Game 1, 2022-23: Central CT (11/7)

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Worcester_To_Amherst
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Re: Game 1, 2022-23: Central CT (11/7)

Post by Worcester_To_Amherst » Tue Nov 08, 2022 10:44 am

I was skeptical of Martin coming in as the coach's son but he's clearly got a role on the team. He grabbed some nice rebounds and played tough in the 1st half while some of the other guys were getting blown by off the dribble. He might not play some nights but could play 15 minutes on others. It's nice to have a veteran player like that who will do whatever the team needs. Plenty of other guys on the team can put the ball in the hoop. He, Kante, and Levesque are all grown men.

Really encouraging game. They might struggle to score against teams that play good D and can match their physicality, but they should impose their will against lesser competition. Curious to see who else can consistently hit shots besides Weeks and Fernandes. Luis looks like a good 3rd or 4th option once Cross is back.

Lots of room for improvement on the defensive end which is great. Luis in particular struggled defending the ball handler in the first half but that's not surprising in your first college game. He and Keon are really nice players.

Expecting a win against Towson.

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Re: Game 1, 2022-23: Central CT (11/7)

Post by fenway617 » Tue Nov 08, 2022 11:00 am

eldonabe wrote: Tue Nov 08, 2022 9:01 am My initial observations in no particular order:

- No way the number of people in the seats equaled the announced attendance
This is almost certainty true. At halftime when they started to hand out the free t-shirts to the students with a voucher the line extended halfway around the concourse. And just looking at the student section in the first halls and the second half with the eyeball test there were far fewer students ion those seats than their were in line for the free t-shirts. Many came for the t-shirts and left. So while the close to 5K in the building is likely correct, there were not close to 5K in the seats.
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Re: Game 1, 2022-23: Central CT (11/7)

Post by 69MG » Tue Nov 08, 2022 11:07 am

^ You are right about the tee shirt line. I thought they must be giving out free ice cream to the students. So I asked and as told it was for the tee shirts. 94 point games maybe will bring the students back. We need their noise.

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Re: Game 1, 2022-23: Central CT (11/7)

Post by chdavis295 » Tue Nov 08, 2022 11:15 am

Dusting off the old cobwebs after a few year hiatus...

On the Martin starting topic, I was skeptical at first. Texted a friend the beginning of the game and said "didn't realize Brandon was Frank's son or a starter." I haven't seen Cross play at all, but have heard great things, so will expect him to be the fifth starter moving forward, but I think BM will have a big role on this team. You can tell he's a grind it out, dive on the floor for loose ball, in your face defensive player. This team seems to have scorers, but will need BM's intensity throughout the year.

I was surprised to see Luis starting and was very suspect the first have, but he came into his own in the second half. Keon also looked really good for a freshman debut. Will be interesting to see how they are involved as we get deeper into the season with Cross back and if/when Gapare comes into his own. Can easily see how we could play big or small depending on opponent.

Kante is an animal. The size/tenacity was very nice to see. Leveque you can tell may be the more skilled big, but Kante may end up being the bruiser we need.

Was hoping to see more from Diggins. NESN/ESPN+ announcers kept saying "he needs to find his confidence" which in my eyes can be a bit concerning, but he's clearly got skill deep down to be a Top 50 recruit.

Going to be a fun season to watch...

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Re: Game 1, 2022-23: Central CT (11/7)

Post by DoctorJ » Tue Nov 08, 2022 11:34 am

stevemaz wrote: Tue Nov 08, 2022 10:00 am The A10 teams are going to have a hard time dealing with this wagon...
Limit your kool-aid intake, my friend. We have only dominated one of the weakest teams in the NEC. They really only had one legit player going against us last night. AIC and CCSU are so bush league that we still know nothing.

We got Towson up next and they barely beat Albany after losing to St. Joe's in an exhibition. They are a step up, for sure, and we will start to get a feel for the team starting in that game but we know very little, so far.

I'm glad we sold nearly 5k tickets but sure looked like about half were in the building.

All we know right now is that we would likely win the NEC.

Loved the improvement, especially from DD. Liked the minutes from a lot of newcomers. Diggins stayed on the floor but didn't excel at anything. Our freshmen would start in the NEC.

Let's see how we do in South Carolina before getting our expectations too high.
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Re: Game 1, 2022-23: Central CT (11/7)

Post by eldonabe » Tue Nov 08, 2022 1:01 pm

natwam2547 wrote: Tue Nov 08, 2022 9:43 am What about Brandon Martin tells you he "aint that good"? Sure he's not a superstar, but he fits a role and 2/7/5 is something this team will need. He won't play 25 minutes if Cross is playing. But he's good enough to warrant 15. And I think it becoming an issue in the locker room is overblown. Winning cures all.

Luis/Thompson/DD/Kante were all very impressive. Never in a million years did I think DD would score 15 in 14 minutes in any game. He looked amazing in that 2nd half and if he brings that kind of energy every game, he's going to be a difference maker. DK getting Kante to come over, especially now that Woodley is out, might be the best move of the offseason.
Cross being out never occurred to me as the reason he played so much - I was not thinking they played the same position - Thanks for that.

