They had an excellent practice to the point where they’ll be referencing this practice for the next 6 months./s
2023-24 Basketball Season: Hopes, Dreams, Wishes and Analysis
- Thread starter jessej
- Start date
The team is deep, coaching staff thinks they can run the entire line up. Obviously with 10 new players, more gelling time is needed. I think the 2 exhibition games and the easier non conf schedule is perfect for this squad. Okojie looks impressive, shot the ball pretty well and fearless attacking the rim. Tre Wood is jacked.
I have interviews coming out for each of the asst coaches and Lamar, stay tuned for those.
Hit me with anymore questions you have folks.
By George.
Starter
I was at practice, here are my thoughts -
1. We are a very large team #size, how will that translate to pressing a lot? We are tall from PG to center. I haven’t seen much of the pressure D so I can’t speak to it much but I wonder if we have the athleticism to do it. I believe we have the depth to do it. I’m salivating at the idea of pressing a lot with different looks.
2. We will definitely press a lot early on.
3. I’m happy with our center rotation. Kelly has had a strong summer apparently. He can step out and shoot it some, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him play some 4 to get Nico and Malik on the floor more. Nico is very tall and raw. He makes dunking look extremely easy. I can’t say that I saw a ton of fire out of him but I’m excited about having him as a back up center. Can’t really remember a time we had this type of size with our center depth.
4. Expanding on point 3, I’m curious why some of you are so in love with Haynes? Why do you think he’s a difference maker? I’m asking honestly not smugly. I def think he will be a high motor bruiser around the basket fan favorite but I’m not sure I see a guy that the season hinges on. He’s another solid piece that adds to pretty solid depth in the front court. I could see him cleaning up around the paint. Do I want him shooting jumpers or creating from the top of the key? Not sure yet.
5. The 4 spot - I think this is still a mystery. Yes Keyshawn will start at 4 but who is his back up? I don’t think Woody is a 4, I think he’s a corner player. I’m excited to see Keyshawn with the ball in his hands and I think we will lean on him as a scorer. I don’t know what he’ll be as a defender or rebounder. I’d say we are the least deep at this position. We will play 4 wide but the 4 will operate from the top of the key…I think.
6. Maddox is a true scorer, everyone will be reminded of Sherrod Wright when you watch him. He seems locked in at practice. Can he create for himself? I don’t know. To elaborate on this, I don’t think Tony is going to look for 2’s and 3’s to create much. I think we’re going to get out and run and I think there will be an emphasis on moving without the ball to find points.
7. Billups, I’m TBD on him. It’s hard to see a shut down defender in practice, but he is definitely vocal. He seems like a glue guy that will make a play and get the team fired up. He knew the plays, he knew the concepts. He has good size and athleticism, I think what you see in his tape is what you will get.
8. PG log jam. I’m not sure what to make of this yet. I hear people’s concerns about Polite, I also agree with others that he has the chance to be a top half PG in the A10. I think taking a firm stance on him either way is a bit premature. We brought in depth behind him and got more on the way, so clearly solidifying the PG spot was a point of emphasis. I think we will see 2 PGs on the court sometimes and I think Baraka will be PG2. He looks the part. He absolutely did not look like a freshman out there to me. I am, and would be if I was you, very excited about him. He is explosive, he has the size, and he seems older than his age. Also Wood is JACKED.
9. As expected, the practice was kind of sloppy. We have 10 new guys, a new staff and it was practice #1. I have seen 2 summer workouts and yesterday’s practice so far so take what I’m saying lightly. I don’t have firm opinions just yet but just offering my thoughts. I probably didn’t touch on everything so ask questions if you got them. As a now 36 year old dad of two, I struggle to remember 10 minutes ago.
Chris and I will be interviewing Tony Skinn tonight and will drop the episode sometime this week. We will not ask him a single question about the final 4, don’t worry. We will be focused on roster construction and type of play.
