Well, basketball season is back! RMU tipped things off with
an exhibition against California University of Pennsylvania. It wasn’t very
pretty at times but what else did we expect? With so much turnover, shots weren’t
going to fall, passes were going to be to open spaces, rotations would be off,
etc. Here are some things I noticed:
-Tempo, tempo, tempo:
This was the biggest takeaway I had. How fast did RMU move the ball up the
court after every shot? It was noticeable enough to get its own post. RMU has a
ton of guards, most of which can really handle the ball. This is something to
keep an eye on as the year progresses.
-Hello, Kavon: The
player I was most impressed with? Kavon Stewart. The freshman point guard has
some pretty crazy hype around him and I can see why. Stewart is blazing fast
and has handles. He saw much more
time than Britton Lee, especially in the second half, and I keep hearing rumors
that Lee could be redshirted. It’s something to keep an eye on.
-Playing tough: Two
other new guys that impressed me were forwards Jeremiah Worthem and Desjuan
Newton. Newton
is also known as “Juanie”, just an FYI. Juanie finished with ten points and a polished-ish
jump shot. It was surprising to see. Worthem was just as impressive, making his
presence felt everywhere. He grabbed 10 rebounds and had five points. In my
opinion, I think Worthem will be a starter before seasons end. The talent is
evident.
-Not all sunshine and
rainbows: One player I was not overly impressed with was Aaron Tate. Tate’s
a really athletic, junior college transfer who definitely can sky for rebounds
and can guard four positions. He started along with Anthony Myers-Pate, Karvel
Anderson, Lucky Jones and Mike McFadden. It was his first game here and it was
a scrimmage, so I’m not reading too much into anything, but I thought he was
pretty slow on defensive rotations. Toole may have agreed, not playing Tate as
much in the second half.
-Other notes: Mike
McFadden is going to be a viable low-post option, as evidenced by his 18
points. Say a prayer every night for his health… Anthony Myers-Pate might be the most underrated player in the NEC… Karvel Anderson still looked a little hesitant
to shoot the ball at times. Make it rain Karvel... It was pretty evident the effort wasn't 100 percent there for Lucky
Jones. Toole got on him about a few times… Guys: You’ve Got To Make Your
Free Throws, Dammit (first time this year!!!)… The basketball team may have
been a bit sloppy, but the pep band
ROCKED it. Game ball for them… I caught a t-shirt for the first time in three
years. You may not care, but it’s my blog and this is a big deal to me. CTC is
extremely pro-RMU Cheer… Solid song
selection for the dance team, rocking it to “Give it 2 U” by Robin Thicke.
This was a nice tune-up game. There obviously plenty to work
on, but be excited for the future. First game is at home November 9.
--Chris Cappella
--@C_Cappella
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