Summer observation of the players

[Chuck]

Thank you WGT for the kind words. It is very much appreciated. I’m grateful to all posts thanking me. Something I miss from my time at Bona was philosophy. Enjoyed debates about topics. The Bandwagon provides a perfect blend of debate and Bonnie basketball. Every summer I look forward to seeing the Bonnies and then posting about them on the Bandwagon.

[mnbonnie]

Check, outstanding observations and analysis. This group appears to be very different than the past two years. More quickness, more length and more athleticism will enable this group to generate offense from defense. Questions remain with how will do playing offense in a half court, but having guys like council and Bowen to break down a defense, I’m hoping we get players moving and likewise the ball moving.

Thanks, Chuck for providing this early glimpse.

[ceharv]

Chuck or anyone else, anymore observations to add? The Olympics are over so I am anxious to start thinking Bona hoops and with the turnover, I feel completely out of touch with this group and so I am looking to learn about them and summer report such as Chuck’s makes that possible. Of course tha a lot to ask/expect but when it comes to Bona hoops, I don’t mind asking.

[Hermit]

Aug 11, 2024 10:56:47 GMT -5 ceharv said:

Chuck or anyone else, anymore observations to add? The Olympics are over so I am anxious to start thinking Bona hoops and with the turnover, I feel completely out of touch with this group and so I am looking to learn about them and summer report such as Chuck’s makes that possible. Of course tha a lot to ask/expect but when it comes to Bona hoops, I don’t mind asking.

Many of the players went home for the summer but should be returning to school within the next couple weeks. Coach did tell the players who left to keep working out, and come back “ready to go”.

[ceharv]

Summer is almost over and the students are all moved in and classes are well underway by now, correct? I’d love to hear the observations of any of the BW’s on-campus student spies as to the usual pick-up games. Presumably the guys are getting settled into positions and learning each other’s games, which would be observable (and reportable). The first day of official practice will be only two weeks from this coming Tuesday - 40 days before the first game of November 4th, correct?

[towniegrad]

Yes, the students have returned to both ther campus and to the village. Classes are also well underway. Last weekend was the first time the village was filled with students seeking extracurricular evening activities.
I have not seen the players …but the student profile in the village makes me wonder what entertainment is available on campus ,if any.
I learned after the weekend that the“ little free library “.located in the center of the village on the town hall site had been destroyed over the weekend
Apparently this occurred without police intervention or notice…it also was apparently not news worthy.
It is also gone, and it’s remains removed
I. Have both borrowed and donated to that library and thought it was a nice quality of life addition to the village.

[geneseo]

Sept 8, 2024 15:39:25 GMT -5 towniegrad said:

Yes, the students have returned to both ther campus and to the village. Classes are also well underway. Last weekend was the first time the village was filled with students seeking extracurricular evening activities.
I have not seen the players …but the student profile in the village makes me wonder what entertainment is available on campus ,if any.
I learned after the weekend that the“ little free library “.located in the center of the village on the town hall site had been destroyed over the weekend
Apparently this occurred without police intervention or notice…it also was apparently not news worthy.
It is also gone, and it’s remains removed
I. Have both borrowed and donated to that library and thought it was a nice quality of life addition to the village.

If you have information on this crime you should report it to the authorities. Perhaps, a basketball message board is not the place to bring your grievances? I believe you are not attending Bona basketball games due to the price of tickets. Maybe, you should attend a town board meeting to express your concerns about Bona students?

[Chuck]

After watching workouts, drills, 4 on 4, 5 on 5s and 2 days of pickup games I feel very positive with this team. One thing is obvious, this team is very different from last year’s team.
— An early concern of mine was last year’s team was a solid 3 point shooting team (3rd in the A-10). Following 3 players were among the top 20 three point shooters in the A-10 (Mika 43.2%, Charles 40% and Moses 37.5%). With the addition of Noah I feel much better about the jump shooting of this team. Jonah shot an incredible 85.7% from 3s in his last 10 games, Lajae 42.2% and Noah 40.9 % in FIBA. Then you add Duane also has a solid 3 point shot. I can see this team again, being one of the top 3 point shooting teams in A-10.
— A weakness of the team last year was play making. Team was just 13th in assists. How many times did we see the team fail to get a good shot from their set plays? Time is running out and they are forced to take a bad shot before time expired. Unlike last year, this team has solid play makers with Melvin, Dasonte and Noah.
— This team is also much more athletic.

Here are my observations of the most recent day of pickup games. It was my first sighting of Noah Bolanga. Mike Folarin didn’t play. Briefly saw him walking with a limp. I heard he recently sprained his ankle.

