[Cracked Sidewalks] Milwaukee Pro-Am: First Impressions

[CrackedSidewalksSays]

Milwaukee Pro-Am: First Impressions

Written by: noreply@blogger.com (Alan Bykowski)

It was great getting out to Jim Ganzer's Milwaukee Pro-Am at Greenfield High School last night. I really think this event has the potential to become one of those hallmarks of the season that we all look forward to, just like Marquette Madness or Buzz's BBQ. It was great to finaly get a chance to see some of these guys playing, to see how they look in the midst of the offseason, and what the new guys have to offer. I primarily looked at Marquette guys, and here are some thoughts.

Junior Cadougan: Last year's Pro-Am MVP looked better yesterday than he did when I saw him at Homestead a year ago. Cadougan showed range out to three, and was fairly consistent both hitting jumpers and when he would drive to the hole. His court-vision was spectacular as well. He was comfortable and confident on the ball. Junior punctuated his day with a beautiful steal, drive, and dunk that brought cheers from the crowd. Easily the best player I watched.

Chris Otule: Honestly, I was a bit disappointed with him. Last year he was much more of an offensive player in the games I saw, but he contributed little on the offensive end outside of a few put-backs. He altered some shots but wasn't the defensive presence I expected, though it is the Pro-Am. Hopefully CO will show more in the coming weeks.

Jake Thomas: The South Dakota transfer has incredible range. At one point, he hit a three that was from about the same range as the three Steve Novak hit against UConn. Thomas was probably the hardest-working guy I watched. I realize he's a walk-on, but I think he will be a great practice body this year, and he can hit the open three. He's a D1 player.

Juan Anderson: The first thing that struck me is that Anderson is taller than advertised. Looking at him next to Keaton Nankivil and Otule, I'd say he's 6'8". He's also very athletic and is one of the most creative passers I've ever seen. Anyone who has seen his highlights has watched some of the incredible dishes he hands off. He had a few like that on Friday. However, he will need to add 15-20 pounds of muscle before he becomes a major contributor.

Vander Blue: Probably the most disappointing guy I watched. While he did hit a three, he still had a bit of a hitch in his shot and missed more than he made. He was running the point and did have a good chemistry with Jamail Jones, but I still want to see more out of him.

Jamail Jones: Wow, what a shooter. Jones was hitting everything outside. At one point he made four threes in five trips, and while I didn't watch all of his game, it was clear that he is a very good shooter. Even more impressive was his muscular physique. In the shoulders, Jones is now wider than Davante Gardner. He's freakishly chiseled.

Davante Gardner: First of all, his body transformation is incredible. He is much thinner than he was last year, and it's made a huge difference. Last year at the Pro-Am, Gardner struggled to get up and down the court at times, this year he seemed to have a near-endless motor. He was quick to the ball, managed to get some steals, and was even getting out in front on the fast break. He also showed off his range, making a few threes. The only negative is that he spent too much time ranging out to the perimeter on both ends of the court. But with his new physique, his improved stamina, and his ability to be an offensive threat both inside and out, Buzz won't be able to keep him off the floor. He looked very good.

Jamil Wilson: Wilson just looks like a player. He's really long and athletic. He is a pretty good outside shooter, can defend inside and out, but I didn't see much post-up game from him. He's often going to be a physical mismatch inside and could really use some post moves.

Other Thoughts:

• Dwight Buycks is killing it as he likely pursues a European contract. He's averaged 44.5 ppg over the first weekend of the tourney. This kind of event is perfect for a guy like him to showcase his skills, and I wish him luck in his pursuit of playing pro ball.
• While he's not playing, DJO is at the Pro-Am. Like many, he was walking between the gyms to watch his teammates. Glad to see him leading from the sidelines.
  
• The best non-Marquette guy I watched was undoubtedly Miles McKay of Whitewater. How on earth is he not a D1 player? He scored every way possible and had 27 in the first half alone.
  
