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Kinda surprised that there hasn't been a thread on this yet, so I'll get the ball rolling by posting some observations:

- I thought the defense looked great, but then again if you can't guard Tiffin man-to-man then we'd have big, big problems.

- Our starting 5 is solid, but I REALLY like what we have coming off the bench. Each guy brings something different and their presence will have an impact on the game:
- Clarke will be a good backup to crawford, handles the ball well, and shoots it with confidence. He's a freshman, so we can't expect a whole lot, but he'll absolutely contribute.
- Kraus brings GREAT energy & hustle, and is probably the best 3-point shooter on the team.
- Chauncey Orr really looks like he belongs out there, which I was pleasantly surprised to see. He'll play solid defense and shows an ability to get to the foul line. However, my one concern is that I do think he'll turn it over more than we'd like to see. He has a long-winded delivery with his passes and quick guards in the MAC will catch onto that REAL fast.
- Craig Sealey grew. He's taller than Oglesby. It's a shame we don't have more depth inside that would allow him to move to a 3. He'd be a matchup nightmare for opponents. He still might be. He's good, and he's going to make a lot of plays coming off the bench for us this year.
- Anyone who watched Oglesby last year should expect much of the same this year. An exciting player, but boy his free-throws look awful.
- Desmond Rorie is a project. BIG body, but you can tell he's noticibly behind.

Now for the starters:
- Crawford and Cam Black are the keys to a successful season. You have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Brown/Thomas/Calhoun on any given night, but Crawford and Black can put you over the top. Crawford seems to have taken control of the team offensively and I also like what he brings defensively. The man defense allows him to be more of a "pest," which we will love and opponents will HATE. Black seemingly has the ability to DOMINATE games, as most teams will not have the resources to guard Black inside, let alone both him and Calhoun.

Looks to be a very exciting team this year. Can't wait to see how they look vs D-1 competition Friday night and to see a packed Stroh Center!!

Edit, Will be back in to read the above but It seems like we have 5 guys in the rotation who can play the 3-4 and 5 and 6 that can play the 1-2-3 My guess is that we see alot of Brown and Krauss at the traditional 3 with more guard sets. By my count we will have Brown-Kraus-Crawford and newcomers Clark, Orr and Hendo up front. 6 guys for 2 spots. The ideal scenario has
1 Craw
2 Brown/Kraus
3 Thomas/Seally
4 Calhoun
5 Black/Oglesby

With the newbies of Orr, Clark and Hendo filling in at the top

I agree with you for the most part, Globe. However, "Ideal" and "actual" are two different words here. I see the 2-deep looking something like this (Note: I think Henderson could play the 1, 2 or 3 and he'll fill in quite a bit, so don't fret when you don't see him here):

1) Crawford/Clarke
2) Brown/Kraus
3) Thomas/Orr (note: Henderson may get more minutes than Orr here)
4) Calhoun/Sealey
5) Black/Oglesby

Again, I feel the lack of overall depth at the 4/5 will force Sealey into more of a #4 role. Ideally, though, we could go BIG with Sealey/Calhoun/Black or Oglesby if we're not in foul trouble. I swear he grew, too.

Matty B wrote:Kinda surprised that there hasn't been a thread on this yet, so I'll get the ball rolling by posting some observations:

- I thought the defense looked great, but then again if you can't guard Tiffin man-to-man then we'd have big, big problems.

- Our starting 5 is solid, but I REALLY like what we have coming off the bench. Each guy brings something different and their presence will have an impact on the game:
- Clarke will be a good backup to crawford, handles the ball well, and shoots it with confidence. He's a freshman, so we can't expect a whole lot, but he'll absolutely contribute.
- Kraus brings GREAT energy & hustle, and is probably the best 3-point shooter on the team.
- Chauncey Orr really looks like he belongs out there, which I was pleasantly surprised to see. He'll play solid defense and shows an ability to get to the foul line. However, my one concern is that I do think he'll turn it over more than we'd like to see. He has a long-winded delivery with his passes and quick guards in the MAC will catch onto that REAL fast.
- Craig Sealey grew. He's taller than Oglesby. It's a shame we don't have more depth inside that would allow him to move to a 3. He'd be a matchup nightmare for opponents. He still might be. He's good, and he's going to make a lot of plays coming off the bench for us this year.
- Anyone who watched Oglesby last year should expect much of the same this year. An exciting player, but boy his free-throws look awful.
- Desmond Rorie is a project. BIG body, but you can tell he's noticibly behind.

