St. Martin Exhibition Game Review

Final Score UW-97 St. Martins-76

When all was said and done, it was no contest as expected. UW led by 19 at half and let SMU get within ten before pulling out once and for all. Some good things were seen today, some things in need of improvement as well. Everyone saw play time and only three players did not score (almost two, Hosley had a lay-in just roll out as time expired). Six players had double digit scoring efforts.

                                                        Just the Facts

Darnell Gant was out with a hamstring injury and Overton rested a tweaked hamstring as well. Overton should be returning to practice this week in preparation for Saturday's official season opener against McNeese State.

Poole led the St. Martin effort with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Jeremy Green grabbed 11 boards and 10 points. The second leading scorer for St. Martin was Roger O'Neil.

Matthew Bryan-Amaning was the lead scorer for UW tonight with 20 points and he also grabbed six rebounds, tying with Terrance Ross for the team high. He fouled out late in the game soon after Aziz N'Diaye fouled out.
Terrence Ross, C.J. Wilcox, and Abdul Gaddy all put up 12 points.
Scott Suggs put up 11.
Justin Holiday had 18.
Isaiah Thomas and Aziz N'Diaye came in at 8 and 4 respectively.

Wilcox had a team high 3 steals followed by MBA, IT, Gaddy, and Holiday with 2 each.

Isaiah dished out an impressive 11 assists while Gaddy threw out a nice 5 assists as well.

Isaiah did not make a shot in the first half, being fouled on both attempts and making three of four free throws.

UW shot 7 for 8 from the arc in the first half and finished 10 for 17 on the night.

UW shot a poor 15 for 24 from the free throw line, mainly due to MBA going 2 for 9. Gaddy, Wilcox, Aziz, and Ross went perfect from the line and IT only missed one.


                                                             The Spin


Why don't we start with what needs improvement so we can end on a positive note.

Rebounding

For the second straight year the Huskies lost their leading rebounder, this time in Quincy Pondexter. The Huskies were out rebounded 42-32 to an undersized opponent. This does not bode well, for we will be facing much tougher opponents in the coming weeks and without solid rebounding, we will find ourselves in a heap of trouble. The good news is, we have the size and strength to become a strong rebounding team again, not only in MBA and Aziz, but in Terrence Ross and Justin Holiday as well. If MBA and Aziz can work on their positioning, their rebounding stats will improve two fold. If Ryan Applebee can create the kind of improvement we saw in Quincy's shot and Gaddy's (more on that later), it would be pretty nice if Brockman would set up a rebounding camp for the UW big men. Give Poole credit though, the kid knew how to use his weight and get positioning in a very similar way to Brockman.

Defense

While there were some standout players, who I will touch on in the Good New sections, there were some sloppy mistakes on defense. Not only foul wise, but in over all effectiveness as well. The defense looked like it was on the edge of finding itself and becoming a stopping force, but silly mistakes and miscommunications allowed SMU to stick around for far too long.
A lot of problems coming off screens and leaving a man open. Either both players would follow the screened player or both would stick to the screener. More communication and practice needs to be done to enforce good habits and reactions to screen plays. A simple problem, fixed after another week or two of practices. I am confident this will be less of an issue come Maui Tournament time.

Rebounding (Again)

Defensive rebounding was another problem that was almost well done. Our players were getting their hands on the ball, but not coming down with it. Whether due to it getting knocked loose, the ball bouncing high (SMU took a lot of long shots that bounced deep), or lack of effort to gain position and using two hands. Again, small things that make a big difference. Aziz has the size and strength to get himself where he needs to be to clean the glass, its just a matter of practice and time. Get him a few more games under his belt and his rebounding stats will be on the up and up. Isaiah Thomas surprisingly led the team in the defensive rebounding category with all 5 of his boards coming off missed, opponent shots.

Foul Trouble

Both MBA and Aziz fouled out of the game tonight, something that cant be happening against Division 1 opponents who will have appreciably larger line ups. With the Dawgs already a tad thin in the front court, only 3 players 6-8 or taller, we can't afford to have both our big men to have 4 fouls with 7 to 10 minutes left in the game. This means either MBA and Aziz should avoid court time together or, preferably, both avoid silly fouls and learn a bit more body control. I have to admit, though, Aziz had 3 pretty silly fouls called against him. They were all technically fouls, but quite weak when you look at them. His first two fouls came off of incidental contact that, due to his large size, sent the opponents sprawling across the court. He would be running at a fairly good chip up the court behind his man who would slow down and before Aziz could react he would plow them into the ground. A simple item that can easily be worked on after a few more weeks of instruction. The third foul came after Aziz slipped onto his back and his feet knocked into the 6-2 SMU point guard causing the small guy to land ass first on the court as well. Like I said, three silly, avoidable fouls that cannot against big teams.
MBA was also tagged for a few ticky tack fouls that were questionable. He shouldn't be placing himself in that kind of position, to have good defensive efforts confused with sloppy defensive fouls.
I believe Holiday also picked up one or two silly, unnecessary fouls.

