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Incoming Freshmen - Pistokache, Johnson, Dominaus

Thank you Stork!

Based on what we have heard from the staff, I wouldn't be surprised to see Julius in the starting lineup by mid-season.
 
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JUNE 22ND PRACTICE OBSERVATIONS:

The four freshmen had their first 30-minute practice with the coaches this afternoon. Generally speaking, all showed up ready to practice, from a mental standpoint. The pace of practice bothered the young guys, with each showing fatigue at different times. I believe that this was to be expected, since the practice was very intense and all coaches participated in the instruction of the new guys.

According to one source, Jesse measured at 6'2" as did Julius. Kovien looks to be more of a 6'5" than a 6'7" - but I couldn't really tell. Keith Oddo, the walk on, looked to be in the 5'11" to 6'0" range.

Jesse: Looks like the kind of kid who brings a "game face" to practice. Does everything full speed - and seems to be, by appearance, someone who is perfectly comfortable running a team from the point guard spot. I thought he looked more refined than the other three freshmen. He appears to have great peripheral vision, from his passes today. Nice stroke as an outside shooter. Looks like he really understands the game and runs the floor well.

Julius: I love the quick release on his jump shot. Handled the ball well and shot reasonably well from outside until fatigue had an impact. Nice body - strong kid. He isn't flashy; but he is confident. Hard to say much more about him after only 30 minutes of observation.

KoVien: Runs the floor well. Seems to have a long wingspan. Shot well from 3-point land until he was fatigued. Has some really nice lift on his dunks. I think he is coming into a nice situation where he can learn under our 3's and 4's and can take some time to develop. There seems to be lots of potential here. There is always the chance that he will develop into something special.

Keith: Had some difficulty with the speed of the game - but seems to understand the game fully. Gave his best effort on the court.

I also heard that Marshall Wood has gotten stronger and is looking good. According to one staff member, TJ is the most improved player on the team since the season ended. He is reportedly looking like an all-A10 type player.

I'll try to keep you guys up on things as I notice them. The kids and the staff - the whole Robins Center staff - are confident that this will be a great year. Go Spiders!
Stork, thanks so much for your observations. Both Jesse and Julius pretty much met expectations; sounds like KoVien could be better than expected. Roll Spide!
 
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JUNE 22ND PRACTICE OBSERVATIONS:

The four freshmen had their first 30-minute practice with the coaches this afternoon. Generally speaking, all showed up ready to practice, from a mental standpoint. The pace of practice bothered the young guys, with each showing fatigue at different times. I believe that this was to be expected, since the practice was very intense and all coaches participated in the instruction of the new guys.

According to one source, Jesse measured at 6'2" as did Julius. Kovien looks to be more of a 6'5" than a 6'7" - but I couldn't really tell. Keith Oddo, the walk on, looked to be in the 5'11" to 6'0" range.

Jesse: Looks like the kind of kid who brings a "game face" to practice. Does everything full speed - and seems to be, by appearance, someone who is perfectly comfortable running a team from the point guard spot. I thought he looked more refined than the other three freshmen. He appears to have great peripheral vision, from his passes today. Nice stroke as an outside shooter. Looks like he really understands the game and runs the floor well.

Julius: I love the quick release on his jump shot. Handled the ball well and shot reasonably well from outside until fatigue had an impact. Nice body - strong kid. He isn't flashy; but he is confident. Hard to say much more about him after only 30 minutes of observation.

KoVien: Runs the floor well. Seems to have a long wingspan. Shot well from 3-point land until he was fatigued. Has some really nice lift on his dunks. I think he is coming into a nice situation where he can learn under our 3's and 4's and can take some time to develop. There seems to be lots of potential here. There is always the chance that he will develop into something special.

Keith: Had some difficulty with the speed of the game - but seems to understand the game fully. Gave his best effort on the court.

I also heard that Marshall Wood has gotten stronger and is looking good. According to one staff member, TJ is the most improved player on the team since the season ended. He is reportedly looking like an all-A10 type player.

I'll try to keep you guys up on things as I notice them. The kids and the staff - the whole Robins Center staff - are confident that this will be a great year. Go Spiders!

Excellent observation Stork, job well done.
 
I also heard that Marshall Wood has gotten stronger and is looking good. According to one staff member, TJ is the most improved player on the team since the season ended. He is reportedly looking like an all-A10 type player.

