10 Thoughts on Exhibition Victory

Finally got a chance to watch the first exhibition game of the year. Taking a page out of Peter King's book, here are 10 things that struck me about the game.

1) Jordan Scott surprised me

- If you read my starting lineup preview, you know that Jordan wasn't being handed the starting guard spot opposite Lawrence. Dixon and even Stitt were going to push him to seize the opportunity. In Jordan's first significant playing time, he did not disappoint. He led the team in scoring with 23 points and posted a very efficient stat line of 9-11 shooting and 5-6 from behind the arc in just over 20 minutes of play. Jordan's offensive game is multi-faceted. He's a great shooter, can drive to the rim and finish and has the athleticism to score in transition. If he can pick up the defense a little bit, Jordan Scott will be another key cog in the Cougar arsenal. He's certainly not short on confidence.

2) Andrew Lawrence made running the point look easy

-Scott's backcourt compatriot ran the team so effortlessly at times that it was hard to believe he's getting his first real shot at being a starter. I guess when you spend your summer going up against Tony Parker, an exhibition game against a DII opponent aint nuthin but a thang. Lawrence kept an even keel throughout the contest and knew when to distribute and when to take his own shot. When he did shoot, he showed tremendous accuracy by going 4-5 from three and finishing with 18 points in 20 minutes.

3) Wiedeman had a rough, rough game

-The Hulk just wasn't himself yesterday. Trent was called for some borderline travel and foul calls early in the game and was visibly frustrated. To add injury to insult, he also took a nasty spill after a flagrant foul in the back. The big man hit his side hard on the floor and was wincing on the ground for a few seconds before getting up. After the injury, he continued to struggle offensively. One thing Trent is going to have to adjust to this year is the double teams against him. Having Jeremy and a number of outside shooters around him last year opened up space for Wiedeman to operate. Now he'll have to refine his post moves and learn to use his new bulk to his advantage. Big Trent found other ways to contribute, he pulled down 6 rebounds and had 10 very scrappy points to go along with 4 fouls and 4 turnovers.

4) Baru definitely had some nervous jitters, but showed what he is capable of

-Adjehi's first offensive touch of the game resulted in a near-travel and an out-of-control turnover. We have to remember that for all the pressure and savior status we are putting on Adjehi, he's still just a kid. Like the other freshman, Baru needs time to learn the college game. Even throughout the course of the game, he seemed to settle in a little bit and calm down. Just play your game young fella. On the other hand, Baru's motor and rebounding dominance were definitely on display. He had a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds (6 offensive) and ran the floor very well. Great start to his career.

5) Wiggins looks less like Wiggins

-We go from freshman to senior. Antwaine Wiggins had a pretty good game. His defense on Stabler wasn't the best we've seen from him, but good ol' Twan was looking silky smooth on offense. He seems to be driving to the basket a little bit more before thinking about shooting the trey. If not for some so-so free throw shooting ("Come on Antwaine!" yelled Cremins), A-Wiggy probably could have eclipsed his 19 points.

6) Carlton has the potential to be a very serviceable big off the bench

- Note that I said potential. James had 7 rebounds off the bench yesterday. However, he needs to show me some signs of an offensive game. He's so athletic that he can rely on getting his points in transition, but a solid post game would really keep defenses honest when Wiedeman or Baru is out. Word is he worked real hard on his jumper this summer. It wasn't there today, so the jury is still out til next week. 

7) Stitt has fast feet

-A lot was thrown at young Anthony Stitt this week. He had to adjust from high school to the college game, learn a new offense and perform well enough to earn himself some playing time. In my mind, he did really well. In his relief of Lawrence, Stitt ran the point well, had a nice give-and-go layup and showed great potential on defense. He's just so quick on his toes that his man has a tough time getting around him. His full-court pressure was also impressive.

8) Nori will find ways to contribute

-The 2/3 sophomore Cougar didn't wow anybody with his stat line, but he's an intelligent player who is confident in his abilities. He plays solid defense at the small-forward position and isn't afraid to drive to the basket or shoot from outside.

