I'll just add to this that Sledge really didn't look to shoot outside much at all. But he was the most exciting player to watch out there. Oh, and Chris Allen can really fill it up.
CCL tonight
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I'll just add to this that Sledge really didn't look to shoot outside much at all. But he was the most exciting player to watch out there. Oh, and Chris Allen can really fill it up.
A couple of observations.....
1. Babb was shooting lights out and hit the game winning 3. He also looked to rebound a bit.
2. Booker, Clyburn, and Lucious showed up late and therefore started slow. Clyburn reminds me a bit of Wes J. Book had some nice moves.
3. Royce did what he does. He looked like he got a bit frustrated when a few shots he took didn't go down. He again had some nice passes.
4. Scotty didn't look to take a lot of 3's. Had some nice moves.
5. Adam Emmenecker still has a good game. He's getting old!
6. Gibson seemed to struggle. Just a step slow, I think. He does have some nice moves and I think he'll grow into his role well. But it will take time. Don't expect him to play much next year.
7. Sledge is quick and I think he'll be good once he adjusts to D1. He gets to the basket fast.
Overall, there wasn't a ton to be impressed with from the Iowa State guys tonight. I'd like to believe that they are each working on some individual things. We know (or at least hope) Royce is working on things like ball handing, etc and isn't afraid to take it to the basket. I would guess that Scott was working on driving to the basket and wasn't really interested in shooting 3's. It's also worth noting that those guys are in the midst of their 2nd or 3rd week of working camps. They are probably a bit tired.
1. Babb was shooting lights out and hit the game winning 3. He also looked to rebound a bit.
2. Booker, Clyburn, and Lucious showed up late and therefore started slow. Clyburn reminds me a bit of Wes J. Book had some nice moves.
3. Royce did what he does. He looked like he got a bit frustrated when a few shots he took didn't go down. He again had some nice passes.
4. Scotty didn't look to take a lot of 3's. Had some nice moves.
5. Adam Emmenecker still has a good game. He's getting old!
6. Gibson seemed to struggle. Just a step slow, I think. He does have some nice moves and I think he'll grow into his role well. But it will take time. Don't expect him to play much next year.
7. Sledge is quick and I think he'll be good once he adjusts to D1. He gets to the basket fast.
Overall, there wasn't a ton to be impressed with from the Iowa State guys tonight. I'd like to believe that they are each working on some individual things. We know (or at least hope) Royce is working on things like ball handing, etc and isn't afraid to take it to the basket. I would guess that Scott was working on driving to the basket and wasn't really interested in shooting 3's. It's also worth noting that those guys are in the midst of their 2nd or 3rd week of working camps. They are probably a bit tired.
Great crowd at tonight's games, though they were quiet. My friend and I were tempted to go to opposite ends of the bleachers and start the Cyclone Power chant. We chickened out.
The first game went to overtime, and was a great game to watch. Booker looked very good, and Babb led his team well and drained several 3s.
Sledge is a blast to watch. He started a little slow, with a missed dunk (which drew a laugh from the crowd) and an air ball free throw, but came on strong later on. He is so quick. Austin McBeth did some nice things in game 2 tonight as well, and Allen was extremely impressive in his ball handling and shooting. He also was raining in 3s. I thought Gibson looked really good at times (let's remember he's a Freshman). He reminded me of Brackins in a way, and looks like he could still be growing.
In the final game (I left at half time), Tyrus McGee continued to impress with his speed and passing. Royce White looked more agressive with the ball. He has played very differently in all 3 games, and is clearly trying to work on different aspects of his game each time. He is a lot of fun to watch. Scottie played a pretty good first half as well, but missed a few 3s.
Get out and watch these games. It's a great time!
The first game went to overtime, and was a great game to watch. Booker looked very good, and Babb led his team well and drained several 3s.
Sledge is a blast to watch. He started a little slow, with a missed dunk (which drew a laugh from the crowd) and an air ball free throw, but came on strong later on. He is so quick. Austin McBeth did some nice things in game 2 tonight as well, and Allen was extremely impressive in his ball handling and shooting. He also was raining in 3s. I thought Gibson looked really good at times (let's remember he's a Freshman). He reminded me of Brackins in a way, and looks like he could still be growing.
