Spiders begin practice, Can regular season be far off?
- Thread starter TBSpyder
- Start date
Any reports from practice. I heard we had a good turnout at our practice. Would like to know of any practice observations, particurlary of the freshman or redshirt players.
Here is my first practice report of this season - particularly aimed at those of you not living in Richmond:
1 - Practice drills look a bit sharper this year to me. Probably because of the experience we bring to the table. Things are smoother and faster, IMHO.
2 - Jesse Pistocache still looks like the best of the freshmen - poised and confident, with a good outside shot. Also, he is in great basketball shape - he has springs in his legs near the end of practice. Intense, mature young man.
3 - Marshall Wood moves well with and without the ball - but is inconsistent in his outside shooting. Passes the ball well and has a couple of good moves inside. I won't be able to predict his impact until I see some real tough game situations. The same goes for Julius Johnson - drills just aren't showing me much.
4 - Terry Allen seems to be assuming a leadership role beautifully. He still handles the ball like no other big man I've seen at Richmond. TJ looks faster, is setting beautiful screens, and appears to be on a roll. Gosh - I love the way he gets rid of the ball quickly for an inside shot. His improved defense and better endurance will really help us.
5 - Josh Jones had an early workout and didn't practice with the team today. No idea why. Khwan Fore had a lot of responsibility in practice and looked good. Fastest player we have - and is fearless.
6 - Trey hit three outside shots in a row today - I haven't ever seen that.
7 - What will be the starting lineup? Too early to tell. Actually, it's too early to tell squat. Shawndre should start at the point, then Terry Allen, then TJ, then maybe Deion and Trey. The 2 spot is up for grabs between Khwan and Josh, with Khwan getting plenty of minutes. Maybe Jesse will get some minutes.
7 - Another disappointment today was that Friendshuh was on the sideline a lot - didn't get to see much of him. When he was on the court, he shot confidently from outside. May be nursing an injury.
8 - I have always thought that we play better fast. If I were Coach Mooney (Lord know that I'm not), I would put the old two-man press on the man inbounding the ball and the point guard trying to bring it up the court this year. Since we run a matchup zone that not everyone sees very often, delaying the ball getting over mid-court and then making the opposing team figure out our matchup zone makes sense. We have enough speed to run well in transition.
Will file another report when something happens besides drills and running plays with no defense, etc.
1 - Practice drills look a bit sharper this year to me. Probably because of the experience we bring to the table. Things are smoother and faster, IMHO.
2 - Jesse Pistocache still looks like the best of the freshmen - poised and confident, with a good outside shot. Also, he is in great basketball shape - he has springs in his legs near the end of practice. Intense, mature young man.
3 - Marshall Wood moves well with and without the ball - but is inconsistent in his outside shooting. Passes the ball well and has a couple of good moves inside. I won't be able to predict his impact until I see some real tough game situations. The same goes for Julius Johnson - drills just aren't showing me much.
4 - Terry Allen seems to be assuming a leadership role beautifully. He still handles the ball like no other big man I've seen at Richmond. TJ looks faster, is setting beautiful screens, and appears to be on a roll. Gosh - I love the way he gets rid of the ball quickly for an inside shot. His improved defense and better endurance will really help us.
5 - Josh Jones had an early workout and didn't practice with the team today. No idea why. Khwan Fore had a lot of responsibility in practice and looked good. Fastest player we have - and is fearless.
6 - Trey hit three outside shots in a row today - I haven't ever seen that.
7 - What will be the starting lineup? Too early to tell. Actually, it's too early to tell squat. Shawndre should start at the point, then Terry Allen, then TJ, then maybe Deion and Trey. The 2 spot is up for grabs between Khwan and Josh, with Khwan getting plenty of minutes. Maybe Jesse will get some minutes.
7 - Another disappointment today was that Friendshuh was on the sideline a lot - didn't get to see much of him. When he was on the court, he shot confidently from outside. May be nursing an injury.
8 - I have always thought that we play better fast. If I were Coach Mooney (Lord know that I'm not), I would put the old two-man press on the man inbounding the ball and the point guard trying to bring it up the court this year. Since we run a matchup zone that not everyone sees very often, delaying the ball getting over mid-court and then making the opposing team figure out our matchup zone makes sense. We have enough speed to run well in transition.
Will file another report when something happens besides drills and running plays with no defense, etc.
Thanks Stork, good stuff. Like you say, no telling on the new guys until they get game competition. Hope all is well with Josh. So Fore at the 2 guard. I heard he had been looking good. I think a lot of were thinking that when he was in with ShawnDre he would take over ball handling duties, but maybe Mooney wants the ball in Shawndre's hands as much as possible? Or maybe Fore is our best 2 guard right now? How is he shooting it. Hoping Marshall Wood can be a solid contributor.