• Finally, I spoke to Buzz Williams for about 5 minutes on the way out. Not surprisingly I asked him about the schedule for next year. He said that the problem with last year's schedule was that the high end was really high and the low end was too low. Next year, the high end is still high, but the low end has come up, maybe a bit too much. It's clear Buzz won't be taking any of their opponents lightly.

Well, that's it for my night at the Pro-Am. I'll try to get back over the next few weeks and bring some more thoughts. And another thanks to Jim Ganzer for putting this on. It's tremendous fun for the fans and players, and I heavily encourage anyone in the Milwaukee area to get out there if they have the chance.

http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2011/07/milwaukee-pro-am-first-impressions.html

[AZWarrior]

Thanks very much for the report!

[77ncaachamps]

Appreciate the time you took to write the report! Thanks! 

[nyg]

Nice job.  Sounds like Buycks should be playing with the And 1 Streetball Team. 

[GGGG]

Myles McKay is a couple of years out of UW-Whitewater.  I think he was a senior in 08-09.

[brewcity77]

Myles McKay is a couple of years out of UW-Whitewater.  I think he was a senior in 08-09.

Thanks for that, Sultan

McKay is really, really good. In that first half I watched, it seemed every other trip down the court ended with "3-pointer, McKay" or "Basket, Myles McKay". Very impressive young man on the basketball court. Can shoot, drive, and was playing very smart off the ball as well.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Myles McKay is a couple of years out of UW-Whitewater.  I think he was a senior in 08-09.

And he was D1 originally at UWM, but he burned his red shirt freshman year so thus the transfer jump to Whitewater.

[GGGG]

One question to those that were there...does it look as though that CO and Ox could play together?  If so, Ox may end up being a backup forward as well as a post.  Could he handle that defensively?

[marqfan22]

great recap. Thank you.

How come DJO isn't playing? any way you show a picture of davante gardner?

[muball]

I was there and I really dont see Chris and Davante on the court together unless it is a special situation like inbounds defense or offense play.  Not enough foot speed when both are on the floor, offensively and defensively.

[GGGG]

I was there and I really dont see Chris and Davante on the court together unless it is a special situation like inbounds defense or offense play.  Not enough foot speed when both are on the floor, offensively and defensively.

Yeah, that was my concern....thanks.

[bilsu]

I was there and I really dont see Chris and Davante on the court together unless it is a special situation like inbounds defense or offense play.  Not enough foot speed when both are on the floor, offensively and defensively.

I think Gardner can be back up at both power spots. However, for that to happen Otule needs to be able to play 25 minutes a game. Otule 25 minutes at center and Crowder 25 minutes at power forward.
would leave 25 minutes for Gardner and 5 for others. When Otule and Gardner are in at the same time, MU would probably play zone. I have not seen anybody else comment on it, but Otule is hugh through the shoulders. I believe he also has been hitting the weights hard.

[Mr. Nielsen]

great recap. Thank you.

How come DJO isn't playing? any way you show a picture of davante gardner?

DJO will be playing in skills camps and he is going home to see his dad.

[marqfan22]

thanks mupanther

[PGsHeroes32]

The two guys I expected to be much improved and impress are so far. JJ will be a good player for us sooner than later, and OX just keeps getting closer and closer to becoming a beast.

[bamamarquettefan]

any way you show a picture of davante gardner?

I wish i were a picture taker, but let me at least say ...

Being originally from Virginia, I saw Davante after the UNC game in the hotel entrance and he still looked pretty pudgy.  I then got over just after the bar-b-q when passing through Milwaukee and walked right by him on the walk way and was in disbelief.  The fat just looked like it was gone.  I am starting to believe he is a beast this year already, but I tend to be on the optimistic side.

[Daniel]

Thanks - great stuff.  Excited about Gardner and hope that Blue gets it together on his shot - this summer is critical.  Can't wait to hear more!

[Dawson Rental]

I think Gardner can be back up at both power spots. However, for that to happen Otule needs to be able to play 25 minutes a game. Otule 25 minutes at center and Crowder 25 minutes at power forward.
would leave 25 minutes for Gardner and 5 for others. When Otule and Gardner are in at the same time, MU would probably play zone. I have not seen anybody else comment on it, but Otule is hugh through the shoulders. I believe he also has been hitting the weights hard.