In the final game (I left at half time), Tyrus McGee continued to impress with his speed and passing. Royce White looked more agressive with the ball. He has played very differently in all 3 games, and is clearly trying to work on different aspects of his game each time. He is a lot of fun to watch. Scottie played a pretty good first half as well, but missed a few 3s.
Get out and watch these games. It's a great time!
Sledge looked very good, very quick with the ball, not really out of control. Booker looked strong on the inside, with a very nice touch. Clyburn started off very slow, but got into the flow of the game. Very smooth play, would like to see him get bigger during the season he has to sit out. McGee had a few nice step back jumpers, looks to be a promising shooter. Handled the ball very well as well. Lucious hit a few threes when in rhythm, much like Allen. Royce mostly looked to pass and handle, occasionally driving to the basket. Railey did not do much, a few nice jumpers, few boards, nothing too special. Scotty hit a few threes, mostly looked to take it to the hoop. Percy looked a little out of shape, but had some strong boards and nice touch. Ejim played within himself, took it to the basket alot, a few outside jumpers fell for him. Bubu looked decent, along with McBeth looking subpar. Law looked okay in not much action on the floor. That's what I saw tonight.
Sidenote- Abrahamson was guarded by Rayvonte Rice (Drake) and Rice got the better of him most of the night. Abrahamson had a few 3s with a few decent drives to the basket.
Sidenote- Abrahamson was guarded by Rayvonte Rice (Drake) and Rice got the better of him most of the night. Abrahamson had a few 3s with a few decent drives to the basket.
I was there for the 2nd half of the first game and first half of the second game. My 2 cents worth;
Booker: Really impressed me. Granted the team he was playing didn't have anyone to match his size but he mixed it up well down low. He had some nice low post moves and seems to move very well for his size. Showed some good court awareness and a pretty good handle. He scored the final 4 pts in the 2nd half to put his team into over time. 2 of those four were on a nice alley-oop. I think he's going to be a nice 1-2 punch with White.
Cyburn: He can flat out fill it up.
Babb: Some here said he was draining three's but from what I saw he missed 4 shots in a row. But he kept shooting and hit the game winner at the buzzer in OT. He looks bigger than I expected.
Allen: Made some nice drive and dishes, but alot of them didn't end in pts. Some these the other guy couldn't handle or finish. The other team sagged off of him so he hit 3 three's in a row.
Korie: Seemed a little frustrated tonight. He made some nice shots and also drove. Looks like a good PG. He seemed to pick the right moments to score or dish.
Ejim: Looks leaner this year. Was a little inconsistent. Missed some bunnies but made some mid range shots. Strong on the boards. If Ejim doesn't end up starting the team is going to be in a very good position. He looked like the best player out there sometimes.
Sledge: He's quick and basically could go to the hole anytime he wants but will have trouble finishing. Today was not his best day. He missed a wide open dunk that slipped out of his hands and his outside shot looked off. Liked his intensity and defense.
Gibson: He seems a little ungainly at times. He started off out of sync I think, which is understandable. Made a few good post moves. That left hand of his is gold.
Abrahamson: Started off hot. Hit 2 threes in a row from NBA range. The D tightened up on him after that and had a hard time finding a shot.
Booker: Really impressed me. Granted the team he was playing didn't have anyone to match his size but he mixed it up well down low. He had some nice low post moves and seems to move very well for his size. Showed some good court awareness and a pretty good handle. He scored the final 4 pts in the 2nd half to put his team into over time. 2 of those four were on a nice alley-oop. I think he's going to be a nice 1-2 punch with White.
Cyburn: He can flat out fill it up.
Babb: Some here said he was draining three's but from what I saw he missed 4 shots in a row. But he kept shooting and hit the game winner at the buzzer in OT. He looks bigger than I expected.
Allen: Made some nice drive and dishes, but alot of them didn't end in pts. Some these the other guy couldn't handle or finish. The other team sagged off of him so he hit 3 three's in a row.
Korie: Seemed a little frustrated tonight. He made some nice shots and also drove. Looks like a good PG. He seemed to pick the right moments to score or dish.