When I say he ain't that good, I mean a starter logging those kinds of minutes. Brandon is a good role player but he should only be used for 5-10 minutes a game IMHO. I think a larger frontcourt will give him problems. I am assuming Cross is a good upgrade from Brandon - and my statement about the locker room is based on Brandon getting way too many minutes if he his not as good a player.

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Re: Game 1, 2022-23: Central CT (11/7)

Post by Floyd » Tue Nov 08, 2022 1:11 pm

My impression of Brandon is that he's a total team guy. I don't see any distraction there. Good size, seems fundamentally sound, and he's a strong kid. Definitely fills a role here.
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Re: Game 1, 2022-23: Central CT (11/7)

Post by Umassochist » Tue Nov 08, 2022 1:14 pm

I'm bummed to not see Cross in the first game, hopefully it is just a minor injury and we kept him out given the lower level of opponent. I thought the 2nd half things started to flow a little nicer. A few things stood out to me:

- Luis looks like he is going to be a really solid starter at the A10 level. Could get his own shot off, needs work on the defensive end (but that will come) but has some really nice length.
- Thompson looked good, especially his tenacity in driving to the hoop and not settling for a jump shot. Having a guard like that is a change from the last few years of chucking up 3's (other than maybe Garcia).
- Kante really impressed, he looks like he is willing and able to out work opponents.
- I can't wait to see TJ settle into his role. I thought he looked confident, wasn't forcing up shots (like he could be prone to the last few years) and that nice stroke is still there. He is going to be a really nice weapon, especially the way he also rebounds.

We will have to play better to beat Townson, hopefully we bring the intensity and flow of the 2nd half.

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Re: Game 1, 2022-23: Central CT (11/7)

Post by Upstate10 » Tue Nov 08, 2022 1:49 pm

69MG wrote: Tue Nov 08, 2022 12:37 am
m626t wrote: Tue Nov 08, 2022 12:07 am
I was watching DK with interest tonight, trying to see how he fit in with this staff and what his role would be. He was the first chair assistant and other than Frank, seemed to me to be the most involved during play, screaming "suggestions" to the players; might be something to watch going forward.
Asst. Coach Allen Edwards spoke to The Court Club before the game. He said the 3 assistant coaches alternate as the scout for an upcoming opponent. If a coach has previous experience playing against that team, it usually goes to him. The others are randomly split up. DK was the scout for CCSU. The "scout" coach and Frank draw up the game plan so that may be why DK was more vocal than the other 2 tonite.
Awesome information, thank you.

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Re: Game 1, 2022-23: Central CT (11/7)

Post by Floyd » Tue Nov 08, 2022 2:40 pm

chdavis295 wrote: Tue Nov 08, 2022 11:15 am Dusting off the old cobwebs after a few year hiatus...
Welcome back chili!
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Re: Game 1, 2022-23: Central CT (11/7)

Post by bobolink » Tue Nov 08, 2022 2:56 pm

of course we can't conclude much from 1 game with limited minutes (TJ had the most minutes with 27), but Re: the discussion about Brandon I have to say he made some really nice passes/assists. I thought one was missed by the receiver and goes as a turnover, but as they play together that may improve

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Re: Game 1, 2022-23: Central CT (11/7)

Post by DanaDingle3 » Tue Nov 08, 2022 3:42 pm

Luis showed up as advertised -- great scoring instincts, smooth offensive game. I was disappointed in his defense, and it looked like Frank was, too, but then I remembered he was out for a while with shin splints. Think it's only a matter of time before he gets his legs under him. Him and Thompson is a really exciting freshman backcourt.

Noah was solid, and TJ kept us in it in the first 10 mins when we looked a bit sluggish and disjointed.

Frank has said some interesting things about leadership. He was asking who wanted to guard #5, and nobody spoke up. He also said he was disappointed in the intensity of the prior practice and was wondering why none of the players were demanding more from one another. Frank's also remarked on trying to help Diggins play with joy on the court. He made some nice plays, and it feels like there's a lot more in there.

As for Leveque, I'm all about guys expanding their game, but sometimes establishing the paint takes priority. Frank ensured that out of halftime with the lob to Leveque, Luis curling through the lane, back to Leveque down low. It was great to see.

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Re: Game 1, 2022-23: Central CT (11/7)

Post by SignMan » Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:28 am

Our hoops.com host, Mike, was in house for the opener.
Good to see him there.
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Re: Game 1, 2022-23: Central CT (11/7)

Post by Cahoonaville » Wed Nov 09, 2022 11:45 am

SignMan wrote: Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:28 am Our hoops.com host, Mike, was in house for the opener.
Good to see him there.
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Re: Game 1, 2022-23: Central CT (11/7)

Post by 69MG » Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:47 pm

^ Are you kidding? We should all be kissing his feet for running this site and putting out as much money as he has to in order to keep it running. I doubt the donations he gets fully fund the site.

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