Men's basketball practice observations

[PonyPride]

PonyFans.com was at men's basketball practice Friday, and got a good look at the Mustangs' returning players, newcomers like Yanick Moreira and Ben Moore, and the transfers who sat out last season like Markus Kennedy, Crandall Head and Nic Moore.

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Enjoy!

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[PonySnob]

How did Keith Frazier look?

[PonyPride]

Like a freshman, although obviously a talented freshman. There were times when Larry Brown stopped practice to teach him things, but that was the case with all players, young and old. He was kind of streaky with his shot, but when he was on a roll, it was something to watch — completely effortless. He gets up and down the floor well, and looks like he could be pretty active on the defensive end — his mobility and long arms certainly give him a chance to fit Brown's idea of what a guard should be on defense.

[PonyKai]

Thanks for taking the time to visit practice. Great to get some hoops notes a full month before the season begins.

[LHS81]

How are the 2 Illinois kids (Ben Moore, Sterling Brown) looking in practice? Haven't really heard their names mentioned!

[smusportspage]

Thanks for posting PonryPride. Awesome job!

[The PonyGrad]

How are the 2 Illinois kids (Ben Moore, Sterling Brown) looking in practice? Haven't really heard their names mentioned!

Smerkins posted this:

Praised Ben Moore. Said that he personally believes he was one of the best freshman in his class even if the rankings don't reflect it.

In is thread: http://www.ponyfans.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=68195

[SMU 86]

How are the 2 Illinois kids (Ben Moore, Sterling Brown) looking in practice? Haven't really heard their names mentioned!

Smerkins posted this:

Praised Ben Moore. Said that he personally believes he was one of the best freshman in his class even if the rankings don't reflect it.

In is thread: http://www.ponyfans.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=68195

And here is Sterling Brown ballin' on Jabari Parker in HS.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=66394&p=898598&hilit=jabari+parker#p898598

[PonyPride]

Sorry for the slow response — Ben Moore and Sterling Brown are both pretty impressive, too.

Moore is a lanky guy — he's listed at 6-8 and 185 — but a very fluid athlete. You know the guys you see coming out of high school who shoot up to a height that gets them a crack at college basketball, but they're too gangly and awkward to actually play? That's not Moore. He can get up and down the floor, and he can put the ball on the floor when he has to. He has a pretty soft jump shot that surely will get more consistent, but his shooting mechanics look pretty smooth. He looks like a guy who, at the very least, will finish lobs and fast breaks with easy dunks, can probably block some shots (in addition to his agility and jumping ability, he has pretty long arms and looks like he has decent timing) and can get a few rebounds. He might not be done growing (he wears size 18 shoes), and clearly needs to get stronger — at one point last week, he went up and blocked a shot near the basket by center Yankick Moreira. He had his hand hooked over the ball well enough that he didn't let go, but Moreira kept going up until it looked like he might dunk Moore through the basket. OK, not really, but when he improves his strength and adds bulk, Moore might end up being a pretty impressive specimen.

Brown looks a little like his brother, Shannon ( http://www.nba.com/playerfile/shannon_brown/ ) .... he's mobile, athletic and stronger than a lot of freshman guards — physically, he looks as much like a strong safety as he does like a shooting guard. He's a pretty explosive leaper, with good range on his jumper — haven't seen enough of him to know how consistent a shooter he is, but he can hit 3s. He seems to be a high-energy hustle guy in full-court drills, and earned praise from Larry Brown for his energy on the defensive end, and with his size 17s, Brown might not be done growing yet, either.