Very good crowd, which probably was to be expected since Kyle Korver again graced the floor with his presence :-) I'll say this, I went tonight really excited to watch Mike Taylor play, and I certainly was not disappointed.
I only stayed for the first 2 games, and from what I saw, unless I'm blind, Jessan Gray, Corey Johnson, Dodie Dunson (DOES ANYONE KNOW WHY DODIE HASN'T BEEN AT THE LAST COUPLE GAMES?????????), and Corey McIntosh were NOT there tonight for whatever reason. Please correct me if I'm wrong, again, I only stayed for the first 2.
Game 1: Gratias (Jiri & Wesley) vs. Peak (Marsden)
Ross Marsden - Eh, really didn't do a whole lot. Played some solid D at times but really wasn't a factor at all on offense. Looked a little bigger than what I saw last season but still has a long ways to go weight wise.
Jiri Hubalek - Well we haven't heard many good things about Jiri so far this summer and tonight was more of the same. At times, IMO, he was the worst player on the floor. Not in terms of ability, but in terms of decision making, shot selection, b*tching and moaning over every call, etc. He never seems to communicate at all with his teammates and his attitude was again...crappy. He did hustle a little bit more tonight though so at least that was positive.
Wesley Johnson - Another giant WOW for him. Showed up a little late but came in and was as smooth as can be. Great shot, great handle; just OOZES with potential. SO ATHLETIC TOO! Man I'm really looking forward to him bring Hilton to a scream with his play. Also, between games, he did some sick dunks; had me speechless. Really seems to be a nice kid too that gets along great with the rest of the team. The scary question is...what if he's not done growing?
Notable: Sean Haluska - Played very well I thought. I'm not a coach by any means so I'm certainly not qualified to properly judge D1 talent, but I'm going to say that in another year, he has the chance to be a mid-high major recruit - a CHANCE. He'll never be Adam, but I could seem him playing at Creighton or UNI or hell even Iowa and being a very solid player. At times, he really took it to Wesley and held his own.
Game 2: MOHA (Thompson & Taylor) vs Ev Cochrane (Rahshon)
Alex Thompson - Like others on here have said, he is our best big man right now. He had his few usual travels but really seems to have a good feeling around the hoop and he's definitely going to be a good sized post player in a year. He some nice catches and finishes and showed he's willing to battle physically with a bigger guy, he guarded Alou Kieta (sp?) I'm glad to have him on our side, he will help us.
Rahson Clark - Struggled with his shot early on, I think he got flustered being guarded by Kyle Korver. He picked it up in the second half and made a bunch of shots. Like I said before, I think he looks bigger and from his body language and relation to the other players, he appears to be the "captain," which is good to see.
Mike Taylor - WOW was I impressed with this guy! He was so fun to watch and has me even more excited about
ISU basketball. Just so much energy; he was all over the place. Wasn't afraid to take it to the big guys and wasn't afraid to stick his head down low for rebounds and steals. A tenacious defender. I haven't been to many Cap City games but what I have noticed is that many "take off" possessions on defense. Not Mike. Again, his energy and effort were awesome and he really is a character out there on the court, always yelling and laughing and hustling. To top it off, he's extremely atheltic (I'd describe him as bouncy). He had some awesome dunks in warmups. Seems to be very long too which has got me believing he's going to be one of our better defenders if not THE best. His shot was OK, probably could use a little work, but make no mistake, the Hilton crowd is gonna love this guy. He's fasttt and sometimes seems "out of control" with the ball but always stayed under control somehow and made smart and unselfish decisions. OK now I'm just babbling on. You get my point! One more note: Size wise, I think he's a legit 6-3 but definitely needs weight and strength.
Notable: It was cool seeing Kyle Korver play. I've never been to an NBA game but in the short time I got to see him, I realize just how good you have to be to play in the NBA. He looks absolutely ripped and also hit some amazing fade away shots. This might sound absurb, but I'd say right now, based on the very little that I've seen, I'd say Wesley has the most NBA potential on our team.
