Open practice observations

[Marcus92]

Defense
Saw some encouraging things in the two early defensive drills. Players seemed to be talking (Wojo said more than once this needs to improve) and moving well, whether trapping or getting back to their man.

Running the offense
Joseph, Markus and Kobe all had extended minutes at the point. Very impressed with Kobe: athletic, strong, aggressive yet in control. Easily the most intense player in practice (Sacar was right up there). Fans are really going to enjoy watching him. Looks like he has a nice shot, as well.

Joseph had some trouble at various points with ballhandling, but not to the extent that it makes me concerned. Don't recall him shooting from outside during the scrimmage, but his form looked pretty good during the earlier shootaround drills. Really liked his man-to-man defense. Plays close, gets chest-to-chest, and stays connected to keep in front of his man.

Didn't see a lot new or improved from Markus on the offensive end. Had a couple nice passes, one awful turnover, brilliant shooting as usual (even with one or two questionable shots). Guarded Kobe quite a bit during the scrimmage and did a decent job staying in front.

Shooters and slashers
Sacar was very aggressive going to the basket. Looks confident and strong. Didn't see much of his outside shot. Defense was excellent. Jamal had his moments on both ends, as well. It'll be interesting to watch the competition between the two. Brendan Bailey looks like a contributor. Impressive height and length. Deadeye shooter, especially from the corner. Confident in his shot, doesn't hesitate. Moves well, needs to get more comfortable in the defense but looked good overall.

The Hausers
Sam looked comfortable on the court. Joey is legit. Great shot, good handle (even brought the ball up the court a couple times during the scrimmage), always moving, will be a true inside-outside threat. Is he LittleSmooth? BiggerSmooth? Sam and Joey guarded one another for one stretch of the scrimmage, then played in the same lineup together in another. Having two Hausers on one team almost seems unfair.

Big guys
Ed is a stud. A very welcome addition. Defense, rebounding, toughness and depth shouldn't be a concern with this group. Still not sure how much we'll get offensively inside. Ed had a couple post-ups, established good position but didn't finish. Theo had a couple very nice pick and rolls for dunks during the scrimmage.

[Newsdreams]

Defense
Saw some encouraging things in the two early defensive drills. Players seemed to be talking (Wojo said more than once this needs to improve) and moving well, whether trapping or getting back to their man.

Running the offense
Joseph, Markus and Kobe all had extended minutes at the point. Very impressed with Kobe: athletic, strong, aggressive yet in control. Easily the most intense player in practice (Sacar was right up there). Fans are really going to enjoy watching him. Looks like he has a nice shot, as well.

Joseph had some trouble at various points with ballhandling, but not to the extent that it makes me concerned. Don't recall him shooting from outside during the scrimmage, but his form looked pretty good during the earlier shootaround drills. Really liked his man-to-man defense. Plays close, gets chest-to-chest, and stays connected to keep in front of his man.

Didn't see a lot new or improved from Markus on the offensive end. Had a couple nice passes, one awful turnover, brilliant shooting as usual (even with one or two questionable shots). Guarded Kobe quite a bit during the scrimmage and did a decent job staying in front.

Shooters and slashers
Sacar was very aggressive going to the basket. Looks confident and strong. Didn't see much of his outside shot. Defense was excellent. Jamal had his moments on both ends, as well. It'll be interesting to watch the competition between the two. Brendan Bailey looks like a contributor. Impressive height and length. Deadeye shooter, especially from the corner. Confident in his shot, doesn't hesitate. Moves well, needs to get more comfortable in the defense but looked good overall.

The Hausers
Sam looked comfortable on the court. Joey is legit. Great shot, good handle (even brought the ball up the court a couple times during the scrimmage), always moving, will be a true inside-outside threat. Is he LittleSmooth? BiggerSmooth Sam and Joey guarded one another for one stretch of the scrimmage, then played in the same lineup together in another. Having two Hausers on one team almost seems unfair.

Big guys
Ed is a stud. A very welcome addition. Defense, rebounding, toughness and depth shouldn't be a concern with this group. Still not sure how much we'll get offensively inside. Ed had a couple post-ups, established good position but didn't finish. Theo had a couple very nice pick and rolls for dunks during the scrimmage.

