Exhibition Game, Nov 8th, 4 PM against Shenadoah Univ.

[liem.le.3388]

Agreed was not impressed with Royal, looked almost uncomfortable out there

 

[gmujim92]

Why even come here to post if all you're gonna do is piss all over one of our players after a 91-51 win?

Seriously. We all know the competition sucked, but Royal nearly had a damn double-double.

And I'm not surprised he looked "uncomfortable," given that he's hardly played a minute in a game situation in nearly 2 years. He has a lot of rust to shake off.

Just wait for the real games to start and you'll all have plenty to bitch about then.

 

[mason89]

Why even come here to post if all you're gonna do is piss all over one of our players after a 91-51 win?

Seriously. We all know the competition sucked, but Royal nearly had a damn double-double.

And I'm not surprised he looked "uncomfortable," given that he's hardly played a minute in a game situation in nearly 2 years. He has a lot of rust to shake off.

Just wait for the real games to start and you'll all have plenty to bitch about then.

Not to mention he was clearly bothered by his shooting hand (wrapped in a brace), especially when he first came in the game. He seemed to adjust nicely in the second half.

 

[mason89]

This was the most disciplined Hewitt-lead team effort I've seen thus far. Did they play perfect basketball? No. They really need to tighten up the 3-point defense. However, the intensity and shot selection was much improved from last and previous seasons. Hopefully it will continue to improve as the regular season starts.

 

[Washingtonian]

Hewitt didn't use a timeout all game either, not that he needed to at any point.

http://www.gomason.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=25200&ATCLID=209757207

 

[Masonfan3]

Not to mention he was clearly bothered by his shooting hand (wrapped in a brace), especially when he first came in the game. He seemed to adjust nicely in the second half.

Yes he did adjust nicely in the 2nd half and it was clear that he has the best post moves on the team. Royal will be fine and I'm actually excited to see him play his year. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Tate ends up being the back up PG behind Moore, kid definitely has the best handles on this team and is a pure pg which I'd much rather see on the floor over the "me first" mentality of Edwards.

 

[GMUgemini]

So for those who went, where did Jenkins play the most at the 3 or 4 and Lockett was he at the 3 or 2?

And Jackson the 1, 2 or 3 ( I'm assuming since Edwards didn't dress he spent a good amount of time at the 1) and how did he look?

Did Moore's shot look any better?

If Mayimba winds up red shirting that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world given the roster we have right now.

 

[gmutom]

Why even come here to post if all you're gonna do is piss all over one of our players after a 91-51 win?

Yeah, it's almost like P81 was determined to come here to bitch no matter what happened tonight. I don't see Royal making any all-A10 teams in the next few years, but he played well once he settled down and some of the rust came off. He'll be a solid contributor this year.

I try not to read too much into an exhibition game against a DIII team, but I was really impressed with Moore. Dare I say we have finally found the PG we've so desperately needed the last three years? The kid is confident, aggressive, sees the floor really well and really looks like he's worked on his shooting motion.

Jenkins is a beast. No other way to put it. He looks a lot more confident than last year, and he'll be even better once he cuts down on the turnovers. Thompson is as raw as advertised, but he also got some buckets on rebounds, dunks and in transition. Porter is also a work in progress, but he will have an impact defensively. He attacks the boards for rebounds and I had him for at least 3 or 4 blocks. You can't teach height, and both of those guys provide us with a twin-tower tandem that will challenge teams.

If anybody surprised me the most, I'd say it was Jackson. He's an athletic 6-6 with a solid handle and high level of confidence. His shooting percentage wasn't good tonight, but I like that he wasn't afraid to take open shots and even look to create shots for himself. He was paired with Moore a few times, which was a scenario I didn't anticipate but could see working well at times this year.

 

[Pablo]

So for those who went, where did Jenkins play the most at the 3 or 4 and Lockett was he at the 3 or 2?

Jenkins started and played mostly at the "4" (Marko started at the "3" with Vaughn Gray at the "2"). The only time that I noticed Jalen playing on the wing was when Hewitt went to a jumbo lineup of Copes, Royal, Jenkins, Marko, & Moore.

