Rocky start in which our question marks around three point shooting, being able to stop dribble penetration, and forcing turnovers all caused huge problems. But then we turned up the defense and seemed to relax and pulled away comfortably.
The biggest positives for me, besides some individual player observations, were that we appear to be a much more physical team than in years past (we bullied them inside, which isn’t something we’ve really done the last several years) and in the second half we started moving the ball pretty well with no clear ball dominant player.
Castro was a revelation. What really surprised me was his passing. For much of the first half our best offense was his high-low passing. And he was really aggressive on the boards. Very athletic and didn’t seem afraid to mix it up down low. Foul trouble in 2H was a problem, though a couple were unlucky. Double double with 4 assists in 27 minutes.
Moss was also impressive. For those who didn’t see it, he had what could stand as the play of the season. After a sloppy sequence led to a 3 on 0 break for Mercyhurst( Moss (who seems to be the fastest player we’ve had in a while), turned on the Jets and came from well behind the play to steal the ball. He also showed really nice quicks on drives to the basket. Needs to work on keeping his man in front of him, though.
DBJ looked like what we expect. Took a couple of bad threes, but otherwise was a man among boys.
Hutch had a quiet game. Seemed to just be moving the ball around the perimeter and not looking to score or to create. Only took 3 shots (all threes) and missed them all. I’m guessing he’ll show more in future games.
Last starter, Drumgoole, had a pretty bad game, especially in the first half. I think he was nervous and pressing but he struggled on defense, couldn’t hit a shot, and got in foul trouble in the first half. Second half he played a bit better (though one horrible possession he dribbled for like 25 seconds and then I think turned it over). He made two threes when he took it slower and in rhythm. Other times he seemed to be rushing his shot. He’s a veteran and I have no doubt he’ll play better, especially because he’s another player who is more physical than what we’ve had recently.
Hansen was fairly quiet, but two things stood out to me. One, he moved the ball really well. Two, while he’s not the most athletic player, his positioning was really good. Smart player who knows where to be.
Autry had a really bad game that included sailing two skip passes well into the stands. Not sure why he was so off.
Chris Jones also got a lot of playing time (I think first off the bench, or at least first guard). Could see some talent. Moves well and has length. But he also looked like a guy playing his first game in over a year and first college game. He did get to the line a couple of times and while his first two looked incredibly nervous, he was much more comfortable and swished the second two. Not sure what he’ll look like as the season goes on.
Bevins got four minutes. Seems to have some size and can move. Hit a late three for his only shot. Clearly needs to get stronger during his career but I liked the cameo.
Overall, rough first half, excellent second half (and covered the 16.5 spread). We didn’t look like a team poised to make a big impact in the A10 but then again it’s only one game and once we shook the nerves off, we were pretty good.
Hopefully we continue to improve each game.
The Dude wrote: