Scrimmage

[BCHoopster]

Last point, Jack Anderson will play as a walk on, zone breaker, averaged 20 points for three seasons, can score

[wadesworld]

Last point, Jack Anderson will play as a walk on, zone breaker, averaged 20 points for three seasons, can score

I doubt he'll play any real meaningful minutes.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Sorry that your 6 year old didn't have the opportunity to purchase a nitrate-laden tube steak, washed down with a 16 Oz cup of sugar water, for breakfast.

[JTJ3]

I wasn't at the scrimmage but oftentimes on highlights of these things I key in on the defensive side of the ball more than the offensive, and the most glaring defensive crutch seemed to be Caedin getting beat to the basket for an easy dunk, usually at the hands of Josh.

Someone said he hedges well, comparisons have been made to Oso with regards to ball handling and vision abilities, but the clips I saw made him look not very fleet of foot on the defensive end.

This will have to improve greatly for both Hamilton and Gold. The Big East is loaded with quality bigs and offenses that can beat you going to the hoop, and if Marquettes defense is a turnstile in that capacity it will drive Shaka crazy and lead to a long season.

If the bigs cannot recover to defend the paint and prevent dunks and layups they will need to stay at home more and allow of good perimeter defenders to do their thing the best they can, or just give up more open jumpers on those screen and rolls.

In the same token, I'd like to see Ben and Caedin being the guys rolling to the hoop and finishing those dunks/layups instead of Josh at this point. I worry that we see too much perimeter play from Mr Gold and that he hasn't taken the step needed to at least partially fit into that Oso mold of diving to the lane for an easy finish off a good pass.

The 5 positions is easily my biggest concern of the season, running away from the 1 position.
I love what I'm seeing from Kam and there are enough secondary and tertiary ball handlers and good passers to make the offense flow, albeit nowhere as smooth as the TyKo show

All of the dunks by Clark were not due to Hamilton getting beat.  Multiple times Hamilton was correctly stepping up to stop the ball, the weak side never rotated over to cover Clark under the rim.  Al was getting yelled at multiple times for being late to rotate or not even rotating down from the wing and just watching the play instead.

I thought Gold was really good defensively, good around the rim and looked quicker when switched onto guards.  Hamilton is very solid using his size around the rim but obviously isnt quick enough yet to fully switch.  Getting better though, and his conditioning has really improved, didnt have to go to the bench for an extended breather at all during scrimmage.

[Clam Crowder]

Thanks to the 3 people that actually gave some relevant insight to the players and how they looked here. 4 pages of a thread and 90 percent of it about hot dogs says a lot about MUScoop lol

[real chili 83]

 Cost us several seedings

[willie warrior]

Ben Gold, My biggest take away is the lack of improvement from last year.  Zero consistency on his shot, to anyone who thinks he has pro potential is off there rocker.  Thought Parham will be more of a factor, can go inside and out. Jop has to be a factor for team to do well, has the talent, just has to be consistent.  Kam and Stevie look like seniors, the 3 seniors will carry this team  but talent abounds. Clark even though skinny is very coordinated, lots of potential there.  It will be interesting watching how Shaka utilizes the talent

Gooollllldbrick

[MUDPT]

A take from the most intelligent, perceptive, forward thinking poster on the board...

The Bad:
Very disappointed in the coaching staff today.  This is not the day for any new/newer player to be timid as there is no game on the line that could hinder our tournament resume.  Therefore I was expecting all the players would be aggressive offensively today to show us what they could do. Unfortunately, Caedin Hamilton passed up almost all his opportunities to create a shot for himself in the post and was always looking to pass.  It got to the point that the defenders were cheating off him and instead trying to deflect his passes as they knew he wouldn't try to go around them or try to shoot with some kind of post move.  This was the most disappointing development for me today as it appears the staff is telling Caedin to have a Oso sophomore year role where Oso played about 18 minutes a game and only scored when he was fed dunks off of penetration.  Caedin did show some good defensive rebounding chops, but I'd be surprised if he averages more than 4 points a game this year.

Al Amadou also looked afraid to shoot and passed up many good looks, however late in the 2nd half he had a little run and showed some offense.  Once again he is very thin but springy... he could have used last year to red shirt to save a year of eligibility to allow his body to mature and hit his 20's with three to four years of eligibility left.  Once again I don't think he'll have an impact this year but think he could still develop into a good player next year and beyond.

Kam is a very good player but he can't physically dominate a game even though he's a our main offensive cog.  He's not a dynamic enough athlete who can take over a game by blowing by his opponents or finishing with dunks at the rim.  Hence why some said he struggled and looked frustrated in the first half as I think he's more comfortable and effective in a support role than a lead role.  Regardless he did a lot of real good things in the 2nd half and is still definitely an impact player.

