Very quick stuff (Live Action scrimmage)...

[gary-7]

...and this just contains some random observations.

Pretty much everything I saw in that pickup-like environment jibes with what has come out of summer workouts and early practices.

- for those wondering, Caleb and Puff are just dealing with some early ouchies --- nothing serious --- and Washington has just been cleared for 5-on-5, so not rushing him.

- Particularly the Blue team was executing the Secondary Break, which is promising for this season's approach. Interestingly, the starters were a bit more cavalier with that, which raises the point that they're gonna hafta break some bad habits from last season's short rotation. Nonetheless, I'm encouraged that Hubert seems like he is sticking to his word about getting back to that.

- Speaking of transition, I REALLY want to see us evolve --- especially now with more experinced Guards --- into triggering our offense without having to scheme spacing. And the best way to do that is attacking the defense whilst they're recovering.

- Word since summer has been to count on Styles and Dunn to be major rotation pieces and the scrimmage certainly did nothing to belie that. Dunn has the look of a kid who now belongs, and Styles continues to flash those Len Bias moments. With that said, I want to see Dontrez attack the rim more consistently.

- I thought McKoy looked good and more spry in general. Will be interesting to see his role, as he'll have to claw for minutes on a loaded team.

- Speaking of minutes, folks, we are LOADED with guys who can play at this level, with maybe the most inriguing question is who rotates in at the 3/4 positions. As mentioned, Dontrez has an inside track, as should Puff, but we have some options.

- And speaking of loaded, I indeed want to see the starters constantly pushed to not be complacent and realize they need to take the next steps if they want #redemption.

- As for the newcomers, Pete is a great pickup, but be mindful that he will have to adapt on the fly to meshing with his teammates and finding his niche. I would thus expect (like with Brady) his role to peak after Xmas (which is what you're looking for). Shaver looks solid physically, but is likely a year away from being more than a space-eater --- good news is we shouldn't need him. As alluded to, Seth faces a steep learning-curve, and fortunately should have the luxury of that without too much pressure. And Nickel, well... he is really intriguing as to his potential role--- as I've reported before, the kid is fearless... and despite looking clunky at times, he can flat-out fill it up!

- Speaking of newcomers, the wildcard could be Washington. I suspect most fans don't yet realize just how good this kid is. In fact, if he can beat the injury-bug he can be a MONSTER. First question though is how much we'll see of that this season.

- Oh, and how bout some Beau Maye? Somewhere uk fans are having flashbacks...

Anyway, a fun night and great to see the guys back in action (and that t-shirt Hubert was sporting was pure class)! Meanwhile, behind the scenes, every bit as noteworthy was the OV by (hopefully) our next UNC PG)...

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Styles looked good, but the nicest surprise for me was Nickel.

 

[Ozheelfan]

...and this just contains some random observations.

Pretty much everything I saw in that pickup-like environment jibes with what has come out of summer workouts and early practices.

- for those wondering, Caleb and Puff are just dealing with some early ouchies --- nothing serious --- and Washington has just been cleared for 5-on-5, so not rushing him.

- Particularly the Blue team was executing the Secondary Break, which is promising for this season's approach. Interestingly, the starters were a bit more cavalier with that, which raises the point that they're gonna hafta break some bad habits from last season's short rotation. Nonetheless, I'm encouraged that Hubert seems like he is sticking to his word about getting back to that.

- Speaking of transition, I REALLY want to see us evolve --- especially now with more experinced Guards --- into triggering our offense without having to scheme spacing. And the best way to do that is attacking the defense whilst they're recovering.

- Word since summer has been to count on Styles and Dunn to be major rotation pieces and the scrimmage certainly did nothing to belie that. Dunn has the look of a kid who now belongs, and Styles continues to flash those Len Bias moments. With that said, I want to see Dontrez attack the rim more consistently.

- I thought McKoy looked good and more spry in general. Will be interesting to see his role, as he'll have to claw for minutes on a loaded team.

- Speaking of minutes, folks, we are LOADED with guys who can play at this level, with maybe the most inriguing question is who rotates in at the 3/4 positions. As mentioned, Dontrez has an inside track,as should Puff, but we have some options.

- And speaking of loaded, I indeed want to see the starters constantly pushed to not be complacent and realize they need to take the next steps if they want #redemption.