Thanks guys! Looking forward to our season 9! Crazy…
- Bryan
1. We are a very large team #size, how will that translate to pressing a lot? We are tall from PG to center. I haven’t seen much of the pressure D so I can’t speak to it much but I wonder if we have the athleticism to do it. I believe we have the depth to do it. I’m salivating at the idea of pressing a lot with different looks.
2. We will definitely press a lot early on.
3. I’m happy with our center rotation. Kelly has had a strong summer apparently. He can step out and shoot it some, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him play some 4 to get Nico and Malik on the floor more. Nico is very tall and raw. He makes dunking look extremely easy. I can’t say that I saw a ton of fire out of him but I’m excited about having him as a back up center. Can’t really remember a time we had this type of size with our center depth.
4. Expanding on point 3, I’m curious why some of you are so in love with Haynes? Why do you think he’s a difference maker? I’m asking honestly not smugly. I def think he will be a high motor bruiser around the basket fan favorite but I’m not sure I see a guy that the season hinges on. He’s another solid piece that adds to pretty solid depth in the front court. I could see him cleaning up around the paint. Do I want him shooting jumpers or creating from the top of the key? Not sure yet.
5. The 4 spot - I think this is still a mystery. Yes Keyshawn will start at 4 but who is his back up? I don’t think Woody is a 4, I think he’s a corner player. I’m excited to see Keyshawn with the ball in his hands and I think we will lean on him as a scorer. I don’t know what he’ll be as a defender or rebounder. I’d say we are the least deep at this position. We will play 4 wide but the 4 will operate from the top of the key…I think.
6. Maddox is a true scorer, everyone will be reminded of Sherrod Wright when you watch him. He seems locked in at practice. Can he create for himself? I don’t know. To elaborate on this, I don’t think Tony is going to look for 2’s and 3’s to create much. I think we’re going to get out and run and I think there will be an emphasis on moving without the ball to find points.
7. Billups, I’m TBD on him. It’s hard to see a shut down defender in practice, but he is definitely vocal. He seems like a glue guy that will make a play and get the team fired up. He knew the plays, he knew the concepts. He has good size and athleticism, I think what you see in his tape is what you will get.
8. PG log jam. I’m not sure what to make of this yet. I hear people’s concerns about Polite, I also agree with others that he has the chance to be a top half PG in the A10. I think taking a firm stance on him either way is a bit premature. We brought in depth behind him and got more on the way, so clearly solidifying the PG spot was a point of emphasis. I think we will see 2 PGs on the court sometimes and I think Baraka will be PG2. He looks the part. He absolutely did not look like a freshman out there to me. I am, and would be if I was you, very excited about him. He is explosive, he has the size, and he seems older than his age. Also Wood is JACKED.
9. As expected, the practice was kind of sloppy. We have 10 new guys, a new staff and it was practice #1. I have seen 2 summer workouts and yesterday’s practice so far so take what I’m saying lightly. I don’t have firm opinions just yet but just offering my thoughts. I probably didn’t touch on everything so ask questions if you got them. As a now 36 year old dad of two, I struggle to remember 10 minutes ago.
Chris and I will be interviewing Tony Skinn tonight and will drop the episode sometime this week. We will not ask him a single question about the final 4, don’t worry. We will be focused on roster construction and type of play.
Thanks guys! Looking forward to our season 9! Crazy…
- Bryan
Good breakdown, appreciate your observations from being there. Really interested in what our defensive style is going to look like, because from the marketing standpoint when you hear Patriot Pressure I think we all assume that means pressing and trapping, but when you look at the roster construction I'm not sure if that's what the staff is really thinking. Will be interested to see how it comes out in November.
If you get a chance, I'd be super interested to hear Tony's thoughts on offensive pace -- I remember KE talking about wanting to push the pace, first 8 seconds belong to the players, etc. I wonder if there's a number/pace Tony is aiming to get to, i.e. if we score 70, we think we will win more games than not, or if we are more focused on settling into a more fixed offense to run through more sets.
I’ve heard Skinn say something similar, more specifically “give me defense and I’ll give you freedom on offense.”
Also curious from anyone who was there -- how did Ball look? Do you think we'll see much of him this year, or will he be more of a development player?