Unlike some of the timid offensive players mentioned above, Joplin played with no conscious and will launch regardless if it's a good shot or not.  He was also turnover prone at times... so Joplin is what he is, which is a mixed bag of good and bad but he did play pretty well at times today. 

We know Ben Gold as he has a fairly large body of work.  He's a nice player but it doesn't appear he has another level of play and will continue to just be a sporadic 3 point shooter and marginal rebounder.  So sadly as a team we will have no back to the basket post play threat this year which really could be our downfall and lead to a disappointing season. 

The Good:
Stevie was good.  He gets every ounce out of his God given talent, even though it's less than some other players on our team. 

Chase Ross is even more built this year and looks like a borderline bruiser.  However, although he does some nice things I don't see him taking a huge jump this year either as far as scoring or anything else.  He'll be good for a big dunk once a game, good defense and some three point shots.  A very nice player but not a star either... I admit that he could surprise me to the upside as he does have a lot of physical talent.   

Zaide Lowery is a very smooth and capable athlete.  I think he takes a step up from last year and has some real nice nights were he scores 20+ points and is the stud of the game.  However, I don't know why the coaching staff hasn't converted his set shot to a jump shot yet... the later is when you jump and release your shot at the top of your jump instead of shooting and jumping at the same time.  At this level every player should have a jump shot, as it's harder to block or alter. 

Royce Parham will have to play more than the coaches want to play a freshman because he's too valuable to keep off the floor.  I think he was the leading scorer in the first half and scored a number of different ways that included hitting open threes, to creating his own shot, to finishing in transition for a 3 point play.  He's also a good rebounder... just an overall high IQ player who gets it and has the ability to do a lot of positive things to help us win. 

Josh Clark... early in the scrimmage he was pulled at the first sub each time and the coaches always called him over to point out something they didn't like what he was doing.  Then as the game went on he probably ended up being the overall leading scorer or close to it.  Granted many where lob dunks but someone with his length and athletic ability makes the game easier for everyone else.  He has a freshman body but it's still a pretty sturdy frame and I could see him being scary good by his junior year with 20 to 30lbs of muscle, game experience, savvy and developing a couple go to post moves.  He might be too valuable to even red shirt as we could use his talent in the rotation this year in my opinion.  I'd prefer to redshirt Al Amadou this year, and play Josh Clark in the rotation now instead.  No point in redshirting Josh too if he might be an NBA prospect in 3 to 4 years. 

Damarius Owens partook in the warm up drills and looked very athletic and physically impressive.  He will be an impact player for us this year as he's essentially Chase Ross with an extra 3 to 4 inches of height and more offensive explosion. 

Tre Norman didn't play.  I love Tre's high school tape and hope he can have a big jump this year as last year he didn't look like he had the quickness or explosion to be an impact player at this level.  I admit and hope I'm wrong as he still did some good things and is a very tough and smart player.  Having Kolek as a mentor gave him a great blue print on how to be a great point guard even if you aren't the most athletic player at this level. 

Conclusion:
Once again, lots of collective talent/athletic ability/length that can overwhelm opponents in transition when we're getting a lot of team deflections.  However, I'm very concerned we won't have any post offense in slower tempo games were we have to rely on half court sets to score.  Also very concerned we won't be a very good rebounding team which seems to be a regular trademark for Shaka Marquette teams thus far.

Ceiling: Sweet 16, maybe even Elite 8
Floor: NIT

You need to check Kam's fg% at the rim, as the most "forward" thinking poster here...

[Uncle Rico]

A take from the most intelligent, perceptive, forward thinking poster on the board...

The Bad:
Very disappointed in the coaching staff today.  This is not the day for any new/newer player to be timid as there is no game on the line that could hinder our tournament resume.  Therefore I was expecting all the players would be aggressive offensively today to show us what they could do. Unfortunately, Caedin Hamilton passed up almost all his opportunities to create a shot for himself in the post and was always looking to pass.  It got to the point that the defenders were cheating off him and instead trying to deflect his passes as they knew he wouldn't try to go around them or try to shoot with some kind of post move.  This was the most disappointing development for me today as it appears the staff is telling Caedin to have a Oso sophomore year role where Oso played about 18 minutes a game and only scored when he was fed dunks off of penetration.  Caedin did show some good defensive rebounding chops, but I'd be surprised if he averages more than 4 points a game this year.

Al Amadou also looked afraid to shoot and passed up many good looks, however late in the 2nd half he had a little run and showed some offense.  Once again he is very thin but springy... he could have used last year to red shirt to save a year of eligibility to allow his body to mature and hit his 20's with three to four years of eligibility left.  Once again I don't think he'll have an impact this year but think he could still develop into a good player next year and beyond.