- As for the newcomers, Pete is a great pickup, but be mindful that he will have to adapt on the fly to meshing with his teammates and finding his niche. I would thus expect (like with Brady) his role to peak after Xmas (which is what you're looking for). Shaver looks solid physically, but is likely a year away from being more than a space-eater --- good news is we shouldn't need him. As alluded to, Seth faces a steep learning-curve, and fortunately should have the luxury of that without too much pressure. And Nickel, well... he is really intriguing as to his potential role--- as I've reported before, the kid is fearless... and despite looking clunky at times, he can flat-out fill it up!

- Speaking of newcomers, the wildcard could be Washington. I suspect most fans don't yet realize just how good this kid is. In fact, if he can beat the injury-bug he can be a MONSTER. First question though is how much we'll see of that this season.

- Oh, and how bout some Beau Maye? Somewhere uk fans are having flashbacks...

Anyway, a fun night and great to see the guys back in action (and that t-shirt Hubert was sporting was pure class)! Meanwhile, behind the scenes, every bit as noteworthy was the OV by (hopefully) our next UNC PG)...

Thanks for the write-up Gary. I only watched the highlights but much of what you said here fits with what could be gleaned from them - halfway through the highlight package two words came to mind.... Deep and Loaded.
I believe the starters are going to be very good and the next five off the bench are going to be pretty darn good too. Dunn, Styles, McKoy, Nickel all had some very good moments. Even Shaver had a couple of nice plays too, but enough to show he'll be most valuable as a Junior & Senior. And when you can have a 6-9 walk on who drains threes AND is the spitting image of big brother Luke, you have to be happy!

 

[DaveChapelle]

Styles really needs to work on dribbling. He was incredibly loose with his handles, and he wasn't even facing tough defense. That's going to continue to limit his ability to attack the basket.

Dunn has played wonderfully in this scrimmage and the previous Blue/White scrimmage a couple weeks back.

 

[imajericho]

Styles really needs to work on dribbling. He was incredibly loose with his handles, and he wasn't even facing tough defense. That's going to continue to limit his ability to attack the basket.

Dunn has played wonderfully in this scrimmage and the previous Blue/White scrimmage a couple weeks back.

He lost his dribble in the undefended timed race while dribbling down the court

 

[DaveChapelle]

He lost his dribble in the undefended timed race while dribbling down the court

I forgot about that.

 

[gary-7]

Styles really needs to work on dribbling. He was incredibly loose with his handles, and he wasn't even facing tough defense. That's going to continue to limit his ability to attack the basket.

His body does still get ahead of his handle at times, but that explosion is undeniable.

 

[DSouthr]

First, it was great to see them out there been a long off season (as always) so the chance to see them was cool even if this means little if anything. I hate to draw much from these scrimmage games but there were a few things that just jumped out to me.

New comers: I have to start with Nance, his college experience shows in the maturity of his game, just a maturity in the way he plays, does not rush his movements, does not seem to try to do things outside of his own rhythm. IN some aspects he is more versatile than Brady was but he is not the shooter Brady was, Nance may be the better player for us because of that versatility.

Demarco Dunn (under the new comers section because he played so little last season), I will gladly admit it, I have not been real high on the chances of Dunn getting much PT or being a factor for us this coming season. This kid has really made the case for being the most improved guy returning from last season. Really impressed me with his jump shooting, he will play a good bit more than I expected, really nice surprise!

Tyler Nickel, you guys know I have been strong behind him going well back prior to his committing, his play Fri night sure didn't cause me to change my mind. Has a bit of a old mans game, he just finds ways to get things done. Someone used a young Matt Harpring reference and I saw a lot of that. Hopefully we can now put to rest the "but he didn't play good high school competition" stuff, kid can play. I still think his time will be limited this coming season.

Beau Maye, little longer than Luke but has that Maye shooting stroke, there may not be a more talented walk on any place else in the country. Not only will this kid get a scholly as soon as another opens up, he will become a rotation player after this coming season ends up. I see him needing the next off season to bulk up some, he could follow his brothers path by the end of his 2nd season with us.

Seth Trimble, I got a bit of a deer in the head lights feel from him, seemed to struggle a little bit, give him some time to adjust because that kid is dynamic.