Oh firming up nicely here.
Ahh...you jinxed it! Here's the A10 (Tom Aiello) with Mason at #9:
9. George Mason Patriots
Last Season: It was a fascinating time in George Mason men’s basketball a little over two years ago when they hired Kim English. He had one goal when he arrived in Fairfax: change the mindset of this perennial A-10 loser. While some decent seasons were mixed in, the combined efforts of Paul Hewitt and Dave Paulsen were becoming intolerable for the school. English’s first season went alright, a 14-16 record was not much but highlighted by a few wins against good programs. English turned that into a 20-win season and a quarter-final appearance, ending the regular season on an absurd six-game win streak.
The Patriots faced off against Saint Louis — who proceeded to stomp on them — but it was evident progress from the season before. Josh Oduro solidified himself as one of the better A-10 talents to go through Fairfax, making his second consecutive all-conference first-team and hitting the 1,000-point mark. An injury to Victor Bailey took them off track a bit given it was a sustained one, but still made good on the season.
It would’ve been safe to pencil Mason as a team that would be a lock for the top four… until Kim English took the vacant Providence job. Not only did another Big East power whisk away a promising young coach from the A-10, English got a few of his guys to follow: Josh Oduro, Justyn Fernandez, and Davonte ‘Ticket’ Gains were the three Patriots turned Friars. Mason also said goodbye to a number of other guys who ran out of eligibility, beyond their best A-10 coach getting poached.
Now they turn to a program icon from their historic Final Four in 2006 under Jim Larranaga, a disciple of Kevin Willard and someone with strong DMV roots: Tony Skinn. As he assumes the head coaching post, many believe that some of the magic from 2006 will follow him as he tries to continue what English was doing. As is with any new coach who turns an entire roster over, there are tons of new moving parts. Skinn brought along tons of new transfers and only held onto three guys from last season.
Returnees: Ronald Polite, Devin Dinkins, Malik Henry
Out: Josh Oduro, Justyn Fernandez, Davonte ‘Ticket’ Gaines, John Ojiako, DeVon Cooper, Victor Bailey, Elvis Nnaji, Blake Jones
In: Tre’ Wood, Jared Billups, Darius Maddox, Woody Newton, Keyshawn Hall, Baraka Okojie, Austin Ball, Jalen Haynes, Amari Kelly, Nicolas Pavrette
Potential Strengths: The element of surprise is on Skinn’s side for his first season, and he has the advantage of a clock that won’t be ticking right away — assuming everything goes just fine for them. There are tons of moving parts here which should be helpful for Skinn to adjust accordingly. Tre’ Wood is a graduate leader who has exceptional playmaking skills with over four assists per game last season. Polite should likely win the starting spot being the stronger scoring threat as he also averaged four assists per game. Jared Billups showed flashes at Siena with his combo style being a 6’5” guard. He has an ability to get to the line in two seasons shooting 70%+ from there. Darius Maddox came over from Virginia Tech — he was having a career season until he missed the final 14 games, but is another large off-guard at 6’5” who can hit the three.
Jalen Haynes, a two-time transfer, will need a waiver to play. Haynes is coming off a monster season at ETSU with 14.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest — a muscly forward who can feast inside with the best of them. The same can be said for Amari Kelly, a Coastal Carolina transfer who will provide more size inside and adequate shot-blocking. 6’11” Nicolas Pavrette will also push the issue inside, while Malik Henry retains his hybrid role at the four. Woody Newton also presents length and size at 6’8” with more defensive potential — his waiver was processed by the NCAA after transferring from Syracuse and Oklahoma State.
Keyshawn Hall joins the ride from UNLV, a promising shooter who shot 50% from three and showed defensive promise. Skinn also landed two freshmen in Austin Ball and Baraka Okojie. Ball is a 6’7” wing who will add to this very deep wing rotation, and Okojie gives them another ball handler behind Wood, Polite, and second-year guard Devin Dinkins. Skinn will construct his offense to create ball movement, mismatches, and easy chances for pick-and-roll scores. If you haven’t figured out yet, Skinn’s charges for year one are long, athletic, and physical specimens.