9) Cremins was vocal

-Probably the most in-game shouting I've heard from BC in a while. He was constantly dishing out orders to the players. Its easy to lose sight of how much Cremins lost with 4 starters gone. Whole new set of players he needs to teach the nuances of his game plan to.

10) Goudelock makes a pretty damn good color commentator

-With the lockout continuing and no roster spot at CofC, Andrew Goudelock stopped in to do some commentating for the CofCSports.com broadcast of the game. I thought he did a surprisingly good job. He was also more biased than Lou Holtz or John Kresse; coaching the CofC players on the court and cheerleading strong play by his fellow Cougars.

Highlights 

Post-game from Coach and Jordan Scott

Exhibition Game 1: Queens

First look at the 2011-2012 Cougars kicks of at TD Arena in approximately 2 hours against Queens University of Charlotte. Don't know much about the Royals other than they are senior-laden and a top tier DII team. Summary and premature, small sample analysis to come tomorrow. Lets get it poppin' Charleston! Go Cougars!

Coaches Preview Front/Backcourt

Assistant Coaches Dupree and Byington were interviewed by cofcsports to preview each individual going into the season. Byington provided criticism of the backcourt and Dupree previewed the frontcourt players. 

ANDREW LAWRENCE
"The biggest thing we've noticed this year is he's being much more aggressive. Last year, he was a bit more passive and let Donavan Monroe or Drew Goudelock play their game. This year, when he looks around, he knows it's his team. He's much more aggressive, and it's in a lot of different areas. He's always been our best passer on the team. This year, he's going to show people he's capable of scoring the ball in different ways, too."
MATT SUNDBERG
"Matt is currently dealing with injuries. He's had problems with his knees, arches and ankles. But, the one thing Matt has done is he's shown us he can make shots in games. It's a quality not everybody can do. Matt had a game-winner when we beat Eastern Kentucky on the road in a postseason tournament. There were other games where he made three or four three-pointers in a game. Matt will be kind of a hybrid player for us. Sometimes he will play the small forward, sometimes he'll play the four spot and just kind of change things up for us. He is like our curve ball, where we can put him in and help us stretch the defense."
BART BENTON
"I think on every good team, and every team that has great chemistry, they have a player like Bart on it. Our players are all very tight with him. He is one of the most popular guys on our team. He's one of the guys who always has energy and is always ready to practice. He's always ready to do whatever we ask him to do. If it's to go box-out Trent (Wiedeman) for five minutes, he has to do it. If it's to go pass the ball for five minutes, he'll do it. Bart never complains. He is the ultimate teammate and we are very fortunate to have him on our team."
NORI JOHNSON
"Nori has definitely improved from his freshman to his sophomore year. He's more comfortable out there. He understands our concepts more and what's expected of him. The one thing we can say about Nori is he has definitely gotten better. He's shooting the ball better, he's one of our better defenders and he's athletic. If Nori can keep improving, then he's going to have an impact on this team."
JORDAN SCOTT
"Jordan is the most athletic guy on our team and he has every skill possible. Jordan can dribble, he can shoot, he can jump and he has a lot of tremendous basketball skills. Jordan's thing is he has to get comfortable and learn the game. He's definitely improved from his freshman year. We need him to keep developing and to keep getting better. He's worked hard and is going to have a big role on this team this year."
PAT BRANIN
"Pat's done a good job. One thing Pat is learning right now is the speed of the game is so much different between high school and college. Pat's a good shooter. He's been working hard and is probably our hardest worker on the team. He spends many hours on his own shooting and working on his game. He has tremendous work ethic, and once his body catches up and he starts understanding the speed of the game, his best basketball is ahead of him."
TREVONTÉ DIXON
"TD is physically, besides Andrew Lawrence, the strongest guy on our team. For a freshman, that's unusual. He's got great strength and a strong body. TD is going through the same transition as the rest of the freshmen which is the speed of the game right now. He's trying to catch up with it. He's learning and is very bright. He picks things up as quickly as anybody. We are going to play him at a couple of different positions. We'll play him at the two, the shooting guard and small forward, because of his strength. He's definitely going to have an impact on this team and play a lot."
ANTHONY STITT
"Anthony's been one of the surprises for us as far as his knowledge of the game and how fast he's picking things up. We almost thought Anthony might be a year away when we recruited him, but we know that he's the quickest guy on the team. He's fast. He can really change speeds well. He can dribble the ball well, but what he's shown us is that he's very tough and he competes. He picks up concepts very quickly. We have to find ways to get Anthony on the floor, because he's obviously going to be our back-up point guard behind Andrew Lawrence. He's done enough to prove to us that we're going to give him more minutes."

