Just forwarding this email to the eCz community, we don't post much during the summer, but here is an interesting thing to pass along. Thanks Alex!
Allan,
I got to play ball with almost all the recruits. I want to update you on what we might be like next season.
Charles Joy: He's barely 6'4". One thing that I noticed is that he is a BIG guy. Im talking 220 lbs or more. Looks more like an outside linebacker. Lol. Like usually most of the basketball players seem to try vey little in rec ball, but you can usually tell their skill level at a moderate game pace. He seems to have good driving skills. Decent shooter, but plays a very similar style to that of Messer. He will most likely have a good season. I just don't see many guys that can play against a 6'4" guy of his frame. Both Jones and Messer will be playing for the same position.
Jerome Jones: He is listed as 6'6". That's funny. 6'5" on a good day. Im a little dissapointed that hes not really that tall. He seems to play very agressive at all times. Rebounding is good along with court awreness. Lastly, he can shoot the 3. Not a bad player at all. I see him playing quite some time. I have big expectations for him.
Kris Davis: Skinny and roughly 6'1" maybe...a little more. He might be 165 lbs. Just a little to small. He can shoot the 3 and has decent speed. I don't see him being a big upgrade, but he will help with his shooting percentage. I hope he will contribute and find his niche on the team. Kris could be one of those players that just doesn't click.
I am very interested in seeing Schaffer and Birts play. I think those 2 have a BIGGGGGG chance to contribute early to the team. I like the height and hope that they play with intensity. We are still at a huge disadvantage with Zeke. We must pick up a tall player at tryouts. If we don't get a another big guy, were going to have to stress the 3 ball. Thats not entirely bad if we shoot consistently.
15 comments:
After the 3 point shooting last year I don't really want to watch that again. They need to have more of an inside game or it's going to be rough again.
Alex,
Thanks man for the update thats huge! I think your Joy update puts a smackdown on Allan's "I don't think he is good enough" statement...Allan ignore his stats in high school he played on a loaded team and if you ever went and saw him play you would notice that he was charged with being the lock down defender, which takes alot of energy/...He is a big dude I have seen him in person and I think he will be very good at a SF/SG spot.....rem we havent had a decent (and I mean who can shoot/RB/dribble/score) pure shooting guard in a long time...do dissin on the guys currentonly the team but a 6'0 or 5'11 guy playin shooting guard doenst make him a shooting guard.....Jerome Jones is an intriguing pickup, kind of under the radar.....He will shoot lights out I think, and will be that hustle rebounder and defender, just dont expect much D or banging with him....Kris Davis only holdup will be if he gets disenfranchised with the SIUe campus...read his tweets already.......I think if you give him time he has more skill at the point....mind you he played where being 6'0 wasnt bad......watch his youtube the guy can dunk straight up almost and unlike our lil pal leshaun he actually has shooting skills along with D.....Birts and Schaeffer I think will probably duel it out for starting time in the C...dudes can both rebound but again I think both are undersized 6'6ers probably both more like 6'5 but you know what they say heart can go alont way!!!!
Well I am still super psyched up about the season. I hope they do that house of haunted hoops again this year. I really just wanted to see how the team plays together. The slam dunk contest was fun to watch, but most importantly the event helped to show a small glimpse of the team's weaknesses. This team looks to be better than what we had last year. I am hoping to see a more aggressie team that seems to play with emotion and togetherness(I don't know if thats an actual word...lol). Keys to the season:
1-Murphy will need to get out of his slump. He's not really doing terrible considering he played the same the previous season. But there is one thing that I noticed...he seemed to have lost emotion and a little of athleticsm. During my time playing at the rec center, I've noticed that his shot seems to be a little better. Also, his jumping looks similar or maybe a little improved. If I were a betting man, I think that he is a little frustrated with his playing time and overall lack of shooting. It would be big if Murphy started this season on a high note. He can be a solid defender and offensive threat, but some games he just slumps big time.
