We are only 3 games in and we have played inferior opponents but you have to like what you have seen thus far:
PG - Keddy and Toussaint - Neither is a good outside shooter. Keddy is simply not a natural PG and lacks the instincts to be one. Toussaint is a natural PG but needs to learn that he is not a scoring PG. He needs to get us into our offense and where possible drive it to the hoop to create opportunities. Keddy is touted for his defense but he has, thus far, given up far too many straight line drives to the bucket. Toussaint is nearly as disruptive as Keddy defensively. Both are good in the open court and can finish at the rim, although Keddy has not been at his best in doing so over the first 3 games. They can play together in a 5 out offense when Mitchell moves to the 5. That may change when Perez arrives.
SG - Stevenson, Kobe, Wilson - The alpha dog is clearly Stevenson. He brings toughness and swagger to the position. He too, can hit the outside shot and take it inside. He can also turn it over a lot. But his on court toughness, brashness and confidence rubs off on his teammates. Kobe and Wilson likely take on less of a role when Perez arrives. Perez is 6'4" and is a scorer. Can't wait to see how Huggs incorporates him into the offense. We don't have great 3 point threats at this position but I think between Stevenson and Perez, we will be highly effective at scoring the ball from the 2. I had hoped to see a huge jump from Kobe and Wilson this season but that has not yet played out. Perhaps it will as they gain confidence.
SF - Matthews, Stevenson, Perez, Harris - Matthews brings maturity and confidence to the 3 spot. His outside shooting has improved and I think his defense is better. He is very long and very good in the open court. We have to get out and run and have the horses to do so. Stevenson and Perez can play the 3. That gives us great flexibility at this position. Both are scorers. Harris is young and hopefully gets better as the season progresses. He is long and athletic but has a lot to learn. Doubt we see much of him this season.
PF - Mitchell, Matthews, Suemnick - Mitchell is a player, both inside and outside. He gives us so much flexibility. Can play the 3, 4 or 5, imo. We can go big or small depending on where he plays. He is smart, has very good court vision, can put it on the floor and is a good passer. He can post up against smaller defenders or he can take it outside against bigger ones. He just adds so much to this team. Matthews can play the 4 when Mitchell goes to the 5. That gives us the ability to really space the floor to take advantage of all the guys that can take it to the hoop (Toussaint, Keddy, Stevenson, Perez, Mitchell and to a bit of a lesser degree, Matthews). Kobe showed the ability last night against weak competition. And it also gives us real outside shooting threats to keep defenses honest. Too early to tell if Suemnick can help or not.
C - Bell, Wague and Okonkwo - Each is a very different player. Bell is the bull with good feet for a guy his size. He is not a leaper or a rim protector, but he is a big body that can hold his own against the bullies of the Big 12. Needs to get smarter on gaining inside position on the block. Wague has incredible upside. He is the opposite of Bell in many ways. He uses his quickness and athleticism to get his shot off inside. And he can be disruptive on the defensive side not so much as a shot blocker but as a player that uses his length to disrupt. He needs to learn better defensive positioning. And he runs the court well and goes 100% all the time. Okonkwo must be in Huggs' doghouse. Hopefully he gets out of it soon. He is a rim protector. Gets off the floor very quickly. Just scratching the surface of his abilities. Unlike the other two, can step out a hit a 15 footer. Smart. Between these 3, we have a lot of flexibility depending on the opponent.
I don't know how we do in the Big 12. It is so difficult. But this team is showing an upside that I did not think they had. So tough to lose as much scoring as we did and hit the ground running the very next season with a virtually new line-up. The coaches deserve enormous credit. It is very, very early and I could be very wrong but I think this team has a good chance to finish over .500 in the Big 12. And I am becoming a believer this team can make it to the dance. We will know a lot more after Perez arrives since he may be a key contributor that changes the complexion of this team. I do know that Huggs' biggest challenge will be in getting the right line-ups depending on the circumstances.
