Everyone was pretty disappointed losing to Coastal Carolina, but they nearly beat Baylor yesterday, which added some welcome perspective. We talked with a couple of strength coaches that work with the CCU team, and they’re pretty pumped up about their prospects this year.
In our game against CCU we couldn’t hit free throws, and they poured in a bunch of 3s, so seeing how they played Baylor very close lent some credence to the notion we played an underrated foe.
Last night’s game vs Ohio was a decent bounceback game, which was nice to see, because the body language after the first game was horrible. Against the Bobcats we were more talented and deeper, and I never got the sense the outcome was in doubt.
The Sophs led the way, though Jantunnen definitely emerged, in his physicality, his ability to score & rebound. The Bobcats were a decent challenge in that they’re similarly well coached & pretty physical.
Stars
Both Gach is our most talented player. When the game tightened, and they were applying pressure, Gach was the guy to bring the ball up, and he turned on the jets and got the ball in the forecourt with ease. On back-to-back nights, Both was definitely fatigued, but still racked up a bunch of points, against Ohio having no problem getting to the rack. One of the Ute fans in the contingent who traveled to the east coast aptly compared Gach to Michael Cooper, for those who remember back when he was at New Mexico & then with the Lakers. I think it’s a reasonable comparison.
Wings in the NBA are a dime a dozen, otherwise I would think Gach might play one more year & declare. As he get stronger, I can seem him being a smaller version of Matisse Thybold of UW, with better ability to penetrate and dish, but not the blocker MT was. Already good, Gach has untapped upside, though, unquestionably.
Timmie Allen is the leader, and our best player, right now. We know Timmie, so no need to describe what he brings. The same fan said Allen reminds him of Adrian Dantley. Undersized, with a surprising inside presence. He’s got a variety of moves, with great instincts on how to get his shot off. I have no idea how he got that hitch in his jumper, but if he gets that worked out, he’ll have the whole package, a possible All-PAC kind of player.
Branden Carlson definitely has a lot of upside. 7 footers with good bounce always have a place. Reminds me a little of Dwayne Dedmon who played at USC, but was a little behind on skills, but was a monster against our first PAC team. Carlson needs 25+ lbs, and it’s hard to say what his offensive touch will be, but where Jayce Johnson played about 6-9, Carlson plays like an athletic 7-0. Launching off both feet from the sideline of the key for a dunk = better athleticism than Poeltl. A year of weights and diet could put him on par with Poeltl, in the PAC.
“Mickie” Jantunnen – 6-8/6-9, put together, with skills. Since he sent him our way, I’ll compare him to Hanno. A little smaller, definitely more athletic – we’ll see. Seems to have a pretty well rounded game, still adjusting to this level.
Rylan Jones – a thicker, taller version of Jimmy Soto, incredibly instinctual, great passer, good shooter. He epitomizes the “glue” that will give this team their best chance of success.
I’m going to reserve judgment on why we’re this young, but Donnie Tillman was a non-factor when UNLV played at UCLA last week. The guys that transfer don’t seem to really thrive. Daniels isn’t a starter at NC State.
We’ll see – the ingredients are definitely interesting, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we find a way into the upper half of the PAC, even with all these youngsters.
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