The B Hop era begins

[LA_Mustang]

I hope everyone comes out to Moody tonight at 7pm.

[Mustang Fan]

BHop did good, but I believe that THE I-Man was on fire, hopefully he continues this way, overall the whole team seemed productive, more aggressive in their defense and alot more confident in their game, WE ARE ON OUR WAY! Go 'STANGS 99-66
Next action, November 20, be there or be squared!

[LA_Mustang]

Hop still is struggling with his conditioning....that was very obvious tonight. He is not near as explosive as he is capable of being. Despite that, he played a very solid point game and is already the best hoopster to ever suit up for the Ponies.
We have arguably the three best athletes in the WAC (Hop, Isham, Ross) Isham was unbelievable tonight. I think he had five dunks....wow, did he look explosive and confident. It is going to be very hard for Dement to keep him out of the starting lineup. With Isham and a 100% Hop we are a highlight film waiting to happen. I thought Lowe, Ross, Castro, and Simpson each played a very solid game. The Rack showed flashes but he still has a ways to go. Voc is still MIA.
Based on the rotation tonight it appears that Dement will start Hop, Ross, Lowe, Simpson, and Castro. With Isham, Miller, Kelley, and Smith getting important minutes off the bench. And like I said, I would not be at all surprised if Isham makes his way into the starting lineup by the TCU game.

[Charleston Pony]

the most encouraging statistic I see from last night's game is the 28:15 assist:turnover ratio. While the 15 turnovers (5 from BHop) is too many, it was our 1st game and there is now hope this group will play more as a team than what we've seen in recent years. I always look for that 2:1 ratio and really like to see an even higher ratio from the guy on the point. We might not see that from BHop, since we may count on him to be one of our leading scorers, as well as setting up the other guys.

[LA_Mustang]

CP, most of Hop's turnovers were because he anticipated other players being in certain places and they werent. And on a couple of those TO he hit The Rack in the hands and he then fumbled the ball away. This will improve as they get comfortable with each other. Hop was looking to pass first on the break. Maybe because he is not as explosive as he is use to being. You could tell that was bothering him. Isham was pretty much doing what he wanted last night. We have a lot of reason to be optimistic about this season.

[PX]

After 1 exhibition game where he was 4/14 from the field, and obviously struggled in other areas, he's already the best player we ever had? You're not stretching things a bit, are you?
Saying that the turnovers are other peoples fault is horse****. Even if what you said about other people not being where he anticipated was true, any point guard needs to be able to play WITH his team. Realistically, when he gets tired he makes bad decisions. When his legs are weary he slows down, and he cant successfully make the moves he might when he is fresh. Bryans biggest problem right now is his conditioning, and thats something he has to work on himself. Its not the responsibility of any of the other players.

[Charleston Pony]

PX: I agree with the comment that the guy at the point has to know his team. Not since Butch Moore have we had a guy step right in and truly make everyone around him better. I wish we had a few games before TCU for these guys to get to know each other's games. Lot's of pressure and high expectations on BHop. I hope his 4-14 shooting wasn't an indication he's trying to do TOO MUCH too soon for this team.

[Hoop Fan]

Isham has stood out each time I have seen the team this fall, practice or scrimmage. Really like the intensity he is bringing. Miller knocked down a few nice pull up jumpers last night once he got warm, and Lowe did alot of good things, but I dont know how you keep Isham off the floor. Hop was struggling like you all have said, but still showed the ability to drive into the paint and make things happen. Castro looked pretty impressive. They had some bigs, but Castro got position at will on offense. The biggest concern I have is defense right now. We allow alot of easy looks that you can't away with against TCU and Tech. Defense is also where Hops lack of conditioning shows up the most.

[DiamondM]

I did like the assist statistic. This team (all be it after 1 game) seems to look more to pass and give a teammate a shot instead of only creating for themselves. They seemed to be quicker and more alert in defending the three than the last couple of years. The Euros still got off some threes, but it didn't seem to be a chronic wide open shot like last year watching Hawaii and other 3 point reliant teams.

Obviously, much remains to be seen.

I do think Bryan will take some crap from his teammates for missing that dunk when the rim rejected him. They were giggling quite a bit.

[LA_Mustang]

PX, I know I get too excited when I talk about B Hop but I have seen what he is capable of and I know he is going to be a special player for us. Forgive me.
What did you think about the other guys Saturday night? What would be your starting line-up right now? And is Voc ever going to play??

[PX]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by LA_Mustang:
<B>PX, I know I get too excited when I talk about B Hop but I have seen what he is capable of and I know he is going to be a special player for us. Forgive me.
What did you think about the other guys Saturday night? What would be your starting line-up right now? And is Voc ever going to play??</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


If I were picking the starters it would probably be Hopkins, Ross, Lowe/Miller/Isham (take your pick, depends on who has played well in practice or matches up the best with our opponent, Simpson, and Castro.

I didnt see anything surprising in the game, except a couple of nice post moves from Jibran Kelly, I've always thought he needed to be more aggressive on offense. We already know that Quentin is a great player, Isham is a great athlete, and Castro can get very good position and finish at the offensive end. Those things arent new. I think the biggest difference in this years team is that we dont have anyone who will simply refuse to share the ball when he gets it. Thats been a problem in the past. Bryan has good court vision, and really tries to involve his teammates.

In regards to Voc, I dont know if I can tell you anything different from what I have been saying for the last 2 years. At times he has been able to get on the court and play/practice, but the injuries will always be a problem. The original knee injury that occurred before he got here never completely healed. His other injuries, the hamstring, his strained back this summer, etc., are probably caused by overcompensation of other muscle groups, related to his knee. At times he may be well enough to play, but the injuries will always bother him.

[DiamondM]

Hey PX. What about the end of the bench? There were several guys who played in the exhibition that I must not have been paying attention when they were mentioned as additions to the team. Aitkenhead and Rackauskas. What are your thoughts on their contributions this season?

[PX]

I'm a little surprised you hadnt already heard of Donatas, he signed in the spring, and I've mentioned him in a couple other posts. He's strong, aggressive on defense, and not afraid to do the dirty work inside. He has a nice jump shot out to 12 feet when he faces the basket squarely (that night was the first time I ever saw him hit a 3,) but needs to work on his moves in the low post. He does a good job of backing defenders into the lane, but has problems finishing on hir turnaround moves. He's a very good rebounder. He's very agressive defensively, blocks alot of shots in practice, but he also committs alot of fouls. The coaches would like to redshirt him, but he is outplaying some of the older posts sometimes in practice (and one of the older guys may be hurt,) so it looks like he will play.
Bobby Aitkenhead is a walk-on from Guatemala. He's done fairly well in practice, and right now he's the #2 point guard. He's not a great athlete, but he does a serviceable job. He will most likely see a few minutes a game, depending on how well Hopkins is able to stay on the court.