Short and Sweet on the Quincy game

[Sec.112]

* I can't say enough good things about Falzon. I'm assuming he'll in the starting lineup by the time the conference starts (at the latest). He was money from three tonight, but he was also strong and vocal on defense.
* Is it possible McIntosh is the last option from the outside after Demps, Falzon, Lindsey and Law? That's saying a lot compared to last season.
* Whoever said Olah was looking "mechanical" is on the money. Based on game one, those of you looking for a fantabulous, bust-out season might want to reconsider. It was a lot of the same apprehensive game against 6-7 and 6-5 defenders.
* After one game, I wonder if JVZ and Olah are going to see equal time. I see a bit of the same deliberate game in the half court, but with better defense from JVZ.
* I'm not sure the defensive intensity was there tonight. Or maybe it's the defensive ability.
* However, Lindsey and Law may make a difference together on defense.
* Lumpkin and Taphorn started. I assume it was a nod to their experience. I don't know how they could be ahead of Law, Lindsey and Falzon in a regular-season rotation.
* Ash and Pardon are freshmen with some particularly cringing late-game possessions by Pardon.
* Cats had some real problems holding onto the ball and taking it strong to the hoop.
* In the house ...

 

[VirginiaWildcat]

Very well said. Almost my exact thoughts entirely. Wouldn't be surprised at all if Olah has games where he only plays 10-15 minutes. Collins has the luxury of deciding who's playing better that game and going with that guy.

 

[NJCat83588]

* I can't say enough good things about Falzon. I'm assuming he'll in the starting lineup by the time the conference starts (at the latest). He was money from three tonight, but he was also strong and vocal on defense.
* Is it possible McIntosh is the last option from the outside after Demps, Falzon, Lindsey and Law? That's saying a lot compared to last season.
* Whoever said Olah was looking "mechanical" is on the money. Based on game one, those of you looking for a fantabulous, bust-out season might want to reconsider. It was a lot of the same apprehensive game against 6-7 and 6-5 defenders.
* After one game, I wonder if JVZ and Olah are going to see equal time. I see a bit of the same deliberate game in the half court, but with better defense from JVZ.
* I'm not sure the defensive intensity was there tonight. Or maybe it's the defensive ability.
* However, Lindsey and Law may make a difference together on defense.
* Lumpkin and Taphorn started. I assume it was a nod to their experience. I don't know how they could be ahead of Law, Lindsey and Falzon in a regular-season rotation.
* Ash and Pardon are freshmen with some particularly cringing late-game possessions by Pardon.
* Cats had some real problems holding onto the ball and taking it strong to the hoop.
* In the house ...

Agree with most of your observations. It was "just" an exhibition game but it was the 6th game these guys have played together including Spain, so I expected a crisper performance.

Falzon can shoot as advertised. He will get serious minutes this year.

I thought Tap was generally OK. He has bulked up quite a bit in 2 years.

Demps will have to carry this team this season. He looked like he was able to kick his game up notch whenever he wanted. I think he'll have a big year.

I think someone said earlier int he week Skelly was nursing an injury. He seemed pretty quiet in the few minutes he played.

 

[catfans5]

Thanks for the information.

Regarding Olah, in B10 competition last year, he had 5 games with double digit rebounds, 12 games with double digit points, and 4 of those games were double-doubles. His yearly average was 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds a game. I am not going to say he will be a Frank Kaminsky or a dominant player, but I think he will be an improved player and hopefully, they worked on his passing out of the post to the open man. The biggest improvements that I saw in him last year was that he kept his man off the boards and stopped making the stupid reaching fouls. If he puts up those same numbers, I will be thrilled. I think he will a 12 pt and 8 rebound player which will require the opposition to respect him. As you can tell, I like him, like the presence in the middle and am really impressed with how he has improved over these years.

 

[winnetkat]

Thanks for the information.