 

[KAOriginal]

First reaction relayed to me from a seasoned watcher of this program of over 20+ years:

"We were BIG."

 

[Pablo]

If anybody surprised me the most, I'd say it was Jackson. He's an athletic 6-6 with a solid handle and high level of confidence.

I agree! I'm really looking forward to watching Jackson & Trey Porter for 4 years.

 

[GMU84fanman]

I left with about 8 minutes to go in the game. Beyond the sentiments expressed thus far, we moved the ball better than I have seen in a long time. Starters were Moore, Gray, Jenkins, Marko and Thompson. Players were unselfish throughout. Jenkins had 10 points 5 minutes into the game (started the game with a nice left handed jump hook). Moore played very well (albeit against inferior opposition) and his jumper looked solid (nailed a 15 footer). He got into the lane at will. Tate provided a spark off the bench. Jackson has a nice handle and played the 2 guard for most of his time. Jenkins played primarily the 3 but moved well both inside and outside the lane. Gray's jumper looked solid. Lockett seemed to be favoring his braced knee and didn't do much up until I left. Porter played well despite his wiry frame. He was a head taller than much of the competition but he is fluid on the court, has excellent form on his jumper and dissuaded some folks from shooting inside. He was also aggressive which surprised me again given his thin frame. Thompson is huge and intimidating but needs work on his feet and hands. Copes played well off the bench. He got 2 quick fouls but played a solid floor game the rest of the way. He was aggressive in the lane and took advantage of the size differential showing greater agility with his reduced weight. I agree that Royal will be fine. Remember he has not faced competition (although I am not sure Shenandoah really counts) in roughly a year and a half. He has a braced shooting hand but still played pretty well (including taking a nice charge).

Granted the size and skill differential between these teams was night and day however Mason optimized that differential by not settling for threes, moving without the ball and making good sharp passes throughout the game. I was fairly impressed with what I saw particularly with several players sitting.

 

[polepino]

I just posted an article from the Stafford County Sun on the board. The article mentioned we have a 'new offense' this year. Did you guys see any evidence of that? Maybe why you saw better play as some of you have mentioned?

 

[Pablo]

91 -51 is what should be expected from a Division 1 team vs a low Division III team. No Holloway, no Mayimba, no Edwards + no explanation = confusion for Mason fans which seems to have become the norm under Blewitt. Totally unimpressed with Julian Royal.

At the green & gold scrimmage, it was announced that Edwards is injured. I don't know why Holloway didn't play (he was dressed & warmed up with the team). Mayimba sat behind the bench.

 

[psyclone]

I left with about 8 minutes to go in the game. Beyond the sentiments expressed thus far, we moved the ball better than I have seen in a long time. Starters were Moore, Gray, Jenkins, Marko and Thompson. Players were unselfish throughout. Jenkins had 10 points 5 minutes into the game (started the game with a nice left handed jump hook). Moore played very well (albeit against inferior opposition) and his jumper looked solid (nailed a 15 footer). He got into the lane at will. Tate provided a spark off the bench. Jackson has a nice handle and played the 2 guard for most of his time. Jenkins played primarily the 3 but moved well both inside and outside the lane. Gray's jumper looked solid. Lockett seemed to be favoring his braced knee and didn't do much up until I left. Porter played well despite his wiry frame. He was a head taller than much of the competition but he is fluid on the court, has excellent form on his jumper and dissuaded some folks from shooting inside. He was also aggressive which surprised me again given his thin frame. Thompson is huge and intimidating but needs work on his feet and hands. Copes played well off the bench. He got 2 quick fouls but played a solid floor game the rest of the way. He was aggressive in the lane and took advantage of the size differential showing greater agility with his reduced weight. I agree that Royal will be fine. Remember he has not faced competition (although I am not sure Shenandoah really counts) in roughly a year and a half. He has a braced shooting hand but still played pretty well (including taking a nice charge).

Granted the size and skill differential between these teams was night and day however Mason optimized that differential by not settling for threes, moving without the ball and making good sharp passes throughout the game. I was fairly impressed with what I saw particularly with several players sitting.