YoungSmooth? Anything of note on Milkman?

[Marcus92]

Is Matt the Milkman? He was working hard as usual. Can't say his play really stood out to me. Lateral movement will still be a challenge. He's a smart player, knows where he needs to be within the defense, but just isn't quick enough to consistently get to his spot when he needs to. Not sure if Theo's surpassed him at this point. With the addition of Ed and Joey, Matt will definitely be fighting for minutes.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Defense
Saw some encouraging things in the two early defensive drills. Players seemed to be talking (Wojo said more than once this needs to improve) and moving well, whether trapping or getting back to their man.

Running the offense
Joseph, Markus and Kobe all had extended minutes at the point. Very impressed with Kobe: athletic, strong, aggressive yet in control. Easily the most intense player in practice (Sacar was right up there). Fans are really going to enjoy watching him. Looks like he has a nice shot, as well.

Joseph had some trouble at various points with ballhandling, but not to the extent that it makes me concerned. Don't recall him shooting from outside during the scrimmage, but his form looked pretty good during the earlier shootaround drills. Really liked his man-to-man defense. Plays close, gets chest-to-chest, and stays connected to keep in front of his man.

Didn't see a lot new or improved from Markus on the offensive end. Had a couple nice passes, one awful turnover, brilliant shooting as usual (even with one or two questionable shots). Guarded Kobe quite a bit during the scrimmage and did a decent job staying in front.

Shooters and slashers
Sacar was very aggressive going to the basket. Looks confident and strong. Didn't see much of his outside shot. Defense was excellent. Jamal had his moments on both ends, as well. It'll be interesting to watch the competition between the two. Brendan Bailey looks like a contributor. Impressive height and length. Deadeye shooter, especially from the corner. Confident in his shot, doesn't hesitate. Moves well, needs to get more comfortable in the defense but looked good overall.

The Hausers
Sam looked comfortable on the court. Joey is legit. Great shot, good handle (even brought the ball up the court a couple times during the scrimmage), always moving, will be a true inside-outside threat. Is he LittleSmooth? BiggerSmooth? Sam and Joey guarded one another for one stretch of the scrimmage, then played in the same lineup together in another. Having two Hausers on one team almost seems unfair.

Big guys
Ed is a stud. A very welcome addition. Defense, rebounding, toughness and depth shouldn't be a concern with this group. Still not sure how much we'll get offensively inside. Ed had a couple post-ups, established good position but didn't finish. Theo had a couple very nice pick and rolls for dunks during the scrimmage.

https://twitter.com/MarquetteMBB/status/1048592762709401600

[mu_hilltopper]

I only caught the last 5 minutes .. surprised no one mentioned that with 3 mins to go, Marcus went down HARD and was down for a couple minutes.    Couldn't tell what he injured, maybe he came down on his hip .. his leg was twitching.  Left the court slowly and .. practice was over.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

I only caught the last 5 minutes .. surprised no one mentioned that with 3 mins to go, Marcus went down HARD and was down for a couple minutes.    Couldn't tell what he injured, maybe he came down on his hip .. his leg was twitching.  Left the court slowly and .. practice was over.

There is a separate thread.  Clicks report to moderator.

[4everwarriors]

I only caught the last 5 minutes .. surprised no one mentioned that with 3 mins to go, Marcus went down HARD and was down for a couple minutes.    Couldn't tell what he injured, maybe he came down on his hip .. his leg was twitching.  Left the court slowly and .. practice was over.

Busted tookus accordin' ta Norm. May knead an ass boot, aina?

[DCHoopster]

I was there and will give you my 2 cents.  Really the deepest team I have seen maybe ever.  1-10 can play, and 11 was Elliott who was hurt. 
They look like a basketball team, lots of height and muscle.  Everybody seems to be concerned about D, take Rowsey off the court and now you
are big enough to play with anybody.  They have a lot of moving parts.

