After work last night I had a chance to sit down and watch the first half and part of the second half of the basketball game. I love DVR because it lets you stop and rewind to really get a look at what is happening on the court. Below are thoughts on the players that played and what I noticed about each of them. Once I finish watching I will post again on the subject. I will organize this by class for convenience.

Seniors
JT -- I admit that JT's shot selection and defense as a freshman and his shot selection as a Soph worried me. I thought he did a great job for us last year and had expanded his game defensively, in rebounding, and scoring in the post. Based on what I saw of last night's game, JT has continued to improve on his ability to score off the bounce and with his back to the basket. His defense has also improved again. Last year he was average on the ball but good in the passing lanes and in help. Last night he was good on the ball and excellent in the passing lanes and in help.

Morgan -- Morgan's handles look better. He is dribbling lower (one of my issues with his ball handling in the past) and shows the ability to get into the paint at will. I don't know how well he will finish once he gets there but an improvement in that area could really help this team.

Miles -- Defensively he is improved at guarding in space. His ability to box out is still excellent but, at times, he is moving to the ball after boxing which is a new development and a real positive. He is easily our best big man defensively. Offensively his passing is still good. He is still posting up with his butt instead of his hip and isn't calling for the ball with a target. He is also still jumping too much with his arms. Miles has a tendency to play too erect on offense and that prevents him from quickly getting elevation. When he gathers himself he elevates well but the stance he takes is killing him because the D comes to him while he gathers himself.

Juniors
Emery -- Jackson looked fast but he seemed to be struggling from range. He has not learned how to finish in traffic or with contact. He seems to like the contact but he gets knocked off balance in the air because he is not initiating the contact. He also looks for fouls too often.

Jimmer -- I noticed two different Jimmers out there. Jimmer with the ball in his hands is lethal. He makes great passes, has an underrated handle, is quicker than he looks, takes contact well, and can score off the bounce from any range. Without the ball in his hand on offense, he stands around looking to be a set shooter if the ball happens to come to him. If he could move better off the ball his points would come more easily and this team could be better because I believe Morgan is our best player off the bench especially in tournament style games. Defensively he is still deceptively good with excellent balance, hands and anticipation.

Magnusson -- Not sure what to make of this Junior. He likes contact off the ball defensively. Seems like he can give us some minutes at a number of spots. Certainly will help us in practice. Also helps to round out a class of two guards by adding a big.

Sophomores
Abuou -- Very methodical off the bounce still. Shot has a nice arc on it but the rotation seems weird. I'm no shot doctor but I don't expect he will ever be a great outside threat. Still needs to learn to finish better in traffic because he isn't quick enough to get to the rack without traffic around him. I've always liked his defense. He has long arms and good strength and played like a college defender from the first last year. I expect we will see more of the same from him this year. He could also become a nice offensive rebounder. His strength and instincts coupled with our style of offense could result in good offensive boards from him. Not sure we are in great shape if he starts. It would worry me if he was the starter because he appears limited offensively. Of course, we do have enough scoring to make that OK if Emery gets going.

Anderson -- I like Anderson's hands and length. He gives us depth at the 5. I've also heard he has good range. I don't expect he will see many minutes. Ultimately, I think his long term position will be practice and bench. He just doesn't have enough lift or bulk and you have to have one or the other.

Hartsock -- I really like Noah's game. He makes mistakes periodically but that is expected from a Soph. He has a solid body with relatively quick feet and good length. He is crafty offensively and can get his shot against bigger men. I probably our best big offensively. I like his ability to go at either the 4 or 5 and guard well at either spot. He has the ability to rebound outside his area but is still more of a position rebounder. Still has lots of work to do but he is exciting.

Loyd -- Plays fast but out of control. Long arms and quick feet make for a good defender. He also has improved from range. He needs to relax and let the game happen. I think we see him at the 2 and in our "fast" line up.

Freshmen
Davies -- Very long for his height and very smooth. Not particularly athletic but has great hands. Davies is more than a little surprised at the amount of contact allowed in the block and off the ball defensively. I like his ability to get to the rack quickly when he is facing and his ability to catch. I think he could become a very good rebounder if he learns to enjoy contact. Basically, he plays soft but could be very good. He will see time at the 4 and 5. I expect his minutes will be similar to Hartsock's last year. Our bigs go Miles, Hartsock, and Davies imho. Hartsock and Davies are also the back-ups to JT at the 4.

Haws -- Better than advertised. I like his midrange game, his ability to finish in traffic and his shot. He is also more physical than I thought he would be. I think he is a better rounded offensive player right now than Abuou and could be ahead of him in the rotation if we need offense or if his defense improves. Frankly, I was surprised at how good Haws was. I think he is our fourth or fifth best player right now (which is great for a frosh). Typical freshman problems defensively (doesn't know what contact is allowed, isn't great in help, doesn't anticipate well enough) but he could be really good. I hope he doesn't serve a mission next year.

Zylstra -- I don't have any idea yet. He saw a few minutes while I was watching but I didn't get a chance to look at him.

I liked our two forward three guard line up a lot. I also like our ability to go big. This team looks like it could be a lot of fun.

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I've got two guns, one for each of ya.
K-dog, Esq.

PS grrrrrrrrrr