Blue v. Gold Scrimmage

[Slim]

Very deep. It's a shame that we have to play with only one ball.

[Jay Bee]

I am assuming the answer is no, but is there going to be a stream?

This is Marquette, pal.

[MuMark]

https://twitter.com/goldeneagles247/status/1710721114261930443?s=61&t=6XPB8f4sAKmJIzxgMcsCjw

[warriorchick]

Gold wins 67-61

[noblewarrior]

Tyler Kolek
Kam Jones
Tre Norman
David Joplin
Oso Ighodaro
Caedin Hamilton

vs.

Sean Jones
Stevie Mitchell
Chase Ross
Zaide Lowery
Ben Gold
Al Amadou

Gonna be offense vs. defense tomorrow!

Which is blue, which is gold?

[wadesworld]

Which is blue, which is gold?

Team defense won. Surprising result. Looking forward to hearing the observations by those in attendance.

[The Sultan]

Team defense won.

You don't say...

[MuMark]

You don't say...

Impossible!

[Daniel]

Which is blue, which is gold?

Looking at a pic a friend took and looks like Gold was on Gold!

[MUfan12]

Blue went on a run right before half and I thought it was gonna get out of hand. But the competiveness won out. Tyler was getting feisty out there, they were physical with him and got him frustrated.

The shooting in the first half was insane... everyone was cashing threes. Legs started to go a bit at the end. Chase missed a couple wide open threes front rim that would have put it away.

Cutting was outstanding. They have 10 guys who can move, pass, and put it on the deck. Will be very hard to guard especially if the outside shots are falling.

I hope Ben stays healthy because neither frosh big looks like they're ready. Caedin looks a bit farther along than Al.

[wisblue]

I attended and sat in one  of the cushy leather seats usually occupied by the rich and famous.

A few very general observations:

1. The Blue team seemed to get a little lazy in the second half and the Gold took it to them. More defensive intensity from Mitchell, Ross, Lowery, and Sean Jones.

2. Chase Ross was very impressive. He has a confident outside shot and had several aggressive drives to the basket. I think he's primed to take on a much bigger role.

3. Lowery looks ready to play big time basketball.

4. I hope Oso never attempts a 3 point shot in a real game.

5. It looks like the team should have good depth, especially in the backcourt. I hope Gold is OK.  A couple of times he seemed to have some discomfort and I had to wonder if it's related to the shin splint issue. He does have a smooth outside stroke and knocked down a couple of long ones.

Can't wait to se these guys play against someone else.

[tower912]

As long as no one got hurt.

[We R Final Four]

Chase is a man and is primed to breakout.
Zaide is going to be amazing.

[94Warrior]

Chase is a man and is primed to breakout.
Zaide is going to be amazing.

I was also there.  Chase and Zaide are almost interchangeable - very similar games.  Aggressive, both attack the rim & get into you defensively.  Both can knock down the outside shot, and are strong & athletic in everything they do.  Sean hit some outside shots, nice spin moves, tough on defense, looked good.  Tre also attacked the rim a few times.  He looked good for a frosh but feel Zaide is more ready of the two.  Oso, Kolek, Kam & Stevie did their thing.  All looked good as you would expect.  Gold & Jop both looked more willing to drive, hit some outside shots, and swatted shots defensively.  A few time when Jop drove, he ran into Chase - who is VERY physical, and tied him up.  Jop and Oso did drive and finish most of the time.  Al is bouncy and confident, but probably 11th on the depth chart.  Caedin did some good things, he would be 12th at this point, but the future is bright.
Oso hit a good number of threes in warm ups, but it's a low release, don't expect him to shoot many in games unless he is all alone with lots of time.  He took one 3 in the scrimmage- it wasn't great.

[94Warrior]

As for the mismatch - the more aggressive team won by 6, with a highlight reel dunk by Chase at the horn.
Chase, Zaide, Stevie, Ben, Sean  & Al played with violence.  They were the most physical and aggressive- that was the difference.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Any blocks or rebounding?

[94Warrior]

Any blocks or rebounding?

Gold was the best rebounder.  Gold, Jop & Oso swatted shots.  But, Ben on the glass reminded me a bit of Jayce Johnson.  Very active.

