No matter how much Tate can score, he's still 10 inches too short to be Paul Hewitt's ideal player.
Nike Pro City (Kenner) League - 2014
- Thread starter Patriotsince81
- Start date
No matter how much Tate can score, he's still 10 inches too short to be Paul Hewitt's ideal player.
GMU_DCU
All-Conference
Chaz Williams would have rode the pine under Hewitt
Update on what I've seen at Kenner these past 2 weekends from the incoming recruits.
Isaiah Jackson - He is a solid 6'6 player, I'm not sure if he is a PG though. He needs to bulk up on muscle which I'm sure the staff can do. His explosion is lacking and he has sloppy/slow feet. He often finds himself not being able to get by his man and just jacks up 3s. His shot needs more ball rotation, he's probably shooting around the mid 30% at Kenner. The upside is that he is very tall and long so he can pass it over the defender. He'll also fit Hewitt's system of infinity switches.
Trey Porter - Very long and lean. Though he needs to gain another 30+ pounds he hasn't been afraid to bang down low with the big boys. He has a nice shot out to about 15 ft. Very quick bounce so he can contend shots well. He has been playing along side Gtown's 7 footer Bradley Hayes and so far I think he has looked better than him.
Therence Mayimba - Another long and lean player but the kid has got some muscle on him. He has a good motor and is often the first one down the court. He's on a team with a lot of Gtown players so he doesn't get much attention on the offensive end but he attacks the rim well off a shot and has had a few nice put backs. On the defensive end you can tell he is fully engaged on locking down his man. During warm ups he was consistently hitting 3's well beyond the 3pt line and his shot looks smooth.
Shevon Thompson - A solid 7 footer that moves fairly well. His specialty is definitely rebounding and defense. His offense is raw but he showed glimpses that he can score on the low block. I question his endurance/cardio because it looked like he got pretty winded after 5 minutes of play and they often had to sub him out to rest. Hopefully its just a cardio issue and the staff can work on it.
Julian Royal - I didn't really get to see him play much since he only showed up to one game and he came after halftime. His team only used him to sub in for defensive reasons. He looks to have grown some more, looked to be around 6'8/6'9 standing next to Shevon Thompson. You can tell the staff has gotten his conditioning better. Hopefully I'll get a chance to watch him in a full game.
A few things I noticed about the returning players.
Jalen Jenkins - Looks to have grown some more, has leaned out a little.
VG - He has been slashing/attacking the rim well during games. He also looks more muscular.
CE - He has slimmed down a little, his game looks to be the same.
Holloway/Copes have been no shows.
Isaiah Jackson - He is a solid 6'6 player, I'm not sure if he is a PG though. He needs to bulk up on muscle which I'm sure the staff can do. His explosion is lacking and he has sloppy/slow feet. He often finds himself not being able to get by his man and just jacks up 3s. His shot needs more ball rotation, he's probably shooting around the mid 30% at Kenner. The upside is that he is very tall and long so he can pass it over the defender. He'll also fit Hewitt's system of infinity switches.
Trey Porter - Very long and lean. Though he needs to gain another 30+ pounds he hasn't been afraid to bang down low with the big boys. He has a nice shot out to about 15 ft. Very quick bounce so he can contend shots well. He has been playing along side Gtown's 7 footer Bradley Hayes and so far I think he has looked better than him.
Therence Mayimba - Another long and lean player but the kid has got some muscle on him. He has a good motor and is often the first one down the court. He's on a team with a lot of Gtown players so he doesn't get much attention on the offensive end but he attacks the rim well off a shot and has had a few nice put backs. On the defensive end you can tell he is fully engaged on locking down his man. During warm ups he was consistently hitting 3's well beyond the 3pt line and his shot looks smooth.
Shevon Thompson - A solid 7 footer that moves fairly well. His specialty is definitely rebounding and defense. His offense is raw but he showed glimpses that he can score on the low block. I question his endurance/cardio because it looked like he got pretty winded after 5 minutes of play and they often had to sub him out to rest. Hopefully its just a cardio issue and the staff can work on it.