Justin McKoy, very few talk about him and in truth Justin may be the end of the bench rotation guy but he really seemed to play a lot freer than he did last season, does that carry over to the season?

Will Shaver, I see a little bit of a freshman Bacot, really enjoyed watching him and Bacot go at each other, it was clean but a bit physical. He looks a bit slow footed, next off season really work on running sprints to improve his explosion up court. At least a year away from a maybe rotation spot.

Returning Iron men: First, hate we didn't get to see Caleb, Puff, or Washington but fear not they are coming! But RJ Davis, saw the clips from the scrimmage a few weeks ago and now fri night, RJ seems to have settled in to being the guy in charge, the guy out front running things, the floor leader. That is a carry over from the last portion of our season (last), seemed to carry a bit of a Joel Berry type swag, nice!

Styles: He and Puff became part time Iron 5 late season, sounds odd but he got a lot of crunch time run late season. Gary used Len Bias talking about his game, sorry my friend, you lost me on that one. But Styles seems to have gotten physically stronger and his athletism seemed to come out more with what looked like an injection of confidence. Going to be hard to keep him off the court.

Leaky and Bacot, they just seemed to enjoy things, picked their spots but for the most part seemed willing to let the spot light shine on others.

Well, sure seems like I injected a lot of meaning in something as meaningless as a scrimmage but as I said, it has been a long off season! LOL

 

[DSouthr]

Styles looked good, but the nicest surprise for me was Nickel.

Kid came to UNC as a worn penny, he is already grown in to a Nickel, will he be a silver dollar before he leaves?

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Tyler Nickel, you guys know I have been strong behind him going well back prior to his committing, his play Fri night sure didn't cause me to change my mind. Has a bit of a old mans game, he just finds ways to get things done. Someone used a young Matt Harpring reference and I saw a lot of that. Hopefully we can now put to rest the "but he didn't play good high school competition" stuff, kid can play. I still think his time will be limited this coming season.

A lot quicker and more aggressive than I expected.

Plus, he made a couple of very nifty passes. This kid might be a real find.

I know you have been saying that all along @DSouthr but I hadn't seen it until now.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Will Shaver, I see a little bit of a freshman Bacot, really enjoyed watching him and Bacot go at each other, it was clean but a bit physical. He looks a bit slow footed, next off season really work on running sprints to improve his explosion up court. At least a year away from a maybe rotation spot.

From looking severely outclassed in the previous scrimmage he looked pretty decent this time. Still has a way to go, but I'm more confident he will get there.

Don't need him to be there this year, with Armando and Pete (and probably Jalen) ahead of him, but a couple of those guys will be gone next year. Not sure if he'll be good enough to start next year, but he should be plenty good enough to come off the bench, and not just in blowouts. This year, though, mostly scrub minutes.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Seth Trimble, I got a bit of a deer in the head lights feel from him, seemed to struggle a little bit, give him some time to adjust because that kid is dynamic.

He got handed a tough assignment. A freshman directing the team with no starters.

I thought he handled himself quite well. Tough. Intense. Probably shouldn't have knocked Pete and RJ to the floor but, hey, can't fault the competitiveness.

He's going to be as good as expected. And that's pretty darn good.

If he were in a position like Marcus - handed the ball rather than backing up the starting PG - I think he would do similarly. Early struggle but then fine. Obviously the team wouldn't be as good, but he looks tough enough and talented enough to do the job.

Not saying he's the next Marcus . . . but he could be the next Marcus. We'll see if his shooting can justify that comparison.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Justin McKoy, very few talk about him and in truth Justin may be the end of the bench rotation guy but he really seemed to play a lot freer than he did last season, does that carry over to the season?

Yeah, if he can do that in real games, he'll be a strong depth element for this team.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Leaky and Bacot, they just seemed to enjoy things, picked their spots but for the most part seemed willing to let the spot light shine on others.

Later in the scrimmage Leaky came to my attention because he looked sluggish and uninterested. I didn't really notice him early on, so maybe that was true the whole game. Was there a problem?

Despite being a top defender, he never looks particularly fast. So maybe this was nothing. Or maybe, as you say, they were letting the other guys have fun.

 

[DSouthr]

He got handed a tough assignment. A freshman directing the team with no starters.

I thought he handled himself quite well. Tough. Intense. Probably shouldn't have knocked Pete and RJ to the floor but, hey, can't fault the competitiveness.