2-Chatt & Wickware need to continue to take over at times. I don't know if Chatt will get any better, but thats fine with me. He showed good team chemistry along with leadership. Another 12+ ppg season will be great. Wickware also needs to contribute similar numbers. One thing to note, Wickware needs to drive more. He has the advantage of getting the foul called.
Stineman-Coach needs to let him shoot. I don't really remember a game where he shot freely. I feel like he might be a little caged. Thats why I can't stand to watch him most of the time. I know he can shoot 3's. So why is he not really allowed to? This has puzzled me.
3-David Boarden-He can play defense when needed. Since he is a little spotty, his defense will need to improve to counter his spotty shooting. Don't get me wrong David can have good shooting games. One to name would be the ILL state game. I think he went like 5 for 7.
4-Messer- I see him being much more improved. He's one of those plqyers that is super intelligent. Messer was great last year, but should be better next. multiple 15+ point games will be in his future. His speed may be his only down-side.
5-Mark-Crossing my fingers he will not re-injure. He's such a vital part to the team. When he plays, the team molds into a machine. If he played last season, our record would have about 13 wins. Him and Chatt should be quite some duo.
6-Zeke-What can I say about this guy other than most people would kill for his height. Thats about all. He has very little awareness and seems to be lazy with his play. There were multiple times that he got passes down low and failed to hold on to the ball for a second. Yes he is a little more robust, but he hasn't yet shown any glimmers of light. Like I've said before, he plays well against small teams. That is a indication of his true basketball level. Also, I don't want to offend him to much, because I believe he checks this site (or stineman). I remember last season slamming stineman and zeke on ecougarzone and someone came back saying that I don't know what I am talking about...blah blahh. From what he said, It sounded like it was a friend of zeke or stineman or maybe them actually. lol
7-Our recruits need to step up. Im not asking for all of them to be great, but 2/3rds of them need to have major contributions. If they don't we will continue to have a weak and shallow bench. High hopes for Birts and Schaffer. Joy will be one hell of a guy to ball against. He's just so big of a frame. Im wishing that out of Schaffer, Birts, and Jones we get a couple of good offensive rebounders. At least 1 of the 3 will most likely not buy into our system. No with joy, I want him to stay aggressive. He will a force in the paint. Please God...I want Davis to find a goot season. All small guys scare me. Sometimes they can be very one dimensional in a d-1 conference.
8-Forrester needs to step the F@ck up or get the F@ck out. Where's the emotion? What is up with his rotations? Whay does he continue to play 5 guys that shouldn't be playing together? What do we see in him? His recruiting is good, but seems to be heavy on JUCOs. We will need to recruit young to have a chance in this conference. Mark and Messer are great examples of what can happen if we take chances on young talent.
Alex,
I have to agree with everything your saying...This could be an exciting season....I want to elaborate a little more on the Forrest....He seems to talk up a good game but damn he has not X and O ability......no disrespect because neither do I but your a coach this just isnt about recruiting....Look at the Division III teams that come in and give us a hard time...those are coaches they are X and O savy just dont have the ins for recruiting....Also, I hate his lack of emotion get fired up get in these guys faces, this is not pussy foot time anymore we about to do this now....i would say he had to be careful for a couple years just because he was lucky to get players but now we are playing for keeps the next couple of seasons....all these guys need to realize that.....i want to see some fire some excitement...maybe that starts with the school and the students showing up to every game no matter who we play??? I never understood the apathy there....
Never said Joy wasn't going to make an impact. He is better than some of the guys they have already. Big thing from high school was he played with Roosevelt Jones who can pretty much take over the team at that level, so he was a bit overshadowed. Undoubtedly the second best player on that team. Great guy to have.
As a guy who loves to play pick up ball in the rec with these players I have to admit that some of these comments are so far off. Chatt isn't even on the team anymore. Get a clue......
