Hoopfest 2018

[KingO]

To me, Rey seemed a bit raw still, but played well. I liked what I saw in Copeland and Keith. Dan stated Ndiaye has yet to practice but let him play for us to see him. He needs some muscle on him, but he could be special. Everyone played harder than usual for the scrimmage, but obviously didn’t show much. Keyshawn won the 3 point competition and Phil the dunk contest.


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[Adunk33]

Muller started the scrimmage by saying whichever team won didn't have to do sprints tomorrow. I'm not sure how true that was since no one really played all that tough except.... Abdou N'Diaye. We've got something with that kid. Everyone will want the David comparison given their similarities but he is more comparable to a player like Jon Wilkins or Teddy Hawkins. He is already built so much better than David, long arms and brought the ball up the court once or twice. He shot a 3 ball that he missed but it looked good. The people I was with commented and I agreed that he is already farther progressed than David ever did. He'll be a good one for us next season.

Overall the scrimmage wasn't really competitive. Most players were just trying to show out for the crowd. Copeland was the one trying to do the most. He can score. He didn't shoot the 3 particularly well, but he scored a few different ways. Jefferson shot the ball well in the scrimmage. Rey did still look pretty raw but you can't teach his size. Taylor has bulked up significantly. He still stood around the perimeter on offense. We'll see if he plays more in the post this year. Chastain looked really healthy. Every time he jumped or planted I held my breath a little. Phil was a beast in the post on offense, fighting for rebounds and getting put backs. Tinsley scored from something other than a 3 which excites me. With his length, he should be driving a lot more to keep defenders honest on his 3 ball.

I didn't watch the players who will redshirt this year all that closely outside of Abdou. Fisher will be a good one too. Boyd and Hillsman didn't play.

Other takeaway was that Christian Romine is still close with the team. He came out of the tunnel with Madison after all of the players were introduced. He could be a practice player or something this season, but I'm not sure.

Starting line up after last night's scrimmage is what we all predicted: Keyshawn, Copeland, Milik, Boogie, Phil. Bench: Chastain, Jefferson, Rey (just because Taylor hasn't practiced enough), and probably Hein. Outside of the rotation looking in: Taylor, and Ike.

Disclaimer: this is from a very limited street ball like scrimmage.

17 more days until we see them compete!

 

[AgGrad88]

Keith Fisher is a beast on both ends...... just saying.

 

[WoodlandWarrior]

From what i’ve read on this board, there are perceptions that Chastain may play ahead of Bruninga. Why? Bruninga had several good games last year as a freshman and was instrumental in a win over SIU. The kid can play. His experience from last year, added weight, and outside shooting ability can help the team.

 

[Redbird Alum 2004]

Just watched the practice videos they uploaded to YouTube. Keith Fisher looks like he is gonna be a good one and will help lessen the blow of losing Phil. Can't wait for the season to get going.

 

[cubird]

ID any recruits?

 

[DoubleDeuce]

From what i’ve read on this board, there are perceptions that Chastain may play ahead of Bruninga. Why? Bruninga had several good games last year as a freshman and was instrumental in a win over SIU. The kid can play. His experience from last year, added weight, and outside shooting ability can help the team.

This is what i love, there seems to be a lot of optimism for each and every player's improvement over last year. I think that's part of the reason 4 this optimistic feeling we all have.

 

[Bird Friend]

From what i’ve read on this board, there are perceptions that Chastain may play ahead of Bruninga. Why? Bruninga had several good games last year as a freshman and was instrumental in a win over SIU. The kid can play. His experience from last year, added weight, and outside shooting ability can help the team.

I think it's because Chastain should have more versatility.

 

[SgtHulka]

Muller started the scrimmage by saying whichever team won didn't have to do sprints tomorrow. I'm not sure how true that was since no one really played all that tough except.... Abdou N'Diaye. We've got something with that kid. Everyone will want the David comparison given their similarities but he is more comparable to a player like Jon Wilkins or Teddy Hawkins. He is already built so much better than David, long arms and brought the ball up the court once or twice. He shot a 3 ball that he missed but it looked good. The people I was with commented and I agreed that he is already farther progressed than David ever did. He'll be a good one for us next season.

Overall the scrimmage wasn't really competitive. Most players were just trying to show out for the crowd. Copeland was the one trying to do the most. He can score. He didn't shoot the 3 particularly well, but he scored a few different ways. Jefferson shot the ball well in the scrimmage. Rey did still look pretty raw but you can't teach his size. Taylor has bulked up significantly. He still stood around the perimeter on offense. We'll see if he plays more in the post this year. Chastain looked really healthy. Every time he jumped or planted I held my breath a little. Phil was a beast in the post on offense, fighting for rebounds and getting put backs. Tinsley scored from something other than a 3 which excites me. With his length, he should be driving a lot more to keep defenders honest on his 3 ball.

I didn't watch the players who will redshirt this year all that closely outside of Abdou. Fisher will be a good one too. Boyd and Hillsman didn't play.

Other takeaway was that Christian Romine is still close with the team. He came out of the tunnel with Madison after all of the players were introduced. He could be a practice player or something this season, but I'm not sure.

Starting line up after last night's scrimmage is what we all predicted: Keyshawn, Copeland, Milik, Boogie, Phil. Bench: Chastain, Jefferson, Rey (just because Taylor hasn't practiced enough), and probably Hein. Outside of the rotation looking in: Taylor, and Ike.