Many understood (last season) that T.J. Cline could have the impact (and the stats) to be all A-10 caliber. Maybe that is why there were so many calls for him to be in the game more ;)

Hope this is true about Marshall Wood. If he (and whoever else) can shoot, they should have plenty of opportunity to score because opponents will be forced to focus on stopping Cline & Terry Allen.
 
TJ played at an all A-10 level last year in my opinion, so if he has significantly improved from last year, that would be a quite a statement. I think the 2 areas that held him back at all last year were his conditioning and his defense, although in my opinion his defense improved significantly throughout the season.

Glad to hear CM is running them ragged.
 
All A-10 awards are usually awarded to people who have the best raw stats, so they only go to people who play a ton of minutes. Of course, the best players should be playing the most minutes, but someone like TJ who is very efficient but only played 23 minutes a game doesn't have the raw numbers. And a team like Richmond who was one of the slowest in the country will have artificially lower raw numbers than a team like Davidson who was one of the fastest in the country making it even harder for our guys to get all conference recognition.
 
ugh, I saw a video yesterday I think, of an off season workout. It had TJ and PF working on big man moves. TJ as always was working hard, but he looked quicker than in season. really quick. can anyone find this video and post? I'm losing my skills.
 
JUNE 22ND PRACTICE OBSERVATIONS:

The four freshmen had their first 30-minute practice with the coaches this afternoon. Generally speaking, all showed up ready to practice, from a mental standpoint. The pace of practice bothered the young guys, with each showing fatigue at different times. I believe that this was to be expected, since the practice was very intense and all coaches participated in the instruction of the new guys.

According to one source, Jesse measured at 6'2" as did Julius. Kovien looks to be more of a 6'5" than a 6'7" - but I couldn't really tell. Keith Oddo, the walk on, looked to be in the 5'11" to 6'0" range.

Jesse: Looks like the kind of kid who brings a "game face" to practice. Does everything full speed - and seems to be, by appearance, someone who is perfectly comfortable running a team from the point guard spot. I thought he looked more refined than the other three freshmen. He appears to have great peripheral vision, from his passes today. Nice stroke as an outside shooter. Looks like he really understands the game and runs the floor well.

Julius: I love the quick release on his jump shot. Handled the ball well and shot reasonably well from outside until fatigue had an impact. Nice body - strong kid. He isn't flashy; but he is confident. Hard to say much more about him after only 30 minutes of observation.

KoVien: Runs the floor well. Seems to have a long wingspan. Shot well from 3-point land until he was fatigued. Has some really nice lift on his dunks. I think he is coming into a nice situation where he can learn under our 3's and 4's and can take some time to develop. There seems to be lots of potential here. There is always the chance that he will develop into something special.

Keith: Had some difficulty with the speed of the game - but seems to understand the game fully. Gave his best effort on the court.

I also heard that Marshall Wood has gotten stronger and is looking good. According to one staff member, TJ is the most improved player on the team since the season ended. He is reportedly looking like an all-A10 type player.

I'll try to keep you guys up on things as I notice them. The kids and the staff - the whole Robins Center staff - are confident that this will be a great year. Go Spiders!

Or latest roster appears to agree with you on sizes
http://www.richmondspiders.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=26800&SPID=91946&SPSID=629632
 
Not surprising that some, struggled with pace of practice. I think a bigger challenge will be, when they begin to practice with the upper classmen. Realize that they are now, in most cases, practicing against units with entirely elite players, who may be 4-5 years older, than the teams they played last year. I would expect that practices will be a blur to them, as they try to oppose players, who are older, quicker, stronger, and more experienced. That's the norm. I believe we do have real talent in this group, but I don't expect any of them to see a lot of playing time, at beginning of season, unless we're blowing someone out. As season progresses, one or two, may play more minutes, but I doubt that any start.

As for reports that some players have improved since end of season, that was just a few months ago, we have more time ahead, before our first game. We all are optimistic for good reason, that this will be the most successful squad in a while. For me, one player, I'm anxious to see, in the first game, is Trey Davis. Able to play guard or forward, a good rebounder, Trey is a hustle guy. He's our only fifth year player, how will that translate into his on court performance? But we also want to see how Deion, TJ, and Terry, improve their game, to take us back to NCAA tourney.
 
