5 Things We Learned from an Exhibition Win Over Emory

Final Score: College of Charleston 78, Emory 68

Top Performers:

Joe Chealey 23 points (6-10 3FG), 4 rebs, 3 assts, 2 stls

Alex Foster 27 pts, 9 rebs, 2 stls

Earl Grant made his unofficial debut as the Cougar's head ball coach Saturday afternoon. After some hot shooting by DIII Emory, the Cougars pulled away (leading by as many as 18 in the 2nd half) and cruised to a 10 point exhibition victory .

After the game, Grant said he intentionally did not have his guys run any set plays. The Cougs had free reign on offense and played pretty basic defense. The focus on this game, according to Grant, was to "play the right way" and make sure everyone on the roster saw some playing time.

Here are a few hot takes and other assorted knee jerk reactions from what is essentially a glorified scrimmage:

1) Joe Chealy is healthy and looking to build off last year

A knee injury just before the CAA Tournament cut short what was a strong freshman year for Joe Chealey. He was a starter from Game 1 of his college career and showed flashes of being a CAA-caliber lead guard with two game-winning plays against UNC Charlotte and a few high assist numbers sprinkled into the season. With more freedom to shoot and run, Chealey had 11 of the Cougs first 20 points and nailed back-to-back threes when Emory went on a little run in the 2nd half. He shot 8-13 from the field including a 6-10 mark from deep. He already has the size and speed to get to the rim, if he can become a more consistent shooter as a sophomore he's due for a big season.

2) The freshmen should be able to contribute early 

Even though they were not his recruits, Coach Grant has been very complimentary of the freshmen during practice. Guard Cameron Johnson got postgame media honors after playing 21 minutes off the bench, scoring 8 points on six shots and grabbing 6 boards. He's a big, stocky combo guard who brings toughness and defense off the bench, but his shooting stroke from behind the arc (2 for 3) and his ability to grab rebounds against other guards was a nice plus. 

Donovan Gilmore, the super athletic forward, has been billed as "raw" but was the most efficient Cougar on the floor. In just 15 minutes of play he had six points without missing on any of his three field goal attempts. He even had a nice slam off a Joe Chealey pocket pass. Gilmore also pulled down 7 rebounds in his time on the court, one shy of leading the team.

3) The Cougars can still be efficient shooters without running down the shot clock

I'm all for efficient offense, but last year the Cougars would hurt themselves more than help whenever they ran the clock all the way down to look for a more open shot. Wojcik was adamant it would make decent shooters into great shooters because you're manufacturing open looks, but all too often players were scared to shoot for fear of being reamed out by CDW on the sideline. What Stitt, Chealey and Barry showed against Emory was that they are just as efficient shooting off a ball screen or dribble as they are waiting for the ball to get kicked to them out of the post. 

So now instead of churning down clock, the Cougars are getting way more opportunities per minute and knocking them down at the same clip. That means more points on the board, less pressure on the defense and fans staying awake in the stands.

4) The jury is still out on Baru

I was hoping to see Baru come out and dominate this game but it didn't quite happen. He did lead the Cougars with 8 boards, but against such an undersized lower division team I wish he had put up a little more offense. He missed a dunk, which happened all too often last year, and only attempted 4 shots. Since coming in as a freshman, Baru seems to only occasionally realize he is the most athletically gifted player in nearly every game. Now a senior, this is the time to play with an attitude on offense and defense and trust the skill set he has refined over the years to complement his physical tools. 

5) There are still some little issues that need tightening

Free throws and turnovers. Those are things you can get away with slipping up on during an exhibition game but could cost you in the regular season. The Cougars earned their "#CardiacCougars" nickname last year because they could not close out games by making free throws and maintaining possession. I can somewhat look past the turnovers because the team was not running plays and is integrating lots of new players. But none of the starters had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. 

Free throws will also need to improve, especially from the guards. Joe Chealey and Adjehi Baru were both 1-3. The team as a whole barely shot 60% despite going to the line 23 times. Hopefully it was just season-opening nerves.

The Cougars have another week to work on these issues and improve upon their performance in exhibition play before taking on Furman in the season opener on Nov. 14.