Now for the starters:
- Crawford and Cam Black are the keys to a successful season. You have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Brown/Thomas/Calhoun on any given night, but Crawford and Black can put you over the top. Crawford seems to have taken control of the team offensively and I also like what he brings defensively. The man defense allows him to be more of a "pest," which we will love and opponents will HATE. Black seemingly has the ability to DOMINATE games, as most teams will not have the resources to guard Black inside, let alone both him and Calhoun.

Looks to be a very exciting team this year. Can't wait to see how they look vs D-1 competition Friday night and to see a packed Stroh Center!!

This is great info. Thanks for the write up. Thoughts on Henderson? Henderson, Orr and Rorie were not recruited much from what I saw (That could mean nothing with the lack of reporting on this) so they scare me. Great to hear Orr might be a real contributor. If you had to pick one freshman that will one day be a focal point of the offense who would it be?

Matty B wrote:I agree with you for the most part, Globe. However, "Ideal" and "actual" are two different words here. I see the 2-deep looking something like this (Note: I think Henderson could play the 1, 2 or 3 and he'll fill in quite a bit, so don't fret when you don't see him here):

1) Crawford/Clarke
2) Brown/Kraus
3) Thomas/Orr (note: Henderson may get more minutes than Orr here)
4) Calhoun/Sealey
5) Black/Oglesby

Again, I feel the lack of overall depth at the 4/5 will force Sealey into more of a #4 role. Ideally, though, we could go BIG with Sealey/Calhoun/Black or Oglesby if we're not in foul trouble. I swear he grew, too.

Great to see. I think Brown is better off the bench and would be happy to see Henderson or Clarke take his starter spot with Brown off the bench late in games or when we need a scorer. That second level of guys does not have a great scoring threat. The layout in terms of years is

1) Crawford (3) / Clarke (1)
2) Brown (4) / Kraus (3) / Henderson (1)
3) Thomas (4) / Orr (1) / Erger (3) (+ Spencer Parker 6-7 will be 2012 Freshman)
4) Calhoun (3) / Sealey (2)
5) Black (2) / Oglesby (4) / Rorie (1) (+ Richaun Holmes 6-8 will be 2012 Sophomore)

Globetrotter wrote:

Matty B wrote:Kinda surprised that there hasn't been a thread on this yet, so I'll get the ball rolling by posting some observations:

- I thought the defense looked great, but then again if you can't guard Tiffin man-to-man then we'd have big, big problems.

- Our starting 5 is solid, but I REALLY like what we have coming off the bench. Each guy brings something different and their presence will have an impact on the game:
- Clarke will be a good backup to crawford, handles the ball well, and shoots it with confidence. He's a freshman, so we can't expect a whole lot, but he'll absolutely contribute.
- Kraus brings GREAT energy & hustle, and is probably the best 3-point shooter on the team.
- Chauncey Orr really looks like he belongs out there, which I was pleasantly surprised to see. He'll play solid defense and shows an ability to get to the foul line. However, my one concern is that I do think he'll turn it over more than we'd like to see. He has a long-winded delivery with his passes and quick guards in the MAC will catch onto that REAL fast.
- Craig Sealey grew. He's taller than Oglesby. It's a shame we don't have more depth inside that would allow him to move to a 3. He'd be a matchup nightmare for opponents. He still might be. He's good, and he's going to make a lot of plays coming off the bench for us this year.
- Anyone who watched Oglesby last year should expect much of the same this year. An exciting player, but boy his free-throws look awful.
- Desmond Rorie is a project. BIG body, but you can tell he's noticibly behind.

Now for the starters:
- Crawford and Cam Black are the keys to a successful season. You have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Brown/Thomas/Calhoun on any given night, but Crawford and Black can put you over the top. Crawford seems to have taken control of the team offensively and I also like what he brings defensively. The man defense allows him to be more of a "pest," which we will love and opponents will HATE. Black seemingly has the ability to DOMINATE games, as most teams will not have the resources to guard Black inside, let alone both him and Calhoun.

Looks to be a very exciting team this year. Can't wait to see how they look vs D-1 competition Friday night and to see a packed Stroh Center!!

This is great info. Thanks for the write up. Thoughts on Henderson? Henderson, Orr and Rorie were not recruited much from what I saw (That could mean nothing with the lack of reporting on this) so they scare me. Great to hear Orr might be a real contributor. If you had to pick one freshman that will one day be a focal point of the offense who would it be?