Regarding Olah, in B10 competition last year, he had 5 games with double digit rebounds, 12 games with double digit points, and 4 of those games were double-doubles. His yearly average was 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds a game. I am not going to say he will be a Frank Kaminsky or a dominant player, but I think he will be an improved player and hopefully, they worked on his passing out of the post to the open man. The biggest improvements that I saw in him last year was that he kept his man off the boards and stopped making the stupid reaching fouls. If he puts up those same numbers, I will be thrilled. I think he will a 12 pt and 8 rebound player which will require the opposition to respect him. As you can tell, I like him, like the presence in the middle and am really impressed with how he has improved over these years.

Olah has always seemed more comfortable against bigger centers to me. Against B1G-style big bodies, Olah seems to be relatively effective at shielding the ball and once the defender is on his back figuring out which way to turn based on where the defender is. Against the smaller guys, he seems to struggle to pick the "right" spin move because he can't guess where the pesky little guys are going to be -- they're quick enough to get in front of him as he turns or get their hands on his dribble.

Olah had several awkward moments during the scrimmage, but he also showed a couple of quick nifty post moves. I'd be surprised if he didn't end up averaging more points/game than last year in fewer minutes since Van Zegeren obviously brings more to the table than last year's backups!

 

[mesacat]

last night we again played better D in zone than man. Olah schooled again by smaller and quicker bigs who can shoot- same as we saw last year. With our roster playing zone makes more sense. We had some success in the zone last year so CC knows how to teach zone. I know this isn't how it was done at Duke but it maybe is how it has to be done at NU.

 

[hdhntr1]

* I can't say enough good things about Falzon. I'm assuming he'll in the starting lineup by the time the conference starts (at the latest). He was money from three tonight, but he was also strong and vocal on defense.
* Is it possible McIntosh is the last option from the outside after Demps, Falzon, Lindsey and Law? That's saying a lot compared to last season.
* Whoever said Olah was looking "mechanical" is on the money. Based on game one, those of you looking for a fantabulous, bust-out season might want to reconsider. It was a lot of the same apprehensive game against 6-7 and 6-5 defenders.
* After one game, I wonder if JVZ and Olah are going to see equal time. I see a bit of the same deliberate game in the half court, but with better defense from JVZ.
* I'm not sure the defensive intensity was there tonight. Or maybe it's the defensive ability.
* However, Lindsey and Law may make a difference together on defense.
* Lumpkin and Taphorn started. I assume it was a nod to their experience. I don't know how they could be ahead of Law, Lindsey and Falzon in a regular-season rotation.
* Ash and Pardon are freshmen with some particularly cringing late-game possessions by Pardon.
* Cats had some real problems holding onto the ball and taking it strong to the hoop.
* In the house ...

I would add that JVZ (outside of Olah) looks like the best center we have had at NU since ... Just saying it is saying something when the backup center is of his quality. Not just a place holder. A real plus for this year.

 

[Katatonic]

Very well said. Almost my exact thoughts entirely. Wouldn't be surprised at all if Olah has games where he only plays 10-15 minutes. Collins has the luxury of deciding who's playing better that game and going with that guy.

Doubt that will happen unless Olah gets into major foul trouble.

No surprise that Olah has problem with smaller/quicker centers (esp. in man-D), but luckily, the B1G has some big boys at the 5 and CC will negate some of the issues anyway by playing more zone-D when Olah's in the game.

JvZ may very well get more minutes against certain lineups, but he doesn't have the all-around offensive game that Olah has and his FT shooting will impede his ability to play late in a tight game.

 

[VirginiaWildcat]

Doubt that will happen unless Olah gets into major foul trouble.

It's no secret that Olah has games where he completely disappears. In those cases, I absolutely expect JVG to get more minutes..

 

[Walker Fan]

Sect. 112's comments were excellent and right on the money. Tre Demps looks comfortable at PG and SG and knows when to shoot or pass. Falzon, Law and Lindsey look like strong all-around players with occasional errors. Lindsey brought the ball down to his waist and got stripped on a possible breakaway layup. Would have liked to see Skelly get in the game earlier. Falzon has a high basketball IQ and followed up a miss on the offensive glass and appears to grasp the effort and positioning to play defense. JVZ looks like a big improvement at backup center. He attacks the offensive glass and is explosive to really be a plus to clean up or block shots if guards get past our sometimes suspect defense by our guards.