Offensive Problems

Organized Play

This is more of a coaching problem than a player problem. The Huskies didn't seem to be running that many organized plays and instead seemed to be relying on player intuition to create opportunities. While this works fine against weaker teams, it simply will not due in Maui and certainly not in Pac-10 play against competitive opponents such as Arizona and WSU. It's something that needs to be addressed immediately and corrected as soon as possible. While it is easy to understand that the new members of the team are still learning the play books, you would think that the upper class men with their experience would be able to play a tad more organized ball. That being said, Isaiah Thomas and Abdul Gaddy did a great job of finding open players, forging points of their own for a better shot (more on this later).

Rebounding (a third time, its important, so I'm going to reiterate it often)

As on the defensive edge, the Huskies simply were not able to hold onto the ball off the glass. The big men had trouble getting into the right spot and were out scored 20 to 11 on second chance points, an unacceptable number against such a poor opponent. MBA grabbed 3 offensive rebounds followed by Holiday, Aziz, and Ross with 2 each.  Aziz should be able to grab 4 or 5 a game as should MBA. Holiday and Ross are pretty close to an acceptable number in my opinion. If our forwards are grabbing 2 or 3 offensive rebounds a piece along side 5 offensive rebound efforts from our big men, we should be in fairly good shape.

To summarize our "need to improve" categories: Body control (aka ticky tack fouls), detailed organization on both ends, rebounding, rebounding, and rebounding. We were spoiled by Brockman and it has now become a standard for Husky basketball to be a good rebounding team, both offensively and defensively.

On to the Good News

Scoring Threats

We have multiple players on the court who can step up on any given day and score upwards of 15 or 20 points a piece. 6 players scored at least 11 points with the game high 20 going to MBA. Justin Holiday started strong scoring most of his 18 points in the first half. Holiday also went 4 for 4 on three pointers, 3 of which came in the first half, and Suggs came in at 3 for 4 on the long ball. Even though Isaiah only scored 8 points, he was extremely effective every time he drove. He went 2 for 2 on field goals and converted 4 of his 5 free throws. Abdul Gaddy looked great on the court from inside to out, going 5 for 8 on the day and missing his one three ball attempt by mere inches. He had a nice jumper from the old three point line that sunk in very nicely. Zones are going to have a rough time stopping our offense, especially when our line up includes IT, Holiday, Ross, Suggs/Wilcox, and MBA. Even MBA was taking some beautiful long shots during warm ups that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, including a half court shot right before heading into the locker room and a 20 footer after a foul.

Talent

We have some really talented players on our team. The rust was evident at the start of the game and 6 minutes into the second half when SMU was allowed to get back within 10. When it comes to depth, there isn't a team in the Pac-10 that can compete. Even without Overton and Gant available, we still find ourselves with a plethora of talents and a variety of lines ups with varying size and skills. On that note I would like to think our defense would have been much, much better had Gant and Overton been available as they are both defensive geniuses. I'm under the impression that everyone excluding Sherrer, Hosley, and Simmons could start at any point for out team and I'm a firm believer we will see Ross in the starting line up before years end.

                                               Player by Player Reports

Seniors

Venoy Overton


Did not play. Hamstring injury, should be back next week against McNeese State.

Justin Holiday


Came out very strong, shot extremely well. Defensively was still a force to be reckoned with. While not his most impressive defensive game, he still managed to get 2 steals and a block before games end. Shooting 4 for 4 beind the arc and 6 for 11 over all it was a solid effort that should make Dawgs fans excited for what kind of season he may have this year. While I was looking for Holiday to pick up 12 points a game, with his impressive shooting I don't see why he can't put up 17 to 20 a game. His mobility combined with the passing efforts Isaiah and Gaddy showed today gave him a lot of open shots and opportunities that he was more than willing to capitalize on. He also showed great control and passing skills as he and the guards worked the ball around the perimeter fast and efficiently.
Grade: A

Matthew Bryan-Amaning


Offensively, he had his way with the undersized SMU team. The same way he worked the court in the non-conference games at the beginning of last season. While I'm not predicting him to slump off as he did last year, it concerns me he had such a trouble handling SMU on the defensive end. Guys like DeAngelo Casto and Derrick Williams are much bigger and better post players and MBA needs to get his act together to ensure the Pac-10 post players do not cause use terrible woes again. It was nice to see he has really developed his mid range game going an impressive 9 for 12 from the field. I think his long shot was a 15 foot jumper he dropped like a dime. If he can get his act together on defense and find his groove like he did during the latter half of 2009-2010, he will be on the track to success. He will also need to grab 7 to 8 rebounds a game for him to be considered successful.
Grade: B

Juniors

Darnell Gant


Did not play. Hamstring injury, no news on when he will be back. Most likely will return after our opener against McNeese State. Should return within the next two weeks and almost certainly before the Maui Tournament.