Kam is a very good player but he can't physically dominate a game even though he's a our main offensive cog.  He's not a dynamic enough athlete who can take over a game by blowing by his opponents or finishing with dunks at the rim.  Hence why some said he struggled and looked frustrated in the first half as I think he's more comfortable and effective in a support role than a lead role.  Regardless he did a lot of real good things in the 2nd half and is still definitely an impact player.

Unlike some of the timid offensive players mentioned above, Joplin played with no conscious and will launch regardless if it's a good shot or not.  He was also turnover prone at times... so Joplin is what he is, which is a mixed bag of good and bad but he did play pretty well at times today. 

We know Ben Gold as he has a fairly large body of work.  He's a nice player but it doesn't appear he has another level of play and will continue to just be a sporadic 3 point shooter and marginal rebounder.  So sadly as a team we will have no back to the basket post play threat this year which really could be our downfall and lead to a disappointing season. 

The Good:
Stevie was good.  He gets every ounce out of his God given talent, even though it's less than some other players on our team. 

Chase Ross is even more built this year and looks like a borderline bruiser.  However, although he does some nice things I don't see him taking a huge jump this year either as far as scoring or anything else.  He'll be good for a big dunk once a game, good defense and some three point shots.  A very nice player but not a star either... I admit that he could surprise me to the upside as he does have a lot of physical talent.   

Zaide Lowery is a very smooth and capable athlete.  I think he takes a step up from last year and has some real nice nights were he scores 20+ points and is the stud of the game.  However, I don't know why the coaching staff hasn't converted his set shot to a jump shot yet... the later is when you jump and release your shot at the top of your jump instead of shooting and jumping at the same time.  At this level every player should have a jump shot, as it's harder to block or alter. 

Royce Parham will have to play more than the coaches want to play a freshman because he's too valuable to keep off the floor.  I think he was the leading scorer in the first half and scored a number of different ways that included hitting open threes, to creating his own shot, to finishing in transition for a 3 point play.  He's also a good rebounder... just an overall high IQ player who gets it and has the ability to do a lot of positive things to help us win. 

Josh Clark... early in the scrimmage he was pulled at the first sub each time and the coaches always called him over to point out something they didn't like what he was doing.  Then as the game went on he probably ended up being the overall leading scorer or close to it.  Granted many where lob dunks but someone with his length and athletic ability makes the game easier for everyone else.  He has a freshman body but it's still a pretty sturdy frame and I could see him being scary good by his junior year with 20 to 30lbs of muscle, game experience, savvy and developing a couple go to post moves.  He might be too valuable to even red shirt as we could use his talent in the rotation this year in my opinion.  I'd prefer to redshirt Al Amadou this year, and play Josh Clark in the rotation now instead.  No point in redshirting Josh too if he might be an NBA prospect in 3 to 4 years. 

Damarius Owens partook in the warm up drills and looked very athletic and physically impressive.  He will be an impact player for us this year as he's essentially Chase Ross with an extra 3 to 4 inches of height and more offensive explosion. 

Tre Norman didn't play.  I love Tre's high school tape and hope he can have a big jump this year as last year he didn't look like he had the quickness or explosion to be an impact player at this level.  I admit and hope I'm wrong as he still did some good things and is a very tough and smart player.  Having Kolek as a mentor gave him a great blue print on how to be a great point guard even if you aren't the most athletic player at this level. 

Conclusion:
Once again, lots of collective talent/athletic ability/length that can overwhelm opponents in transition when we're getting a lot of team deflections.  However, I'm very concerned we won't have any post offense in slower tempo games were we have to rely on half court sets to score.  Also very concerned we won't be a very good rebounding team which seems to be a regular trademark for Shaka Marquette teams thus far.

Ceiling: Sweet 16, maybe even Elite 8
Floor: NIT

What did your lawyer think?

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Thanks to the 3 people that actually gave some relevant insight to the players and how they looked here. 4 pages of a thread and 90 percent of it about hot dogs says a lot about MUScoop lol

The problem is that I don't think it's all that relevant. I maybe wrong, but it feels like we have made wild assumptions about playing time and player growth after these scrimmages in the past.

[Uncle Rico]

The problem is that I don't think it's all that relevant. I maybe wrong, but it feels like we have made wild assumptions about playing time and player growth after these scrimmages in the past.

It isn't relevant at all.  It's fun, though, and gets people excited.  As for any assumptions made from it, there aren't any.  A lot will change between now, opening night, non-con schedule and Big East play.