It's tough to make determine who may be the focal point of the offense someday based on one performance vs a D2 school, but if I were to make a prediction I'd say Clarke is the most likely. He appears to have the most ability, looks like he's quick enough and handles it well enough to get to the rack, and shoots the ball with confidence. Henderson also shows some of these abilities but. Orr will be a consistent contributor, but I doubt he'll be the focal point of the offense at any point.

Matty B wrote:

Globetrotter wrote:

Matty B wrote:Kinda surprised that there hasn't been a thread on this yet, so I'll get the ball rolling by posting some observations:

- I thought the defense looked great, but then again if you can't guard Tiffin man-to-man then we'd have big, big problems.

- Our starting 5 is solid, but I REALLY like what we have coming off the bench. Each guy brings something different and their presence will have an impact on the game:
- Clarke will be a good backup to crawford, handles the ball well, and shoots it with confidence. He's a freshman, so we can't expect a whole lot, but he'll absolutely contribute.
- Kraus brings GREAT energy & hustle, and is probably the best 3-point shooter on the team.
- Chauncey Orr really looks like he belongs out there, which I was pleasantly surprised to see. He'll play solid defense and shows an ability to get to the foul line. However, my one concern is that I do think he'll turn it over more than we'd like to see. He has a long-winded delivery with his passes and quick guards in the MAC will catch onto that REAL fast.
- Craig Sealey grew. He's taller than Oglesby. It's a shame we don't have more depth inside that would allow him to move to a 3. He'd be a matchup nightmare for opponents. He still might be. He's good, and he's going to make a lot of plays coming off the bench for us this year.
- Anyone who watched Oglesby last year should expect much of the same this year. An exciting player, but boy his free-throws look awful.
- Desmond Rorie is a project. BIG body, but you can tell he's noticibly behind.

Now for the starters:
- Crawford and Cam Black are the keys to a successful season. You have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Brown/Thomas/Calhoun on any given night, but Crawford and Black can put you over the top. Crawford seems to have taken control of the team offensively and I also like what he brings defensively. The man defense allows him to be more of a "pest," which we will love and opponents will HATE. Black seemingly has the ability to DOMINATE games, as most teams will not have the resources to guard Black inside, let alone both him and Calhoun.

Looks to be a very exciting team this year. Can't wait to see how they look vs D-1 competition Friday night and to see a packed Stroh Center!!

This is great info. Thanks for the write up. Thoughts on Henderson? Henderson, Orr and Rorie were not recruited much from what I saw (That could mean nothing with the lack of reporting on this) so they scare me. Great to hear Orr might be a real contributor. If you had to pick one freshman that will one day be a focal point of the offense who would it be?

It's tough to make determine who may be the focal point of the offense someday based on one performance vs a D2 school, but if I were to make a prediction I'd say Clarke is the most likely. He appears to have the most ability, looks like he's quick enough and handles it well enough to get to the rack, and shoots the ball with confidence. Henderson also shows some of these abilities but. Orr will be a consistent contributor, but I doubt he'll be the focal point of the offense at any point.

Thats kind of what I figured. Orr seems like his ceiling is Scott Thomas, which is really good but never incredible. Clarke seems like his ceiling is in the McLeod area (fingers crossed). Henderson I could not get a feel for because I really don't think he was recruited very hard but his stats were great. Not sure if it was an academic or off the court thing that has straightened out with a year...off the court. It's nearly impossible to judge these guys off 5 minute videos and writeups but I like to try for some reason. I wish they would sign a guy from Cbus so I could watch him this year.

Globetrotter wrote:

Matty B wrote:

Globetrotter wrote:

Matty B wrote:Kinda surprised that there hasn't been a thread on this yet, so I'll get the ball rolling by posting some observations:

- I thought the defense looked great, but then again if you can't guard Tiffin man-to-man then we'd have big, big problems.

- Our starting 5 is solid, but I REALLY like what we have coming off the bench. Each guy brings something different and their presence will have an impact on the game:
- Clarke will be a good backup to crawford, handles the ball well, and shoots it with confidence. He's a freshman, so we can't expect a whole lot, but he'll absolutely contribute.
- Kraus brings GREAT energy & hustle, and is probably the best 3-point shooter on the team.
- Chauncey Orr really looks like he belongs out there, which I was pleasantly surprised to see. He'll play solid defense and shows an ability to get to the foul line. However, my one concern is that I do think he'll turn it over more than we'd like to see. He has a long-winded delivery with his passes and quick guards in the MAC will catch onto that REAL fast.
- Craig Sealey grew. He's taller than Oglesby. It's a shame we don't have more depth inside that would allow him to move to a 3. He'd be a matchup nightmare for opponents. He still might be. He's good, and he's going to make a lot of plays coming off the bench for us this year.
- Anyone who watched Oglesby last year should expect much of the same this year. An exciting player, but boy his free-throws look awful.
- Desmond Rorie is a project. BIG body, but you can tell he's noticibly behind.