He's going to be as good as expected. And that's pretty darn good.

If he were in a position like Marcus - handed the ball rather than backing up the starting PG - I think he would do similarly. Early struggle but then fine. Obviously the team wouldn't be as good, but he looks tough enough and talented enough to do the job.

Not saying he's the next Marcus . . . but he could be the next Marcus. We'll see if his shooting can justify that comparison.

While I don't think Seth will shoot the ball anywhere close to the level that Marcus did he does bring things to the table that Marcus didn't. Seth just needs to jump shoot well enough that defenders can not defend him exclusively for the drive. Early that freshman season, Marcus struggled to, many, myself included wondered why this kid is starting and PJ coming off the bench, was hard to really see if he was a PG or a 2 guard (I still think he was more a 2 than a PG). I think it is a legit question to ask about Seth, will he be more a 2 or a PG, I am not yet sure (same feeling I had about RJ prior to last season and in truth several times earlier season last). But Seth brings a athletic versatility that those guys could not, now the question begs what will he do with it. I think good things, really good things in time, lets look at him around mid season and see what we think!

 

[DSouthr]

Later in the scrimmage Leaky came to my attention because he looked sluggish and uninterested. I didn't really notice him early on, so maybe that was true the whole game. Was there a problem?

Despite being a top defender, he never looks particularly fast. So maybe this was nothing. Or maybe, as you say, they were letting the other guys have fun.

This isn't the kind of thing Leaky would look really good in (my opinion of course). While I do think he played maybe 3/4 speed, his real value (in addition to his huge experience) is his ability to just shut down the other teams best scorer and he was not looking to do that in this scrimmage. I would suggest both he and Bacot kind of went thru the motions a bit but there was what seemed to me to be more intensity in this thing than I can recall from other blue white games. While this was no where near the intensity of a game that means something, it was well contested for the most part with one team having a clear advantage in the big man spots (with Bacot and Nance on the same team).

 

[DaveChapelle]

Justin McKoy, very few talk about him and in truth Justin may be the end of the bench rotation guy but he really seemed to play a lot freer than he did last season, does that carry over to the season?

He is what he is at this point. Still slapping at the ball instead of grabbing the rebounds. Still the guy who had Trimble posted up in the Blue/White game a couple weeks back, and instead of using a post move for an easy score, he resorted to a fade away that the much shorter Trimble blocked. Still just as likely to miss the 3-pointer badly as he is to make it.

He can be a solid defender at his position. That is pretty much his only role going forward.

 

[DaveChapelle]

He got handed a tough assignment. A freshman directing the team with no starters.

I thought he handled himself quite well. Tough. Intense. Probably shouldn't have knocked Pete and RJ to the floor but, hey, can't fault the competitiveness.

Kind of funny but if you rewatch RJ's and-one, you'll see RJ actually grabbed Seth's arm to create the foul. In a real game, RJ gets called for an offensive foul (maybe even a flagrant if they feel he pulled Seth down.)

 

[gary-7]

Kind of funny but if you rewatch RJ's and-one, you'll see RJ actually grabbed Seth's arm to create the foul. In a real game, RJ gets called for an offensive foul (maybe even a flagrant if they feel he pulled Seth down.)

Really? Have you watched a dook game?

 

[imajericho]

Kind of funny but if you rewatch RJ's and-one, you'll see RJ actually grabbed Seth's arm to create the foul. In a real game, RJ gets called for an offensive foul (maybe even a flagrant if they feel he pulled Seth down.)

That would never be called that way.

 

[heels05champs]

The two big takeaways for me were Dunn and Nickel. Both showed some real shooting ability and Hubert values shooting. If you can make shots, you will get some playing time. Dunn seems to have put in some work and really improved and Nickel is every bit the shooter we heard about.

 

[Grover Thomas]

In my Allen Iverson voice…”scrimmage…..scrimmage…..not the actual game but scrimmage!” Anyways guys had fun and was nice to see……ok when the real games start…..it will be Love leading the way.

Let Love lead the way…..Love conquers all…Love beats hate!…and finally, let Love in your heart!

 

[DaveChapelle]

That would never be called that way.

You saw RJ get called for a technical foul for saying "and one" last year, and yet you don't think the same refs would get him if he grabbed a defender and pulled him down?