Theo, looks leaner but as strong, confident.  Looks a little more coordinated.  Brain growing into his body.  Should start, I think he has passed Matt as the starter,
and not sure Matt will get that much time.  He looks the same.  I see Joey playing the 5 a lot.  Will give the team a totally different look.  Joey did not play well, but
you can see has game.  Can rebound and dribble it up with confidence.  Will be much improved in 2 years.  You can see the maturity of Sam, as he looks bigger than
Joey physically but not as tall as Joey.  Joey will just need sometime with Todd Smith to get bigger.  Considering Sam came off a major surgery, he looked fine.  Like
nothing happened.  Will play the 4 most of the time. 

Morrow, is just a big body, did not show me anything differently than he did at Nebraska.  Strong inside, another presence.  Will score inside, did not go outside.  Not
sure his playing time will be.

Bailey, most impressive newcomer for sure.  Tall, lanky, see NBA future with him, more so than the Hauser boys right now.  Great form on shot, can shoot it.  Will play
20-25 minutes a game.  Can take it to the hole, really liked what I saw.

Cain as well.  Tall, lanky as well.  He will play a lot as well.  Sacar might see time at guard as he is a slasher,  goes to the hole strong.  Sacar is a different type of player then Cain and Bailey, those 2 both can shoot from 3, Sacar did not try one but you can see his improvement being a 4th year junior.

Howard is Howard.  Team was working on passing the ball.  If he plays more of a team game, the team will be better.  Definitely the star of the team.  Chartonney
looks strong with ball, more of a passer than a shooter.  Hit the 1 three he took, Free throw form is good.  Control type player.  Will be good as a team player.

Now the player that really impressed me was McEven.  Better than Chartonney.  Next year with Howard and him at the guards will be outstanding.  Has an NBA body
and will play in the NBA.  Not sure he will be at MU for 2 more years.  Has a chance.  Can shot it, looks quick and defintely strong. 

NCAA team for the next three years.  Not sure how Wojo will keep them all happy.  They will be good this year but next year with 1 more year of experience they will
be really good.  Top 10 team.

[GGGG]

Thanks for the observations DC, but I find it hard to believe that Joey will play the 5.  I would guess Morrow would be ahead of him.  Joey seems to me to be a face-the-basket kind of guy.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Thanks for the observations DC, but I find it hard to believe that Joey will play the 5.  I would guess Morrow would be ahead of him.  Joey seems to me to be a face-the-basket kind of guy.

Face the basket centers are all the rage now. Joey is 6'9" 230, he can hold his own down low and stretch out the defense. While I think Matt will be the starting center all year, I think Joey will play a lot of minutes at the 5 throughout his career.

If he and Morrow are on the floor together, I personally would call Joey the 5 and Morrow the 4. Offensively Morrow has a 5's skillset and Joey has a 4's, but I think your position is determined by who you defend. I think Joey will take the bigger slower centers while Ed covers the 4s.

[MuMark]

https://amp.jsonline.com/amp/1530430002?__twitter_impression=true

I actually think it might be reversed......Morrow is stronger and more physically capable of banging with centers in the paint. Think Joey will be fine guarding 4s away from the basket.

Still think Joey will see some time as a true small ball center.....but if he is playing with Ed.....Ed will be more the 5 on offense and defense while Joey will be your traditional stretch 4.....capable of spotting up or making plays off the dribble.....in the 4 out 1 in offense that we run.

[GGGG]

https://amp.jsonline.com/amp/1530430002?__twitter_impression=true

I actually think it might be reversed......Morrow is stronger and more physically capable of banging with centers in the paint. Think Joey will be fine guarding 4s away from the basket.

Still think Joey will see some time as a true small ball center.....but if he is playing with Ed.....Ed will be more the 5 on offense and defense while Joey will be your traditional stretch 4.....capable of spotting up or making plays off the dribble.....in the 4 out 1 in offense that we run.

Yeah this is where I stand as well.

[Marcus92]

It was also interesting to observe Wojo in practice. On the court, at the gym, is obviously where he feels most at home. He thanked the fans who were there, both before and after. He talked about the team's goals -- whether it's communicating with one another, being conscious of turnovers or defending without fouling. But once the scrimmage started (which was the majority of the practice), he turned off his mic and focused on the team.

