Not sweating a scrimmage performance. If ever there was a team we should not be sweating be ready come our first game, it is this team.
Good grief. That is an extreme number, which I guess makes you thankful the team has scrimmages. Definitely no need to panic, but at least a little surprising.Don't like the fact we had 21 TOs with tons of experience on the floor, but it was our first live opponent.
Homer, some things many of us have been discussing on some other threads awhile back, and all valid points. Many of us were quite happy when we finally scrapped the "vaunted " amoeba match up zone, that the rest of the A10 figured out about 8 years ago - and went mostly to man to man. But, per the reasons you cited above, we do need the ability to mix in a zone that we are adept at. We can't line up with that line up and play 40 minutes of straight zone. I do think we will also see quite a few minutes with better defensive players in - Zay and Dji. Again, any area of concern in essentially Mooney needing to figure out offense vs defense and personell.Offensively, yeah, a lot of experienced weapons.
I do not see any reason to expect this to be a good defensive team.
Golden = Terrific scorer. But, career slow feet, out of position a lot, and sometimes just doesn't get after it on defense. Sherod = above average shooter, scorer who can go off, but never in career been known as a good defender. Gilyard = scorer, outstanding at making steals, but, career, he often isn't guarding his man (or area) because he is always looking for the theft or deflection. Burton = exceptional athleticism, can score, can rebound. Career defense thus far, lungs, leaps, and goes for the block a lot. Offensive players get by him regularly. Cayo = can score, can rebound. Athletic ability helps him to be average to a little better than average career college level defender.
If one were to profess that better defenders will be coming off the bench (except for Grace), I wouldn't disagree. But to look for the majority minute players to be good defensively as a team, seems to me far more "hopeful" than "realistic." I predict that the probability is low.