First looksWritten by: Todd RosiakWas fortunate enough to catch a session of open gym earlier this week at MU, where everyAA healthy member of the Golden Eagles along with some familiar faces (Robert Jackson, Ousmane Barro, Mike Kinsella, Trend Blackledge) played a couple hours' worth of pickup games.
I was especially curious to see how the newcomers -- junior-college transfers Joe Fulce and Jimmy Butler and young big men Chris Otule and Liam McMorrow -- fared playing with and against their MU teammates.
While it's an admittedly small sample size and not a true representation of what the big guys can do especially (these games are guard-dominated), there was still plenty to see.
Here's a few brief comments on the new guys:
Joe Fulce: He looked like the second coming of Shawn Marion on this night. Fulce flew up and down the court, threw down the most dunks and just looked to be playing at a different speed than most everybody else, especially early on. He also displayed a willingness to take the open perimeter shot, and knocked down a three-pointer in one game. He should be a solid contributor off the bench; MU hasn't had an athlete like him on the wing in a while (who's expected to play a significant role, anyway). That being said, my eyes told me he's shorter than his listed height of 6 feet 7 inches and lighter than his listed weight of 205 pounds. He's definitely going to need to gain some more bulk and strength to be able to play big minutes in the Big East. But failing that, Fulce really looks to be a solid addition. Fulce looks to be a natural 3. Because of his lack of bulk, playing the 4 might be a stretch early on.
Jimmy Butler: Butler, Fulce's former teammate at Tyler Junior College, should also be able to help the Golden Eagles right off the bat. He's much bulkier than Fulce and probably a hair taller, although admittedly not the high flyer. Even still, he appears to be a good athlete who uses his body well. While he didn't score a ton, Butler did a lot of the little things like creating deflections on the wing and rebounding in traffic (which earned an appreciative nod from Dominic James afterward). Like Fulce, Butler will give MU a different look off the bench, but as a guy who can play the 2 and even possibly the 3 against smaller lineups he's another solid addition. Another observation is that both Butler and Fulce were all business on the court -- not much talking or hamming it up, which is many times a natural byproduct of pickup games.
Chris Otule: It was tough to get a read on Otule both because his team didn't fare too well and he wasn't on the court too much, and also because of the guards' unwillingness to look inside with much frequency. Based on what I did see, Otule is every bit of his listed 6-10 and 245 pounds, and has plenty of athletic ability. He rebounded OK in his area, but matched up against older, more experienced players, Otule definitely had his difficulties. I don't recall him scoring at all (or even attempting a shot), but again, with the exception of Jackson, the big guys weren't getting many offensive opportunities. At this point Otule is definitely a work in progress, but with some solid coaching has the potential to become pretty good down the line.
Liam McMorrow: Like Otule, McMorrow also didn't get a lot of court time. He also appears to be a legit 7-footer. If he actually weighs his listed 260 pounds it didn't seem like it, because he got up and down the court pretty well. You can see the hockey and lacrosse background, as McMorrow can move his feet and change direction pretty deftly for a guy his size. He also rebounded OK in his area, but had a penchant for both bringing the ball down around his waist afterward, and getting it deflected as he threw it out on the break. His lack of experience really showed in the half court, as he struggled running the pick-and-roll with his teammates. He also had a couple of shots blocked in the paint because he didn't go to the rim strong and wasn't overly aggressive. McMorrow definitely looked like a guy who hasn't played the game a lot; he just doesn't have that natural feel for the game that his teammates -- most of whom have been playing the game their entire lives -- have. But, like Otule, there certainly is a lot to work with athletically. The redshirt this year, providing he works hard, will definitely be beneficial for the big Canadian.
I also made a couple of quick notes on some of the other returnees.
Trevor Mbakwe: Still wearing the knee brace, but in the time he was in there looked more like the pre-knee surgery Mbakwe. He was active and at times explosive, throwing down a pair of rim-rattling dunks in the lane with little effort. He looks to be well on his way back from a disappointing freshman season.
Pat Hazel: Had a couple of nice blocks and looked to be more aggressive and confident. Even still, he's got a lot more work to do to become a consistent contributor.
Maurice Acker: Showed a lot of competitive fire. Didn't want to lose, and let his teammates know it. Knocked down the game-winner in one game, and woofed all the way back down the court. Played confidently.
Jerel McNeal: Same old McNeal (meaning
good) with the three-point range he displayed toward the end of last season still noticeable. If he can carry that consistency over to this season, that would provide a huge boost to a Golden Eagles team searching for more long-range bombers.
Dominic James: Was very aggressive going to the hoop, and had a couple beautiful finishes in traffic. Shot a lot of threes and was still streaky. Appeared to be focused in on defending, and had his nose in the face of whomever he was guarding most of the night.
That's all I've got this time. I'm going to try to get down to watch some more next week, and if I do, I'll put up another report.
Also, MU continues to work on a home-and-home series with NC State beginning this season, and I was told getting that done remains the Golden Eagles' top scheduling priority at this moment. It's dependent on the Wolfpack being able to move a game it already has scheduled.
If that falls through, MU would then accept an invitation to play Alabama in the Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis. But reports that the game is already a done deal are premature.
Also, some clarification: McMorrow is a member of MU's 2008-'09 recruiting class. I reported earlier in the week that he was part of the 2009-'10 class. My apologies.
http://blogs.jsonline.com/muhoops/archive/2008/07/11/first-looks.aspx