Following impressions of the 2 teams. Team 1 was the better the team.
Team #1: Noel, Lajae, Duane, Jaxon, Melvin and Jonah
Team #2: Xander, Noah, Kaba, Chance, Dasonte, Miles

Team 1 player impressions:
— Noel was overall the leading scorer during the games. Reminded me of last year’s pickup games. We rarely saw Chad for pickup games. Pickup games were Noel vs. Melian and it was NO contest. Xander did a much better job defending Noel, but still it was a 5th year senior going against a freshman. Unlike Melian, Xander has the body (230 pounds) to develop into a solid defensive player. He at least made Noel work for his points. Noel missed few shots down low on the blocks. It probably would have been different if Mike played.
— Lajae or Duane was 2nd in scoring (it was very close). Go Bonnies have Lajae 6’7” 220 pounds, while Duane is 6’8” 210. Comparable size, but they are completely different type of players. Lajae is the physical battler inside with a solid jump shot from 3. Duane is a quick and very good ball handler, with an equally good jump shot from 3. Several times Jonah and especially Melvin drove to the hoop and passed it out to Lajae or Duane with a wide open jumper, which they drilled. Melvin even creates without driving to the basket. Unlike last year, Duane had solid drives to the basket. Duane with his ball handling skills looked very good on fast breaks. Only similarity between Lajae and Duane is both are very good shooters.

Differences: Lajae is much more physical both on offense and defense, especially in the paint. Lajae is very good with posting up his player on the low blocks and scoring over them. He is a much better rebounder. Scored several points with put backs off rebounds. Duane has the edge for creating shots and taking it to the basket. Duane was very impressive on fast breaks. Lajae is the better half court player, while Duane excels in full court.
— Jaxon didn’t standout. Jaxon had a couple blocks (one he turned into a dunk). Like Duane he is solid on fast breaks and is a great finisher on the break. In half court didn’t see much. He hit a 3 from the corner. Like Duane, Jaxon is better in full court.
— Melvin didn’t score many points, but had several assists. His game is setting his teammates up with solid shots. Melvin is very good at scoring off the dribble. He is an absolute terror on man defense. Just like pickup games for Xander’s audition, Melvin’s team had better chemistry, which resulted in better shots. Much of this can be attributed to Melvin.
— Jonah is clearly the best shooter on the team. This is true until Noah arrived. Both are very impressive shooters. I would enjoy watching a game of horse between them. I’m not sure who would win. Again Jonah displayed a solid shot when he was open. Despite his slender build Jonah is very effective taking the ball to the basket. Jonah does not create like Melvin, Dasonte or Noah. I can see Jonah as the team’s designated shooter off the bench.

Tomorrow I’ll post observations of team #2. Here is a cliffhanger, Noah was very impressive.

[bonaballa1]

Appreciate the report. Will Noah be eligible to start the season?

[bub]

Good stuff Chuck.

[ceharv]

I also appreciate the report Chuck and look forward to Part 2. BTW, just to nit-pick, it’s the opposite of a cliffhanger if you give away the ending. Accepting it as a teaser, I am very interested on your report on Noah because if he is close to being as advertised, he could be a huge factor this season, even if he misses a game or two in November.

[Chuck]

Team 2: Xander, Kaba, Noah, Chance, Dasonte, Miles
Team 2 displayed individual talent (the best I’ve seen Chance, Kaba and Miles play) but the team lacked chemistry. Team 2 had much more individual play (one on one). Result was fewer open looks than team 1. It is surprising since they had Dasonte as their PG. Noah probably created more open looks for his teammates than Dasonte.

Team 2 player impressions:
— Xander has impressive size for a freshman at 6’10” 230 pounds. Solid athleticism, especially for such a big guy. The same size as Amadi Ikpeze, but has a lot more athleticism and a much better jump shot. His offensive game reminds me of Amadi with posting his defender down on the low blocks. Xander had some nice moves down on the low blocks, but it was made difficult with Noel defending him. Should not be surprising with Xander going up against a muscular, experience 5th year senior, who is 25 pounds heavier.
Offensively Xander was very impressive during pickup games for his audition, but this occurred without Noel being there. It would have been interesting to see him going up against a player less physical than Noel, someone like Osun. Xander has a nice game on the low block offensive, but it needs developing. This is unlike Mike Folarin. Mike’s offensive game is limited to dunks around the basket. But Mike is a better rebounder and defensive player. I think this will be a developmental year for Xander, but he has exciting potential.
— Kaba struggled during Xander's audition. He looked significantly better in these pickup games. Kaba showed he can take it to the basket. For such a slender guy, Kaba scored on a couple physical drives to the basket. Game is very similar to Duane (even has better ball handling skills). Unlike Duane, Kaba struggles with hitting jump shots during games. He needs to be wide open when taking shots.
— Noah was the star for team 2. Without a doubt the leading scorer for his team. Best shooter for the Bonnies? It is a close match up with Jonah. His ability to create surprised me. Had the best move of the day. In the right corner Noah had Duane defending him. He gave Duane a fake to the left and had a crossover heading along the baseline. With Noel waiting for him he passed it across to the other corner to Miles, who hit a wide open 3.
This is a very athletic team and Noah is probably the most athletic player on the team. He has Barry Evans athleticism, but with a solid jump shot. Unlike Barry he can create for himself and others.