[avid1010]

Chase is a man and is primed to breakout.
Zaide is going to be amazing.

Agreed.

I wouldn't trade TK or Kam for Markus Howard so take my opinion with a grain of salt...but...

-TK looked as expected.
-Stevie looked better from 3.
-Kam seemed to take a little off the moon ball?  Looked great as usual.
-Joplin looked to be in great shape.  Needs to be more than just a shooter.
-Oso...watched him in warm-ups...his 3 isn't pretty but he hit over 50% of them.  Really low release and he takes his time.  Hoping he can keep his guy honest.
-Chase is a beast.  Shot a lot of 3's...don't think he made a single one.  He's confident...it will be there for him.  Got to the rim at will.
-Gold looked like Gold...open 3s...he'll be fine.
-Sean hit a few 3s...I think they use his quickness well in situational ways.
-Tre was hard to get a feel for...didn't do much...didn't try to do much.
-Zaide's size and athleticism impressed...Shaka introduced him and mentioned his shooting which was good to hear.  He made some "pressure" free throws.   Can't wait to see his growth.
-Al looked athletic...i thought he played like a freshmen.  Certainly belongs on the team.
-Hamilton will definitely benefit from practicing against his teammates all season.

I couldn't be more proud of the program.  Shaka and company all are first class reps of MU.

[El Guerrero 2]

My reactions:

• This was my first time attending but it was a really great event. My kids were entertained and my non-MU alum wife actually loved it, more than actual games she said. Having the players sign autographs afterwards was a really nice touch.


• After watching the scrimmage, I am quite confident that our second five would beat Butler / DePaul / Georgetown more times than they lost. We have ten kids who would start for those teams. The Gold team winning wasn't a fluke; the talent gap really was almost non-existent.

.

• I came into the event a little concerned about how we would replace O-Max's length and athleticism. I am no longer concerned. Ross is the real deal, and Zaide Lowery is ready to contribute today. They are similar players with similar games, but Chase has a bit more natural athleticism and I think Zaide has a little bit better three point shot. I think Zaide is the home run recruit in this class and wouldn't be surprised if he's on an All-Big East team in two years.


• Stevie hit some nice shots and played under control. He may end up losing some minutes this season just because Chase and Zaide are going to force their way into the lineup based on raw athleticism and size, but Stevie's maturity and know how is going to be critical come March.


• Big Al is ahead of where Oso was at this age. He's going to be a perfect heir to the athletic center position.


• I am a little disappointed that Oso's outside shot still looks terrible. But I suppose God's athletic blessings have to stop somewhere. He's bigger and stronger than last season. I'm hopeful he can really improve on the glass this year.


• Tre Norman looks more like Stevie's understudy than TKO's. Whoever thinks he'll be taking minutes away from Sean this season is wrong. Sean played with quickness but also more control than he showed last season. He also knocked down quite a few threes.


• I predict Jop shoots somewhere between 43 - 45% from deep this year. His shot is just effortless and its splashes seemingly every time. His defense will still be a massive downgrade from O-Max's but I think he'll make up for it on the offensive end.


• Ben Gold seemed a lot more comfortable on the court, and he knocked down several threes during the game. They even had Ben dribbling the ball up the court to initiate some action that they've obviously designed with Oso in mind. He's not a point center but he's not clumsy either. I asked him how his foot felt in the autograph line and he told me it was great and that he's 100% recovered.


• Kam and TKO looked like Kam and TKO. I think they both have maybe reached their basketball ceiling, but as long as they play like last season that is perfectly fine with me.


• I don't know if we'll set a program record for wins like we did last year, but this team will certainly be in the top 3 in the Big East and should be competing for a top 3 seed. Very excited for the ride.

[Jay Bee]

El - great recap

[dajudge]

Agreed.

I wouldn't trade TK or Kam for Markus Howard so take my opinion with a grain of salt...but...

