Just got back. Hope I don't repeat too much, but here's my take.
1. Babb's dunk was incredible. I could watch it over and over. Aside from that, he struggled, IMO. I know it's CCL, but he was off. Looked very familiar, unfortunately. Did I mention the alley oop finish was sick?? You all know about him, so...moving on.
2. If you combine RW's and CB's game into one player, that one player may be one of the best to ever play the game. Because you can't do that, both have holes. Brackins is Brackins. He filled it up in the second half, but I found myself cursing, under my breath, because of all the fade aways...even though they were going in. He did play pretty good defense though. RW...great passes, shot may have improved...a little...already, but still a long way to go. Struggled to finish against CB. Moving on...
3. Niang. The kid just gets it done. He's not flashy, and is going to need to run some killers-wind sprints, but has really, really good footwork. Good outside shot. Rebounding position is good. He's a bruiser too, which I like. He wasn't afraid to mix it up. Hustles like Tyrus, so that probably leads to him gassing early. He is going to be a fun one...Iowa State fans are going to love him. He's really engaging. He, SDW and Naz looked to be having a great time with one another after game 2.
4. Naz Long. I was very skeptical of Naz, and I am still skeptical of his shot. He likes to short arm the jumper, but I do think he has the outside shot in his game. It shouldn't take long for Fred to get him to follow through, and when he does, I think he has a chance to be dangerous from outside. I am no longer skeptical of his ability to play in the Big 12 though. He has a nice handle, his quick, thick(er) body and 'knows' he belongs. He has a swagger about him, and I think it's a good thing. He's a heady ball player. He likes to get to the rack, and can. He doesn't back away from contact, and plays solid defense. Call me in this if you want, but game 2 was a little more than a typical CCL game. Both teams played harder than CCL normal, and Naz was guarded by Tyrus, who seems to never take a play off, no matter how big or small the outcome of the game is. I think the Naz-Tyrus matchup ended up being the most intriguing.
5. Tyrus is Tyrus. Hustles all the time. Never takes a play off. Shot 'OK'...not great. I could watch him play all day though. Love his hustle, and he's tough as nails.
6. I couldn't get to game 1 at the start, but Clyburn looked pretty good...from what I saw...just not as engaged as ANYONE who played in game 2 (game 2 was really fun to watch). Clyburn has a smooth stroke, and looks like he can do anything he wants (if he 'wants'). He did have a baseline, went up to tomahawk one, but got hammered, so couldn't finish. Anyway...I look forward to seeing him in real action.
7. SDW has a ways to go, but he has the luxury to take the time he needs. Seemed to press a little, but I didn't see much of him.
8. I stuck around for most of game 3, but only because I felt bad for Korie, Bubu and Percy. The crowd didn't stick around long after game 2. Not that I can blame them. Not even close to the same thing. Lucious is...GOOD. He has the ball on a string, glue on the palms of his hands, plays with a yo-yo...whatever visual works for you. I felt bad for Austin McBeth, because Korie shook him out of his shorts more than a couple of times (he actually fell down trying to stay in front of KL). Cannot wait for him to run the show.
9. Percy was 'OK', but like Clyburn, looked disinterested at times. I think the CCL is more difficult for bigs. There is so much traffic down low, and there are a lot more players closer to the ground than in Big 12 (or MVC) play. Looks like Percy has been working on developing a mid-range jumper. Looked pretty good.
10. Bubu was Bubu. Solid...nothing to blow your socks off.
That's my take on our guys (Booker wasn't there for some reason. Of course Ejim - Olympic tryouts -and Okoro - not yet here - weren't there either).
OT...Simons looks pretty good. So does their little guy.