After the pickup games he was showing off his 360 dunk. The most impressive one was Noah going in for just a big slam. He missed it with ball hitting the back of the rim. I’ve never seen a ball bounce so high off the rim. Talk about extreme force. I never thought I would say this, but his dunks might have more force than Harry Moore’s dunks. Hopefully they have a slam dunk contest during Midnight Mayhem. Noah’s game is ideal for small forward. Impressive athleticism and length, along with a solid shot and play making skills.
— Chance had a solid game. Unlike during Xander’s audition (where he played just the 3) Chance played just at the 2. I might have to take it back that he is limited to playing PF. He looked comfortable at the 2 spot and hit a few 15 foot jump shots. He also scored on nice drives to the basket. He was his team 2nd leading scorer. He is a good defensive player, solid rebounder and physical player near the basket. Again he struggled with his 3 point shot. He failed to make a 3 with three attempts. I was told on the previous day, Chance made an awesome dunk. Chance clearly has the athleticism of a 4 star recruit.
— Dasonte displayed a solid looking jump shot from 15 feet and in. He is very good at scoring off the dribble. Is also a solid man defender. Dasonte has not attempted a 3 during pickup games. I was surprised he didn’t create more shots for his teammates like he did during pickup games during Xander’s audition. His play making skills were exceptional that night. It wasn’t the same on this day. Unlike the first time, Melvin played for the other team. I wonder if not having Melvin as a teammate was a factor.
— Miles had a solid game, probably the best I’ve seen from him. It helped with his shots falling in the basket. Miles is a solid athlete, exceptional man defender, good ball handler. Only thing lacking is a consistent jump shot. Well he looked good during these pickup games.

Afterwards, I was surprised to notice this was basically a match up of the same teams as during Xavier’s audition (look at the teams from first post in this thread). The big difference is Dasonte and Melvin being split up. Melvin is the only player to be on the best team for both days.
— Dasonte remained with the better team (during Xavier’s audition) and had Noah as an important addition to his team. Unlike last time, Dasonte’s team didn’t have the same chemistry.
— Melvin went to the weaker team and Noel joined him. Again Melvin’s team had the better chemistry. He was not the leading scorer in any of the games, but his team was better, because of the chemistry (especially Lajae and Duane). It was a night and day performance from Lajae and Duane compared to the first time I saw them. Something that should be noted, Noel was a huge addition to Melvin’s team. With Melvin creating open looks for Lajae and Duane, Noel was left alone with Xander and he dominated down low.

It will be interesting to see how good this team will be. I believe the experts (Jon Rothstein and Blue Ribbon) are underestimating this team, because they are not aware of Lajae and Noah. Rothstein even has Lajae projected on the bench. Unlike the experts, Arman Jovic of PDT Scouting is well aware of Lajae and Noah’s talent. He has Lajae as 2nd best A-10 transfer and Noah being his 5th best A-10 freshman. Both Lajae and Noah will have a significant impact on the Bonnies this season. The big question is how long do the Bonnies need to wait for Noah to become eligible. Rothstein and Blue Ribbon pick the Bonnies at 10th. I disagree. With Lajae and Noah, a more reasonable prediction would be some where near the middle. I’m confident the Bonnies are closer to the top than the bottom.

[glenlaw]

Chuck, do you think there is the potential for a 10 man rotation?  What about some full court pressing, some 1-3-1 trapping zone mixed into our other Ds?  Do you think they'll be looking to run on O?

I would just really like to see some continuity returned to the program.  A bigger rotation, Woj's pro ball connections and NIL influence might all help.  I'm also hoping that scoring Woj might be a big boost for the Journalism Dept, wth the people he could invite to campus for programs, graduation, etc.  Go on ESPN.com, search Woj, you'll see a couple of really nice tribute videos by Steven A and other colleagues.

[Chuck]

Sept 18, 2024 22:53:33 GMT -5 glenlaw said:

Chuck, do you think there is the potential for a 10 man rotation? What about some full court pressing, some 1-3-1 trapping zone mixed into our other Ds? Do you think they'll be looking to run on O?

To give a much better answer to the above, I need to see the team during practice. Here I would get a much better idea of; how deep the rotation will be and the type of offense and defense. I do know this is one of Schmidt’s most athletic teams.

I remember last year on the Bandwagon posters being excited about Miles athleticism in just 11 minutes of PT (by the way those 11 minutes cost him a season of eligibility). I agree Miles has exciting athleticism, but he is just 1 of 9 players with exciting athleticism on this team.

With this athleticism it would be good time to predict a fast pace offense with much more full court offense than we normally see from Schmidt. He definitely has enough players for a fast pace full court offense and up tempo pressing defense. An athletic, tall and lanky Michael Lee at the top of the 1:3:1 zone? I see at least 4 with Noah, Duane, Jaxon and Kaba.

[Sipowicz]

Great observations CHUCK, thanks!
You have stated this year’s team is more athletic than last year’s. But also, is this year’s team more noticeably quicker foot speed wise?