Looking for a place to talk MSU hoops? Look no further, all MSU hoops, all year long. Comments or questions, email me at bullybasketball@yahoo.com .

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Open Scrimmage Report

Bulldog fans showed up today to get a glimpse of the baseketball bullies. This was a great opportunity for everyone to see the freshmen and if the returning lettermen have made improvement. The three players that stood were Phil Turner, Riley Benock, and Kodi Augustus. All three should see the floor this season with Phil possibly being the first option off the bench. Kodi is a spark plug and has a soft touch on his shot. Kodi doesn't let the game come to him, he meets it head on. Jamont's jump shot shows improvement, his windup is the same but his release is much quicker. If the lane was open he exploited it. Phil is high energy player and a very form able point guard. Riley Benock still seems alittle gun shy, but is deadly out on the arc. Ben has evolved from a spot up shooter, to shooting more off the dribble. He gets rids of the ball much quicker than last season. Ben is much more aggressive driving to the basket. Elgin showed glimpses of his offensive skills, and can back anyone down and has a nice reverse layup move. Ravern hit some shots, and his defensive skills are improving day by day. Charles made some nice shots and played some nice defense. Brian had some nice putbacks, but I was very impressed with Varnardo on the offensive boards and putbacks. I was very impressed with Phil's vocal leadership and he did not back down from Jamont. Phil will push the ball down the court aggressively. The freshmen are learning to play defense. Barry ran some point in the second game and did well. Overall, it was a very encouraging scrimmage, we'll see how the freshmen play come game time, but look for Phil and Kodi to continue separate themselves if they continue on their current pace. All freshmen will play and all will be needed to help provide depth with the SEC evolveing in an up tempo style offensive league. Look for better measuring stick over the next two exhibition games.

Stats: http://www.mstateathletics.com/fls/16800/stats/mbk/200708/scrimmstats_102707.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=16800

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Several people have told me that Varnado appeared to be the best (and most talented) player on the court. That would be a great bonus for the season.

captaindawg

Arliss said...

I was very impressed with his rebounding and putback shot, even some of his shots 10 feet out. If he can stay in the game, he will put up some numbers.

Anonymous said...

Great writeup. I'm bonkers from too much sports input for the day. Just finished hoping the old ball coach would beat Fulmer and now the Rockies mount a comeback.

Just on first glance, I'm happy to see the team shoot 44% in an environment where it was a little wide open. I think Barry and Ben can even shoot better. So that confirms a little more what we thought about shooting.

Glad to hear that Augustus takes the game to his opponent as well. We need him to be aggressive.

Defense will come, or peeps will sit. ZD

Anonymous said...

44% from the perimeter, just to clarify. ZD

Anonymous said...

Varnado still needs to work on his fouling tendencies. Phil Turner is my new favorite player.

Anonymous said...

How many fans showed up?

Arliss said...

I'd say around 5-600 follks.

Anonymous said...

How does Turner compare to Winsome speed wise?

Arliss said...

Turner is not the lock down defender that Winsome was, but he can knock down a three and I would say Phil's game is much more versatile. Plus Phil won't have to wait until his JR. year to get into the lineup.

Anonymous said...

Turner is making waves. Has been very, very impressive.

Anonymous said...

Turner(He's good)- Tony Watts type.

Anonymous said...

I was very excited by Kodi's athleticism. I can't remember us having a guy with his size and total offensive package. And Varnado was the best big man on court.

Anonymous said...

Shooting over 74% from the foul line is going to change some otherwise close losses to wins this year.... Doxiedawg.

Anonymous said...

I like the fact that Ravern was something like a 90 percent shooter from the foul line in high school. Last guy that had that kind of stroke was D Wilson and was he ever a player.

Anonymous said...

Does Kodi compare to Charles in athleticism? What about Ravern?

Anonymous said...

Ravern reminded me of Reggie Delk. He spent most of his time camped out in the corners looking for his shot. And like Reggie, when he did drive, it didn't seem very natural. I honestly think he has a lot of potential but he would probably be better off if he redshirted this year.

Kodi has a smaller build than Charles Rhodes (that will change after weight lifting), but they're the same height. There's no doubt he has the best hops on the team. But like Ravern, he didn't seem too comfortable in the offense.

Jarvis looked great! I can't wait to see how the season turns out for him.