[Viper]

Not having concessions was a big miss. Lots of families here, we weren't the only ones to meant early. In the past we always got hot dogs and chips, nothing fancy but with 1,000+ there they left a lot of cash on the table. We left early because I didn't want to spend 2 hours listening to "I'm hungry" on repeat.

Line of the day from my 6-year-old daughter: "I'm pissed, I'm hungry, I didn't get to see Iggy. This was bad."

Incomprehensible decision to hold a scrimmage from 11-1 in the afternoon and not open the concession stands that have typically been open for these events in the past.

probably difficult keeping a 6 yr old interested in anything for two hours. Heck, during the DWade era I did Big Brother's. Keeping a 14 yr old interested in a game DWade was on-court was no easy task!

[Lennys Tap]

It isn't relevant at all.  It's fun, though, and gets people excited. 

Some people hate fun and excitement.

[MUfan12]

The problem is that I don't think it's all that relevant. I maybe wrong, but it feels like we have made wild assumptions about playing time and player growth after these scrimmages in the past.

Yep. Hard format to gather much since everyone knows what everyone's running.

That said, Clark was farther along than I had anticipated. So many young bigs are mechanical, you can tell the gears are turning while they play. His movement was more instinctual, footwork smoother than expected. I won't say they should pull his redshirt or anything based on the scrimmage, but it was a pleasant surprise.

[avid1010]

Yep. Hard format to gather much since everyone knows what everyone's running.

That said, Clark was farther along than I had anticipated. So many young bigs are mechanical, you can tell the gears are turning while they play. His movement was more instinctual, footwork smoother than expected. I won't say they should pull his redshirt or anything based on the scrimmage, but it was a pleasant surprise.

I was really looking forward to seeing Owens play, but from the little I have seen and more from what I have heard...Owens, Parham, Clark, and essentially Hamilton look like a promising class.  I absolutely love a guy like Clark on the roster given additional scholarships.

[Jay Bee]

I was really looking forward to seeing Owens play, but from the little I have seen and more from what I have heard...Owens, Parham, Clark, and essentially Hamilton look like a promising class.  I absolutely love a guy like Clark on the roster given additional scholarships.

No additional scholarships this year, but yes. Hopefully he gets bigger (pawz) and progresses well via practice this season. I think Al is like just fun to watch
in the layup line, so love Clark

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Costco us several seedings

FIFY, based on all of the hot dog comments.

[avid1010]

No additional scholarships this year, but yes. Hopefully he gets bigger (pawz) and progresses well via practice this season. I think Al is like just fun to watch
in the layup line, so love Clark

I don't see Al on this team next year...hope I am dead wrong.

[Viper]

I don't see Al on this team next year...hope I am dead wrong.

maybe he'll surprise everyone on court. However, if Al's talent is better suited at a lower level...or in a different system, is it a bad thing to have him transfer? Opens a scholly here, and might be better for him too.

[Nukem2]

maybe he'll surprise everyone on court. However, if Al's talent is better suited at a lower level...or in a different system, is it a bad thing to have him transfer? Opens a scholly here, and might be better for him too.

With a 15 man roster next year, plenty of room for Al if he wants.

[avid1010]

maybe he'll surprise everyone on court. However, if Al's talent is better suited at a lower level...or in a different system, is it a bad thing to have him transfer? Opens a scholly here, and might be better for him too.

Surely nothing wrong with that...would just like to see him crack the rotation as an athletic stretch 4, but I'm struggling to see it.  Seems like the guy you hear least about.  He looks to be behind Parham, Gold, and Hamilton.

[Jay Bee]

Surely nothing wrong with that...would just like to see him crack the rotation as an athletic stretch 4, but I'm struggling to see it.  Seems like the guy you hear least about.  He looks to be behind Parham, Gold, and Hamilton.

Yep. If he's helpful in practice, great locker room guy, wants to stay, great! Plus, who knows... sometimes things click unexpectedly. If he finds an opp elsewhere, all good

[MUCam]

Can we talk about a "6 year old" having the audacity to say "I'm pissed."

I would have had my mouth cleaned out with soap. Never mind the lack of gratitude for complaining after mom and/or dad took me somewhere. Yikes! I'd be washing out toilets by hand for a month.

But shame on Marquette....

[Lennys Tap]

Can we talk about a "6 year old" having the audacity to say "I'm pissed."

I would have had my mouth cleaned out with soap. Never mind the lack of gratitude for complaining after mom and/or dad took me somewhere. Yikes! I'd be washing out toilets by hand for a month.

But shame on Marquette....

+1. Parents who try to be best friends with their kids do everyone (especially their kids) a disservice.

[Galway Eagle]

+1. Parents who try to be best friends with their kids do everyone (especially their kids) a disservice.

But those who judge minute details of parental that are ultimately meaningless are the good guys