Peggy Po's
Gipson is a freshman? He has incredible hands. He is learning to boss the lane and not settle for moves away from the basket. He absorbs contact. He uses ball fakes. He hustles to get in position for rebounds. On the jump ball late in the second half, long after the game had reached a new level of physicality, Thomas muscled his way in to a scrum and emerged with the ball and what appeared to be yet another trip to the line. It was extremely heartening. He is the Peggiest of all of my Po's. He is still getting gassed too easily.
Jamar nearly had his very own version of a triple double. 10 points, 10 rebounds, 7 TO+Fouls. 1-2 from 3, 1-4 from the line. Many nights, Jamar is the tin man and the scarecrow. But he played with his heart tonight. So frustrating to watch, but I think he will have a better season than last year. He needs to limit the games in which he completely removes himself with fouls and/or turnovers. He definitely showed more persistence when he was getting contact in the post than at almost any point last year. I am as happy as I can be with Jamar.
JO's career high for boards is 11? Well, not that we've got that out of the way, let's do more of it. Overall a pretty disappointing night for JO on offense. Two potential dunks on bitches thwarted. The first when he finger rolled off the dribble, the second being the missed oop.
Sprads is Sprads is Sprads. 14 points. 4 rebounds. 2 charges taken. Cannot and will not be a creative force on offense. He can make the first pass and then move, but he is incapable or scared of throwing an offensive pass. His only assists are dribble drives that get cut off at the elbow for an open three. Shawnee Mission streetball only prepares you for so much vision it seems. Super Clent is doing just fine by me.
Tay in #teamangel's base, stealin' yo minutes. I see you tay. I see you D'ing up on Taylor. Very solid role player minutes. Our problem is we need some more sparkle from the opposite of Sprads. Tay has explosiveness and is showing his defense, but his offensive game will always be limited by his lapses in control and his 3 point shooting. If either can hold steady for a game we may have something here.
Vic's career high 4 points. GET EM ENERGY 2.0!
Nancy Neg's
Jamar's inexplicable pass to cap a 5 point run in 2 seconds
Shane Southwell's sleepy 25 minutes. He's like Akeem Wright if Akeem Wright's defense with the dimmer down and then the dimmer slightly up on everything else. A soft white 60 watt, dialed back, ready for love. Maybe this should be a Peggy Po, but I would rather run out Nino, or Omari or Jones or something. Shane did do a decent number on their backyard Serbian. Could've gone either way here. I'm just kind of bored with this and Shane's terrible transition and completely random passing ability have me upset.
#teamangel Still has not figured out how to not foul. On ball defense my ass. 3 pointers and the rest meh. Still can not run a break.
Omari will he ever play? Not if Vic has anything to say about it.
McGruder's shooting Slumpy McOreb's. Just not knocking down shots. Has clearly worked to develop his dribble game. It sucks most of the time, but when he pump fakes and heads to the elbow or the lane for a floater it is solid. I really hope this gets sorted out. Lacks spark and energy, the slump is affecting him.
This nervous, weak, panicked team. I swear MU or KU would destroy us by a magillion points by just pressing us until we cry uncle. Frank would yell the first time out. Then he would stare the second time out while Sprads periodically did his best "Come on guys" whine. Then the last timeout of the first half, once we are down by 12-20 or so, would be Frank giving the calm "its up to you guys, just do whatever the eff you want" schitck. I have zero idea why GW tried to junk us in the half court and did not repeatedly try to increase the tempo.