We still have 4 new slots next season, right? So even if he now replaces Trey instead of Deion (but still growing?), we would still prefer 3 of 4 to be frontcourt, right?
 
Given that Adams and Buckingham were both here last weekend, one would assume we want a commit from both of them. Both are guards.
 
After this season, we have TJ, Marshall, and Paul. Is Kovien our next tallest player? How many minutes per player do we want for the front court vs the back court?
 
Or get the best players and may need to be three guard offense?
 
After this season, we have TJ, Marshall, and Paul. Is Kovien our next tallest player? How many minutes per player do we want for the front court vs the back court?

The answer to the first question is yes. I don't know the answer to the 2nd question.

Both Marshall and Paul would seem to be finesse players. Offensive players that play away from the basket (like Cline) and not the most physical defender/rebounder.

Now close your eyes and imagine Cline in foul trouble or missing a game or 2 in 2016-17. Not a happy thought, is it?
 
Clearly, we need to bring in at least 2 big men in next year's class. With that said, a 3 guard offense running Mooney's offensive system, I think would be fun to watch and really tough to defend. Espicially, because it seems we are making a concerted effort to recruit bigger guards. If we run out Jesse, Julius, and just for argument sakes, Demonte Buckingham,, as our 1,2,3. Oh man, that makes me smile just thinking about that.
 
97, I agree. Three good sized guards that can handle, pass and shoot would be pretty awesome running Mooney's offense. Moreover, they could be part of a pesky switching man defense.
 
Even if that's the case, we have 3 rostered guys taller that 6'7" to eat minutes at the 4/5 in 2016-17. We will probably have 2 true frosh to add to the mix, but when was the last time we had a front court player make an immediate impact for us?

We really needed a transfer front-court guy to sit this winter and play in 2016-17. Or we needed Kovien to be taller than 6-5.

I don't want to spend much energy worrying beyond this coming season, but this doesn't strike me as a optimal roster management.
 
Should we have known Kovien's height before making an offer? I believe so.

Should we have been able to find a replacement for Zo in the month following his departure? Not sure how likely that was.

Should continuing to work on finding quality bigs still be a priority? Definitely!
 
Watched the half hour freshman practice yesterday. I agree with Stork on his observations. I really liked all three guys. I think all have a great upside. KD is a rail but he has a nearly perfect long shot and most of his misses are soft reboundable balls. He has really long arms and gets to the rim very quickly. He also has a very obvious desire to do well. He may be our most pleasant surprise of the three. Jesse remained after practice to shoot free throws. I think he just did it on his own.
 
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Even if that's the case, we have 3 rostered guys taller that 6'7" to eat minutes at the 4/5 in 2016-17. We will probably have 2 true frosh to add to the mix, but when was the last time we had a front court player make an immediate impact for us?

We really needed a transfer front-court guy to sit this winter and play in 2016-17. Or we needed Kovien to be taller than 6-5.

I don't want to spend much energy worrying beyond this coming season, but this doesn't strike me as a optimal roster management.

While I really like the 3 guard line-up, I completely agree Mo, we are dangerously thin in the front court, starting next year. I don't see a solution to that coming in, given that our big men usually take time to develop and any transfer, unless it is a graduate transfer would have to sit for a year.
 
sometimes the best way to attract a talented big man is to show him a clear path to immediate playing time. the fact that we'll only have 3 returning players over 6'5" is a great sell. we'll bring in 2 freshmen bigs, and at least one will have to be ready to play right away.
 
a couple notes on the roster:
so much for Julius being 6'3" - 220! he's listed at 6'2" - 185.
Friendshuh's up 10 lbs from last year's roster.
 
Should we have known Kovien's height before making an offer? I believe so.

Should we have been able to find a replacement for Zo in the month following his departure? Not sure how likely that was.

Should continuing to work on finding quality bigs still be a priority? Definitely!
I would be very surprised if the staff didn't know this kid's height when he was offered.

I do find it interesting that he would be listed by some services as 2in taller than he might in fact be. 2in shorter would be bad but excusable, kids grow, but shorter? Kids don't shrink, except in bad sci-fi comedies.
 
I would be very surprised if the staff didn't know this kid's height when he was offered.

I do find it interesting that he would be listed by some services as 2in taller than he might in fact be. 2in shorter would be bad but excusable, kids grow, but shorter? Kids don't shrink, except in bad sci-fi comedies.

