UNCW

[Redbirdwarrior]

The stat that sticks out to me is TEN blocks. 3 of them by Reeves. Him being a long 6'6'' guard is going to result in him being one of the most difficult players for Valley guards to shoot over outside the paint. That is height you don't typically see at that position in this conference.

If Dan can get these guys to play defense like they did in the second half of this game for the majority of the season, we may surprise some people.

Also equally possible: UNCW is butt and this wasn't really a fair game to create long term assumptions with.

We'll see, but I will take 1-0 100% of the time.

 

[Adunk33]

The first half was gross. I felt like there was more structure in my Sunday morning pick up games. Obviously, they picked it up in the second half and pulled out a win. It's great to see Reeves really becoming the guy he was recruited to be. I'm sure most of us would've like to see this from day 1 but there's usually a feeling out process. Especially with Horne, he didn't know where he was supposed to take his or hand it off. As Muller has said, he's really grown as a play mature-wise and physically. There was a time where I believe he scored on 3 or 4 straight possessions in the second half. At that time, I told a couple friends that he may be getting too big for his britches and when he has an off game, they're screwed. Very soon after, he drove to the whole and hit Strong for an open 3. I mentioned it after the exhibition, it seems Reeves and Strong are hitting open shots. The team needs to have more than just Reeves scoring the ball.

In the first half, ISU needed to do a better job at controlling the tempo. If they could've settled into some half court sets, Schmitt really could've done some damage. Defensively, that didn't work as it was clear Ryan wasn't keeping up with their speed.

I'm really liking what I'm seeing from Lewis and Freeman. They bring defensive intensity that has been missing since Tony and Paris were on the court.

They've got a lot to work on and have a tough test coming up Friday. Gotta start hitting free throws at a higher clip. 68% last night, leaving 10 points at the line. I think Sy and Kendall will spend a decent amount of time at the line because they're mismatches at their positions. They can use speed to get around dudes then get fouled. Gotta finish those chances and hit the FTs.

One final observation...Freeman and Fleming can't be on the court together. Both are primary facilitators and Fleming looked kind of lost off the ball. He does seem to be playing slower (in a good way) than last season.

It's one game against a team that probably stinks but if they can pick up some confidence that they were never able to last year, that can only be a good thing.

 

[Redbirdwarrior]

Reeves' final line:

(34 min)

29 pts
6 reb
3 ast
3 blk
1 stl
1 PF

Half that production still makes him the best player on the floor yesterday. Love it.

 

[Baltimore Bird]

I was extremely impressed with our ability to block and alter shots. IMO, that was the difference in the game. You could really see it in the 2nd half as UNCW struggled to shoot balanced shots.
I would have like to have seen Freeman shoot a few more shots rather than pass. I thought he made a few bad decisions, but overall he is a great addition.
I was disappointed to see Dan pull Chatman after he did not block out properly on a FT and not put him back in the game. Teaching moment, but it lasted the final 9 minutes of the game. I think he is our only semi-legit scorer in the middle. Hopefully, that will change with McChesney. Abdou looks to be about the same player he was last year and not be a scoring threat.
Sissoko was a starter much of last year and did not see the floor. Interesting.
Reeves was a fantastic scorer and defender, but also contributed with a few bad passes and questionable dribbling. He needs to tighten that up as does the entire team. There were lots of weak passes especially early.
The 1st game jitters were very real. Let's go on the road and get a 2nd win. Road wins build confidence!
GO BIRDS!

 

[Trey_Guidry4three]

If all you have is 1 player that’s easy to stop. The majority of the guys can’t score. And our PG is very shakey!

Did Mr. Strong ease your fears? What a clutch performance by him!!

 

[SgtHulka]

Reeves' final line:

(34 min)

29 pts
6 reb
3 ast
3 blk
1 stl
1 PF

Half that production still makes him the best player on the floor yesterday. Love it.

Reeves and Fleming are solid rebounding guards

 

[TIMMY]

Hey, I'll admit it. Turned it off down15 to watch a Castle rerun. Glad I came back. I saw them having fun and playing hard. If they keep that up maybe some good things will happen for them.
As for Reeves.....

 

[crazzymark]

Watched the game on ESPN+, nice come back against a average team at best. And was not surprised on the crowd size. It was more that i expected but still lame.

 

[CB2K]

Game at Redbird Arena was quite enjoyable last night based on feeling completely frustrated for most of the first half and then feeling wonderfully surprised at the nice comeback. Agree with most of the analysis already provided but I thought the student turnout was surprisingly robust compared to previous first games. Both sides of the floor were decently filled -- not packed but not bad. I do hope they get some leaders for Redbird Alert who know how to organize and trash the other team while hoopin' and hollerin' for the good guys.

I thanked one of the pep band members for playing going out the door and he seemed to appreciate the nod. The band seems to have shrunk especially due to the volunteer status of it and of course the Covid impact.

I never thought this before from seeing 'Tone from previous years to this one but he seems to have a higher ceiling than DJ. Everything has improved from defense to offense. I couldn't believe the improvement I have seen from last year to this -- albeit the first 2 games. He is doing things he hasn't done before. He can bomb, drive and play solid D where I thought DJ was a very good offense first type player but was an average defender and wasn't that skilled in driving to the basket. Credit to Tone for working so hard during the offseason. He has that kind of glide and stutter step he uses sometimes to keep the defender off balance while he gets that angle to blow by or pull up.

McChesney was so hyped up and nervous that he hasn't settled in yet. On postgame, DM said that he was a very good shooter but has played 20 minutes in 2 years and had the jitters. He said he thinks he can help offensively when he settles down and gets readjusted to games -- so, looking forward to that since he wasn't even close on some of his attempts. I do like his length and seems to have good BB IQ from what I have seen on switching and being in position.

