Hoops Post-Practice Report
* Talk about an efficient practice. In 2.5 hours, they barely had time to breathe, but the conditioning is such that I didn't see too many of the guys really sucking wind. Even the guy with the most wind to suck, Joshua Smith, looked like he was handling the tempo of practice very well.
* Tyler Honeycutt came back with a shot this year, folks. Beautiful release, and he looks very comfortable shooting the ball. Comfort is as much about having the confidence to shoot as it is having good shooting touch, and he looked like he's developed both.
* Reeves Nelson also spent a lot of work during the summer on his outside shot, but after watching him practice, I'm not sure he has the range he thinks he has. He had some beautiful shots, but was often short with the ball, and he still shows some hesitation outside. but he'll definitely get some prettier baskets than last year.
* Tyler Lamb had a so-so practice, but you can see that he is an incredible natural feel for the game. He had a baseline spin move that was deadly, but then he missed the floater. Such is life with a freshman. Above-average defensive tenacity, and he should be a viable option behind both Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee.
* Jerime Anderson looks noticeably thinner and quicker, but still has his issues finishing in the lane. I've never seen a guy who gets to the basket as well as he does still struggle to convert the layup. I gotta assume its a feel or touch issue, but it's not good.
* Very, very, very impressed by David Wear. Will he ever turn into a major star? Who knows. But he's a basketball player, plain and simple.
* Nice exchange: Brendan Lane comes down on one possession with Lee, Smith, Honeycutt and Jones and drops in a 3-pointer, and then the Bruins get back into transition the other way - Anderson, Stover, Nelson, Lamb and Carlino - and Nelson finishes inside.
That was followed by a Josh Smith bucket on a beautiful post move and a Tyler Lamb outside shot.
* Didn't get a very good look at Matt Carlino, but the good shooting form is as advertised. He had a little problem defending the perimeter, but he's obviously nowhere near as strong or experienced as the guys - Anderson Lee - that he was guarding.
* Lastly, I'm not quite going all-in on Malcolm Lee as a superstar, but his offensive game is looking pretty good right now. I still need to see more consistency from him on a play-to-play basis - some guys look good even when they miss; he's not one of them - but he's definitely got some new moves this year.
So who ran the point better, Jones or Anderson? How was Josh Smith at hedging? How did the man-to-man defense look? Will they be able to do it successfully this year?
3 questions.
How was Laz Jones?
Are you impressed overall with the team?
And is Reeves still nitty gritty or becoming just a outside shot a la drago? And is he quick enough to be out there?
Great news. Like above, any word on the PG debate? Who looked good, who had the minutes, etc.?
Excellent. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I guess Travis sat out - most folks generally say that Travis is the better of the two twins - at least the better offensively. David might have the ability to guard down to the three that Travis might not.
I agree that Carlino is size/strength perhaps a year away from better production/contribution. However - he may be a good weapon vs certain zone presentations.
I see the same positives regarding Honeycutt - so it depends on how much he puts on his shoulders.
Nelson just needs to have the mid-range game I don't think he needs the range of Honeycutt or Lane. But if he can pop out to the key and make the turn around 10 footer - fantastic.
Sounds like it went pretty well for still being early in the process of learning the offense and playing together.
Jerime Anderson? Gets to the basket well? I seem to remember a lot of sloppy dribbling and ugly penetration from him last year.
all of this praise is reminiscent of the football team during spring practice.
That sounds pretty good. Short shots usually mean the legs are fatigued so Nelson may yet have the shot he thinks is there.
Is 2 1/2 hours the maximum that the NCAA allows or is that something Howland determines?
Lazeric Jones????
tell us more...please
Hi Jon,
First of all, this is my first time commenting and thank you for all info that you have shared with us.
Second, as an OC resident, I followed the Wears since their high playing days. I know they transferred from NC to UCLA this spring. Now,I see that both David and Travis Wear names appear in the current basketball roster. I thought both were ineligible to play this season. Will they be playing at the start of this season? If not, when will actually they start playing?
Thanks and Go UCLA!