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wisconsincougsI visited Utah last week for a family reunion, and was able to make it over to the RB for about 30 minutes to watch the basketball team scrimmage.
Iâll make a comment on every player I observed, but about half the team was not in the gym that day (Carlino, Calvert, Ambrosino, Austin, Zylstra, Winder, Harward, Rogers).
Many of the alums were there playing as well, but Iâll skip commenting on them as itâs probably not all that informative that JT likes to shoot (others included Plaisted, Cummard, Hartsock, Abuou, Lamont Morgan).
Keep in mind these are limited observations of pick-up ballâ¦take it for what itâs worth (which is not much, but itâs better than nothing this time of year). A team of Morgan, Delgado, Cusick, Sharp, and Davies won 5 or 6 games and held the court the full half hour I was there.
Tyler Haws â Sat on the sidelines and watched. Heard heâs a bit banged up (I donât think itâs serious)â¦probably just typical RM setbacks.
Iâve read (and had the same thoughts myself) that an April return + Hawsâ great work ethic = getting back to form quickly. While thatâs still possible, itâs probably healthy if we adjust our collective expectations considering how incredibly rare it is for an RM to come back and be one of the top guys his first year home. Despite his work ethic, heâll likely struggle at times with health and conditioning like everyone else.
Future Players
T.J. Haws â Good looking player. Knocked down a few 3âs and a nice 15 footer off the dribble, and generally looked like he belonged playing against guys 3-10 years older than him. He handled the ball reasonably well against pressure from Delgado and was running PG for his team. I hope he continues to develop as a point, as it seems he has good vision and passing ability. Combine that with a 6â3â frame and solid shooting and we have a great player on our hands.
Eric Mika â I didnât see him on the floor for more than a few minutes, but he also held his own. Had a nice rebound put-back, missed a fade-away 15 footer, broke up an alley oop to Davies, and rebounded a few out of his area. Iâve heard he has played pretty well against the team in other scrimmages throughout the summer, so Iâd expect heâll be ready to be a contributor next year.
Current Players
Brandon Davies â Looks great! In shape, strong, plays like the best player on the floor. He scored from the post, from jumpers, off the dribble, and in transition. Had a ridiculous block high off the glass in transition (a Lebron-esque pin), and a pair of dunks off of an oop and a rebound. Iâm excited for his senior season.
Raul Delgado â The dude has some jetsâ¦very fast. He had a few breaks where he just flat beat people down the floor off the dribble. He picked a pocket once (I think Haws) and went down for a two-handed jam off of one foot that reminded me of the way Latrell Sprewell used to dunk where heâd hammer it back behind the head (letâs hope the similarities end there).
He plays hard and digs in on D. I saw flashes of why heâs been described in articles as a potential replacement for Emery and Abuou as a defenderâ¦lots of deflections and some steals. He probably shot something like 3 for 6 from deep (a nice pull up off the dribble) and was aggressive going to the basket. He strikes me as someone who would earn trips to the free throw line every game, although I donât know if stats bear that out.
I do think there will be a learning curve and adjustment, as his offensive aggression led to some turnovers or bad shots, but overall Iâm very excited about adding his skill set to the team. Heâs the opposite of a Cusick or Zylstra type player (safe, solid, more spot up shooters) and his athleticism is much needed. Letâs hope he can quickly pick up our system and will be a chemistry fit.
Craig Cusick â Speaking of Cusick, he looked pretty good in this scrimmage as well. Knocked down a bunch of 3âs, had a few nice drives where he was physical in either getting a bucket, a foul, or a nice dish, and looked more confident and aggressive than he did in the season. Very competitive player. You really canât complain having him as a walk on and ready to step in to challenge for minutes if any of the scholarship players donât perform.
Josh Sharp â He was a pleasant surprise. It seems heâs found his legs and was more springy than this season. He had a nice dunk, a handful of tip-ins with some hang time, and rebounded really well. He also hit a few 3âs and had a nice drive that finished with a hook shot. Iâve heard heâs played similarly most of the summer and has been solid. If we can get some good minutes out of him this season I see that as bonus.
Cooper Ainge â It is uncanny how similar his mannerisms are to his brother Austin. If you recall Austinâs game, take a few inches off the height (probably about 5â11â), keep the confidence and add maybe a slight increase in quickness and strength and you have Cooper. They have a similar stroke (he hit a pair of 3âs in 3 attempts) but at least in this scrimmage he looked to be a distributor.
I would be surprised if he sees the court this season, but I wouldn't be surprised if he finds minutes as a backup PG in his BYU career. Like Cusick, heâs a solid player to have as a walk on.
Chris Collinsworth â I wouldnât have guessed heâs been away from the game for 4 years (he wasnât obviously rusty and didnât look out of shape), but in the few minutes I watched him I didnât see much to comment on. The important point is he was on the court! I think a setback is always a worry, but if we could get him healthy for the next 3 years that would be amazing.
From talking with others who have watched scrimmages this summer, they confirmed many of my comments above (Davies is dominating, Sharp/Cusick are solid, Delgado is a great athlete). Also, Iâve heard that Calvert has looked really good this summer as a shooter and he may push for time.
There you go. I feel like this season has a lot of unknowns (health of Rogers/Collinsworth/Austin, possibly Haws, contribution of newcomers like Delgado/Calvert/Harward, development of Carlino, etc.), but it seems like there are always unknowns and Coach Rose finds a well to blend it all together in to an NCAA tournament team. Iâd expect that again this year, and should be a fun one to watch.
