Hard to glean much after a washout Friday and a heartbreaker Sunday missing three major players but the offense obviously looked much better against UVM.
A few things stand out:
-AU is real streaky. Energy player who will get his shots.
-the freshmen will be a big part of this team. Loughlin really nice shooting va UVM. Similarly O’Sullivan who looks like a perimeter weapon at 6’10. Langham looks unsure but not afraid, and can move.
-JJ is finding it. He is a lot more comfortable offensively and feels like the captain out there. Finds guys. He doesn’t realize they can’t keep him out of the paint if he wants to get into the paint.
-Dabo is a handful. Still raw offensively but very effective.
I don’t expect that much early playing without last year’s three leading scorers. Lot of guys playing new bigger roles for the first time will take some time.
This was a far superior performance by Brown. We really missed Dabo when he was on the bench in the 2h with 4 fouls – UVM looked unstoppable without him playing. JJ is playing like we thought he might last year. MWJ played better, and the freshmen were huge in the game.
I’m still waiting to see it on MWJ. He is not a guy that will do any one thing exceptionally, but rather a number of things well enough. He’s probably this team’s most versatile guard. But I wish I saw a more consistent ability to score. The one scoring weapon I see is the floater, and I do think he can get to the basket. But if he’s going to occupy a wing spot, you do need more scoring. Hopefully this last game provides a boost; I’d sign up for him averaging 9 right now.
I have really liked JJ’s energy thus far this season. He has an edge to his game and isn’t afraid to mix it up with the other side. He was jawing with a couple of UVM guys over the course of the game and I think that energy can be infectious. I’m sure there will be some times where it comes back to bite him, but if he plays under control, he can do special things. I’ve also been impressed by how unfazed both Loughlin and O’Sullivan have looked in the first two games.
I think MWJ and Uchidiuno will benefit from some of the injured guys coming back into the rotation. Uchidiuno strikes me as a nice Lyndel Erold kind of guy off the bench, with a little higher upside on offense. I think MWJ needs the ball in his hand to be most effective. If Rochester comes back into the lineup tonight or this weekend, I’d like to see MWJ become the point guard for the second unit. If you put him in a line-up with, say, Loughlin, Langham, O’Sullivan, and Wyatt/Dabo, I think he would have the space he needs to work effectively within the arc.
Obviously, the results are disappointing. However, there are some bright spots. JJ Jenkins has turned into a weapon. He is shooting much better than last year from the field, from 3, and from the foul line, and he has done a nice job running the offense. Isaiah Langum is an offensive weapon, creating shots and obviously quite athletic, though he needs to cut down on the turnovers. Dabo is a presence in the middle. When Lewis and Rochester return in the near future, and whenever AJ Lesburt returns, this team will start to win some games.
On the other hand, MWJ has been disappointing so far; hopefully, it’s just a slump.
I thought this was a possibility as he is still recovering from an injury and would have to work his way back into game shape. Given that situation, and the possibility of a payday next year, his decision is very understandable, and I wish him the best.
As for Brown, AJ will be missed, but several players can step up to pick up the slack.