Poor Fleming got called twice and maybe three times where it wasn't even a foul -- he fouled out quickly. He is a challenge for an opponent at guard due to his size and usually can handle the ball in the face of pressure.

The UNCW guys grabbed and pulled quite a bit and sometimes got caught and sometimes didn't. I mean sometimes they weren't even sly about it and honestly should have got called for more fouls than they even were whistled for.

Freeman, Chatman and Lewis are solid additions and should improve as a unit as the year plays out. Chatman had a nice jam in the first half when they were making a comeback. He will be a solid contributor this year and almost had a double-double in the first game. He can drain the ten footer and has some decent moves down low.

Abdou got the player of the game per DM (although the obvious choice was AR) due to his key clutch free throws, rebounds, blocks and defense.

I am still not sure what to expect from this team but I am sure there will be some ups and downs. I have to admit it was so nice to get back to Redbird A and see some live basketball from my favorite team and alma mater. It was also nice to see some fight and depth and the new faces compete.

 

[Baltimore Bird]

THANK YOU 2B2K! Refreshing report!
GO BIRDS!

 

[DoubleDeuce]

And was not surprised on the crowd size. It was more that i expected but still lame.

There's a lot I like about attending a game with only 2,500 fans...I'll be so frustrated when we start winning and I have to deal with all the people in the stands.

I never thought this before from seeing 'Tone from previous years to this one but he seems to have a higher ceiling than DJ. Everything has improved from defense to offense. I couldn't believe the improvement I have seen from last year to this -- albeit the first 2 games. He is doing things he hasn't done before. He can bomb, drive and play solid D where I thought DJ was a very good offense first type player but was an average defender and wasn't that skilled in driving to the basket. Credit to Tone for working so hard during the offseason. He has that kind of glide and stutter step he uses sometimes to keep the defender off balance while he gets that angle to blow by or pull up.

I hope his teammates notice this incredible transformation and it opens their eyes to what they too can accomplish with that level of routine/commitment.

Abdou got the player of the game per DM (although the obvious choice was AR) due to his key clutch free throws, rebounds, blocks and defense.

Abdou did some very good things...I just don't like when the ball gets stuck in his hands out top and he just hoists a three. I suppose it's better than turning the ball over without getting a shot off.

 

[Redbird222]

One final observation...Freeman and Fleming can't be on the court together. Both are primary facilitators and Fleming looked kind of lost off the ball. He does seem to be playing slower (in a good way) than last season.

Agree 100%. They need to be facilitators first.
Neither one of them look good behind the arc. Last year at Tennessee St., Freeman shot 28.4% on 109 shots. Fleming shot 23..1%. I know Reeves barely shot 30% last year but i would not expect the same turnaround. Based on what I have seen during the exhibition and opening game, I don't think there will be much improvement from either.

Freeman needs to score via the foul line and driving the lane for layups and short jumpers.

Fleming was trying to do his best Reggie Lynch impersonation last night .... 5 fouls in eight minutes so harder to evaluate.

 

[Birdfriend72]

Did Mr. Strong ease your fears? What a clutch performance by him!!

Much better in the 2nd half. I'm still worried...because Wilmington couldn't shoot to save their lives in the 2nd half. I will give our defense a little credit...but Wilmington did miss some wide open looks.

 

[SgtHulka]

Agree 100%. They need to be facilitators first.
Neither one of them look good behind the arc. Last year at Tennessee St., Freeman shot 28.4% on 109 shots. Fleming shot 23..1%. I know Reeves barely shot 30% last year but i would not expect the same turnaround. Based on what I have seen during the exhibition and opening game, I don't think there will be much improvement from either.

Freeman needs to score via the foul line and driving the lane for layups and short jumpers.

Fleming was trying to do his best Reggie Lynch impersonation last night .... 5 fouls in eight minutes so harder to evaluate.

Give me Reeves and Freeman at the line all night, every night.

Worst play of the game was the last possession of the fist half. Best shooter dribbles the clock down then passes to Fleming for a three he couldn't get off, not that he would have made it.

Fleming pleading to the 3 refs during the timeout after he fouled out was pretty funny

 

[Redbird222]

Give me Reeves and Freeman at the line all night, every night.

Worst play of the game was the last possession of the fist half. Best shooter dribbles the clock down then passes to Fleming for a three he couldn't get off, not that he would have made it.

Fleming pleading to the 3 refs during the timeout after he fouled out was pretty funny

I don't think the coaches were aware of Fleming taking with the referees during the timeout just after he fouled out. I was telling Naperbird that he shouldn't be over there and nothing good will come of that. Then the referees started laughing so I guess we were all good and I don't know what I am talking about

 

[Adunk33]

Agree 100%. They need to be facilitators first.
Neither one of them look good behind the arc. Last year at Tennessee St., Freeman shot 28.4% on 109 shots. Fleming shot 23..1%. I know Reeves barely shot 30% last year but i would not expect the same turnaround. Based on what I have seen during the exhibition and opening game, I don't think there will be much improvement from either.

Freeman needs to score via the foul line and driving the lane for layups and short jumpers.

Fleming was trying to do his best Reggie Lynch impersonation last night .... 5 fouls in eight minutes so harder to evaluate.

For what its worth (very little) Fleming has been working on his 3pt shot and shot pretty well during Hoopfest. I don't think that hoisting a 3 should ever be his first thought, but he shouldn't be afraid if its within the flow of the game. It just takes some time to learn when that is appropriate. For now, he should continue to look to pass first and if the ball movement is solid and he finds himself open after a few passes, go for it. Agreed with Freeman, he and Reeves have shown they will hit their foul shots at a high clip. The more opportunities for those two at the line, the better.