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had to work and missed the game

If you havent seen Dez Willingham yet, you are gonna like him. Great passer of the basketball. Makes the great pass as well as the fundamental passes. Good ball handler and good on the ball defense. I was impressed and he didnt score much last night. Derrick Roberts didnt have a very good game, but his athleticism was really noticeable by far the best athlete on the floor last night. He looks stronger and more mature, could really be a player for us. Devon Pearson had a bad night, but I dont think we have to worry about Devon, he will be there when it really counts. Ike started and really struggled in my opinion. I had been hearing how improved he was, and he was better, but I still saw alot of the same old things with him rushing or panicking on his shots and stumbling with the ball in traffic. The other starter was Rack. He was obviously out of shape and didnt have his wind, but he looked pretty good in bursts. Knocked down several nice jumpers, was active on the boards at times. He did lose position to their post guys, who were strong, a few times and he gave up some offensive boards, but overall I was encouraged by what he could do when he gets in shape and if he stays healthy.

Off the bench, the Brians (Epps and Morris) were substituted in tandem all night. Epps looks like a smaller version of Morris. Epps showed some tremendous range and he really has a sweet jumper, its almost perfect form when he shoots in rythm. He is fairly strong and can body up perimeter players, but it doesnt look like he has learned to play at full speed at all times yet. Morris had a good night, rebounded and scored and generally took up space. What I liked the most was that on defense he held his postion on the block very well. He needs to lose a few pounds, but he exceeded my expectations based on what I'd been hearing. And I think he clearly outplayed Paulus Ritter who is a veteran. Killen was okay. We clearly need BHop back and things could get interesting. Racks health and Morris getting into shape appear to be the keys to the season to me right now. If Rack cant stay healthy and if Morris cant make some sort of impact, we are gonna struggle. If they can, we are gonna beat some people that dont expect to be beaten by us.