Post#118 » by chonestown » Mon Oct 10, 2022 8:23 pm
Extremely rare Chones-penned basketball content coming up. Buckle in caballeros.
I did attend the scrimmage yesterday. There was little promotion and I expected a light crowd. I was correct. What I did not expect was a crisp, well-played simulation characterized by great shooting.
Wahl - whom I have a habit of calling "Jacob" due to absolutely poisoned online brain - did the normal Wahl things, but he also hit 3/4 from deep. Shot did not look hinky. If Wahl is hitting upwards of 35% from 3 this year, he's an easy 1st team B10 pick. Throw that in with his craftiness in the paint and there might be an honest-to-god offensive weapon. Low sample size and alladat, but it's hard not to adjust expectations skyward.
Charles Hepburn of the plains ran the show as expected. Looks fully recovered, played his trademark pesky defense and mixed in scoring from all three levels
Conner Essegian, hoo-boy. What we have with Connor Essegian, as Hubie Brown might opine, is a long-distance marksman, okay. You have someone with a compact, repeatable stroke who catches the ball ready to get up. This guy right here, he can give you instant offense. The homey is absolutely lethal from downtown, as in the net did not move as the shots found purchase. That he connected from deep often enough is good news, but the way he did it is even more encouraging. Just completely effortless. A damn sniper. He will find the floor simply based on that. Would not shock me to see him starting before conference play begins.
I cannot imagine Klesmit will not start. He's an upperclassman and is clearly a savvy scorer. Would have loved if he started at UW to begin with, but he'll quickly find a spot. One of those guys who Gets. It. Having a hard time finding an immediate point of comparison for him. Probably too big/not athletic enough to be a true swing player, but oversized to fit in the backcourt.
Crowl: not a lot of touches, but body continues to mature. His few back-to-the-basket moves were decisive and displayed good footwork. Another good Minnesota pivot player, I have read this story before, I will continue to subscribe to this newsletter
Hodges: inconclusive. Has an impressive wingspan, plays strong, but didn't show much on offense. No idea if he can be a garbage man or hit from the wing. He will have to play, because there's not much size other than Crowl. My guess is there will be plenty of lineups featuring Wahl as a 5. Wahl looks strong, plays strong, but you don't want to grind him to a nub playing a position he's not optimally suited for.
Jordan Davis: hit a 3, might be the guy used to put shackles on opposing wings, but he's probably going be coming off the bench and not wearing a garish-colored suit as his named is called in MSG next June. Showed some ability off the dribble, but would think Klesmit eclipses him in the rotation.
Gilmore: no longer a sapling, seemed more assertive, but I dunno.
Ilver: eh, didn't show too much yesterday. I have decided to call him Markus Silver and am praying for him to sink Marquette with a decisive late-game shot if only to see the headline "Silver Better than Gold; UW Sinks Marquette." To those who say this is a ridiculous scenario, dreams are free, mfer. Can I live?
The walk-ons: Luke Haertle and Ross (Hey I'm walking herrrrrrrre!) Candelino may be the first walk-ons to make a serious impact since, I dunno, Clay Hansen. Haertle looks way more impressive than McGory. He's straight out of the football qb plays pg at Wisconsin script, but he already has his body in basketball form. Physically, he looks like he's year 2 in the Davidson timeline. Strong with the ball, good vision as a passer and is decidedly not scurrrrrrred. A guy who can spot up from 3 and take advantage of an open lane. Candelino looks like an option as a wing guy in the future. Puts the P in the POW of preferred walk on. Put up good numbers yesterday, but, and I'm staying on a theme here, the numbers didn't seem fluky.
Cannot stress enough how crisp the scrimmage was. Historically, these are usually sloppy affairs and sometimes outright shtshows, as last year's was. Shooting is traditionally horrible and I think both squads were over 50% from deep. There's maybe two guys who are top-line talent (Chuckie, Wahl), but they look deep. For them to look this together this early in a camp is an eye-opener for me. I hesitate to make any predictions, but I'm pleasantly surprised after this peek.
Also, in a disgusting display of nepotism, Isaac Gard found the court. Fire Gard.
“I went to Toronto, I went to Atlanta/I used to drink Pepsi, but now I like Fanta.”
-Hannibal Burress's impression of Canadian music figure Drake
"Poor as a mouse every morning/Rich as a cat every night."
-DCB