Seemed like he picked his spots to make a point. While I couldn't hear much, at one point he repeatedly stated "That is not acceptable." Not in a hot-headed way, but he got everyone's attention. Later, someone made a lazy inbounds lob pass that was nearly stolen. Wojo immediately stepped in, said something like "What was that?"  took the ball and made an exaggerated mocking imitation of the pass. Again, not punching a wall, but definitely showing some emotion.

Wojo explained that having people in the stands helps prepare the team; players respond differently than they do in an empty gym. He made it clear that he felt the team didn't respond the way it should -- basically saying it wasn't a great practice -- but that it helps identify areas for improvement.

He opened and closed by saying how much he loves this team, hoped fans felt the same way, and that they're going to be very good this year.

[Herman Cain]

https://247sports.com/college/marquette/Board/104085/Contents/Thoughts-from-the-scrimmage-122943876/

[GGGG]

https://247sports.com/college/marquette/Board/104085/Contents/Thoughts-from-the-scrimmage-122943876/

Is Dodds paid by the ellipsis? 

[MU82]

Based on all of these observations, it sounds like Bailey is the real deal. Should be interesting.

Nice jumper by JCS.

If Joey is the goods as a freshman, I have absolutely no problem believing that there will be a Joey-Ed-Sam combo on the court at the same time. We still have a lot of Scoopers who are stuck on old-fashioned thinking about "he's a center, he's a forward, he's a guard." Coaches just want combinations that work, especially as matchups present themselves.

The Big East isn't filled with teams that have 2 dominant big men. There will be many occasions (arguably, even most occasions) where we will not need a "center" on the court by everybody's definition of what a center has been.

The freakin' GS Warriors have won 3 NBA titles without using centers for long stretches, especially during crunch times of games. If we had Draymond Green, we'd have people saying, "I think he'll probably get minutes, but he's not a center so I can't see him playing so much."

[avid1010]

Now the player that really impressed me was McEven.  Better than Chartonney.  Next year with Howard and him at the guards will be outstanding.  Has an NBA body
and will play in the NBA.  Not sure he will be at MU for 2 more years.  Has a chance.  Can shot it, looks quick and defintely strong. 

Does this ever happen?  Can't think of a mid-major transfer who then left early for the league.

[MU82]

Does this ever happen?  Can't think of a mid-major transfer who then left early for the league.

I'm not ripping on DC Hoopster or any other Scooper, but the list of MU players and/or recruits "who will play in the NBA" but never do is long.

We are excited about our guys, so sometimes we make over-the-top proclamations. Like, remember when Davante was going to dominate Dirk? But hey, it's part of being a fan.

I'd love to see McEwen be so good that he is NBA caliber, and I allow it could happen. But I'll settle for him being a really, really good college basketball player. We can always use lots of those.

[Silkk the Shaka]

Does this ever happen?  Can't think of a mid-major transfer who then left early for the league.

Not a mid-major, but Wesley Johnson went from a bad Iowa St. team (similar KenPom ratings to Koby's Utah St. teams) and left early from Cuse.

[DCHoopster]

I'm not ripping on DC Hoopster or any other Scooper, but the list of MU players and/or recruits "who will play in the NBA" but never do is long.

We are excited about our guys, so sometimes we make over-the-top proclamations. Like, remember when Davante was going to dominate Dirk? But hey, it's part of being a fan.

I'd love to see McEwen be so good that he is NBA caliber, and I allow it could happen. But I'll settle for him being a really, really good college basketball player. We can always use lots of those.

I will say this, he was the best player of the court yesterday.  Has an NBA body.  I could be wrong but I was impressed.   Lets say this, I do not think MU has to
worry about point guards for a few more years.  He will step in right away with Markus and make a great backcourt.

Then a response about Joey.  He played center on the court.  There are so many players at the 3 and 4, he will play the 5 at times.  Not sure there will be another center in the league that could match up with him.  Spread the court like what they are trying to do, and Joey will become a big factor. We will see.

[MUfan12]

I would not be surprised if MU ran out a version of the "death lineup" with something like Markus, Cain, Bailey, and the Hausers at times this year.

Would they be able to stop anyone? We'll see. But after Markus it's four guys in the 6-8 range. But if you need a burst of offense that lineup would be a load to defend.

