Jump to content

Scrimmage Recap


ORUTerry

Recommended Posts

I intend on writing a brief recap of the scrimmage Wednesday evening - but also invite everyone else to write their impressions of the 'game'.

I was on my way back from a business trip to Wichita - so I missed the ORU Coaches' show tonight. Did anyone else catch it?

We would like to start archiving the shows for those that can't join the coaches at Peppers or listen live.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Terry:

I for one, would love to be able to listen to the archived shows. Hopefully you can pull it off. As always, thanks for the effort.

Rob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Terry, I only caught the last ten min. or so. Mickey M. was on and I was very impressed with not only his poise and how intelligent his responses were but I also got the feeling that the guys won't be having a "UMAC Miracle" hangover but are very excited going into this season and that the coaching staff has done a good job of getting them hungry and keeping them humble. I am so ready for it all to start up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Recap:

1. No one called in. (except a guy from detroit for Mickey)

2. Coach was pleased with practice. They ready to play. They jumped right in with a veteran team. Coach was noticably giddy to get playing

3. The only "suprise" was how good Marchello vealy is.

4. He made a comment that the starters are not in question: JB, Ken, Larry, Caleb, Mickey. He also said that the others know they that they are not "superstars" but they know thier role: Riouse, Meloy, Ogunoye.

I did not hear him mention Moses. Funny cuz he's a fan favorite but coach does not mention him.

5. Mickey said hes lost some weight and feels good. He thinks he is much better at running the floor and playing with the others. He said the team is hungry for getting to the tourney. He also said there is no one leader on the team because there are so many vet players who lead.

6. Caleb was the most impressive. Though the toughest Eagle to understand, he is truly the gem. He talked about how important the team is to him and the only goal is winning the tourney and getting to NCAA. They expect no less. He is not interested in awards, accolades or anything else. He is a big kid playing basketball. He just wants to win. You can hear in his voice he is on 'a mission from God"(elwood blues)

Good show, lots of excitement. I think the Eagles are going to really make some noise this year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agree Isbig and heard the show before I went over to watch the women's team play. Micky was really focused on what needs to get done. The Chicago caller wanted to know who Micky was looking forward to playing in the Post ( my guess is he was referrring to Kone) . Basically Micky said bring them on and they are ready to see how they stack up. The coaches seem to have them ready.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The one guy that called in was from Chicago, not Detroit.

(me)

=)

I actually called in to ask Mickey about his weight and how it was affecting him up and down the court and the first they they talked about was that so I had to quickly change my question to him looking forward to individual matchups this year in the mid-con. Of course, I should have known, he didn't answer the question. That's ok though. This team is focused on the TEAM and any type of individual pursuits seem to genuinely be put aside. I really got a sense of that listening to both Caleb and Mick.

Hopefully in the future, we can get more callers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, I'm back from the scrimmage and here are my thoughts in no particular order (remember, I do not hold myself out as a basketball expert):

The White team consisted of:

Green

Michalec

Liberty

Riouse

Fowlkes

Spicer

Meloy (did not play; finger is hurt)

The Blue team consisted of:

Owens

Vealy

Ogunoye

Bluitt

Ehambe

Jordan

Tutt

1. Tutt looks very good (muscular) and shot the ball well from the perimeter and on drives to the basket. He also played hard on defense. Spent a fair part of the game on the bench.... no sense wearing him out.

2. Green is the franchise.... he is a magician under the basket and so fun to watch. I could do without his attempts at dribbling the ball (behind his back) though.

3. Michalec moved the up and down the court really well. He made several jumpers but had trouble getting his layups to go down.

4. Owens was all over the place - very active. His free throws (and jump shots) have a lot more arc than last year. He shot free throw a lot better - no line drives; he is still not a great perimeter shooter. Blocked several shots and was disruptive on defense.

5. Bluitt is so quick.... He also made a lot of nice assists/passes. Did not shoot much at all. He is a difference maker.

6. Ogunoye was incredible.... if he stays healthy, he will be a definite force for ORU. He has matured and did not look lost as he has in the past; he played with confidence. Did a nice job defending the post - used his long arms, quickness and speed to deny the ball to Michalec. He is a very good ball handler for a big guy (6'9") and shot well from the perimeter (3 for 3 from the three point line?). If opponents leave him alone, he can make them pay. Another time he gave a ball fake to Mickey(?) and then drove to the basket for a layin. Yemi gives a dimension we have not had.