It's great that Otule has bulked up, but what does it matter, if its not translating into improved play which seems to be the initial results according to the crackedsidewalks report.  I'm happy enough to be looking forward to the first MU season in a while where we should be able to have one legit big guy on the floor for most, if not all, of the game.  I don't see the need to try and get a twin towers thing going.  Especially when we've got Wilson, Jones, Anderson, and even Blue to give minutes to at forward.  With your plan MU would have the leftover 5 minutes and 40 minutes from the small forward spot to split between the four guys just mentioned which might not be enough.  Also, I think that I would rather have Crowder and Gardner plaiying closer to 30 minutes each.  Thus, unless Otule shows some more development, I think that his time should top out at 15 minutes.

[nycwarrior]

I'd say Otule's role is consistency.

He doesn't need to be flashy. He needs to provide us with a steady presence that shores up the backline and is competent enough that he can't be left along.

On O, he needs to be the hardest working guy on the court. Posting up and commanding attention on offense.

On D, he's gotta focus on keeping the bigs from getting where they wanna go and blocking a shot or two without fouling unneccessarily.

He must block out and get position rebounds. If he can rebound outside of his area, all the better.

Does he get 15 minutes or 20 minutes? Depends on the competition. Whether he's got a match-up he can exploit or whether they've got someone who's wearing him out and drawing fouls.

If we can get consistent 15-20 minutes there with the majority of the remainder going to Garnder and a minority going to smaller change-of-pace line-ups we'll be pretty interesting.

[muball]

Chris will see as many minutes as he can get depending on fouls etc. Two headed Davante and Chris should make other teams respect the post.

[bilsu]

It's great that Otule has bulked up, but what does it matter, if its not translating into improved play which seems to be the initial results according to the crackedsidewalks report.  I'm happy enough to be looking forward to the first MU season in a while where we should be able to have one legit big guy on the floor for most, if not all, of the game.  I don't see the need to try and get a twin towers thing going.  Especially when we've got Wilson, Jones, Anderson, and even Blue to give minutes to at forward.  With your plan MU would have the leftover 5 minutes and 40 minutes from the small forward spot to split between the four guys just mentioned which might not be enough.  Also, I think that I would rather have Crowder and Gardner playing closer to 30 minutes each.  Thus, unless Otule shows some more development, I think that his time should top out at 15 minutes.

I actually re watched the Big East tournament game between MU and West Virginia last night. It was a good contrast to watching the pro am last weekend. The intensity and physicality of the defense in a Big East tournament game is really something to appreciate. After watching that, there is no way Anderson is strong enough to play in a high level Big East game. Re watching that game got me really excited for this coming season. Both Gardner and Cadougan played extremely well. Blue also looked good, mainly because he did not shoot the ball. I also looked at Otule's minutes for the season. The first few games he was basically playing 10 to 11 minutes a game Late in the season he was playing substantially more minutes and even sometimes in the high 20's. His increased strength will result in holding better defensive position and better blocking out on rebounds and allow him to play consistently more minutes than last year. Remember Otule will most likely be matched up against the teams biggest and strongest player. The back up at small forward will be mainly Blue, if Mayo is ready to play the 2.

[ATL MU Warrior]

Otule is a space-eater.  He adds so much on the defensive end even if he's not directly guarding the man with the ball.  He's got the potential to change the other team's offense by taking away drives.  He makes it MUCH more difficult for the other team to score.  He boxes out well, even if he's not getting the rebound he's tying up the other teams big guys.  He should play as many minutes as his foul-situation allows, unless there is clearly no one on the other team he can guard man-to-man (small/quick slashing forward type). 

Unless Gardner's defense has improved with his apparent improvement in conditioning, he's a liability on that end of the floor even if he's more skilled offensively.

Ideally, they've both improved dramatically and both can play a substantial role.