Julian Royal - I didn't really get to see him play much since he only showed up to one game and he came after halftime. His team only used him to sub in for defensive reasons. He looks to have grown some more, looked to be around 6'8/6'9 standing next to Shevon Thompson. You can tell the staff has gotten his conditioning better. Hopefully I'll get a chance to watch him in a full game.
A few things I noticed about the returning players.
Jalen Jenkins - Looks to have grown some more, has leaned out a little.
VG - He has been slashing/attacking the rim well during games. He also looks more muscular.
CE - He has slimmed down a little, his game looks to be the same.
Holloway/Copes have been no shows.
The last time I went (which was a while ago) there were no tickets. You just walked in. Seating is high school style gymnasium raised benches.
good hot dogs.
You used to be able to park right beside the gymnasium but I believe now you have to park in the garage you see on the right as you enter off of Canal Road. I seem to recall paying for parking. Anyone remember?
It was a nice experience. It wasn't too crowded. I sat in the first or second row in the center of the gym. It was cool to be on the ground level to see how big some of the guys were. I saw Victor Oladipo and Jeff Green last year and talked to Ike Tate and Anali. I met a few nice Georgetown and GW fans.
OK, so I went to Kenner today. Stayed for about a game and a half. Saw Holloway and Bryan Allen. There were several MIA Mason folks, but that is the nature of the Kenner league.
But I have a question for all you skills and strategy gurus out there ...
I realize that Kenner is not about playing defense, and it's intended to be a very loose way to play basketball, but I wonder, for those players who really need to work on some of their basketball skills; e.g.shot selection, posting up, fighting through picks, and hustle just to name a few; does Kenner do more harm than good by developing or perpetuating bad habits at the very time when these players should be working on improving their game? Seems to me the only thing this game does is keep the guys running (most of the time) so they are not completely out of shape come October.
But I have a question for all you skills and strategy gurus out there ...
I realize that Kenner is not about playing defense, and it's intended to be a very loose way to play basketball, but I wonder, for those players who really need to work on some of their basketball skills; e.g.shot selection, posting up, fighting through picks, and hustle just to name a few; does Kenner do more harm than good by developing or perpetuating bad habits at the very time when these players should be working on improving their game? Seems to me the only thing this game does is keep the guys running (most of the time) so they are not completely out of shape come October.
Sometimes it's more about players getting time on the court in a structured atmosphere. Injuries happen no matter the level of competion, but this gives them an outlet to work on their game without having to play pickup with non-D1 players.
You are the second person to express concern about Jackson's performance as a PG at Kenner. Sounds like Hewitt's frankenstein like experiment to transform a SF into a PG is failing. If Marquise Moore isn't 100% and Corey Edwards has not changed his old habits like Mason2005 described, then the flaw of not having a true PG will arise once again. The more I think about it the more I begin to get bad vibes that 2014-2015 will not be any better than this past season.
Thank goodness we have three walk ons now, maybe we will be the first A10 team to use them IF 2014-2015 ends up turning sour and the PG problem manifests itself for the worst.
You are the second person to express concern about Jackson's performance as a PG at Kenner. Sounds like Hewitt's frankenstein like experiment to transform a SF into a PG is failing. If Marquise Moore isn't 100% and Corey Edwards has not changed his old habits like Mason2005 described, then the flaw of not having a true PG will arise once again. The more I think about it the more I begin to get bad vibes that 2014-2015 will not be any better than this past season.
Thank goodness we have three walk ons now, maybe we will be the first A10 team to use them IF 2014-2015 ends up turning sour and the PG problem manifests itself for the worst.
You are just beginning to get bad vibes?
I really wouldn't worry too much about Kenner. And regardless, no one should have expected Jackson to come in and just tear it up his freshman season.
This team always needed a fully healthy and improved Moore to have any chance of improving over last season. Jackson's readiness or not readiness doesn't change that.
Forum statistics
#MasonNation Network
Check out these great sites:
GiantKiller.co
ByGeorge
Expat Hoops
Fourth Estate
Doc Nix and the Green Machine
Bill Bride - DMV Sports Shots
Patriot Brew Blog/Newsletter
GiantKiller.co
ByGeorge
Expat Hoops
Fourth Estate
Doc Nix and the Green Machine
Bill Bride - DMV Sports Shots
Patriot Brew Blog/Newsletter