7. Vealy is the real deal. Has great court presence - especially under the basket. He also has a nice, soft jumper; great inside-outside player with great hands and is a good passer. (Made a great 'no-look' pass to a streaking Tutt under the basket.) Both he and Ogunoye run the court well on the break. He also did a decent job defensively on Green.... considering he is a freshman. He will be a definite contributor this year.

8. Fowlkes was bit tenative; did not attempt a jump shot until the second half. Missed several layups. Made several 3's in the second half. Played well on defense and looked okay playing the point.

9. Liberty played agressive defense and made several steals; one at mid-court. He is a good passer and did a good job of getting his teammates open looks. Was very physical.

10. Ehambe is athletic and played hard. He made a three-pointer and some good plays. He seemed to be pressing at times and I think was out of position on defense. Hard for me to tell. I like his effort and think he will contribute this year.

11. Riouse played hard on defense but had trouble getting his shot to fall. He looks a bit quicker than last year - maybe his shins are doing better. We need his perimeter shooting.

12. Jordan looks like a freshman, but did a decent job on defense. I only remember him taking one jump shot - a 3 pointer that he made. You can tell he is still adapting to the speed of D-1 basketball.

13. Spicer is getting better and better each time I see him. He is a lefty with a decent shot and plays agressively on both side of the court. His style of play reminds me a bit of Mike English of UMKC. He will probably red-shirt this year, but will help us in the future.

The Blue team beat the White team by over 20 points. They pressed several times and looked good doing it. You can tell that the players are aware of each others tendancies which made it harder for them on offense.... except no one could stop Green - but what else is new?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Scrimmage Recap

The video was awesome that voice and blev were talking about. I did get chills watching it, and can't wait to see how the crowd responds in a real game setting.

Why no Andrew Meloy?!

Yemi was definitely a surprise in tonights scrimmage. I love the jump shot he has added to his game. He just seems to be playing with a lot more confidence overall.

Marchello was the other treat of the night. I can see why the coaches think he can contribute right away. His ability to rebound down low and be just as efficient on the scoring end on the wing is unlike any player on the roster. While larry is athletic, Marchello can shoot. Yemi has developed his shot some, but is not developed in his ball handling as much as Vealy. He seems like he could compliment Caleb well with his inside/outside capabilities.

Caleb got his.

Ken got his.

Larry played very aggressive and full of energy just like he always does.

Moses seemed to be struggling a lil to find his groove.

Mick has definitely lost a lot of weight. He stills seems a lil soft down low to me. Didn't really do a whole lot on the offensive end at all.

Adam Liberty showed flashes a brilliance.

JB was as solid as ever.

Darren Jordan has a good shot and really impressed me with his poise. I hope he really gets some minutes this year.

Riouse seemed to truggle a lil finding his groove also.

Fowlkes did a good job complimenting Tutt with jump shot. It was good to see him out their running again.

Sylvester almost had a monster dunk over a couple of guys but it rimmed out. He is going to be really good if he continues to develop.

Overall the game was the usual pre-season scrimmage. Very sloppy and unorganized. It seems like we are strong on our guard play, but could really use some help with our big men. Our ability to rebound concerns me against non conference opponents.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A few things that really stuck out for me last light...

Liberty is a very good addition. He will help alot this season by being involved in the practices. Next season he will get his chance to shine on the court. I love the way he "sees" the court. Once the other players adjust to his quickness, there should be some exciting passes happening.

Hand speed. I know it may sound funny to bring that up, but it is very helpful on defense. And it was very noticable last night in that there were a lot of deflected shots and passes because guys were able to react so quickly.

Veally, will be the next big star for ORU. Mark it down. If I didn't know he was a freshman, I would have thought a sophomore, at the least. Great instincts, great presence on the court.

Overall, things look good for ORU not only this year but next as well. Agree there is a need for depth down low, but the cupboard is still stocked fairly well.

I enjoyed the opportunity to see the team without the conflict of loyalties. I am looking forward to seeing more of this team this year. I may not be able to make it back out until after the crosstown rivalry game, but I am definately going to make it back out for more than that one game.

Good luck on the season, see you come December.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...