Hah. Agreed.

I usually expect those to be overstated by and inch but hope that the kid ends up growing into the expected height. 2 inches off is a little surprising.
 
Even if that's the case, we have 3 rostered guys taller that 6'7" to eat minutes at the 4/5 in 2016-17. We will probably have 2 true frosh to add to the mix, but when was the last time we had a front court player make an immediate impact for us?

We really needed a transfer front-court guy to sit this winter and play in 2016-17. Or we needed Kovien to be taller than 6-5.

I don't want to spend much energy worrying beyond this coming season, but this doesn't strike me as a optimal roster management.

Height is overrated in the A10. Dayton didn't have anyone over 6'6 this year and they did fine. Davidson, Dayton and Richmond were 3 of the 4 shortest teams in the A10 last year, and they were also 3 of the top 4 teams. In 2017 we will have Freindshuh (6'10), TJ (6'9), and Wood (6'8). We will also have some freshmen who will presumably be over 6'6. We should not be worried about height.
 
agree with fan2011, height isn't the real barometer for us, either on O or D. It's mostly passing/shooting ability on O and knowing the matchups/switching on D. Seeing as we haven't recruited a legit center in years, I don't think CM is overly focused on height either.

I do think there's a danger in becoming too small, you've got to have a couple of guys with some size at 4 and 5, otherwise we will just get eaten alive against big back to basket types. But if we have some depth at 4/5, it's less critical that we have a 3 who is considered "tall".
 
Height is overrated in the A10. Dayton didn't have anyone over 6'6 this year and they did fine. Davidson, Dayton and Richmond were 3 of the 4 shortest teams in the A10 last year, and they were also 3 of the top 4 teams. In 2017 we will have Freindshuh (6'10), TJ (6'9), and Wood (6'8). We will also have some freshmen who will presumably be over 6'6. We should not be worried about height.

I respect your opinion and agree to an extent, but it's not like Dayton went into the season planning on having nobody over 6'6". That was a total aberration.

That said, if we can get 3 kids on roster than can shoot the ball like Gibbs, Kalinowski and Sullivan like Davidson, we'll be just fine no matter who we have at 4 and 5. You're right.
 
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I would be very surprised if the staff didn't know this kid's height when he was offered.

I do find it interesting that he would be listed by some services as 2in taller than he might in fact be. 2in shorter would be bad but excusable, kids grow, but shorter? Kids don't shrink, except in bad sci-fi comedies.

I'm sure they did know, however they didn't let the cat out of the bag, at first.
http://www.richmondspiders.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPID=91946

I was trying to link to the signing headline...
http://www.richmondspiders.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=26800&ATCLID=210124076
 
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I want Trey shooting thousands of free throws all off season, then I want him to go to the basket hard on offense all year. I want Deion to practice going to the glass hard for rebounds on both ends. I want TA to see a sports psychologist this summer to realize that he can DOMINATE this league!! I would like TJ to watch Larry Bird film all summer to see how a slow big guy can be a general/coach/star on the floor.
 
we usually overstate height, too. if we're calling him 6'5", that might be in sneakers. he's probably 6'4".
 
I think height is overrated, though wingspan might be more important. Plenty of teams have demonstrated that you can be successful without a lot of big guys. Dayton was a great example of that last year. How many players did Kendall dominate last year, despite his lack of size. I would value basketball ability way above height.
 
Last I heard "if the right big guy came along we would be interested"
 
Attended another freshman practice this afternoon. Observations are as follows:

Jesse: Has some good moves - outside and in traffic. Still looks more refined than most freshman guards.
Julius: Makes strong moves to the basket. Actually is pretty quick and puts the ball up strong. Has a nice touch on his jumper, just like Jesse.
KoVien: Fatigue wasn't as much of a problem today. The kid has a nice, high-arching shot - a sweet stroke. Was more aggressive dunking the ball today - really gets up quickly. There is every sign that he really is a diamond in the rough. And I really like his attitude on the court.

If anyone runs into Jay DeMayo, you ought to give him a pat on the back. He does a superb job with our kids - and he is putting their performance on the court as the top priority, unlike some other coaches who just want to bulk up their players. Had a long talk with him about his philosophy today - and came away impressed. Kudos are deserved.
 
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