Disclaimer: this is from a very limited street ball like scrimmage.

17 more days until we see them compete!

Pretty good summation that saves me some typing.
Abdou will be a special player

 

[DannyCooksey]

Thank you for the reporting.

How did Key, Copeland, Jefferson and MY look handling the ball and initiating the offense?

 

[KingO]

Thank you for the reporting.

How did Key, Copeland, Jefferson and MY look handling the ball and initiating the offense?

Very hard to judge, do to the pick up game nature. I do think MY should be point, with key and Copeland as support.


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[JHBird]

I got a kick out of the three point shooting contest. 3 Boys vs 3 Girls, and by my count the girls won two out of three. Copeland and Boggie lost, but Evans won his matchup. The women's team is going to be shooting much better this year. Two of those girls were newcomers if I remember correctly.

I thought Fisher really handled the ball well coming up court, almost as good as a guard. I wish he could play this year. Rey was raw, but he had a really good athletic move to the basket for a score. But yeah, the scrimmage was basically a free for all. Copeland tried a shot way beyond the arc, but barely missed. So I'm confident he's got some range even though he didn't shoot it that great.

Chastain didn't shoot it that well, but looked 100 percent healthy. Abdou had a nice block and handled the ball well. He's the un-david as far as I'm concerned. There was some polish on him IMO.

Oh, and a great win by the Volleyball team over Valpo. Never seen so many fans there before, and it made a big difference.

 

[RicoBryson]

Can anyone else add anything to how Abdou looked and why he will be special?

 

[BirdGrad2011]

Can anyone else add anything to how Abdou looked and why he will be special?

Don’t get hung up on it. He hasn’t been practicing much. I was not at Hoopfest, but I wouldn’t use the good or bad as any indication of his future.

 

[Adunk33]

Can anyone else add anything to how Abdou looked and why he will be special?

Don’t get hung up on it. He hasn’t been practicing much. I was not at Hoopfest, but I wouldn’t use the good or bad as any indication of his future.

I mentioned it in a post above, but knowing he hasn't practiced much I went in with low expectations. I was thinking he would be more of a David-like project. He was not that at all. He showed an overall comfort on the court, has huge long arms, and some really nice blocks. Like I said, I figured he would be more like David but he already appears to be ahead of that curve. I was more impressed with Abdou in his 5 minutes of a pickup game scrimmage than I was with 3 years of David. Obviously, health is key, but Muller doesn't seem too interested in having to rebuild. We might have 3 or 4 starters for the 2019-20 season sitting out this season. With guarded optimism, the future seems bright.

 

[RicoBryson]

Can anyone else add anything to how Abdou looked and why he will be special?

Don’t get hung up on it. He hasn’t been practicing much. I was not at Hoopfest, but I wouldn’t use the good or bad as any indication of his future.

I mentioned it in a post above, but knowing he hasn't practiced much I went in with low expectations. I was thinking he would be more of a David-like project. He was not that at all. He showed an overall comfort on the court, has huge long arms, and some really nice blocks. Like I said, I figured he would be more like David but he already appears to be ahead of that curve. I was more impressed with Abdou in his 5 minutes of a pickup game scrimmage than I was with 3 years of David. Obviously, health is key, but Muller doesn't seem too interested in having to rebuild. We might have 3 or 4 starters for the 2019-20 season sitting out this season. With guarded optimism, the future seems bright.

Great! This is exciting to read. Sometimes, you can just tell that a player will be special and thats the sense Im getting. A lot can be said about natural talent and work ethic.

 

[SgtHulka]

Hoopfests don't give you a lot to go on. Is tall, looks strong, is fast, is coordinated, can dribble or catch in traffic... Abdou checked a lot of those boxes for me. Anxiously awaiting his being able to take the court.

 

[Hrtnfldhse]

Bruninga and Gassman both looking bigger than last year. Ndyiaye was thicker than expected and moved much more fluid than I expected. Copeland is very athletic, while Chastain looked healthy and ready to go. Rey is a big man, hopefully he knows how to use that big body sooner than later. Milik appears to have slimmed down, he was very explosive especially the block he had during the scrimmage.

Our depth is ridiculous this year. Not a big drop off from the 14 I saw.

 

[Buffett]

I got a kick out of the three point shooting contest. 3 Boys vs 3 Girls, and by my count the girls won two out of three. Copeland and Boggie lost, but Evans won his matchup. The women's team is going to be shooting much better this year. Two of those girls were newcomers if I remember correctly.

I thought Fisher really handled the ball well coming up court, almost as good as a guard. I wish he could play this year. Rey was raw, but he had a really good athletic move to the basket for a score. But yeah, the scrimmage was basically a free for all. Copeland tried a shot way beyond the arc, but barely missed. So I'm confident he's got some range even though he didn't shoot it that great.

Chastain didn't shoot it that well, but looked 100 percent healthy. Abdou had a nice block and handled the ball well. He's the un-david as far as I'm concerned. There was some polish on him IMO.

Oh, and a great win by the Volleyball team over Valpo. Never seen so many fans there before, and it made a big difference.

ISU VB averaging right at 1200 a home match so far.

 

[V Boy]

Why are people comparing abdou to David? Aside from their last names do they have anything in common? I was expecting abdou to be a 3 or stretch 4 coming in with handles, perimeter shot, dynamic offensive capability. David is a 5.

I would think people would be comparing abdou to Tinsley or Milik.