Here it is, my Green and White Scrimmage Recap. Only a week late.
First off, I missed an oppurtunity to promote this site. They don't have programs there, so lots of people were wondering who all the new guys were. While that did give me the oppurtunity to meet lots of nice GB season ticket holders as I explained who was who much of the day, next time I'll have to print off a bunch of rosters, but add "visit
phearthephoenix.proboards.com" , and hand them out.
On to the action. Last year we heard coach Wardle yell "we gotta talk out there!" a million times through the 1st ten games. Not Saturday. The team was loud and communicating well, lead by Turner and Heuer. Everything the team did was at a very fast pace. It reminded me of a Mike McCarthy practice. Tempo is a key word for the Packers coach, and it looks like Wardle is buying into that approach
Defense was on full display, this group is long and quick. They overplayed the passing lanes, and a bunch of different players blocked shots. The only scores inside were dunks.
The best player on the day was Jarvis Williams. He has gained considerable muscle, and has really smoothed out his offensive game. He knows what he wants to do when he gets the ball, and there's little the D can do to stop it. He just gets too much elevation on his jumper for any SF in this conference to contend his shot.
The highest scorer on the day was Aaron Armstead. He doesn't excell at any one area, but he just has such a deep combination of skills, length, ability, and IQ. He knocked down 3s, scored on runners, in transition, and set up teammates for scores. He was extremely aggressive with the ball in his hands, but drew the ire of his coaches for being passive without the ball. Will need to increase strength before he becomes a bigtime player. Reminds me of a smoother version of Geoff McCammon.
The player who stood ot to me the most was Kiefer Sykes. I just didn't anticipate him being this gifted. He has a short build with a low center of gravity and excellent arm length. He is much stronger than he was in HS. Explosive with excellent defensive quickness, and is really hard-nosed, in-your-face on that end of the court. He had a few steals, and immediately attacked in transition. Offensively, he doesn't walk the ball up the court ala Bre Perine, he takes care of the ball (only 1 turnover in the scrimmage against an overplaying defense), and sets up his teammates for scores. Effervescent team leader. I didn't expect him to challenge Terry Johnson for the stating PG job, but now I'll be surprised if he doesn't start.
Terry Johnson had his moments too, but was really dogged by Sykes. Johnson scored on a driving lay-up on the 1st poscesion another defender was on him. He also hit a couple of shots from long range, and had 2 steals defensively. Looks to score more than Sykes, and could also fit at the 2 position.
Steve Baker continued to be efficient from the arc. He made 43% last year, and hit 3-3 Saturday IIRC. Drove and dished to Greg Mays for a monster dunk. Baker was in control on a day a few of the freshman and sophomores got out of control.
Alec Brown didn't dominate the scrimmage like I thought he might, but much of that credit needs to go to Cougill. Brown has added strength, but still is extremely lean. He running and moving well. Missed the few outside shot attepts he had, but still scored some in mid-range. He was active on the glass, and went much higher than everyone else to corral some boards. He blocked a lefty hook from Cougill.
The player everyone wanted to know about was Brennan Cougill. It looks like he slimmed down some already, but he still runs like a duck. Despite that he has quick feet in short areas, and has great insctints. Plays with great energy. Makes subtle plays, understands positioning. Won't be bullied. Could challenge Turner for starting spot.
Turner has gotten stronger and continues to play with great energy. Vocal team leader. Didn't shoot from long range, but did hit from mid-range, and finished around the hoop, a problem area for him last year.
Clayton Heuer was 2nd most surprising player for me. Vocal and confident. Knocked down jumpers, including 3s. Is thicker, but still need to unleash his inner recklessness. Was part of the starting 10, and looks like the 2nd big off the bench.
Greg Mays was leaner than I expected. Plays with energy, but is raw. The one skill he has that he excells at is moving into the open area along side of dribble penetration, then catches and dunks drop off passes. Seems simple, but so many bigs stand and watch instead of creating a passing lane. He had a couple of monster dunks.
Josh Humphrey has added muscle, and can really see the floor. However, he takes too many chances with the ball, and had numerous turnovers. Could earn a role down the road as a shut down defender off the bench if he learns to play more conservatively offensively. Jumper needs work.
Kam Cerroni knocked down some 3s, and really has a quick release. One 3 from the corner barely touched his hand. He seems to be trying to diversify his game by attacking the basket. He drew a foul once, and got his shot blocked once. Had a surprising number of turnovers for a player with his BB IQ. His lack of speed is a real issue. He was abused when defending Williams, though he'd likely never see a match-up like that in a real game. Doesn't jump well enough to help on the glass, and won't be able to keep up to quick penetrating SGs.
Eric Valentine is still really short, but is fun to watch. He looks like a future coach.
Jared Dimakos didn't get much PT, but did have one beautiful pass to AB for a dunk that really got Wardle excited.
I didn't see as many recruits there like last year, but one possible future target that was in house was Pulaski's Cody Wichman. He is a regular at Phoenix games. He has a few D1 offers from lesser programs (Texas-Pan Am and UW-M
), but no Nix offer to date. He has grown a few inches from when I seen him play at sectionals last year. I like the way he plays. Smooth lefty with perimeter skills, and is now about 6'5".