Just to preface this, it’s very long. I’m also no expert, but I took notes and wanted to share my takeaways. I’m just so hyped for this season. I also missed about the first 5-10 minutes of play tonight. Feel free to poke holes in my observations.
Quade Green: His improvement won’t be dramatic this season, but he looks like a more polished version of his Freshman self. Looks to be in better shape. Can knock it down from anywhere on the court, and he’s a decent finisher considering his size. He makes some great passes.
Ashton Hagans: He’s going to have a ton of quiet games, but he will fill the box score up across the board. He’s the utility man on this team. He will have a ton of games where his box score will read something like: 8 Points, 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 3 Steals, 1 Block. Nothing that jumps out at you stats wise but consistency at everything and an absolute pit bull on the defensive end.
Immanuel Quickley: He’s going to be a surprise for a lot of opposing defenses this year. Can shoot the ball well, and is pretty smooth handling the ball. Wasn’t overly noticeable tonight but he can score in a variety of ways.
Jemarl Baker: He had some flashes tonight. I’m sure he was nervous and/or rusty. He looks a step behind, but I feel that’s more testament to the talent level of this team. For a player that is slated to be here multiple years, fans should feel good having him develop the next few years.
Tyler Herro: Natural scorer. It doesn’t matter where he is on the court, half court or in transition, he gets buckets. The best thing he can work on is shot selection, but he seems to hit it no matter when/where.
Keldon Johnson: He’s so talented. He easily has the highest ceiling on the team. I love his intensity on the defensive end. So many players of his caliber take a pass on the defensive end, but he’s just a competitor. The biggest thing he needs to work on is decision making and shot selection. He has a tendency to force things.
PJ Washington: It’s a night and day difference watching him move on the court. He looks so fluid compared to last year where he felt more rigid. He was strong, but almost stiff in movement. Shooting still remains to be seen, but he looks improved in that aspect. The sky is the limit for him this season.
Reid Travis: Forget what you saw from the Bahamas, save maybe the last game. He looked the part of an All-American level player tonight. He rebounds like Jarred Vanderbilt, but with an infinitely more polished offensive game. That’s scary. He’s going to be the best player on the court a lot of games this year.
EJ Montgomery: Man is he smooth. His touch on the ball, more than anything else, will command NBA scout’s attention. He’s very athletic for his size. He shows great promise on the defensive end, even if positioning and timing needs some work.
Nick Richards: I’m hesitant to heap praise on him considering the way he tailed off last season, but man he looks 10x more confident than he ever has before. His tenacity on the defensive end could result in the best rim protection since Willie. Shot blocking has been sorely missed the last few years. He’s got a lot of potential on the offensive side. His hands look much improved.
This is long enough as it is, but team wise I loved the ball movement and movement off the ball. With the way they pass it and move they can break down any defense. They just look in sync.
We haven’t had this good of a shooting team in awhile. Maybe the best of the Cal era.
I liked the amount of trash talking that was displayed tonight. In a weird way, it showed a high level of team chemistry. A team with poor chemistry would have been quiet, but they were going back and forth. It’s a sign of high competitiveness, as well as chemistry.
Quade Green: His improvement won’t be dramatic this season, but he looks like a more polished version of his Freshman self. Looks to be in better shape. Can knock it down from anywhere on the court, and he’s a decent finisher considering his size. He makes some great passes.
Ashton Hagans: He’s going to have a ton of quiet games, but he will fill the box score up across the board. He’s the utility man on this team. He will have a ton of games where his box score will read something like: 8 Points, 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 3 Steals, 1 Block. Nothing that jumps out at you stats wise but consistency at everything and an absolute pit bull on the defensive end.
Immanuel Quickley: He’s going to be a surprise for a lot of opposing defenses this year. Can shoot the ball well, and is pretty smooth handling the ball. Wasn’t overly noticeable tonight but he can score in a variety of ways.
Jemarl Baker: He had some flashes tonight. I’m sure he was nervous and/or rusty. He looks a step behind, but I feel that’s more testament to the talent level of this team. For a player that is slated to be here multiple years, fans should feel good having him develop the next few years.
Tyler Herro: Natural scorer. It doesn’t matter where he is on the court, half court or in transition, he gets buckets. The best thing he can work on is shot selection, but he seems to hit it no matter when/where.
Keldon Johnson: He’s so talented. He easily has the highest ceiling on the team. I love his intensity on the defensive end. So many players of his caliber take a pass on the defensive end, but he’s just a competitor. The biggest thing he needs to work on is decision making and shot selection. He has a tendency to force things.
PJ Washington: It’s a night and day difference watching him move on the court. He looks so fluid compared to last year where he felt more rigid. He was strong, but almost stiff in movement. Shooting still remains to be seen, but he looks improved in that aspect. The sky is the limit for him this season.
Reid Travis: Forget what you saw from the Bahamas, save maybe the last game. He looked the part of an All-American level player tonight. He rebounds like Jarred Vanderbilt, but with an infinitely more polished offensive game. That’s scary. He’s going to be the best player on the court a lot of games this year.
EJ Montgomery: Man is he smooth. His touch on the ball, more than anything else, will command NBA scout’s attention. He’s very athletic for his size. He shows great promise on the defensive end, even if positioning and timing needs some work.
Nick Richards: I’m hesitant to heap praise on him considering the way he tailed off last season, but man he looks 10x more confident than he ever has before. His tenacity on the defensive end could result in the best rim protection since Willie. Shot blocking has been sorely missed the last few years. He’s got a lot of potential on the offensive side. His hands look much improved.
This is long enough as it is, but team wise I loved the ball movement and movement off the ball. With the way they pass it and move they can break down any defense. They just look in sync.
We haven’t had this good of a shooting team in awhile. Maybe the best of the Cal era.
I liked the amount of trash talking that was displayed tonight. In a weird way, it showed a high level of team chemistry. A team with poor chemistry would have been quiet, but they were going back and forth. It’s a sign of high competitiveness, as well as chemistry.
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