gbphoenix - I can't wait to hear your game summary and will definitely enjoy it more if they lose.
I did go to the uwm game on Friday night. It is hard to say for sure what uwm has exactly because Mary was really bad. They were small, less athletic and really couldn't shoot. Side note, Logan Flora was one of their coaches.
I like the games being in the KC on campus. It's not a nice venue but 2100 people looks full, everyone is close to the court and any amount of noise creates a buzz. Could be a tough place to play if uwm is any good.
My thoughts on some of the players.
Bobo is a pretty good shooter and ball handler, he also seems like a black hole. Looks like a solid HL guard but not a guy who is so studly he can't be stopped.
Jordan Aaron is little. He is quick but again not quicker than other HL guards. He had some turnovers but also showed off a nice shooting touch.
Evan Richard has regressed. Well based on this one game he has. He really didn't do anything of note. Last year he looked like a guy who had some game but needed to let the game slow down. This game he looked like a guy who has had the game pass him by. In the past comparisons to Kam Cerroni have been made because they are in the same class. He has a long way to go to be close to Kam.
Harris is an outrageous athlete. He can do things for his position that other HL guys can't. I didn't see that coming. However, he can't shoot a lick and also seems to take plays off or at least be confused by the concepts of organized team basketball. Jeter has transformed some of these guys in the past, Harris could make an impact if he gets his head out of his rear end.
Kelm is a really good shooter. When he is set up the shot is going down. He isn't super physical but he isn't a wuss when he gets contact. If you like perimeter bigs you will be a fan. In GB terms he seems like a Mike Schachtner type player.
Panoske plays like a spaz. Good size and good athlete. Comparisons last year to Alec Brown are laughable. Comparisons to Greg Mays are better. For being the biggest guy on the court he didn't make an impression.
I like Austin Arians. I was expecting a much lower level player. Good form on his jumper and he had good size. He wasn't a great athlete so he might struggle on defense and he has to work on his other ball skills etc. but he could be a nice player for uwm by the time he is done.
Chrisitian Wolf and Ryan Haggerty must be the kind of guys who contribute in ways that don't show up in the box score. First off its hard to tell some of these guys apart (can uwm have any more 6'7" plus white guys with short light hair? I count 6.) but I didn't really notice them one way or another. For bench type players that is probably not a terrible thing.
Haarsma didn't stand out but that guy does what he does, he will find ways to contribute in most games.
Two other things I noticed. After the game the uwm team went all the way around the court and gave high 5's to all the fans seated on the court. They also stood at the exit to greet fans and say thank you for coming (Gulley said to my buddy he will be back in two weeks). Nice touch. When I was walking out that is when I noticed the size of some of those guys. They have done some work in the weight room, several of their guys were much wider/stronger than anyone GB has.
My bottom line is I didn't see anything to make me think uwm is better than predicted. I didn't see anything that made me think they are worse than predicted. I see a team good enough to contend and keep most HL teams close but I would be surprised if they were in the NCAA/NIT conversation at the end of the year.
Unrelated to these notes but Steve McWhorter was at the GB game on Saturday.