Isaiah Thomas


A fantastic game from Isaiah today, he showed great poise and leadership on the court, despite a few silly turnovers on sloppy passes. He scored 8 points and was nearly perfect shooting, missing one free throw in the first half. He  posted a career high 11 assists and did a great job finding the open players. He was extremely selective when it came to driving the lane and did not force it as he was prone to early last year. He was also deadly successful on his drives , going 2 for 2 and drawing fouls on 3 of his 4 drives (one shot went in for an And 1 situation). I loved his team mentality and willingness to score less points in order to get more open shots for his teammates. My only hope is that if his scoring remains lower than expected, his assists remain high, at least 8 a game to make a 10 point average acceptable from such a stud player.
Grade: A

Scott Suggs


First start of his career and a fairly successful start at that. He scored 11 points on 3 for 4 three pointers and a nice jump shot inside the arc to round out a 4 for 7 night. He committed three turnovers and only grabbed one rebound and is quoted as saying "I've got to get more boards". That's a good mentality. He was focused mainly on this issue versus his impressive shooting night. Defensively he struggled at times and his man ended up open on several shots after being screened. Not every screen will be broken, but he seemed to find himself stuck behind the screen more often than not.
Grade: B

Brendan Sherrer


Logged only two minutes, nearly had a few rebounds, but they bounced long. No fouls, no boards, no points. Another night as the human victory cigar. I'll give him an A for effort and for being a lovable personality on the team.
Grade: A

Sophomores

Aziz N'Diaye


This big man is going to be a force to be reckoned with once he gets his act together and the rust out of his system. Silly off the ball fouls took him out of the game. His size and strength was amazing to say the least, his long body and arms let him take up a lot of room. His defense improved significantly throughout the game and he looked pretty good at the end of his playing minutes, which included two made free throws and a put back rebound good for two points. He wasn't as impressive on the defensive end as I hoped, but he showed signs of stardom to come. By the end of the game he was securing his position offensively and getting in the way defensively. Overall a decent effort for his first Division 1 game and first game in a brand new system
Grade: C+

Abdul Gaddy


Despite the 5 turnovers, this was a turn around effort for the sophomore guard. He showed off the talents that escaped him last year during his freshman campaign. Highlight of the night for Gaddy had to be the spin move around the SMU guard followed by a no look, flick pass to an open Terrence Ross (can't remember exactly who it was, I was too busy being amazed by those moves). He shot with confidence, drove the lane with authority, passed with finesse and skill much like last year, and overall turned his "swag" back on. Romar told us he was much improved and I believe it. Let's hope he can maintain that kind of attitude and aptitude come Maui and Pac-10 play. Putting up 12 points and 5 assists along side two steals and a rebound is a solid effort. Would be an A game had the turnovers been a tad lower
Grade: B+

Freshman

Antoine Hosley


Played one minute. Had a nice lay-in that just rolled out of the hoop as time ran out, rather unfortunate. The Dawg Pack showed him their love, but sadly neither Sherrer nor Hosley were able to convert.
Grade: A for effort

Desmond Simmons


No points for the new guy tonight but he took some nice shots from good looks, but couldn't get them to drop. Defensively he was impressive, stopping several open shots from being taken by using his long, lanky frame to get in the way. He had one steal and two rebounds on the night. Overall he did just about as expected. A good defensive effort with minimal offensive impact. Give him some time to work on his shot under pressure and he'll put up 4 or 5 a game. I'm still in favor of him redshirting (exhibition games do not forfeit redshirt status) as his efforts are replaceable should Overton and Gant be on the fast track to healthiness. If injury seems like it will be a problem for the Husky big men, we may find Simmons on the court without the redshirt on his back. Not a bad game from the freshman, I would have liked to have seen more out of him.
Grade: B-

C.J. Wilcox


A slow start to the game with an uninspiring first half, going 0 for 3 from long range. For supposedly being one of the best shooters on the team he didn't look it until the second half of the game. Finished the night with 12 points, 2 three pointers, two for two from the line and a pair of inside shots. He also had a team high three steals. A pretty good game overall. I think he had the first game jitters and once those were gone, he felt more comfortable in his shot. His defense was decent overall, no Justin Holiday, but certainly not a slouch. Some work to be done there, but it will come in time. There is a big difference between defense in practice and defense in a game. Like I've said before, its game one, there's going to be things that will need improving and we shouldn't stress now. Come Pac-10 play, well, that's another story.
Grade: B

Terrence Ross


Romar wasn't kidding when he said this kid was the real deal and could be our most talented player. He had some impressive moves on the court tonight. Defensively he was just as tenacious, playing tough, in your face defense with great foot movement and an eye for the ball. Very successful in keeping himself in front of his opponent and forcing them to pick up the dribble. Only 1 steal on the night, but he also had a respectable 6 rebounds, 2 offensive and 4 defensive. His first few shots went a tad long and his year long absence from competitive play was seen, but the dust blew off pretty quickly going 5 for 11 from the field including 1 for 2 from range. Highlight of the night for Ross had to be his back door cut resulting in a beautiful hook shot along the base line. This kid may very well break into the starting 5 and take Suggs spot in the starting line up. Romar said he enjoyed the lineup that included IT, Holiday, and Ross and I have to admit, I'm a big fan as well. I'm looking forward to seeing more of his play capabilities and hoping he chooses to stick around for a few years.
Grade: A