line had people wincing before it finally left his finger tips. When he launched a second, equally as ill-fated, three pointer in the second half, he sealed the deal.
We can only hope that is a scrimmage only tinkering project that never strays far from McDonough. There was positive signs outside of this- he showed his surprising speed by getting to a loose ball on the other end of the court and passing it off to Austin for an easy lay up. His sprint is more of a prance, though, queue up an equestrian themed nickname.
My favorite was his willingness to sacrifice his body, he took a nice charge attempt and you can tell instantly he is the kid not afraid to to dive on the floor. He was very eager to pass, he had a lot of touch passes down low, a few of them he probably would have been better served to take himself. His heart is in the Georgetown offense, he is trying to make the smart players pass, but the execution was lagging.
The Hoya's return one of the most experienced, talented backcourts in the country- I have no idea how JT3 is going to find minutes for Aaron Bowen, but the kid deserves to see the court. He is a similar player to Hollis Thompson, a bit shorter and does not have the same length, but he was terrific on offense. His three point shot was beautiful, the end over end rotation, and he shot it with confidence. He scored at least 12 pts with 2 Threes and soaring follow to a layup of Austin's that spun out. He was fun to watch and he brought his own fan club- he had the loudest cheers of the day.
The Georgetown Point Guard torch was passed from JWall to Chris Wright and next in line is Markel Starks. Clark and Austin provide a solution for getting the ball down the court and into the
offense, but Starks provides (teetering a wildly overambitious nickname) the floor general leadership. He is thin, but muscular, and his ball handling skills are elite- he was unaffected by the opponents defensive pressure. His shot was solid and he had a quick release. I had him marked for just under 10 points, but he provided a steady hand. A comfortable lead only slipped away when both Starks and Jeff were on the bench and I was shocked that it didn't seem superfluous to include Starks' absence as a reason for the slipping lead. When he returned he locked in on defense and got a 5 second call on the opposing team. CWright is the leader of our team, but he cannot go all 40 minutes, nor can he always avoid foul trouble- and in those times Starks will have an opportunity to prove himself. I cannot wait to have his speed coming from the bench- Markel Sparks was the MOST IMPRESSIVE HOYA at Saturday's Kenner League.
RED CARD: Austin Freeman was ejected with under 5 left to go in the game for shouting at an opponent he had to be separated from. Otherwise, Austin looked liked his old self- in both halves he went on one of his patented scoring bursts that made him so deadly for most of last year. On an assortment of drives, three's and mid ranger, Austin scored around 20 points. His aim was sharp and he looked in good shape- it was exciting to see.
A pick-up style scrimmage floods the game with offensive by easing the defensive intensity to unreal levels and, as we know, not everyone is effected equally. Today's VICTIM OF INFLATION recognition goes to Hollis Thompson. Jeff Green's productivity took away rebounds and scoring opportunities away from all of the Tombs, but none more than Hollis Thompson. Green started in his place on the wing, and aside from a missed 3 pointer, Hollis was hardly heard from in the first half. Late in the second half Hollis drained a three, had a few rebounds in traffic, and dishes a few assists. He appears to be stronger than last year and with his length, there is the very real possibility we could run him at the four against a small team.
The final game with an easy win by DC Legends fronted by Chris Wright and Henry Sims. Chris is such a known quantity- he's a streaky shooter- he missed two open three's to start the game and responded by using his size and strength to get to the rim and finish inside and made some nice kicks to the wing. He was the best player on the floor.
Henry Sims is still such a mixed bag. Whether you cling to the positives or negatives to make predictions about the regular season probably tell more about your personal optimism or pessimism than anything else. He hit a mid range jumper, showed better hands by grabbing a rebounding and holding onto it while swarmed by guards, has the best length of any Hoya, was able to alter shots, but when he was posted up, gave up ground quickly and a few easy baskets were scored on him. Henry's man was similar in size, but got four quick fouls in the first half and after that the Bulldog's had only skinny swing men to cover Henry so the stats after that revealed little.
A Note on the Statistics:
I tried to keep a tab on all the Hoyas' shooting numbers, but I wouldn't vouch for perfection on any of them. For one, I found myself sitting in front of voice of Georgetown basketball Rich Chvotkin so I was distracted by eavesdropping into his comments about the games. Secondly, sitting by the aisle was a poor choice. When the stream of fan traffic causes you too miss a few shots and you realize your numbers are going to be well of anyways, it slackens the diligence. As with any scrimmage statistics, extrapolate them to your regular season expectations at your own peril.
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