[forgetful]

I would not be surprised if MU ran out a version of the "death lineup" with something like Markus, Cain, Bailey, and the Hausers at times this year.

Would they be able to stop anyone? We'll see. But after Markus it's four guys in the 6-8 range. But if you need a burst of offense that lineup would be a load to defend.

Have that lineup run a 1-3-1 and the length of Cain, Bailey and the Hausers could cause some havoc.

[MU82]

I will say this, he was the best player of the court yesterday.  Has an NBA body.  I could be wrong but I was impressed.   Lets say this, I do not think MU has to
worry about point guards for a few more years.  He will step in right away with Markus and make a great backcourt.

Then a response about Joey.  He played center on the court.  There are so many players at the 3 and 4, he will play the 5 at times.  Not sure there will be another center in the league that could match up with him.  Spread the court like what they are trying to do, and Joey will become a big factor. We will see.

All reasonable, DCH, and I obviously hope you (and Wojo) are right about McEwen.

Totally agree about Joey. I've never seen him play, but if he is as good as most folks seem to think, I would expect him to get many looks at 5 in a small lineup, which is a major basketball trend now.

Thank you for taking my previous comment in the manner in which it was intended.

[Floorslapper]

I will say this, he was the best player of the court yesterday.  Has an NBA body.  I could be wrong but I was impressed.   Lets say this, I do not think MU has to
worry about point guards for a few more years.  He will step in right away with Markus and make a great backcourt.

Then a response about Joey.  He played center on the court.  There are so many players at the 3 and 4, he will play the 5 at times.  Not sure there will be another center in the league that could match up with him.  Spread the court like what they are trying to do, and Joey will become a big factor. We will see.

Great report from the scrimmage.  Wasn't familiar with McEwen as a player, prior to him  signing on with MU, but reviewing footage of him - he looked like a really good player, with the necessary size/athleticism to be a really good player at high major level.  As a result, I wasn't too bothered by losing Nico Mannion. 

Hats off to Wojo and staff for assembling this deep and talented roster.  Now he just has to coach it effectively in-game as well as manage egos...but by all appearances, these are all really good/level-headed kids.

[We R Final Four]

I will say this, he was the best player of the court yesterday.  Has an NBA body.  I could be wrong but I was impressed. Lets say this, I do not think MU has to
worry about point guards for a few more years.  He will step in right away with Markus and make a great backcourt.

Then a response about Joey.  He played center on the court.  There are so many players at the 3 and 4, he will play the 5 at times.  Not sure there will be another center in the league that could match up with him.  Spread the court like what they are trying to do, and Joey will become a big factor. We will see.

Which is interesting that Wojo and co. continue to recruit PGs.

[bilsu]

All reasonable, DCH, and I obviously hope you (and Wojo) are right about McEwen.

Totally agree about Joey. I've never seen him play, but if he is as good as most folks seem to think, I would expect him to get many looks at 5 in a small lineup, which is a major basketball trend now.

Thank you for taking my previous comment in the manner in which it was intended.

Unless you are referring to muscle, I do not see why playing Joey at center is a small lineup. He is as tall as John.

[Nukem2]

Unless you are referring to muscle, I do not see why playing Joey at center is a small lineup. He is as tall as John.

Joey has a perimeter game.  Theo is a 5. 

[Newsdreams]

Which is interesting that Wojo and co. continue to recruit PGs.

It's a guards game, hey?

[GGGG]

Yeah I don’t know why recruiting PGs is so interesting. They’ll need one in 2020-21.

[GooooMarquette]

Is Dodds paid by the ellipsis?

I laughed.

[We R Final Four]

Yeah I don’t know why recruiting PGs is so interesting. They’ll need one in 2020-21.

Yeah.....they will need big/5 in 2020-21 as well, and until recently we haven’t been mentioned with a 5.
However, we have been mentioned with multiple pgs over the last year.
Interesting to me.

[Slim]

I believe Theo and Ed are essentially the same player. They can both play the 4 or 5 and can blend with any of the other bigs. But I Think they will rarely(if ever) be on the court at the same time.