PG - Keddy and Toussaint - Neither is a good outside shooter. Keddy is simply not a natural PG and lacks the instincts to be one. Toussaint is a natural PG but needs to learn that he is not a scoring PG. He needs to get us into our offense and where possible drive it to the hoop to create opportunities. Keddy is touted for his defense but he has, thus far, given up far too many straight line drives to the bucket. Toussaint is nearly as disruptive as Keddy defensively. Both are good in the open court and can finish at the rim, although Keddy has not been at his best in doing so over the first 3 games. They can play together in a 5 out offense when Mitchell moves to the 5. That may change when Perez arrives.
SG - Stevenson, Kobe, Wilson - The alpha dog is clearly Stevenson. He brings toughness and swagger to the position. He too, can hit the outside shot and take it inside. He can also turn it over a lot. But his on court toughness, brashness and confidence rubs off on his teammates. Kobe and Wilson likely take on less of a role when Perez arrives. Perez is 6'4" and is a scorer. Can't wait to see how Huggs incorporates him into the offense. We don't have great 3 point threats at this position but I think between Stevenson and Perez, we will be highly effective at scoring the ball from the 2. I had hoped to see a huge jump from Kobe and Wilson this season but that has not yet played out. Perhaps it will as they gain confidence.
SF - Matthews, Stevenson, Perez, Harris - Matthews brings maturity and confidence to the 3 spot. His outside shooting has improved and I think his defense is better. He is very long and very good in the open court. We have to get out and run and have the horses to do so. Stevenson and Perez can play the 3. That gives us great flexibility at this position. Both are scorers. Harris is young and hopefully gets better as the season progresses. He is long and athletic but has a lot to learn. Doubt we see much of him this season.
PF - Mitchell, Matthews, Suemnick - Mitchell is a player, both inside and outside. He gives us so much flexibility. Can play the 3, 4 or 5, imo. We can go big or small depending on where he plays. He is smart, has very good court vision, can put it on the floor and is a good passer. He can post up against smaller defenders or he can take it outside against bigger ones. He just adds so much to this team. Matthews can play the 4 when Mitchell goes to the 5. That gives us the ability to really space the floor to take advantage of all the guys that can take it to the hoop (Toussaint, Keddy, Stevenson, Perez, Mitchell and to a bit of a lesser degree, Matthews). Kobe showed the ability last night against weak competition. And it also gives us real outside shooting threats to keep defenses honest. Too early to tell if Suemnick can help or not.
C - Bell, Wague and Okonkwo - Each is a very different player. Bell is the bull with good feet for a guy his size. He is not a leaper or a rim protector, but he is a big body that can hold his own against the bullies of the Big 12. Needs to get smarter on gaining inside position on the block. Wague has incredible upside. He is the opposite of Bell in many ways. He uses his quickness and athleticism to get his shot off inside. And he can be disruptive on the defensive side not so much as a shot blocker but as a player that uses his length to disrupt. He needs to learn better defensive positioning. And he runs the court well and goes 100% all the time. Okonkwo must be in Huggs' doghouse. Hopefully he gets out of it soon. He is a rim protector. Gets off the floor very quickly. Just scratching the surface of his abilities. Unlike the other two, can step out a hit a 15 footer. Smart. Between these 3, we have a lot of flexibility depending on the opponent.
I don't know how we do in the Big 12. It is so difficult. But this team is showing an upside that I did not think they had. So tough to lose as much scoring as we did and hit the ground running the very next season with a virtually new line-up. The coaches deserve enormous credit. It is very, very early and I could be very wrong but I think this team has a good chance to finish over .500 in the Big 12. And I am becoming a believer this team can make it to the dance. We will know a lot more after Perez arrives since he may be a key contributor that changes the complexion of this team. I do know that Huggs' biggest challenge will be in getting the right line-ups depending on the circumstances.