I'll be shocked if Fore plays the 2. Everything about him says PG. Did he ever play the 2 in HS?
A brief report. The Ulla was at practice on Sunday. Several things really stood out:
1. This team is really fast. Khwan Fore is a rocket. But then so are several other players.
2. Was told that Julius Johnson and Jesse Pistkache are both very good shooters. Every time Kovien Dominaus shoots, it looks like it is going in. He will be good.
3. To me, the most impressive thing was Julius Johnson. I have never seen anyone in a Spider uniform look like him. He is at least 6'3" and 215 pounds. He is a really big, strong, athletic guard. And for cryin' out loud, the kid just got out of high school. I can see why he was our #1 target. He is athletic, quick and is currently our best shooter.
4. Marshall Wood will definitely have an impact. He is our most athletic player along with Deion. He also has a good handle and can shoot. Prior to the football game in an interview, Chris Mooney said that Marshall will play a lot.
5. Of course, both Terry and TJ looked good and are both stronger than ever. Trey exhibited his athleticism and made several pretty amazing slashing lay ups. Shawndre looked good and has an aura of confidence and cockiness that is quite contagious.
6. Paul did not participate, but was present. I cannot remember seeing Josh Jones.
7. Not sure that he will play, but Joe Kirby looked good and was a significant participant in the practice.
The Spiders will be very good with a number of potential stars and quality depth on the bench.
1. This team is really fast. Khwan Fore is a rocket. But then so are several other players.
2. Was told that Julius Johnson and Jesse Pistkache are both very good shooters. Every time Kovien Dominaus shoots, it looks like it is going in. He will be good.
3. To me, the most impressive thing was Julius Johnson. I have never seen anyone in a Spider uniform look like him. He is at least 6'3" and 215 pounds. He is a really big, strong, athletic guard. And for cryin' out loud, the kid just got out of high school. I can see why he was our #1 target. He is athletic, quick and is currently our best shooter.
4. Marshall Wood will definitely have an impact. He is our most athletic player along with Deion. He also has a good handle and can shoot. Prior to the football game in an interview, Chris Mooney said that Marshall will play a lot.
5. Of course, both Terry and TJ looked good and are both stronger than ever. Trey exhibited his athleticism and made several pretty amazing slashing lay ups. Shawndre looked good and has an aura of confidence and cockiness that is quite contagious.
6. Paul did not participate, but was present. I cannot remember seeing Josh Jones.
7. Not sure that he will play, but Joe Kirby looked good and was a significant participant in the practice.
The Spiders will be very good with a number of potential stars and quality depth on the bench.
Last edited:
Hope PF is OK, he seems to have been unlucky in the injury department. I know he has worked extremely hard over the past 18 months to be a significant contributor to the program, and I hope he gets his chance.
Sounds like Julius Johnson has a mature body in the Gonzo and/or Brothers mold.
Sounds like Julius Johnson has a mature body in the Gonzo and/or Brothers mold.
I could have swore I saw a tweet from RichmondBBall this morning saying Friendshuh had a good practice, but now it is not there. I had tried to retweet it but couldnt so maybe they had just deleted it. In any case I hope he is OK, while a concussion is not good, it is better news than something with knees or legs considering coming off the ACL.
Stork3
Thanks for your detailed report.Thought Khwan was the quickest and fastest on the team last year before his injury.He should be able to break a press in no time.See him as a 1 not 2 but what do I know.
Thanks for your detailed report.Thought Khwan was the quickest and fastest on the team last year before his injury.He should be able to break a press in no time.See him as a 1 not 2 but what do I know.
We had Ced and KA play at the same time, as well as K0 and ShawnDre. Why would it be bad to have multiple good ball handlers/passers on the court? It could be a problem if we sacrificed scoring or defense, but since I don't think that will be the case there is no downside. Traditional basketball roles are overvalued anyway.
Last edited:
Two totally different issues. I merely said that I have never heard Khwan mentioned as a 2-guard. Of course he could play at the same time with SDJ. My point was that I don't see him starting at shooting guard for us because I don't know him to be that kind of shooter. But of course I expect that at some points this year he and SDJ will be in the backcourt together.
I know I mentioned over the summer a few times that I thought Fore and SDJ would see a lot of time together in the back court. It will be interesting to see how this back court spot opposite SDJ plays out. Quite a few options. Per Mooney in the RTD article, certainly seems to be wide open:
Fore was a member of UR’s rotation before breaking his foot during a November practice. Johnson and Pistokache appear physically equipped to make immediate impacts.
“Those guys have every opportunity to claim as many minutes as are available,” Mooney said. “Khwan has an advantage because he’s been here a year. Certainly, Trey played a lot of guard for us last year. But those two freshmen are very good players and could contribute.
“So whether it’s by committee, or somebody emerges as a guy who’s the starter or plays the most minutes, that remains to be seen.”