How am I supposed to get a clue? Am I supposed to know who left the team. I am glad that you said the comments are far off, but you failed to say why. Your response was pointless and not needed. There always seems to be one person who chimes in with a word, that seems to not display a clear and complete thought. Let me get this..you are either Zeke or Kevin. Lol. Every since I have spoke my mind, there has been someone that is like "thats stupid" "you don't know what your talking about" if a person says that, then at least back it up. Ohh and yeah assistant coach Allaria is gone. I guess he got fed up with Forrester. I'm not sure about Chatt though.
I heard about this site through word of mouth and figured id check it out. I have heard that Chatt is no longer with the team but I'm not sure what happened there. The new recruits look very athletic from what I have seen in the rec. Its hard to tell how good they are though because I am sure they are not playing very hard. "Alex Helton is a baller" who is Alex Helton? Is he a new player on the team or just some guy who hides behind a computer?
I'm not a player on the team. LOL. I wish I could play at that level. I do love college ball and play bball at the rec center almost every day. I don't go with the intention of hoopin' with the team. I do it for the exercise and to hang out with some friends. To be honest, I really don't know why the team even plays rec ball, but they've been doing that since I've been a student. I think it's kinda stupid..could get an injury easily.
You can get a slight indication of player strengths and weaknesses even when playing at a moderate pace. And yes, no one plays really hard. There's no need to twist an ankle for rec play.
We encourage not hiding behind computers here. I have met most of the regulars, and anyone can contact me anytime!
I like to come up with ridiculous headlines like that. Alex, plan on trying out?
I like when people post trash then say their name is Anonymous. Own up to it.
I think I know who alex is. Thanks for your opinion. I am skinny. But I've gained about 8 pounds already. I weigh about 177. I will not be one of those players " who just doesn't clicks". I'm probably the tallest guard we have right now, why do I scare you? I thought height, athleticism was needed. If you meant small in weight then I agree. I do need to bulk up. I can't wait till the season stats and for my brother D Shaff. to get here. This should be fun.
Kris,
You most likely have seen me. I love the game. I just don't get much respect at rec being 5'8" and 165. LOL. I am glad that you have seen the post. I have always been weary with guys that are below 6'2" ish. To be honest, I was not 100% on Chatt or Wickware last year. I came in thinking that Chatt may be a 5-6 ppg player and Wickware would be a quick in and out player. I was quickly shown wrong. I like how you say that you have been working to get ready for the season. SIUe is ready to have a great bball team. We have had problems in the past. To name a few:
1)Brandon Dunson: One of the most athletic on the team was played very little by Forrester. Could have been attitude related or just the fact that Forrester struggles with a lot of guys.
2) Abel Tillman and Gerald Jones-were bright spots in our team, but I guess got into some trouble. They were both kicked off mid-season.
Am I scared of skinny players..maybe? Do I hope you do well on this team?-Hell yes. I've seen highlight tapes and I know you got potential. I just want for SIUe to win just as bad as you.
I think you are in a great position right now. Since Chatt is done (I assume this is correct) you have a chance to get a starting position rather easily. I hope this gets you excited about what might be to come. All the recruits really have a good shot to make a big impact. I can't really guarantee that anyone other than Mark will start this year. We have a solid team..the bench SHOULD be the strongest we have ever seen.
I am psyched that it seems we have recruited a bunch of first class players. I don't believe we will have any player issues this year. By the way you worded your comment, you seem to be a chill guy. I imagine some people would take out some rage on me. I like to speak my mind a lot. Can I play like you can? Hell NO. Do I wish I could? Hell yes! This season looks bright. I hope you get that starting spot. I hope you find some good friends with guys on the team and really have fun here!
Lol no man its no reason to take rage on you. Anybody who loves the game and can tell me something about myself, I will listen to. I appreciate your opinions of us. I can't really say how coach forrester is yet til practice starts. And you are right. Mark's a beast. I can only imagine how he was before he got injured. I just hope we come together as a team and get ready to make some noise!
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