It will be very hard to only go 8 deep.

We need to lower the expectations of McEwen a little.

[MU82]

Which is interesting that Wojo and co. continue to recruit PGs.

Always be recruiting. Especially guys with PG skills.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

I believe Theo and Ed are essentially the same player. They can both play the 4 or 5 and can blend with any of the other bigs. But I Think they will rarely(if ever) be on the court at the same time.

It will be very hard to only go 8 deep.

We need to lower the expectations of McEwen a little.

I think Ed is vastly under-appreciated / under-valued around here.  The dude is a legit player.  He averaged closed to a double doubled in the B10 when healthy.  This isn't some raw player that is going to struggle to find PT on this team.  He is going to play, likely start, play a ton of minutes, and be one of the best players on this team. 

[Daniel]

Thought Morrow did not want to play the 5. 

[MuMark]

Wojo said in an article that he discussed it with Morrow before he transferred here and that Ed will play wherever the team needs him to play(paraphrasing).

[Marcus92]

Thoughts on the second open practice:

Down to business
No mic today for Wojo, didn't talk to the crowd before, during or after. Just a couple 5-on-0 offensive drills at the start emphasizing movement and passing, then a full game scrimmage. With Greg and Ike sitting out, everybody got a lot of court time.

Team defense
Judging from the play today, this team is going to be tougher to score against inside. Lots of deflections and steals, good movement for the most part and strong post defense. On the other hand, the offensive play was often sloppy. Something like 8 turnovers in the first 8-1/2 minutes of the first half. Quite a few forced shots with the shot clock about to run out.

Big Smooth
If Sam says he isn't at 100% yet, look out for when he gets back to full health. He was active on defense with some nice positioning, guarded Joey quite a bit, moved and passed well and hit at least 6 three-pointers.

The wings
Sacar was probably the most aggressive player in practice. He played tight defense on Brendan much of the first half. Brendan had a large bandage over his right eye and got banged around a bit. But he doesn't back down from physical play. Hit a big three from the corner and had an impressive breakaway dunk. Of all the players, he looked the most winded to me (along with Sam and Joey); I'm sure overall team conditioning will improve leading up to the regular season. Jamal looked strong on both ends of the court, including a nice cut to receive a bullet pass in stride from Joseph for a layup.

Big guys
Aside from a monster running dunk from Theo, not much for offense inside. While Ed got good position several times, it looked like he was just throwing up shots. Matt took and missed 3 threes; he was open, but I don't think that's what we want on offense. Theo had 2 fouls in the first 13 minutes (one on an ill-advised strip attempt), then picked up a third before the end of the first half. Encouraged by the effort and tough, physical play, but lots of room for improvement here.

Point play
Joseph and Markus played together in the same lineup quite a bit, with Kobe running the other team. Joseph looked confident running the offense and had several nice passes. Markus played some good man-to-man defense against both Joseph and Kobe, moving his feet to stay in front and hustling to get back when he got beat. Joseph in particular made it tough for Markus to get open looks from outside when they were playing on opposite teams.

Team focus
After a missed 1-and-1 free throw attempt late in the 2nd half, it appeared that everyone thought it was a 2-shot foul situation and nobody crashed the boards. Wojo exploded, ripping the players for not being situationally aware. He clearly wants to use scrimmages to prepare the team for real-game situations (including refs, running the scoreboard and calling timeouts). Hopefully a teaching moment for everyone.

[Loose Cannon]

Thoughts on the second open practice:

Down to business
No mic today for Wojo, didn't talk to the crowd before, during or after. Just a couple 5-on-0 offensive drills at the start emphasizing movement and passing, then a full game scrimmage. With Greg and Ike sitting out, everybody got a lot of court time.

Team defense
Judging from the play today, this team is going to be tougher to score against inside. Lots of deflections and steals, good movement for the most part and strong post defense. On the other hand, the offensive play was often sloppy. Something like 8 turnovers in the first 8-1/2 minutes of the first half. Quite a few forced shots with the shot clock about to run out.

Big Smooth
If Sam says he isn't at 100% yet, look out for when he gets back to full health. He was active on defense with some nice positioning, guarded Joey quite a bit, moved and passed well and hit at least 6 three-pointers.

