Practice Observations/Thoughts

[Smulaw90]

I watched the complete two hour practice yesterday and thought I would share some of my observations:

1. Nic Moore: Clearly the leader of this team and it appears he has taken young Sedric Barefield under his wing. He's clearly ready to go.

2. Markus Kennedy: Best shape of his life. I heard someone comment that he might be too thin. LB said he has lost 45 lbs. He's lean and jumping better than ever. Seems very quick and agile as well. Clearly focused and ready to go.

3. JordanTolbert/Ben Moore/ Sterling Brown: Ben and Jordan have bulked up from conditioning. Together with Sterling, they're right where you want them to be. They will be great complimentary players in all phases.

4. Semi Ojeleye: LB commented to the group about how much Semi has improved since arriving at SMU. He seemed genuinely excited about his presence. I have to tell you, this guy is going to be the surprise on the team come conference play. He's a beast and can jump out of the gym. Probably the best athelete on the the team.

5. Keith Frazier: Keith has probably added 10 lbs since last year. He looks ready to go but seems to still make the random mistake/turnover. His jumpshot release, is near perfect, but his form going up seems to always be "off". Not sure why that's never been corrected, but he doesn't look like he's gotten better. I expected KF to really take this team over by now (junior year), but its clearly not his team.

6. The Freshman: Jarry, Sedrick, Shake: Man I like all three freshman. Shake is the real deal. Handles the ball well, listens to coaching, has a real feel for the game. Sedrick is already deadly with the ball, very quick, seems to have great court intuition. Jarry is bigger than I thought. Very athletic. His jump shot is coming around, but he can definitely drive to the basket and has athleticism. These three are going to be really, really fun to watch this year and i can see them developing. Coach Jank told the crowd that all three have a real high basketball IQ which is very uncommon in freshman. They came into the program well coached and have picked up everything. Sedrick will be the leader of this group and Shake will be the closer.

7. Coach LB: Told the crowd that he has been surprised by the continued interest in SMU despite the NCAA issues. Was very positive about the future of the program. Talked a little about the disappointment for the seniors but that they've handled everything very well. In my opinion, if this team takes care of business, it will be one of the better stories in CBasketball this year leading up to the NCAA tournament. And if they beat Gonzaga, Michigan and win their conference, they will get A LOT of positive press.

8. Ben E: Was hurt and did not practice.

In all, I was very impressed with the team and how they looked in practice. Tremendous speed, athleticism and height. I now understand why Semi's nickname on the team is "SemBron". Holy smoke!

[Rebel10]

We lost a little in height from last year but we are a little more athletic imo. Good observations though.

[FriscoPMG]

Thanks for sharing - much more enlightening than arguing about lack of students vs. lack of season ticket holders. As one of those STH, I wish I could've made it, but work until 5pm in Frisco would've made it a pretty worthless commute.
Any other observations from others in attendance would be appreciated.

[smupony94]

@JonRothstein 1h1 hour ago
Michigan, Marquette, Pitt, and SMU are in the 2016 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden, sources told @CBSSports. Matchups are TBD.

[RGV Pony]

This year it is the fri/Sunday before tgiving. If it's the same in 2016, it'll be Nov 18/20

[hoopmanx]

This year it is the fri/Sunday before tgiving. If it's the same in 2016, it'll be Nov 18/20

IN w/the whole fam.

[LA_Mustang]

This is awesome.

[Digetydog]

This year it is the fri/Sunday before tgiving. If it's the same in 2016, it'll be Nov 18/20

IN w/the whole fam.

My kids are going to love it.

I can't wait to see them play again at MSG.

[PonyKai]

Can't wait for that trip. Will be awesome.

[ponyboy]

Look at that tourney lineup. Are we potentially playing Michigan twice?

[smusic 00]

Look at that tourney lineup. Are we potentially playing Michigan twice?

We only had a single home/home that ends this year.

[PonyFan32]

I think the tourney is in 2016. Which means early next year. Not playing Michigan twice in one year.

[The Falcon]

I watched the complete two hour practice yesterday and thought I would share some of my observations:

1. Nic Moore: Clearly the leader of this team and it appears he has taken young Sedric Barefield under his wing. He's clearly ready to go.

2. Markus Kennedy: Best shape of his life. I heard someone comment that he might be too thin. LB said he has lost 45 lbs. He's lean and jumping better than ever. Seems very quick and agile as well. Clearly focused and ready to go.

3. JordanTolbert/Ben Moore/ Sterling Brown: Ben and Jordan have bulked up from conditioning. Together with Sterling, they're right where you want them to be. They will be great complimentary players in all phases.

4. Semi Ojeleye: LB commented to the group about how much Semi has improved since arriving at SMU. He seemed genuinely excited about his presence. I have to tell you, this guy is going to be the surprise on the team come conference play. He's a beast and can jump out of the gym. Probably the best athelete on the the team.

5. Keith Frazier: Keith has probably added 10 lbs since last year. He looks ready to go but seems to still make the random mistake/turnover. His jumpshot release, is near perfect, but his form going up seems to always be "off". Not sure why that's never been corrected, but he doesn't look like he's gotten better. I expected KF to really take this team over by now (junior year), but its clearly not his team.

6. The Freshman: Jarry, Sedrick, Shake: Man I like all three freshman. Shake is the real deal. Handles the ball well, listens to coaching, has a real feel for the game. Sedrick is already deadly with the ball, very quick, seems to have great court intuition. Jarry is bigger than I thought. Very athletic. His jump shot is coming around, but he can definitely drive to the basket and has athleticism. These three are going to be really, really fun to watch this year and i can see them developing. Coach Jank told the crowd that all three have a real high basketball IQ which is very uncommon in freshman. They came into the program well coached and have picked up everything. Sedrick will be the leader of this group and Shake will be the closer.

7. Coach LB: Told the crowd that he has been surprised by the continued interest in SMU despite the NCAA issues. Was very positive about the future of the program. Talked a little about the disappointment for the seniors but that they've handled everything very well. In my opinion, if this team takes care of business, it will be one of the better stories in CBasketball this year leading up to the NCAA tournament. And if they beat Gonzaga, Michigan and win their conference, they will get A LOT of positive press.

8. Ben E: Was hurt and did not practice.

In all, I was very impressed with the team and how they looked in practice. Tremendous speed, athleticism and height. I now understand why Semi's nickname on the team is "SemBron". Holy smoke!

Thanks for the report SMULaw. I think this is what most of us were looking for rather than
the drivel that went on in the other thread whining about few in attendance. I couldn't be
there Monday, but I will be at every game and I will be early. I think Moody Magic is going
to continue to be exhilarating - Go Mustangs.

[JoeKidd]

Yep, thanks for the good insight. Can't wait for the season to start.

[sadderbudweiser]

After months of hearing about everything BUT players playing it's really great to hear this.

Let's go!