Iâll make a comment on every player I observed, but about half the team was not in the gym that day (Carlino, Calvert, Ambrosino, Austin, Zylstra, Winder, Harward, Rogers).
Many of the alums were there playing as well, but Iâll skip commenting on them as itâs probably not all that informative that JT likes to shoot (others included Plaisted, Cummard, Hartsock, Abuou, Lamont Morgan).
Keep in mind these are limited observations of pick-up ballâ¦take it for what itâs worth (which is not much, but itâs better than nothing this time of year). A team of Morgan, Delgado, Cusick, Sharp, and Davies won 5 or 6 games and held the court the full half hour I was there.
Tyler Haws â Sat on the sidelines and watched. Heard heâs a bit banged up (I donât think itâs serious)â¦probably just typical RM setbacks.
Iâve read (and had the same thoughts myself) that an April return + Hawsâ great work ethic = getting back to form quickly. While thatâs still possible, itâs probably healthy if we adjust our collective expectations considering how incredibly rare it is for an RM to come back and be one of the top guys his first year home. Despite his work ethic, heâll likely struggle at times with health and conditioning like everyone else.
Future Players
T.J. Haws â Good looking player. Knocked down a few 3âs and a nice 15 footer off the dribble, and generally looked like he belonged playing against guys 3-10 years older than him. He handled the ball reasonably well against pressure from Delgado and was running PG for his team. I hope he continues to develop as a point, as it seems he has good vision and passing ability. Combine that with a 6â3â frame and solid shooting and we have a great player on our hands.
Eric Mika â I didnât see him on the floor for more than a few minutes, but he also held his own. Had a nice rebound put-back, missed a fade-away 15 footer, broke up an alley oop to Davies, and rebounded a few out of his area. Iâve heard he has played pretty well against the team in other scrimmages throughout the summer, so Iâd expect heâll be ready to be a contributor next year.
Current Players
Brandon Davies â Looks great! In shape, strong, plays like the best player on the floor. He scored from the post, from jumpers, off the dribble, and in transition. Had a ridiculous block high off the glass in transition (a Lebron-esque pin), and a pair of dunks off of an oop and a rebound. Iâm excited for his senior season.
Raul Delgado â The dude has some jetsâ¦very fast. He had a few breaks where he just flat beat people down the floor off the dribble. He picked a pocket once (I think Haws) and went down for a two-handed jam off of one foot that reminded me of the way Latrell Sprewell used to dunk where heâd hammer it back behind the head (letâs hope the similarities end there).
He plays hard and digs in on D. I saw flashes of why heâs been described in articles as a potential replacement for Emery and Abuou as a defenderâ¦lots of deflections and some steals. He probably shot something like 3 for 6 from deep (a nice pull up off the dribble) and was aggressive going to the basket. He strikes me as someone who would earn trips to the free throw line every game, although I donât know if stats bear that out.
I do think there will be a learning curve and adjustment, as his offensive aggression led to some turnovers or bad shots, but overall Iâm very excited about adding his skill set to the team. Heâs the opposite of a Cusick or Zylstra type player (safe, solid, more spot up shooters) and his athleticism is much needed. Letâs hope he can quickly pick up our system and will be a chemistry fit.
Craig Cusick â Speaking of Cusick, he looked pretty good in this scrimmage as well. Knocked down a bunch of 3âs, had a few nice drives where he was physical in either getting a bucket, a foul, or a nice dish, and looked more confident and aggressive than he did in the season. Very competitive player. You really canât complain having him as a walk on and ready to step in to challenge for minutes if any of the scholarship players donât perform.
Josh Sharp â He was a pleasant surprise. It seems heâs found his legs and was more springy than this season. He had a nice dunk, a handful of tip-ins with some hang time, and rebounded really well. He also hit a few 3âs and had a nice drive that finished with a hook shot. Iâve heard heâs played similarly most of the summer and has been solid. If we can get some good minutes out of him this season I see that as bonus.
Cooper Ainge â It is uncanny how similar his mannerisms are to his brother Austin. If you recall Austinâs game, take a few inches off the height (probably about 5â11â), keep the confidence and add maybe a slight increase in quickness and strength and you have Cooper. They have a similar stroke (he hit a pair of 3âs in 3 attempts) but at least in this scrimmage he looked to be a distributor.
I would be surprised if he sees the court this season, but I wouldn't be surprised if he finds minutes as a backup PG in his BYU career. Like Cusick, heâs a solid player to have as a walk on.
Chris Collinsworth â I wouldnât have guessed heâs been away from the game for 4 years (he wasnât obviously rusty and didnât look out of shape), but in the few minutes I watched him I didnât see much to comment on. The important point is he was on the court! I think a setback is always a worry, but if we could get him healthy for the next 3 years that would be amazing.
From talking with others who have watched scrimmages this summer, they confirmed many of my comments above (Davies is dominating, Sharp/Cusick are solid, Delgado is a great athlete). Also, Iâve heard that Calvert has looked really good this summer as a shooter and he may push for time.
There you go. I feel like this season has a lot of unknowns (health of Rogers/Collinsworth/Austin, possibly Haws, contribution of newcomers like Delgado/Calvert/Harward, development of Carlino, etc.), but it seems like there are always unknowns and Coach Rose finds a well to blend it all together in to an NCAA tournament team. Iâd expect that again this year, and should be a fun one to watch.