Mount Saint Mary's Observations

[GGGG]

But yes, your point is well taken, and certainly more likely of a scenario than I proposed - but I would not be surprised to see a solid 9-10 man rotation...with even the 9 and 10 guys getting 10-15 minutes of run..

I want to see a little more out of Mayo and D. Wilson before I believe that they will get major minutes this year.  Not to mention Anderson.

[NersEllenson]

I want to see a little more out of Mayo and D. Wilson before I believe that they will get major minutes this year.  Not to mention Anderson.

Sure...makes sense.  I was pleasantly surprised by D Wilson - though he looked solid with the ball, solid decision making, real nice pass to Gardner late in the game.  Mayo, to me, just has the "look" of being a very good player - he's very fluid, smooth.  Missed a few shots last night, but I might attribute some of that to first game jitters.

As I thought about the roster, it just doesn't seem that there is going to be much of a drop off between a first team/second team:

Junior vs. Derrick (advantage Junior - his jumper looked better last night than all of last season)
DJO vs. Mayo (okay, there is a likely major disparity)
Vander vs. Jamail Jones (really liked what I saw out of both of those guys last night)
Crowder vs Jamil Wilson (advantage Jae, but Jamil certainly has all the tools)
Otule vs. Gardner (slight advantage to Otule, but really not much of a drop off going to DG)

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

D. Wilson will be our best point guard by the end of the year. I already like him more than Blue or Junior. There's no nonsense to him.

[Skatastrophy]

Crowder vs Jamil Wilson (advantage Jae, but Jamil certainly has all the tools)

Jamil Wilson is so athletic, but I was surprised how he didn't step up.  He didn't seem to be very aggressive I guess?  Crowder didn't look great all game either, jacking up all of those 3s.  His game would be much better if he played within 15ft of the hoop

[MarquetteDano]

Jamil Wilson is so athletic, but I was surprised how he didn't step up.  He didn't seem to be very aggressive I guess?  Crowder didn't look great all game either, jacking up all of those 3s.  His game would be much better if he played within 15ft of the hoop

I have disagree on Crowder.  Jae is the classic guy who takes what the defense gives him.  If you let him wide open from three, he is going to take it.  If you give him an opening underneath, he will take that too.  Last night they left him open from three so he took them.  He was 3 for 3 from two (100%) and 2 for 6 from three (which translates to 50% from two).

He was one of the most efficient offensive players for us last year (I believe second to Gardner).  I see no reason why this wouldn't continue.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

D. Wilson will be our best point guard by the end of the year. I already like him more than Blue or Junior. There's no nonsense to him.

Junior had 10 assists last night and you already like the back-up more?

[MUCrew]

Junior had 10 assists last night and you already like the back-up more?

Defensively, I like personally liked Wilson last night.  Put a lot of fullcourt pressure on #12 last night forcing him to do a lot of dumb things.  Very quick at changing direction and staying with his man.

I thought Junior looked a lot more refined from the field with his jumper.  The 2 that stuck out were 2 pullups off the dribble at the FT line and at the top of the key.  He did attack the rim, which was awesome to see.  Real nice way for getting the defense to help out and having Junior kick or dish.  There were a few times where I noticed he was looking pass-first, when the simple play was a layup. 

That said, I take it all with a grain of salt.  It was Mt. St. Mary's.  It's the first game.  We destroyed them. 

[NersEllenson]

Jamil Wilson is so athletic, but I was surprised how he didn't step up.  He didn't seem to be very aggressive I guess?  

Agree to an extent - yet I also feel Jamil is a very selfless player, who is going to let the game come to him - and not force things, just for the sake of forcing things.  Some of it is opportunity, with regard to when/where he caught the ball.  In last nights game, the offense was working so well in transition, Vander was getting his, Gardner was getting his when not in transition and Jamail Jones putting up a lot of shots  - all these guys were on the floor with Jamil Wilson - so just didn't seem to be a lot of shots for him.  Jamil did rebound/hustle/scrap on the boards - so not too worried.  Think his game might shine more, once the competition stiffens..

[Dr. Blackheart]

Junior had a special assist game.  If he played 40, he would have had 17 assists.  He did not have a great 1st half shooting, but turned it around in the 2nd. D Wilson looked good on defense, but was so nervous on offense. His first free throw was wicked, but he did have 4 assists in 16 ticks.

