I attended a men's basketball practice yesterday that was open to season ticket holders. Below are some observations. some good, some bad.
CAAR: Runs a solid practice, commands respect. Most of the time was spent working on set plays. It's CAAR's way or the highway, as when he spoke there were a lot of "yes sir" responses. If a player spoke out of turn the team would run sprints or the player would run the steps to the top of Yuengling and back (looking at you Gerald Jones).
Chris Youngblood: Appears to be the leader of the team. Encourages the others but also not afraid to call someone out if they are screwing up. Clearly will be on the starting unit.
Selton Miguel: Can shoot the lights out. Seems to have lost weight and looks good. Will be interesting to see how he slots in given the guard-heavy team. I could see him starting or being among the first off the bench.
Jose Placer: Good shooter. Lacks quickness but cagey enough to get by at the PG. Not sure how his skills will translate to the higher level. Another close call as given his experience he could start but could also see him giving up minutes if Youngblood can play the PG while, e.g. Miguel or Kobe Knox are playing the SG positiion.
Kasen Jennings: Bummer of the day. His leg is in a cast and he is getting around on wheels pushing off his one good leg. Not sure of the injury but not looking good for him.
Brandon Stroud: Great motor and brings a lot of energy. Will be on the starting unit and given the lack of size will likely have to play at the PF position. A lot to like about him Gets after it on the boards.
Corey Walker: Working hard. I think he will need to play at the C position given the other options. Also seems to have dropped a few pounds. I can see him at the starting C position but he will be challenged a lot given that he plays shorter than his 6'8" height. Will need to stay out of foul trouble.
Kasean Pryor: Athletic, but even more erratic. Honestly, I was disappointed as I hoped for more. I'm not sure I see him having much of a role. Rudimentary stuff like traveling, moving screens. I hope I am wrong.
Kobe Knox: Athletic and working hard to fit in. Youngblood giving him lots of encouragement. I think he will have an important role but likely as 6 or 7 man.
Sam Hines: Mr. Invisible. He just didn't do much, good or bad in the 1.5 hours of practice. He was noticeable only when CAAR called him out for not paying attention and caused the team to run sprints. Maybe he will have a role (by default as much as anything) but you'd never know it from the practice.
Jayden Reid: This kid is listed at 5'10" but you'd swear he's 5'6". Has incredible ball skills and can really shoot it, but you have to worry about him on the defensive end. If CAAR is playing some zone I could see him in the lineup more. You can tell he really loves to play and will be easy to root for him to do well. If he was 6'3" he'd be playing at Duke or Kentucky.
Daniel Tobiloba: A project but has some skills. Is listed at 240 but not very beefy and gets pushed around. Might get a few minutes out of necessity but will be challenged.
Gerald Jones and David Ogunleye: Didn't show much but I suppose could get some very limited minutes just because of size.
Nic Smith and Ammaar Balagam: Smith played a bit and didn't show much (except lots of effort); Balagam didn't hit the court though was in uniform. I don't think you will see them on the court at all.
Possible surprise of the day: I am not certain at all so don't take this as gospel - maybe Russ could confirm or deny - but about halfway through practice my best guess is that Kevin Knox Sr. and Karter Knox (and a young girl) came strolling in from the player's entrance to the court. They sat down on chairs on the court and watched the last 1/2 of practice. An assistant scrambled to get them bottles of water and CAAR gave them some love. I hesitate to mention, but I also hesitate to not mention. Not sure why he would be in Tampa on a Monday afternoon and I also could be wrong. But I think I am right.
Based on what I saw this will be quite a challenging year so I am keeping my expectations in check. CAAR will have to hit the recruiting trail very very hard...
For what's it's worth those are my observations based only on 1.5 hours of practice.
CAAR: Runs a solid practice, commands respect. Most of the time was spent working on set plays. It's CAAR's way or the highway, as when he spoke there were a lot of "yes sir" responses. If a player spoke out of turn the team would run sprints or the player would run the steps to the top of Yuengling and back (looking at you Gerald Jones).
Chris Youngblood: Appears to be the leader of the team. Encourages the others but also not afraid to call someone out if they are screwing up. Clearly will be on the starting unit.
Selton Miguel: Can shoot the lights out. Seems to have lost weight and looks good. Will be interesting to see how he slots in given the guard-heavy team. I could see him starting or being among the first off the bench.
Jose Placer: Good shooter. Lacks quickness but cagey enough to get by at the PG. Not sure how his skills will translate to the higher level. Another close call as given his experience he could start but could also see him giving up minutes if Youngblood can play the PG while, e.g. Miguel or Kobe Knox are playing the SG positiion.
Kasen Jennings: Bummer of the day. His leg is in a cast and he is getting around on wheels pushing off his one good leg. Not sure of the injury but not looking good for him.
Brandon Stroud: Great motor and brings a lot of energy. Will be on the starting unit and given the lack of size will likely have to play at the PF position. A lot to like about him Gets after it on the boards.
Corey Walker: Working hard. I think he will need to play at the C position given the other options. Also seems to have dropped a few pounds. I can see him at the starting C position but he will be challenged a lot given that he plays shorter than his 6'8" height. Will need to stay out of foul trouble.
Kasean Pryor: Athletic, but even more erratic. Honestly, I was disappointed as I hoped for more. I'm not sure I see him having much of a role. Rudimentary stuff like traveling, moving screens. I hope I am wrong.
Kobe Knox: Athletic and working hard to fit in. Youngblood giving him lots of encouragement. I think he will have an important role but likely as 6 or 7 man.
Sam Hines: Mr. Invisible. He just didn't do much, good or bad in the 1.5 hours of practice. He was noticeable only when CAAR called him out for not paying attention and caused the team to run sprints. Maybe he will have a role (by default as much as anything) but you'd never know it from the practice.
Jayden Reid: This kid is listed at 5'10" but you'd swear he's 5'6". Has incredible ball skills and can really shoot it, but you have to worry about him on the defensive end. If CAAR is playing some zone I could see him in the lineup more. You can tell he really loves to play and will be easy to root for him to do well. If he was 6'3" he'd be playing at Duke or Kentucky.
Daniel Tobiloba: A project but has some skills. Is listed at 240 but not very beefy and gets pushed around. Might get a few minutes out of necessity but will be challenged.
Gerald Jones and David Ogunleye: Didn't show much but I suppose could get some very limited minutes just because of size.
Nic Smith and Ammaar Balagam: Smith played a bit and didn't show much (except lots of effort); Balagam didn't hit the court though was in uniform. I don't think you will see them on the court at all.
Possible surprise of the day: I am not certain at all so don't take this as gospel - maybe Russ could confirm or deny - but about halfway through practice my best guess is that Kevin Knox Sr. and Karter Knox (and a young girl) came strolling in from the player's entrance to the court. They sat down on chairs on the court and watched the last 1/2 of practice. An assistant scrambled to get them bottles of water and CAAR gave them some love. I hesitate to mention, but I also hesitate to not mention. Not sure why he would be in Tampa on a Monday afternoon and I also could be wrong. But I think I am right.
Based on what I saw this will be quite a challenging year so I am keeping my expectations in check. CAAR will have to hit the recruiting trail very very hard...
For what's it's worth those are my observations based only on 1.5 hours of practice.