Ejim: Looks leaner this year. Was a little inconsistent. Missed some bunnies but made some mid range shots. Strong on the boards. If Ejim doesn't end up starting the team is going to be in a very good position. He looked like the best player out there sometimes.
Sledge: He's quick and basically could go to the hole anytime he wants but will have trouble finishing. Today was not his best day. He missed a wide open dunk that slipped out of his hands and his outside shot looked off. Liked his intensity and defense.
Gibson: He seems a little ungainly at times. He started off out of sync I think, which is understandable. Made a few good post moves. That left hand of his is gold.
Abrahamson: Started off hot. Hit 2 threes in a row from NBA range. The D tightened up on him after that and had a hard time finding a shot.
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First time at the CCL, and I got to watch all of the second game and the first half of the third. Have to say I was a little disappointed with the intensity of the game, and not to mention just really bad basketball overall, it was hard to watch at some points....so hard to really take much out of these games.
RW-- Very athletic for his height and weight, like others have said didnt look to do much other than facilitate. I would love to see Freddy develop sometime of point forward offensive set for him.
Sledge-- Yeah we all know he is quick, but it was very concerning to see that he has no jump shot what so ever. Bubu would literally sag all the way down to the free throw line on him, daring him to shoot and Sledge refused to shoot most of the time. With tutelage under Freddy, he will improve that over time. MAD HOPS though something that is rare to see at his stature.
Ejim-- Melvin was his usual self, hes one of the few players out there that I think gives more than 80%. Thats why he puts up crazy numbers in this league. Looks like he improved his handle quite a bit, and like others have said hes grown into his body frame. Alot more control and balance on his cuts and jump shots. Still needs to learn how to properly jump stop, and jab step.
Gibson-- Alot bigger than I expected, didnt look like he was all that into it tonight. Even threw up a couple of threes. But I did like what he did down in the post, good footwork and looks comfortable going to his left and right. IMO more polished offensively then Godfrey as a frosh (but that was just one game).
Allen-- The guy can create his own shot, and that exactly what ISU needs from him. Started off slow, then couldn't miss for about 3 minutes straight. Had a streaky night, but I liked what I saw.
Abrahamson-- Has one of the quickest releases I've seen in a while, and a surprising good handle. The guy has limitless range, but was getting pushed around at times offensively because he is so thin. Well and Rice was guarding him, and hes pretty much a bball player in a fullbacks body.
RW-- Very athletic for his height and weight, like others have said didnt look to do much other than facilitate. I would love to see Freddy develop sometime of point forward offensive set for him.
Sledge-- Yeah we all know he is quick, but it was very concerning to see that he has no jump shot what so ever. Bubu would literally sag all the way down to the free throw line on him, daring him to shoot and Sledge refused to shoot most of the time. With tutelage under Freddy, he will improve that over time. MAD HOPS though something that is rare to see at his stature.
Ejim-- Melvin was his usual self, hes one of the few players out there that I think gives more than 80%. Thats why he puts up crazy numbers in this league. Looks like he improved his handle quite a bit, and like others have said hes grown into his body frame. Alot more control and balance on his cuts and jump shots. Still needs to learn how to properly jump stop, and jab step.
Gibson-- Alot bigger than I expected, didnt look like he was all that into it tonight. Even threw up a couple of threes. But I did like what he did down in the post, good footwork and looks comfortable going to his left and right. IMO more polished offensively then Godfrey as a frosh (but that was just one game).
Allen-- The guy can create his own shot, and that exactly what ISU needs from him. Started off slow, then couldn't miss for about 3 minutes straight. Had a streaky night, but I liked what I saw.
Abrahamson-- Has one of the quickest releases I've seen in a while, and a surprising good handle. The guy has limitless range, but was getting pushed around at times offensively because he is so thin. Well and Rice was guarding him, and hes pretty much a bball player in a fullbacks body.
Lincoln Vorba from Mason City? He's a good friend of mine. Preferred walk-on at Drake this fall.