-TK looked as expected.
-Stevie looked better from 3.
-Kam seemed to take a little off the moon ball?  Looked great as usual.
-Joplin looked to be in great shape.  Needs to be more than just a shooter.
-Oso...watched him in warm-ups...his 3 isn't pretty but he hit over 50% of them.  Really low release and he takes his time.  Hoping he can keep his guy honest.
-Chase is a beast.  Shot a lot of 3's...don't think he made a single one.  He's confident...it will be there for him.  Got to the rim at will.
-Gold looked like Gold...open 3s...he'll be fine.
-Sean hit a few 3s...I think they use his quickness well in situational ways.
-Tre was hard to get a feel for...didn't do much...didn't try to do much.
-Zaide's size and athleticism impressed...Shaka introduced him and mentioned his shooting which was good to hear.  He made some "pressure" free throws.   Can't wait to see his growth.
-Al looked athletic...i thought he played like a freshmen.  Certainly belongs on the team.
-Hamilton will definitely benefit from practicing against his teammates all season.

I couldn't be more proud of the program.  Shaka and company all are first class reps of MU.

Agree with all of above
Particularly Ross and Lowery
Ross ready for prime time
Lowery will get lots of minutes and significantly contribute
Tre is is a big skilled kid—for a point guard
Agree he did not show a lot on offense but he defended like a demon
1st half Sean was driving into middle with head down and getting swallowed up like last year
Stopped doing it in 2nd half hit some 3s, floaters and distributed more
Al ( and maybe Caedin) are Oso in year 1 but slightly more advanced—-would be interested in others view on that
Lots of extra passes~~shared the ball!!
Going to be deep, fun and really good!!!

[PointWarrior]

I am relieved the horrific mismatch of teams did not ruin the scrimmage.

[Jay Bee]

I am relieved the horrific mismatch of teams did not ruin the scrimmage.

Staff just hiding the warts aina

[MuggsyB]

Chase is a man and is primed to breakout.
Zaide is going to be amazing.

Ty.

BAM
and
BAM

[MuggsyB]

My reactions:

• This was my first time attending but it was a really great event. My kids were entertained and my non-MU alum wife actually loved it, more than actual games she said. Having the players sign autographs afterwards was a really nice touch.


• After watching the scrimmage, I am quite confident that our second five would beat Butler / DePaul / Georgetown more times than they lost. We have ten kids who would start for those teams. The Gold team winning wasn't a fluke; the talent gap really was almost non-existent.

.

• I came into the event a little concerned about how we would replace O-Max's length and athleticism. I am no longer concerned. Ross is the real deal, and Zaide Lowery is ready to contribute today. They are similar players with similar games, but Chase has a bit more natural athleticism and I think Zaide has a little bit better three point shot. I think Zaide is the home run recruit in this class and wouldn't be surprised if he's on an All-Big East team in two years.


• Stevie hit some nice shots and played under control. He may end up losing some minutes this season just because Chase and Zaide are going to force their way into the lineup based on raw athleticism and size, but Stevie's maturity and know how is going to be critical come March.


• Big Al is ahead of where Oso was at this age. He's going to be a perfect heir to the athletic center position.


• I am a little disappointed that Oso's outside shot still looks terrible. But I suppose God's athletic blessings have to stop somewhere. He's bigger and stronger than last season. I'm hopeful he can really improve on the glass this year.


• Tre Norman looks more like Stevie's understudy than TKO's. Whoever thinks he'll be taking minutes away from Sean this season is wrong. Sean played with quickness but also more control than he showed last season. He also knocked down quite a few threes.


• I predict Jop shoots somewhere between 43 - 45% from deep this year. His shot is just effortless and its splashes seemingly every time. His defense will still be a massive downgrade from O-Max's but I think he'll make up for it on the offensive end.


• Ben Gold seemed a lot more comfortable on the court, and he knocked down several threes during the game. They even had Ben dribbling the ball up the court to initiate some action that they've obviously designed with Oso in mind. He's not a point center but he's not clumsy either. I asked him how his foot felt in the autograph line and he told me it was great and that he's 100% recovered.


• Kam and TKO looked like Kam and TKO. I think they both have maybe reached their basketball ceiling, but as long as they play like last season that is perfectly fine with me.


• I don't know if we'll set a program record for wins like we did last year, but this team will certainly be in the top 3 in the Big East and should be competing for a top 3 seed. Very excited for the ride.

Outstanding report!   Let's go now!!