Potential Weaknesses: If you’re looking at a glaring part of the x’s and o’s, three-point shooting is wobbly for the Patriots. Maddox (32%) and Polite (36%) are the only true snipers this team holds that shot with volume last year. Everyone else has a history of subpar percentages or low volume from that area. Given the overwhelming size that they do have, they may be able to bully their way to win games using their size even if they can’t knock down their threes. But instances will come up when they are in shootouts and have to hit threes.
Haynes is of concern here being a multi-time transfer. The NCAA has been on a warpath with granting multi-time transfer waivers (graduate students are the exceptions). While Patriots faithful, and Skinn, will hold their collective breath to a degree, they probably shouldn’t be banking on him getting a waiver this season. This may not be a big problem with two graduate students holding down minutes (Wood and Kelly), but it is still hurting their chance to crack the top four.
There are tons of elements to every offense, but this roster is unique because it has a very diverse cast of characters who all do very different things. And while having a few holdovers is nice, can Skinn resemble some continuity in year one? Between potential waivers being denied, lots of new guys trying to get used to each other, and a new system in place, there is a margin for error. It may not be as big as you think — very modest expectations have something to do with this — but it can go poorly in a lot of different ways.
Outlook: I personally don’t expect much from George Mason this year, but they are too talented to be stuck in the pillow fight. Skinn is the A-10’s winner in the portal department by far which is something to be proud of. There is going to be tons of foundation-building this season with a first-time head coach running the show. They can certainly find themselves in the thick of it, but lots will have to roll in their favor. Skinn’s collective talent for year one is certainly good enough to win them games based on individual skills alone. Most will be more interested in what kind of identity the Patriots will have and projecting Skinn’s potential as a coach.
2023-24 Atlantic 10 Team Preview: George Mason
9. George Mason Patriots Last Season: It was a fascinating time in George Mason men’s basketball a little over two years ago when they hired Kim English. He had one goal when he arrived in Fairfax: change the mindset of this perennial A-10 loser. While some decent seasons were mixed in, the...
www.a10talk.com
Enjoy. Interviewed Curran, Hinnant and Ekanem.
View: https://twitter.com/3L_Creations/status/1706760276022898994?t=ZpxZ52CLWukuiulIgUupQQ&s=19
View: https://twitter.com/3L_Creations/status/1706760276022898994?t=ZpxZ52CLWukuiulIgUupQQ&s=19
Its a good write-up and what I expected from anyone who follows the A10 closely.
Lots of questions about a new coach and 10 new players. Lots of talent coming in, but some talent hasnt' contributed much in other stops. Haynes could potentially boost the teams potential, but it doesn't appear hes likely to get the waiver.
I'm definitely looking forward to year 1, and hopefully some big things into year 2 and year 3.
Lots of questions about a new coach and 10 new players. Lots of talent coming in, but some talent hasnt' contributed much in other stops. Haynes could potentially boost the teams potential, but it doesn't appear hes likely to get the waiver.
I'm definitely looking forward to year 1, and hopefully some big things into year 2 and year 3.
Video footage of the first official practice from the Mason basketball social media
Video footage of the first official practice from the Mason basketball social media
Video footage of the first official practice from the Mason basketball social media
We’re finishing higher than 9th. If I owned a farm I’d bet the whole thing on that.
By George.
Starter
Just finished the the interview with Tony, he is not treating this like a rebuild year. I’d say 9th would be disappointing to him.
This interview is so fire, you’ll get a good feel for his authenticity. We go through every player on the roster, his offense and defensive style and how he recruits. Great stuff from a couple dumb dads and a legend.
“Tre Wood and Jared Billups at the top of the 2-2-1 press, now that’s Patriot Pressure,” Tony Skinn
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GiantKiller.co
ByGeorge
Expat Hoops
Fourth Estate
Doc Nix and the Green Machine
Bill Bride - DMV Sports Shots
Patriot Brew Blog/Newsletter