I liked watching the battle between Bubu and Sledge. Both are super quick. I thought Bubu played better than Sledge. Sledge is exciting, but Bubu is not going to surrender playing time to this frosh. without a heck of a fight.
I was interested in seeing Gibson. He has good size. I thought his offensive post game was very good. He has some crafty post moves. However, he needs to use his pivot a lot more. He needs to pivot in conjunction with drop steps either towards or away from the hoop. He had a good post game without doing that. I see good potential in him, but it may take him awhile until he is effective in the Big 12. Just from watching this one game, it looks like the thing holding him back may be explosiveness and aggressiveness. He doesn't play with the same attitude, aggressiveness and explosiveness as Godfrey. Godfrey is more athletic, but offensive Gibson post game is more refined than Godfrey.
I am a little worried about our inside play this year. I think not having Godfrey is going to really hurt. White is going to be great. Booker is decent. Railey seems more like a 4 to 5 minute guy to me and Gibson just may not be ready, maybe he can give 4 or 5 minutes too. White and Booker are going to need to rest and they may get into foul trouble. Ejim will have to play some 4 again and FH will have to go small to compensate for the lack of ready to go numbers in the two low post positions.
I was interested in seeing Gibson. He has good size. I thought his offensive post game was very good. He has some crafty post moves. However, he needs to use his pivot a lot more. He needs to pivot in conjunction with drop steps either towards or away from the hoop. He had a good post game without doing that. I see good potential in him, but it may take him awhile until he is effective in the Big 12. Just from watching this one game, it looks like the thing holding him back may be explosiveness and aggressiveness. He doesn't play with the same attitude, aggressiveness and explosiveness as Godfrey. Godfrey is more athletic, but offensive Gibson post game is more refined than Godfrey.
I am a little worried about our inside play this year. I think not having Godfrey is going to really hurt. White is going to be great. Booker is decent. Railey seems more like a 4 to 5 minute guy to me and Gibson just may not be ready, maybe he can give 4 or 5 minutes too. White and Booker are going to need to rest and they may get into foul trouble. Ejim will have to play some 4 again and FH will have to go small to compensate for the lack of ready to go numbers in the two low post positions.
1. Rayvonte Rice is huge.
2. Abrahamson needs to work on his jump shot. He shoots the ball from his hip and will have a hard time getting that shot off at the next level.
3. Sledge is fast and explosive, he'll play a lot this season.
4. Babb is really big guard, very broad.
5. Clyburn just glides and is very smooth.
2. Abrahamson needs to work on his jump shot. He shoots the ball from his hip and will have a hard time getting that shot off at the next level.
3. Sledge is fast and explosive, he'll play a lot this season.
4. Babb is really big guard, very broad.
5. Clyburn just glides and is very smooth.
We can check back on this in January or so but I really doubt we do the center-power forward thing all that much. That's why there's talk of Babb playing some at the 4 because they think he can guard the position (against a lot of those guys). Then when play shifts to the offensive end we (in theory) have a huge advantage because the other squad will never be able to keep the three-point line covered up.
I totally agree. I don't see us playing a true 5 very often. Railey is the closest thing we have to a true 5. Our opponent will need to adjust to us essentially playing two 4s on the post. I think our speed and passing ability out of the post to our highly skilled guards is going to wreak havoc on opposing defenses. Add in guys the size of Ejim and Babb at the 3, and that could be a big and quick line-up.
From what little I've seen already of White's passing ability, if he gets the ball down low, the options he will create is limitless. His ability to take it strong to the hoop and his ability to find the open look is golden.
we will have our most talented 8-man rotation since 99-00. sledge, mcgee, allen, scotty, babb, ejim, white, booker. i'll let you guys argue over who plays 1,2,3,4 or 5. i personally don't care.
You definitely should have done it. The place was jam packed but was about as loud as the Des Moines Library, which led to a lot of boring moments in the game :SLEEP:
I think the guy he was describing is Judd Welfringer from Waukee, who will be a freshman at Drake this year.
Yes Mr. Bulldog, it was Welfringer. He looked very good and was comfortable with Bubu/Allen/Rice. And you could tell they had confidence in him and he delivered. And he is an incoming freshman too . Impressive ... he could be real good for you guys.