Pretty much reflects my impression as well. Although I think Porter doesn't hold his ground particularly well. Also if he and Thompson had better hands and were stronger with the ball, they could be significant forces and not just very tall players. I do think that Copes has made significant strides in terms of catching the ball in the post and played with greater abandon than he has since arriving at Mason. Jenkins was MUCH better than he was in the green/gold scrimmage--just relentless.

Some nice assists including on fast breaks. Gray looked like he "belonged" out there--comfortable in shooting and more successful in passing that I remember from prior years. Moore was excellent and Tate did actually look okay.

Does anyone know the story on why Holloway didn't play? He seemed in good spirits during warmups. Without him, no consistent threats from 3.

 

[gmujim92]

Porter doesn't hold his ground particularly well. Also if he and Thompson had better hands and were stronger with the ball, they could be significant forces and not just very tall players.

To be fair, both guys are still very early in their development. Especially with Porter, gotta imagine he'll get better and stronger with each passing year.

Also, if they had better hands and were stronger with the ball right now, they'd probably both be playing somewhere other than Mason.

 

[Pablo]

Jenkins played primarily the 3 but moved well both inside and outside the lane.

I could be wrong, but I believe that Jenkins started & played mostly the "4" (with Marko starting at the "3") The only time that I recall Jalen playing on the wing was when Royal was at the "4" (and they rarely played together tonight). I also believe that the Patriots were running a 3-out, 2-in motion offense. See

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89qnLpuTF2Y
.

 

[mkaufman1]

I just posted an article from the Stafford County Sun on the board. The article mentioned we have a 'new offense' this year. Did you guys see any evidence of that? Maybe why you saw better play as some of you have mentioned?

I dont know specifics since I'm not a basketball expert by any stretch, but it did look like they had some new plays to get more players involved, as well as pass the ball more. The offense seemed more fluid overall. They intermixed other old plays which also seemed to run better. Low competition, but the team still executed well especially one that hasn't played much together. 23 assists today with only 12 turnovers is very good.

At the green & gold scrimmage, it was announced that Edwards is injured. I don't know why Holloway didn't play (he was dressed & warmed up with the team). Mayimba sat behind the bench.

From what I heard, Holloway didnt play due to missing classes. Mayimba is a mystery. I had heard earlier that Lockett was a candidate to redshirt due to his knee not responding that well, however I have to think Mayimba may be more likely, due to whatever is going on.

All in all, the team was facing low competition but looked confident and executed very well. Moore can really create and get guys involved, and guys like Jackson, Lockett and even Tate, all helped move the offense along and brought the ball up to get the offense in motion. Jenkins looks like he always goes full throttle no matter what that situation is. Porter and Thompson need to develop some, but for the most part they offered some solid defense and rebounding. I'm very excited to see what each of them will bring.

If the team can keep focused like they did today, they may not win a ton of games, but they'll definitely improve from last year. I'll believe it when I see it since Shenandoah is not the type of competition Mason faces on a regular basis. Today definitely was a pleasant surprise, as I was thinking it might be close, and it wasn't.

 

[The Great PATSby]

I'd like to add that Copes looked great. He seems much quicker after losing the weight and being healthy. I know it's an exhibition game against a shitty undersized team, but he had some great offensive moves and looks like his offensive skills has improved.

He started off with a nice quick 15 footer and had several quick catch and layups. His eye hand coordination seemed significantly better. Not the standard bobble the ball turnover or bazooka shot Copes that we're used to. Hoping the ESPN TOP 60 that we've all been long waiting for comes out this year.

 

[99 Patriot]

Agreed with a lot of the comments here. Great ball movement, didn't settle for bad shots and very little one-on-one possessions. Porter had five blocks in the second half and can move in transition. Like Jackson a lot too. Easy to say we pounded a small team down low, but there have been a lot of games the last three years where we did not take advantage of similar mismatches so this was a good sign.

Edwards I believe battling a concussion (doesn't sound too serious), Holloway I hear will be good to go Friday (maybe a warning of sorts today) and mayimba I have no idea.