Finally got to CCL last night. Here are my thoughts:
Shayok is an outstanding player. I can see why he wanted to get out of Virginia. His chemistry on the court with Lard and Drake's Rivers was fantastic. Best ball movement of the night. Shayok was great from 3-point range and had lots of nice passes too.
Lard is a freak athlete. He is the new "Burton." I didn't expect to see such athleticism from him. And some pretty good passing (helped by Shayok filling lanes). Of course, he is still raw (e.g. pretty weak post-up moves), so I don't expect to see him on the floor much this year. However, he will be a beast by the time he is a senior. I hope fans can be patient with his development.
Jackson is always forcing the action. I love the way that he plays so hard and always has that look of wanting to drive a stake into the heart of the opponent. One thing that stood out was Jackson's choices to use his right hand near the basket, even for layups from the left side. I know he shoots jumpers left-handed and prefers to drive right-handed, but I am worried that he is going to get himself in trouble near the basket if he can't (won't) finish strong with the left hand when needed.
Jacobson had the game winning tip. If that is what he contributes next year, then he will be a great addition. He is a big body, but not really an offensive or defensive force. I expected him to have more of an impact throughout the game, but maybe he was just saving it for the end.
Lewis was the bright spot for me. He reminded me physically and emotionally of Harrison Barnes. He plays very much under control, but with great athleticism. I think I read that his father was his coach. You can tell that he had thought a lot about basketball, not just played a lot. He is young, but seemed very mature (not getting caught up in the trash-talking or bad calls by the refs).
Weiler-Babb was hard to assess last night. The game was really sloppy and hardly any fans stayed. He and Hutchison were the only ISU players in the game. And the top three players for the other team weren't there. He looked like he could take off and dominate the game just about any time he wanted, but he didn't. Jackson, Niang, Mitrou-Long, etc. would have scored 80 in a game like that.
Last thought is that it was fun to see several of the new players experiencing the CCL fans. Guys like Shayok and Jacobson who have been part of big-time programs must really like finally playing for fans who appreciate them personally.
And thanks to Thompsonclone for all the videos. I didn't think you were there last night, but I see the videos posted. We really appreciate the way that you help us get so much out of the CCL games, and in one-minute videos!