Unfortunately, we have sucked at basketball for the better part of 7 years now BUT it appears like the Dores are starting to see some progress within the program. Other than ‘23, we really haven’t even played a meaningful game against the Cats in a long long time.
As for Saturday, I really don’t know what to expect. I have watched the Cats play 5 or so games so I’m fairly familiar with your roster. I would characterize y’all as a team with a lot of solid players, no superstars but most everyone is dangerous. I have been very impressed with Mark Pope as a coach both in what he says / how he carries himself and in his ability to get the team to play together and execute in tight games. I am a fan.
Are y’all back to full health with the week off?
As for the Dores, we have a new Coach. Mark Byington came from JMU where he was 32-4 last year including winning at Michigan State and beating Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He’s a very solid coach, smart guy who emphasizes team first mentality and says all the right things. As a Vandy fan, it’s hard not to like this guy.
Jason Edwards is our leading scorer, small guard who is very quick both in movement and release of shot. Can take bad shots but he is fun to watch.
Devin McGlockton is our glue guy and “center” but we really don’t play much in the post. Lots of 5 out, or high post or 4 out 1 in.
AJ Hoggard, transfer from Michigan State is a guy who can win you games or lose you games. We’ve seen both. We function best when he’s driving and distributing primarily.
Jaylen Carey is our only other big. Carey had 14 and 10 vs UTjr but had 6 and 4 (turnovers) vs Bama. He’s young and kinda raw but his body is ridiculous (dad played left tackle for the Dolphins). He’s hit or miss though, some games he is legit looking, others, you want him off the floor.
Tyler Tanner is our lone freshman and is one of the better defensive guards in the country. Only averages 6.4 ppg but is averaging 2.2 steals per game (in only 20 minutes per game). He’s a special player but a freshman so he isn’t relied on for much other than defense.
The rest of the guys are all solid, not great. Tyler Nickel is a decent shooter but can disappear. MJ Collins is a good athlete but can disappear. Grant Huffman is a solid grad transfer PG, who does a lot of the little things. Chris Mañon is another glue guy. High energy, good defensive player, fun to watch but won’t score much.
Overall, I think we’re a solid team who can be very good when we play well. Our formula is to turn it over less than we take it away and we play fast so if we’re making shots, we can be dangerous. We’ve also had a few stinkers where we shot it like doo doo and we weren’t able to overcome that. I think in most years I’d call this team an NCAA Tournament team but the SEC is so good that we may not get to that magical 8-10 mark to make the Dance. Or we might?
Big game Saturday, give me your thoughts or questions.
Also, sorry about the novel.
As for Saturday, I really don’t know what to expect. I have watched the Cats play 5 or so games so I’m fairly familiar with your roster. I would characterize y’all as a team with a lot of solid players, no superstars but most everyone is dangerous. I have been very impressed with Mark Pope as a coach both in what he says / how he carries himself and in his ability to get the team to play together and execute in tight games. I am a fan.
Are y’all back to full health with the week off?
As for the Dores, we have a new Coach. Mark Byington came from JMU where he was 32-4 last year including winning at Michigan State and beating Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He’s a very solid coach, smart guy who emphasizes team first mentality and says all the right things. As a Vandy fan, it’s hard not to like this guy.
Jason Edwards is our leading scorer, small guard who is very quick both in movement and release of shot. Can take bad shots but he is fun to watch.
Devin McGlockton is our glue guy and “center” but we really don’t play much in the post. Lots of 5 out, or high post or 4 out 1 in.
AJ Hoggard, transfer from Michigan State is a guy who can win you games or lose you games. We’ve seen both. We function best when he’s driving and distributing primarily.
Jaylen Carey is our only other big. Carey had 14 and 10 vs UTjr but had 6 and 4 (turnovers) vs Bama. He’s young and kinda raw but his body is ridiculous (dad played left tackle for the Dolphins). He’s hit or miss though, some games he is legit looking, others, you want him off the floor.
Tyler Tanner is our lone freshman and is one of the better defensive guards in the country. Only averages 6.4 ppg but is averaging 2.2 steals per game (in only 20 minutes per game). He’s a special player but a freshman so he isn’t relied on for much other than defense.
The rest of the guys are all solid, not great. Tyler Nickel is a decent shooter but can disappear. MJ Collins is a good athlete but can disappear. Grant Huffman is a solid grad transfer PG, who does a lot of the little things. Chris Mañon is another glue guy. High energy, good defensive player, fun to watch but won’t score much.
Overall, I think we’re a solid team who can be very good when we play well. Our formula is to turn it over less than we take it away and we play fast so if we’re making shots, we can be dangerous. We’ve also had a few stinkers where we shot it like doo doo and we weren’t able to overcome that. I think in most years I’d call this team an NCAA Tournament team but the SEC is so good that we may not get to that magical 8-10 mark to make the Dance. Or we might?
Big game Saturday, give me your thoughts or questions.
Also, sorry about the novel.