Jamil was not in the flow offensively, he took only two shots and had 3 TO's. However, he led the team in rebounding %, and had 5 in 17 minutes.  MU needs him in the flow--and really needs his points.  First "live" game in a year though.

Mayo was out there chucking, working hard on defense but getting exposed on picks. Typical first game, but he showed flashes. 

Juice looked strong, but was launching too early in possessions.  Was very encouraged with his overall play, though, showing toughness. 

Looks like Buzz will be pressing more.  Still to see, what does MU's defense look like against a quality opponent in the half court?  MU has the quicks, that is for sure with all the steals and TO's (btw, after that bludgeoning last night, Pomeroy has MU #1 in steal % and in forcing TO's).  Our first real test will be against Ole Miss.

Very good crowd I thought.  Students were into it.

[79Warrior]

I am sorry but I just don't see how blue got his 5 star status. With less PT, Jones looks better and just more comfortable. Blue is still disappointing.

I thought he played fine. He was very actively on defense. I liked him taking the ball to the rim. Overall, a pretty good first game.

[Ari Gold]

I really found the game tough to judge. MSM turned the ball over so much and was so bad (29 turnovers and shot 29%), I struggled to get a sense of how strong MU was but I was really impressed by the whole team. I thought Blue played better in this game than he did at any point last year.  I loved the 5 man rotation and the fact that we could run 10 deep. I'm not sure how long that'll keep up, but the longer we can the better.  3 Point shooting left something to be desired, which surprised me a lot considering how big a part of our game this is.

[Clam Crowder]

Derrick did look great, his defense was great. He also made some nice passes, but those two free throw attempts show that his jumper will be a work in progress just like Van's.  I wanted to see more out of Jamil. He was by far the biggest disappointment to me, had three turnovers in the game. You saw the athleticism on some of those rebounds, but offensively he was not as polished as I had imagined he would be. Jae, DJO, Junior, and Otule...clearly the best looking out there. Jamail was a pleasant surprise but some of his shots were idiotic, Vander was a surprise as well. I really wanted to see Juan play, but unfortunately he made a moronic decision that got him suspended. In the end Todd, and Jamil were the ones that really left me disappointed.

 

[PGsHeroes32]

Dwill had a couple of really nice passes early in the game for 3 points but Jones and Mayo just happend to miss them. Jamail was impressive with his aggressiveness and we know his 3 shot will fall. Mayo missed a lot and some of them were pretty poor but he does like someone else said have the look of a really fine player in the future.

[4everwarriors]

Sure we weren't playin' Mount Mary?

[Dr. Blackheart]

Sure we weren't playin' Mount Mary?

No...they are on with the Badgers right now.  MU's grade school team > Bo's. 

[Brewtown Andy]

One thing I noticed is that Blue is not a fan favorite among the students, especially the girls.

Elaborate? Can anyone else corroborate this?

[Clam Crowder]

I sit in the student section, and i'm pretty sure the "blue" chant was as strong as ever last night...

[Skatastrophy]

I sit in the student section, and i'm pretty sure the "blue" chant was as strong as ever last night...

Yep, and he got some of the most noise when announced as a starter.

[Stretchdeltsig]

It was great to finally watch Marquette play basketball after a long off-season.  I was impressed with the talent and the depth of the team.  I enjoyed watching Jones - who looked a little like Oscar Robertson with the flat top.  He looks very smooth and very talented.  It was good to see him play more aggressively.  He has all the tools to be a great player.  I watched Jamil Wilson and he looked very good.  He played, maybe a bit too unselfishly.  Would like to see him go the basket more.  Didn't really see his offensive game.  Derrick Wilson looked solid.  Can't wait to watch tonight's game.  GO MARQUETTE!

[MerrittsMustache]

Elaborate? Can anyone else corroborate this?

Just a new poster trying to stir up trouble.

[MerrittsMustache]

Jamil was not in the flow offensively, he took only two shots and had 3 TO's. However, he led the team in rebounding %, and had 5 in 17 minutes.  MU needs him in the flow--and really needs his points.  First "live" game in a year though.

Jamil's first game reminded me of the 08-09 version Jimmy Butler. He had some nice plays and you could see his potential and athleticism but he generally deferred to the vets on the offensive end. He'll come around before too long.