Negatives: As mentioned many times in prior posts, Olah is not explosive enough to guard or close out on the perimeter jump shot. Showed improvement with some of his moves. Made his FTs. Lump was out of position on defense at times and really is a non-factor on offense for the most part. Not sure if Tap will be able to play defense consistently on PFs or 4s. I would like to see Skelly get minutes because UNC (Brice Johnson) has some talented 4s who could expose Tap. McIntosh still does not moves his feet as well as he needs to on defense to prevent dribble drives by opposing PGs particularly when Big 10 season comes around.

Overall, my feeling is positive with this team. Love Collins' intensity on sidelines. He is getting much more animated on the sidelines. With depth of 9-10 guys, CC will not stand for errors in fundamentals. I like when Lindsey, Law and Falzon are on the floor at the same time. Solid all-around performers. Still not finished products, but I think they will be able to lock down defensively. The defensive lineup with JVZ, Falzon, Law, Lindsey and Demps will (hopefully) be able to create TOs and lead to easy transition hoops which could be key in winning some tight close games in the Big 10. A lot of work to do, but the team has good promise and will be fun to watch develop.

 

[GOUNUII]

Sect. 112's comments were excellent and right on the money. Tre Demps looks comfortable at PG and SG and knows when to shoot or pass. Falzon, Law and Lindsey look like strong all-around players with occasional errors. Lindsey brought the ball down to his waist and got stripped on a possible breakaway layup. Would have liked to see Skelly get in the game earlier. Falzon has a high basketball IQ and followed up a miss on the offensive glass and appears to grasp the effort and positioning to play defense. JVZ looks like a big improvement at backup center. He attacks the offensive glass and is explosive to really be a plus to clean up or block shots if guards get past our sometimes suspect defense by our guards.

Negatives: As mentioned many times in prior posts, Olah is not explosive enough to guard or close out on the perimeter jump shot. Showed improvement with some of his moves. Made his FTs. Lump was out of position on defense at times and really is a non-factor on offense for the most part. Not sure if Tap will be able to play defense consistently on PFs or 4s. I would like to see Skelly get minutes because UNC (Brice Johnson) has some talented 4s who could expose Tap. McIntosh still does not moves his feet as well as he needs to on defense to prevent dribble drives by opposing PGs particularly when Big 10 season comes around.

Overall, my feeling is positive with this team. Love Collins' intensity on sidelines. He is getting much more animated on the sidelines. With depth of 9-10 guys, CC will not stand for errors in fundamentals. I like when Lindsey, Law and Falzon are on the floor at the same time. Solid all-around performers. Still not finished products, but I think they will be able to lock down defensively. The defensive lineup with JVZ, Falzon, Law, Lindsey and Demps will (hopefully) be able to create TOs and lead to easy transition hoops which could be key in winning some tight close games in the Big 10. A lot of work to do, but the team has good promise and will be fun to watch develop.

I like your defensive lineup Walkerfan. But as much for its overall advantages as anything. Aside from his man-to-man challenges, Olah also disrupts the rythym and flow of a team looking to push the tempo under the new shot clock. Everybody will be looking to score in transition and otherwise get into and out of their offensive sets much more quickly than before. So guys that can dish or deliver quickly will be at a premium. Olah does not fit that description...at least not as well as JVZ. Plus, all 4 of the others are the top 4 3 point shooters on the team. A huge plus since it will help minimize teams defending a half court set late into the shot clock to ensure the ball gets into our weakest offensive link at crunch time. Who outside of those 4 guys would you rather have on the floor in need of a basket as the shot clock wound down? B-Mac has his own challenges in M-M defense and creating his own shot. What a blessing it would be to have him coming off the bench for meaningful situational minutes ... much like Olah.

Just a thought from a former gym rat who loves the game and the way CC coaches it. I haven't seen or heard anybody else talk about the negative rythym affect Olah has ... especially with a 30 second clock. But I have a hunch that it will force CC to reduce Olah's minutes in favor of whoever cans sustain the tempo necessary to score under the new rules.

GOUNUII