Now for the starters:
- Crawford and Cam Black are the keys to a successful season. You have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Brown/Thomas/Calhoun on any given night, but Crawford and Black can put you over the top. Crawford seems to have taken control of the team offensively and I also like what he brings defensively. The man defense allows him to be more of a "pest," which we will love and opponents will HATE. Black seemingly has the ability to DOMINATE games, as most teams will not have the resources to guard Black inside, let alone both him and Calhoun.

Looks to be a very exciting team this year. Can't wait to see how they look vs D-1 competition Friday night and to see a packed Stroh Center!!

This is great info. Thanks for the write up. Thoughts on Henderson? Henderson, Orr and Rorie were not recruited much from what I saw (That could mean nothing with the lack of reporting on this) so they scare me. Great to hear Orr might be a real contributor. If you had to pick one freshman that will one day be a focal point of the offense who would it be?

It's tough to make determine who may be the focal point of the offense someday based on one performance vs a D2 school, but if I were to make a prediction I'd say Clarke is the most likely. He appears to have the most ability, looks like he's quick enough and handles it well enough to get to the rack, and shoots the ball with confidence. Henderson also shows some of these abilities but. Orr will be a consistent contributor, but I doubt he'll be the focal point of the offense at any point.

Thats kind of what I figured. Orr seems like his ceiling is Scott Thomas, which is really good but never incredible. Clarke seems like his ceiling is in the McLeod area (fingers crossed). Henderson I could not get a feel for because I really don't think he was recruited very hard but his stats were great. Not sure if it was an academic or off the court thing that has straightened out with a year...off the court. It's nearly impossible to judge these guys off 5 minute videos and writeups but I like to try for some reason. I wish they would sign a guy from Cbus so I could watch him this year.

I never saw Henderson play in college.
I didn't make it to any of the scrimmages nor did I attend the exhibition game.

With those disclaimers made I will say that Henderson was goofing around prior to one of our late season games last year. He was out there before the team came out for warmups. When I walked into Anderson he was shooting 3s. He was making some shots, but of course it was an empty gym.

Then he decided he wanted to play. He was dunking. He was spinning. He was tossing it off the floor to himself for 360s and he was throwing them down with ease.

I don't have a clue if he can handle the ball, play defense, or shoot with a hand in his face. I don't know if he'll academically be able to stay eligible or do any of the little things that are required to get on the court. But from that 5 minutes that I saw him dunking in an empty gym I feel pretty safe in saying that he is the most athletic guard we've had at BG since at least Ron Lewis.

hammb wrote:
Then he decided he wanted to play. He was dunking. He was spinning. He was tossing it off the floor to himself for 360s and he was throwing them down with ease.

I don't have a clue if he can handle the ball, play defense, or shoot with a hand in his face. I don't know if he'll academically be able to stay eligible or do any of the little things that are required to get on the court. But from that 5 minutes that I saw him dunking in an empty gym I feel pretty safe in saying that he is the most athletic guard we've had at BG since at least Ron Lewis.

We had a kid a couple years ago- Josh Freelove, I think, who almost never saw the floor. Saw him one day before a game-6' tall dunking two hands from a standstill, 360s, rainbow threes from the five second line, you name it. Almost never played and when he did he was like a fish out of water. I always wonder about guys like that- he averaged 26 a game in a tough Florida league and got very little recruiting love. Obviously something was missing. I know we were after Henderson but that was under Cross and who knows what he was thinking. Hope he does well- like to see local kids succeed.

When I was in HS I had close to 40 inch vertical...I could dunk from a standstill. I used to play with this kid at Ottawa park and in gym class at Devilbiss who was 5-8" and could still block my shot. Reg McDaniel had some hops. ....

Flipper wrote:When I was in HS I had close to 40 inch vertical...I could dunk from a standstill. I used to play with this kid at Ottawa park and in gym class at Devilbiss who was 5-8" and could still block my shot. Reg McDaniel had some hops. ....

Hey, spell DeVilbiss right. Class of 1964

Pretty thorough write up from someone outside of BG nation.

http://www.hustlebelt.com/2011/11/7/253 ... #storyjump

We may not have a superstar, but I think we have a chance to make some noise with our overall depth and athletes. The key is seeing if team chemistry develops. An absolute must for us and I think how Orr should be judged.