Concordia-Portland

BASKETBALL SEASON!!!

I look forward to seeing what the boys can do today. It should be an interesting season.

Well, it was a win. But shooting 3 of 20 from the 3-point arc made for a game that was too close for comfort.

I saw about the last 30 minutes and here are some of my thoughts:

Nem - looked rather unimpressive and seemed to be a nonfactor.
Eric - wasn't dressed for the game

Derrick - To me, it was more of the same stuff from Derrick that we saw last year.

Riley - Riley nearly had a double-double in the first half and is definitely our starting center. He looked good to me. Active on the boards and scoring. He may not replace Luke but he'll make up a chunk of his points and rebounds, I think.
Tanner - Tanner showed flashes of the guy that made the All-Tournament team of the Athletes in Action tourney last fall. He was able to put the ball on the floor and knock down some 3's. On Thursday Rev said he expected big things from Tanner and I hope those expectations are met, it seems he has the capability.
Tim - Tim looked good tonight, in my opinion. He handles the ball well and he was able to drive and score as well. There's a reason we lost the last 3 games of the season when he was injured last spring; he's pivotal to our success.
Ryan - Ryan is a beast on the boards and he can score inside as well as out. Ryan took some mid/long-range shots tonight and knocked down an open 2-pointer at the top of the key with ease. I really like the hustle he bring to the team and he'll probably start at the 4.
Korey - Korey seems like Kevin Bailey Lite. Ok, perhaps a bit of an over-generalization but I think it's at least semi-relevant. Korey didn't play a whole lot tonight so I actually don't have much to say. He seems like he brings good athleticism.
Taylor Mossman - did not play

John Bailey - John played limited minutes in his long-awaited (though unofficial) Pilot debut so I don't have much to judge but he seems decent. Exhibitions are semi-unofficial, right?
Kevin Bailey - Kevin will be good. He's unpolished right now but he'll definitely contribute this year. He's definitely got the raw talent and athleticism to be exciting.
Dorian - Dorian played hard and drew some fouls as a result. I remember 2-3 times when he jumped into a Concordia player as they were going up for a lay-up. That's basically a sure-fire way to draw a foul. He needs to learn to stay on his feet on D. He's active though. I don't remember a lot of offense from Dorian and his minutes declined throughout the game. I remember that he took (and missed) a 3-pointer. A lot of guys did that tonight, actually.
Thomas VDM - Thomas was younger-looking than I anticipated. He is probably the best center we've brought in so far, as far as comparing only freshman year/first-impressions. He can get up and down the court well, he can pull down a rebound and he seems to have some nice touch on his little hook. He'll definitely be a good backup to Riley and could play some productive minutes this year.
David Carr - David reminds me of Stohl a little bit. Scrawny, white shooter that could easily be overlooked. David seems to have a little better skills off the dribble; he had a nice drive and finish in the lane tonight.

I don't think I've forgotten anybody. Keep in mind that I'm certainly no expert and I haven't even looked at a box score and I missed the first 10 minutes of the game.

Based on playing time tonight, I would expect a starting lineup like this:

PG - Timmy D
SG - Tanner Riley
SF/SG - Nem
PF - Ryan Nicholas
C - Riley Barker

That was the starting line-up last night.

Riley Barker looked solid last night... I hope he can continue to hold his own down low... we'll need it!

PilotNut wrote:Riley Barker looked solid last night... I hope he can continue to hold his own down low... we'll need it!

He also looked much more muscular, too.