Frontcourt after the break

Baru: "I'm so happy here"

Nice article from Diamond Leung of ESPN about AB's history and his recruiting process.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7146945/top-recruit-adjehi-baru-finds-new-home-fresh-start-charleston-college-basketball

Some highlights:

• Because Adjehi was so unfamiliar with college basketball, he never gave priority to teams like UNC, Maryland and Virginia Tech. As Tim Branin said, "he didn't have that feeling 'I've gotta be a Tar Heel.' He based his feelings on the environment and the coach.
• Baru said he would've signed with CofC even if Pat couldn't follow him there
• Adjehi's words: "I love Charleston. I love the city. I love the weather. Everybody is nice here. I love the coaching staff and Coach Cremins. I'm so happy here."

Baru Cleared by NCAA

According to reports from earlier this afternoon, Adjehi Baru has been ruled to play immediately and received all four years of eligibility from the NCAA Clearinghouse. 

This is fantastic news for the Cougars as the Willis Hall injury was already limiting our front line. With Baru in the lineup, the front court rotation of him, Wiedeman, Wiggins and Carlton should be one of the best in the conference. Even as he experiences his freshman learning curve, Adjehi's defensive presence alone will help the Cougs dominate the paint.  

Baru has already been named the preseason Socon Newcomer of the Year.

• Video response by Cremins (via Live5 News)

Examining the Starting Lineup Part 1

With the news of Willis' season-ending ACL tear, I figured there was no time like the present to start talking about the completely revamped 2011-2012 roster. Practice doesn't begin in earnest until Friday, so this discussion will be constantly shifting and shuffling as the coaching staff begins to sort out who will play where.

The biggest question mark as of right now is the status of Baru. He has been cleared academically, but is still waiting for the NCAA to clear him to play this season (this is because Adjehi's first stateside high school was less than reputable). Because we don't know for sure whether or not Baru will suit up; I have come up with two scenarios. Listed first at each position is the starter, followed by his primary reserve off the bench.

The first is WITH Baru in the lineup <salivates...>

1. Lawrence, Stitt

• Experience, well-rounded, future Olympic participant. Lawrence is pretty much a lock for the starting position but there won't be much lost if Stitt is as advertised

2. Scott, Dixon

• The replacement for Drew Goudelock. This is a tough one to call and a lot will depend on practices, but I think Scott's edge in playing time will grant him the starting job.

3. Wiggins, Sundberg

• The return of Sunshine! Hope to see more consistent shooting and drives to the basket from 'Twaine to go allow with the stellar D.

4. Wiedeman, Carlton

• Trent should continue his development and be a force in the Socon. Word is that James Carlton has improved dramatically and the team is gonna need it without Willis.

5. Baru

• Fingers crossed

Willis Hall Out for the Season

Swag

Amid uncertainty at the shooting guard and center positions, the Cougars were dealt another blow on Friday when Willis Hall suffered a torn ACL. He will not play this season.

The injury becomes the third season-ending loss to the Cougar team following Jeremy's blood clot late last season and Antwaine's identical injury prior to the 09-10 season. Not only does Hall's loss leave our front line awfully thin (Sundberg offering relief at center? Yikes), but it also robs this young Cougars team of an experienced veteran presence. With the loss of strong senior leadership from Drew, Jeremy and Donovan, the young guns will be looking to guys like Wiggins, Lawrence and even Wiedeman in times of unrest. Willis brought tenacity and hustle every time he got on the floor and will have to try and instill that mentality on the rest of the team while wearing a suit and riding the pine.