Preseason Evaluation

Any thoughts on the preseason game Saturday night?



It was tough to fully evaluate with all the subs in and out, but we gave some really good players (and I don't really know what I'm talking about, so please add your own thoughts 8) )



Haws is haws, but does look a little quicker on defense. Still got beat at times, but still has a ridiculous shot of differing varieties.



I like Fischer. I think he will be a great third scoring option. He seems to be a pretty smart player.



Toolsin and Nixon are going to be contributors this year. They did not look like freshman out there. Toolson especially had a nice shot with range and not afraid to take it to the hoop. He is going to be awesome sooner rather than later. Both seem to hustle a lot on offense and defense.



Nielson is ok, looks decent for a freshman.



Winder didn't seem to get into a rhythm, not sure how he'll fit in. Hopefully he finds his game and becomes a staple for this team.



Halford was ok, but I hope we have a better option at the 1 and 2 positions to not need him very often. He seems to always be hustling, yet isn't quite quick enough - does that seem accurate? Now that I look at the box score, he had 7 assists which is pretty good. Maybe he can be a solid contributor this season.



Josh Sharp was quiet. He might have a difficult time finding minutes on this team.



Worthington is better, but I'm still waiting to be impressed.



Jordan Chapman doesn't quite look ready. ?Redshirt?



Frank Bartley had a flash or two, but still out of sync. Maybe just didn't have a chance to get into a rhythm.



Jordan Ellis was decent for someone you've never heard of before. I don't imagine there are plans for him to play much this season, but will help the team with his speed on the practice squad.



Ryan Andrus looks like he has some work to do.



It's way early still, but I'm excited to see how coach Rose puts all these guys together. They can be very good.

I think that the lineup rotations for this team will be a work in progress for at least the first month of games. I hope that I am wrong and that Coach Rose and the players will establish their roles fairly quickly. I think that with the influx of Freshman talent in Neilson, Toolson, and Nixon, that Sharp's minutes are a thing of the past. Haws and Collinsworth will be the heart and soul of this team with Fischer riding as the 3rd amigo. I see Winder, Halford, and Bartley playing similar roles as last year, but hopefully somewhat improved and more consistent. I was looking forward to seeing what Aytes could provide, but now it will be up to Austin, Neilson, and Worthington to get the job done on the inside. The matchup at the 4 worries me as does the ability to contest dribble drive penetration and contest the 3 ball. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw on Saturday night. I think this team will be fun to watch.

Aytes is out for the year due to surgery.

I thought the team looked good Saturday. Haws looked like a more complete player. I saw him pass the ball several times when he could have been justified shooting, which I thought was a positive sign. I was concerned that several of those times, there were missed opportunities. In order for Haws to buy into passing more, the people he passes to need to finish. I saw several instances of players he made good passes to, not finishing. We have the components to be multidimensional. If our offense lives and dies by what happens with Haws, we will have trouble in the WCC with the "beat up Haws" game plans.

I missed seeing it. Was it on BYUtv?



I hope Winder steps up. I honestly think he just needs some minutes and confidence. The talent is there.



I like that Haws was passing it. He needs to keep doing that even if players miss their shots because if he reverts back to forcing shots defenses will just double him. He has to give them a reason to think twice about the double.



Bummed about Aytes.

Gunk wrote:
I missed seeing it. Was it on BYUtv?



I hope Winder steps up. I honestly think he just needs some minutes and confidence. The talent is there.



I like that Haws was passing it. He needs to keep doing that even if players miss their shots because if he reverts back to forcing shots defenses will just double him. He has to give them a reason to think twice about the double.



Bummed about Aytes.

Yes it was and if you're bored you can watch the replay at any time on byu tv.org



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Gunk wrote:
I missed seeing it. Was it on BYUtv?



I hope Winder steps up. I honestly think he just needs some minutes and confidence. The talent is there.



I like that Haws was passing it. He needs to keep doing that even if players miss their shots because if he reverts back to forcing shots defenses will just double him. He has to give them a reason to think twice about the double.



Bummed about Aytes.

Yes It was on BYUtv. Next exhibition vs Seattle Pacific this Saturday at 7:00 MDT. Also on BYUtv.

My thoughts:

Haws - I have never seen a player "quietly" put up 20+ points per game the way he does. He isn't flashy about it, just does it.

Neilson - Was a great rebounder. 10 rebounds in 19 minutes. Also passed well. Didn't seem to show much of a low scoring threat as his only points came on a 3 point shot. Also seemed to use his body pretty well defensively (i.e. be in position, but avoid fouling).

Fischer - I am optimistic about him. I hope he doesn't force it when his shot isn't going, but 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists was promising.

Toolson - I am excited for him. Didn't play like a freshmen and has confidence in his shot

Winder - I was hoping for him to make a big jump, but I am just not sure it is going to be there. I still expect he will play great defense, make some big shots in streaks, it just won't be as consistent as I was hoping.

Nixon - Very similar to Toolson, hope to see how he progresses in the early season.

Team: I'm hoping this team doesn't become another "live by the 3 die by the 3" team. In the first half, half of the shots taken were 3 pointers, and they made a high percentage of them (7-15). That is great when they are falling, but we need to be able to get points when the 3 isn't working. Overall, I am excited for this team and hope Collinsworth and Austin make it back shortly.

kjjson wrote:
My thoughts:

Haws - I have never seen a player "quietly" put up 20+ points per game the way he does. He isn't flashy about it, just does it.

Neilson - Was a great rebounder. 10 rebounds in 19 minutes. Also passed well. Didn't seem to show much of a low scoring threat as his only points came on a 3 point shot. Also seemed to use his body pretty well defensively (i.e. be in position, but avoid fouling).

Fischer - I am optimistic about him. I hope he doesn't force it when his shot isn't going, but 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists was promising.

Toolson - I am excited for him. Didn't play like a freshmen and has confidence in his shot

Winder - I was hoping for him to make a big jump, but I am just not sure it is going to be there. I still expect he will play great defense, make some big shots in streaks, it just won't be as consistent as I was hoping.

Nixon - Very similar to Toolson, hope to see how he progresses in the early season.

Team: I'm hoping this team doesn't become another "live by the 3 die by the 3" team. In the first half, half of the shots taken were 3 pointers, and they made a high percentage of them (7-15). That is great when they are falling, but we need to be able to get points when the 3 isn't working. Overall, I am excited for this team and hope Collinsworth and Austin make it back shortly.

So, we really have no low-post threat. Austin isn't a low-post move guy. And, from the looks of it, neither is Neilson.



3 pointers it is then...

Am I the only one who thought Toolsin was the worst defender I have seen for a long time?



Nielsen is going to play and make a real different.



That is bad news about Aytes. I think Austin and Nielsen can hold down the 5. But see a lot of KC at the 4 and 3 other guards.



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Can Nixon play significant minutes at the 4? Is he ready to do so? He seemed like a better option than sharp. I'm not sure how he would handle it defensively.

IMO Nixon had enough height and quickness to be a good stretch 4. He will get overpowered by older power players and he has looking like a hyper-active terrier on defense. He bites on every fake and tries to recover.



Sometimes it is better to play players who make fewer mistakes. I expect us to play KC a lot at the 4.