Fore was a member of UR’s rotation before breaking his foot during a November practice. Johnson and Pistokache appear physically equipped to make immediate impacts.
“Those guys have every opportunity to claim as many minutes as are available,” Mooney said. “Khwan has an advantage because he’s been here a year. Certainly, Trey played a lot of guard for us last year. But those two freshmen are very good players and could contribute.
“So whether it’s by committee, or somebody emerges as a guy who’s the starter or plays the most minutes, that remains to be seen.”
One of the 3 freshman guards Khwan, Jesse, and Julius is going to have to emerge as the guy who can contribute major minutes this year. If we are running Trey Davis out as our second guard opposite of SDJ, once we hit conference play, I don't like our odds for an NCAA postseason.
Based on fit alone, I would like to see Julius be that guy. He has the body type to be a pure shooting guard for us and would allow SDJ to play more PG, which I think is where we want him more of the time. I agree with these roles being somewhat overvalued but all things being equal, playing the player in the position they are best suited for is optimal.
My ideal starting line-up is: SDJ-PG, Julius, SG, Trey, SF, TA-PF, and TJ-Center. This would put Trey in his best role and would allow Deion to come off the bench to be our defensive sub for our 2 big guys.
Based on fit alone, I would like to see Julius be that guy. He has the body type to be a pure shooting guard for us and would allow SDJ to play more PG, which I think is where we want him more of the time. I agree with these roles being somewhat overvalued but all things being equal, playing the player in the position they are best suited for is optimal.
My ideal starting line-up is: SDJ-PG, Julius, SG, Trey, SF, TA-PF, and TJ-Center. This would put Trey in his best role and would allow Deion to come off the bench to be our defensive sub for our 2 big guys.
there's a ton of young talent at guard, and it doesn't open up much next year since SDJ comes back and we add the freshmen. normally I'm not concerned with freshman playing time, but I think all 3 of the young guards have to play some. to do that, Trey has to be at the 3. maybe Josh, too.
I think that we are getting caught up in semantics. In our system, anyone can bring the ball up court and start the offence. The "point guard" (1 position) does not HAVE to be the main ball handler. In many cases last year, SDJ brought the ball up, not KA, and started the offence. Sometimes Trey did. In our system the players are rather interchangeable on offence. I can remember on several occasions seeing KA come up to the elbow from the baseline and take the bounce pass, just like we see TJ, TA and others do over and over. Coach will figure it out. We have a lot of talented players all working hard for playing time. We should not pigeon-hole them with a "number."
Josh Jones suspended indefinitely for a violation of athletic department rules. Awesome. Was he hanging out with Broadus or what??
Does anyone know how tall our freshman are?
I distinctly remember UR calling them 6'2", 6'2", and 6'5", but now they are listed on our roster at 6'3, 6'3, and 6'7, which is what we had originally heard.
I distinctly remember UR calling them 6'2", 6'2", and 6'5", but now they are listed on our roster at 6'3, 6'3, and 6'7, which is what we had originally heard.
Don't know actually height but comparatively...Deion & Kovien (Pic #5)
http://www.richmondspiders.com/Phot...1946&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=26800&PALBID=1621758
Shawndre, Joe, & Jesse (Pic #27)
http://www.richmondspiders.com/Phot...1946&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=26800&PALBID=1621758
http://www.richmondspiders.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=26800&ATCLID=210403807
Interviews with Coach Mooney, Terry and ShawnDre' from Wednesday. Good interviews with all three!
Interviews with Coach Mooney, Terry and ShawnDre' from Wednesday. Good interviews with all three!
Very good interviews. Mooney mentions having refs at practice about 3 times a week to make sure they are playing cleanly. He also mentions that the 3 freshmen guards "right now, as I see it, they will all play." ... "It's open for all of them to ... be the guy who starts." So Mooney thinks that one of the freshmen will be a starter.
Mooney also says rebounding is a focus.. we will see if we improve, but my hopes are not too high.
And just for you, fan2011... A numbers guy...
http://www.richmond.com/sports/arti...al&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
http://www.richmond.com/sports/arti...al&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Very interesting. Would love to talk to this guy and see what he is doing. Having talked with analytics people from the NBA a lot of work now is done with processing and analyzing SportView data. This tracks the ball, the refs and each players position on the court 24 times a second and no one really knows what to do with it yet. This type of data isn't available at the NCAA level, so I am interested to see what type of analytics are being done with just boxscore and play-by-play info.
I have been experimenting with the boxscore/play-by-play data myself as a hobby, mostly using machine learning (neural networks, random forests, etc) to try and predict game outcomes. I often wonder how this stuff would be useful for a coach, I don't have any experience coaching so I don't know how to translate numbers to strategy.
Last edited:
Similar threads
