Interesting game. My take was that the first 10-15 minutes was the Utes feeling each other out, nobody knew who was going to be the dominant player on the team in an actual game situation. But once they got into a flow, it was ON… team looks good.
Starters:
Devon Daniels – Very, very good ball handler. Pass first, almost too unselfish. Great free-throw stroke. Good penetrator. Think Isaiah Wright but bigger and better ball handler and passer.
Parker Van Dyke – Nothing remarkable. Solid, but tentative I think.
Lorenzo Bonam – Still awesome.
Kyle Kuzma – Believe it or not, seems to be greatly improved in patience and ball handling. Dude’s gonna have a beast year this year.
Jayce Johnson – was winded quickly. I think the nerves really got to him in the first half. He was gasping for air a lot. But in the 2nd half, he turned it on and became a rebounding machine. The dude was everywhere. Played really well in the 2nd half. Has a weird, strange free-throw stroke. Not sure he’ll be a good free-throw shooter ever.
Bench:
JoJo Zamora – He is going to be a good player. Good penetrator, good ball handler. Played a lot in the 2nd half.
Jake Conner – Holy cow, this dude is a SCRAPPER. I mean – reminds me of an Irish brawler. Decent outside shot, good defender.
Tyler Rawson – THIS DUDE IS GOING TO BE AWESOME. Blocking shots, rebounding, catching crazy passes and throwing them up and somehow getting them in the basket. Dudes – this guy is seriously a major gem. He is polished, he is skilled, and he is going to be a very, very valuable contributor on this team.
Gabe Bealer – had some GREAT baseline drive penetrations to the basket. Also had a sweet 3.
Marc Reininger – another big body. Obvious Freshman, though. But still a big upgrade over Reyes, even as a Freshman.
Jakub Jokl – Soft hands, decent defender. I think he’s got skills, just needs seasoning.
Overall Impressions:
WE CAN NOW PENETRATE EFFECTIVELY. Seriously. Zamora, Bonam, Daniels – everyone can keep it together as they penetrate.
Our bigs are going to be a major, major strength the next few years. Seriously. Jayce Johnson by the end of the game was showing why he was a major prospect. The other guys have obvious skills. This is going to be fun to watch!
Kuzma is going to be talked about in the first round if he keeps playing like he did tonight. He was a man among boys out there. Ya, I know, the competition… but still.
Guys, the new players are GOOD. It is now obvious to me that the reason everyone transferred is that we have more size, more speed, better ball handling, and some great skills. The old guys wouldn’t get playing time, even from these Freshmen. They were that good.
IT’S GOING TO BE A PRETTY GOOD SEASON! I am now very optimistic. Yes, it was just one game, yes it was against a small school in Idaho. But they had some size, some of their people had a little bit of skill, and the Utes did well.
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