Bah...I can walk and chew gum at the same time. Who is going tonight? I have to be on campus at 3. Might as well hang out for the game.
87-78 win. I have to say I'm pleased with the outcome, especially the high point total. Pleasantly surprised actually. Ralston Turner and Andre Stringer each had 21 in their debuts. Aaron Dotson finished with 17 (7-8 FTs) and Malcolm White added 12. The only big negative I see is that we committed 25 turnovers. Not gonna get it done against better comp. Chris Bass had just one assist and 4 points against five turnovers. Stringer may be the guy here long term. Hate to see the team play so sloppy, but it's to be expected with so many new parts. Still, great to see that we can shoot the ball a little bit this year. Also encouraging is that we got to the line 40 times, making 28 (70%). I like the aggression.
Back from the game. Not a bad game overall but obviously a lot of stuff for the team to work on. Ralston Turner is still the best player on the team and may be SEC freshman of the year. He's the best player on the team still and, frankly, not much changed from the scrimmage to now. He has a good mid range game and a good 3 point shot. Room for improvement in his ball handling though. He needs to be able to help the guards break the press. Andre Stringer should be the starting point guard. Honestly, he reminds me a lot of Kenny Boynton at Florida. They are both small, good range on their 3 point shots, and quick. His size will be a problem at times, as well as being a freshman and trying to do too much. As long as he plays in control he will be starting. Malcom White is raw. If he can manage his body, he can be really good. He has problems staying on the ground when defending and he can get into foul trouble. He had some nice blocks. Offensively he needs to learn how to finish around the rim. Also, no outside jump shots, and make free throws. Standard stuff for a forward. Aaron Dotson had a good game. I was honestly surprised when I saw how many points he had, because he never really seemed to be "on fire" like Turner and Stringer were. If he can keep up the high level of play we win more games than I originally thought. Garrett Green played good. He had more limited time than the others, but I thought he played really well. Unlike White, he was content to let the other team shoot and just box out for the rebound, where White was trying to block everything. He had a quiet game, but didn't do anything wrong and played solid off the bench.
There's a long highlight video from the game on lsusports.net right now. Stringer's range is ridiculous. And did Hawthorne really call Ralston Turner "Kurner" all night?
Stringer hit some looooong 3's. I liked that. He seems to handle the ball better than Bass. I was surprised that the defense was a little weak. NWS had quite a few baskets in the paint. Need to block out.
Great stuff. Based upon the box score and watching highlights, I have to agree with a lot of what you said. I guess there are two main things here, positive and negative. First, since when have we scored over 80 points and shot over 50% from the field? Not checking, but seems like a long time. 21 for Stringer and Turner each, and they shoot a good percentage (Stringer, frankly launched from WAY downtown and if he can shoot that % he's more or less unguardable). Turner on the spot up, seems reliable. And Dotson, frankly to your point, shot 5 for 5 and got to the line alot, so he had a "quiet" 17 points, but frankly, he probably had one of the better games of the night. So, if the shooting continues, we have to be pleased with this team's confidence on offense. The negative of course is all of the little things, the fundamental things, that as Trent would say are "correctable". Boxing out (24 offensive rebounds for NWSt vs our 9?), keeping guys from penetrating on defense, turnovers. Now, I think on the turnovers, I chalk that up to first game sync and the fact that NWSt pressed a lot. But, Bass having 4 turnovers (when he's supposed to be the more "consistent" point) isn't doing him any favors. Stringer also in the second half seemed to be a little out of control trying to break the press (6 TOs). LSU again will have it's issues with the press unless the points can get a little better handle. Also Malcolm in the middle. Was hoping to see a little more from him, given NWSt's size, but here's the thing. Look at how many shots MW got--8 (Turner took 12 and Stringer took 10). Warren got 2 shots. Now White got fouled a good bit and converted 6-11 FTs. I think a tension that will play out this season is are our young guards being smart with their shots and are the bigs getting their touches. Now, the flipside is Malcolm got only 4 boards in 34 minutes, and that's not going to cut it. He's supposed to be a force down there. Green got his 2 points on 1 of 1 shooting, but he gets 6 boards in 11 minutes. He's got to be encouraged with that effort. In any case, it was a win, and fun to watch win. The ability to shoot always helps, and if Trent can tighten up the screws a bit on the little things, this team is going to be pretty decent and surprise some people. NWState's Coach: "I am going to tell you what, and I am not just saying this, Trent Johnson is a really good basketball coach. He is sound, he is fundamental, and he does all the things that make a difference. He will get these young guys going and they will have a good season before it is over."" :geauxtige
More SEC hoops Also, no real surprises in the SEC on opening night. Interestingly, Mississippi and Andy Kennedy go back to usual fare, and beat John Brady and Arkansas St. :wink: Also, close win by Georgia over Miss Valley St seems to imply that perhaps media should wait before annointing GA as some SEC contender. SEC West rivals mostly won, although Auburn with new head coach Tony Barbee in a new spanking sparkling arena, lost to UNC - Ashville in OT. NCAA College Basketball Scores - NCAA Basketball - ESPN