The wings
Sacar was probably the most aggressive player in practice. He played tight defense on Brendan much of the first half. Brendan had a large bandage over his right eye and got banged around a bit. But he doesn't back down from physical play. Hit a big three from the corner and had an impressive breakaway dunk. Of all the players, he looked the most winded to me (along with Sam and Joey); I'm sure overall team conditioning will improve leading up to the regular season. Jamal looked strong on both ends of the court, including a nice cut to receive a bullet pass in stride from Joseph for a layup.

Big guys
Aside from a monster running dunk from Theo, not much for offense inside. While Ed got good position several times, it looked like he was just throwing up shots. Matt took and missed 3 threes; he was open, but I don't think that's what we want on offense. Theo had 2 fouls in the first 13 minutes (one on an ill-advised strip attempt), then picked up a third before the end of the first half. Encouraged by the effort and tough, physical play, but lots of room for improvement here.

Point play
Joseph and Markus played together in the same lineup quite a bit, with Kobe running the other team. Joseph looked confident running the offense and had several nice passes. Markus played some good man-to-man defense against both Joseph and Kobe, moving his feet to stay in front and hustling to get back when he got beat. Joseph in particular made it tough for Markus to get open looks from outside when they were playing on opposite teams.

Team focus
After a missed 1-and-1 free throw attempt late in the 2nd half, it appeared that everyone thought it was a 2-shot foul situation and nobody crashed the boards. Wojo exploded, ripping the players for not being situationally aware. He clearly wants to use scrimmages to prepare the team for real-game situations (including refs, running the scoreboard and calling timeouts). Hopefully a teaching moment for everyone.

Thanks for this.

[Herman Cain]

Thoughts on the second open practice:

Down to business
No mic today for Wojo, didn't talk to the crowd before, during or after. Just a couple 5-on-0 offensive drills at the start emphasizing movement and passing, then a full game scrimmage. With Greg and Ike sitting out, everybody got a lot of court time.

Team defense
Judging from the play today, this team is going to be tougher to score against inside. Lots of deflections and steals, good movement for the most part and strong post defense. On the other hand, the offensive play was often sloppy. Something like 8 turnovers in the first 8-1/2 minutes of the first half. Quite a few forced shots with the shot clock about to run out.

Big Smooth
If Sam says he isn't at 100% yet, look out for when he gets back to full health. He was active on defense with some nice positioning, guarded Joey quite a bit, moved and passed well and hit at least 6 three-pointers.

The wings
Sacar was probably the most aggressive player in practice. He played tight defense on Brendan much of the first half. Brendan had a large bandage over his right eye and got banged around a bit. But he doesn't back down from physical play. Hit a big three from the corner and had an impressive breakaway dunk. Of all the players, he looked the most winded to me (along with Sam and Joey); I'm sure overall team conditioning will improve leading up to the regular season. Jamal looked strong on both ends of the court, including a nice cut to receive a bullet pass in stride from Joseph for a layup.

Big guys
Aside from a monster running dunk from Theo, not much for offense inside. While Ed got good position several times, it looked like he was just throwing up shots. Matt took and missed 3 threes; he was open, but I don't think that's what we want on offense. Theo had 2 fouls in the first 13 minutes (one on an ill-advised strip attempt), then picked up a third before the end of the first half. Encouraged by the effort and tough, physical play, but lots of room for improvement here.

Point play
Joseph and Markus played together in the same lineup quite a bit, with Kobe running the other team. Joseph looked confident running the offense and had several nice passes. Markus played some good man-to-man defense against both Joseph and Kobe, moving his feet to stay in front and hustling to get back when he got beat. Joseph in particular made it tough for Markus to get open looks from outside when they were playing on opposite teams.

Team focus
After a missed 1-and-1 free throw attempt late in the 2nd half, it appeared that everyone thought it was a 2-shot foul situation and nobody crashed the boards. Wojo exploded, ripping the players for not being situationally aware. He clearly wants to use scrimmages to prepare the team for real-game situations (including refs, running the scoreboard and calling timeouts). Hopefully a teaching moment for everyone.

Great Research Report