Scrimmage was set up of three 8 minute segments. Multiple players switched squads each time to give different looks and matchups throughout. Both sides primarily played man to man halfcourt D in the 1st 2 periods and both sides went 2-3 zone for the final period.
It was a relatively small sample size but overall I was impressed with how the team as a whole looked. For the most part, the team shot the ball well, we're fairly athletic and strong throughout the roster, and everybody plays hard and scraps on both ends of the floor.
Spradling spent the majority of his time on the floor running the point. He did a good job of taking care of the ball, finding the open man, and taking what the defense gave him. He also shot the ball very well from distance. I believe he went about 3-6 from three, a couple of those makes were off the dribble (1 was off a pick n' roll at the top of the key and the other was in transition). He also went to the line frequently (several of these were "late scrimmage" situations where the other team was trying to lengthen the game by fouling), I believe he went 7-8 overall on FTs including 2-2 to give his squad a 3 pt lead with under 10 seconds to go in the last period. I think he led everyone on our roster in scoring throughout the scrimmage, finishing with 16 pts total. He did attack when given the opening and got off a couple floaters from about 8 ft, they didn't drop, but they had a chance to go in. Spradling has never been a dynamic penetrator off the dribble ( and it does not really look like we have a true penetrator/playmaker available right now. Hopefully Jevon Thomas can fill that role in time) but he did a great job of playing to his strengths yesterday. Again, a relatively small sample, but it was very encouraging to see Will play so well.
Southwell appears to have continued the same improvement he showed from his SO to JR seasons into his SR season. Simply put, he looks like our best player. He competed reasonably well on the glass and had a couple nice passes, which has always been a staple of his game, but it looks like he really continued his progression as a scoring threat. As I mentioned above, I don't think led all scorers for the scrimmage, but I do believe he scored in the most diverse ways on the team. He knocked down a couple threes, made a mid-range step back jumper and a floater, and also got to the rim a couple times off the dribble and was able to finish there. I believe he finished with 14 pts. He might have tried to do much a couple times resulting in a TO and a loose ball but, overall, it looks like he is playing at a high level with a lot of confidence.
Williams continues to really get after it on the glass and it does look like he has continued to improve his offensive skill level. He hit about 3 jumpers from 12-16 ft and 1 was off the dribble. He also had a quick spin move in the lane that got him a clean left-handed layup, he wasn't able to finish it, and obviously that's the most important part of the play but that type of skill was not something we have seen much from Nino in the past. I just hope he keeps working on it and is able to finish it in the future.
Gip appears to have improved his passing skills. He had a couple nice finds of cutting teammates while operating on the perimeter. He didn't make every shot he took from mid-range but he is showing a nice touch on it, he did knock down a 12 fter. His bread and butter is still being a horse in the paint and he was able to get a couple strong finishes around the rim through contact and duress.
Foster is a good looking athlete, it looks to me like he has slimmed down a bit from his HS days, with a good looking jumper from deep. He also had a couple good drives that he was able to finish at the rim, 1 of these was in transition. Right now, he is at his best when he is looking to score. When trying to be a playmaker, he might try to force things a bit much and try to get it to teammates who really aren't open. He did have a couple nice passes, 1 of which was an alley oop to Hopper. But overall right now you have to like his ability to shoot it from deep and finish at the rim with strength and athleticism. I think he also went about 3-6 from three and finished 13 pts in the scrimmage. Maybe his most impressive play was toward the end of the last scrimmage. His team was down 4 and 1 of his teammates missed his 2nd FT, it was a long rebound and the ball bounced out beyond the top of the key, he was able to beat Nigel Johnson to the loose ball and rose up in a hurry to drain a triple from the top of the key. As I mentioned above, Spradling was able to knock down a couple FTs after getting fouled to push the lead back to 3, but Foster's shot was impressive because he just drilled it with no hesitation and full confidence.
The first thing that jumps out to you about about Westicles is his length. Roster is listing him at 6'7", and sometimes those measurements can be padded but, I really think he's at least 6'6". I also think he's been able to put on some solid weight over the summer, looks a little more filled out than from his HS videos. He's just a very active and versatile player. He attacked the glass well and got at least 1 put back plus he did a good job getting open without the ball cutting to the basket, he was able to get to the FT line a couple times doing this and I think he went 3-4. He also knocked down a 10 ft jumper off the glass in the transition, he went 0-1 from 3, it was a decent looking shot from the wing that bounced on the rim a couple times that just didn't drop.
Nigel Johnson spent the majority of his time on the floor running the point. While he did not look completely comfortable out there the whole time, he had a couple nice moments. He did not really attempt to attack much off the dribble, he seems to be much more confident in his jumper at this point, but he did a decent job taking care of the ball. He did have 1 bad TO where he picked the ball up near mid-court and resulted in a backcourt violation for his team. He also had a very nice entry pass from the wing to Gip on the block, but Gip got the ball poked away from him just after that. I will also point out that I think Johnson was really competing on D. During 1 possession he was guarding Foster, it looked Foster had the step on the him and was getting into the lane but Johnson was able to recover and strip the ball from Foster, knocking the ball out of bounds. I believe Johnson finished with 4 pts, he knocked down a 16 ft jumper and went 2-2 on FTs.
Transfers:
Edwards looks like a strong, explosive athlete with a pretty good skill set that will hopefully continue to improve. He dominated the 2nd period of the scrimmage, scoring 13 pts and leading his team to a win. He started off by hammering home an alley oop from Marcus Foster in transition. Then he knocked down 2 spot up jumpers from deep, 1 from the baseline and 1 from the wing. Right after knocking down his 2nd 3, he got the defensive board on the other end of the court, pushed the ball the length of the court and was able to finish with about a 5 ft runner off the glass. He then actually sat down for a few minutes, and then upon re-entering the lineup, drained a deep 23 ft trey from the wing. I think everyone knew he was a high level athlete, but hopefully, he's going to be able to consistently knock down that 3 ball, it sure looked good on Saturday.
I believe Bolden is a legit 6'10", and while not the thickest guy in the world, he still has very good mobility for his height. He did not get a lot of opportunities offensively, but he made a couple nice plays. In drillwork before the scrimmage periods started, he caught and flushed an alley oop from Gipson in transition. In the final period of play, he made a nice catch of a slightly errant pass on the baseline and then drove into the lane (with his strong left hand) and found Spradling on the wing for an open 3, which Sprads knocked home. It was a very good setup from a 6'10" player.
And finally, recruits Javon Bess and Kevin Puryear were both in attendance at the scrimmage with their respective parents.
