Pre-Season Practice

[Dave in Green]

Had a chance to watch a Zips practice today and thought it might be useful to start a new thread for an ongoing discussion on how all the players are developing through pre-season practice. All the returning players from last season looked healthy and rested today. I didn't really see any significant changes in anyone's general performance. But it's still early in the practice season, and most of the drills were pretty basic. Most of my attention was on Q and the incoming freshmen.

I spent a lot of time watching Q and just kept shaking my head at how good his game looks. First of all, despite sitting out a season, he appears to be in the best condition of all the players. He worked out hard and fast throughout his time on the floor, but never seemed to run out of breath. He must be living in the weight room. Second, he has even better moves to the basket than I recall from the last time he played. And finally, his 3-point shooting was outrageously good. I joked that he looks like he's been taking lessons from Jonas. Q is intense and focused.

The four freshmen were all impressive. They're all big, athletic and pretty sound on the fundamentals for raw freshmen. They were learning new drills and all caught on quickly. Isaiah Johnson is huge, even next to Matt Futch! But he has a smooth, soft shot, inside and out. When the freshmen were practicing 18-footers from the side, Isaiah was using the glass a lot and hitting a higher percentage than I expected. He's impressive. As GoZips has noted, Kwan Cheatham has definitely added some weight and no longer looks like a rail. He has a nice outside shot that he probably developed as a shooting guard before his growth spurt. B.J. Gladden just arrived yesterday and today was his first practice. He's built like a smaller Tree and appears to be both strong and agile. Of the four, Aaron Jackson appeared today to be the most intense. He's really quick for his size, and has nice hang time on his jumpshots followed by a really quick release. We'll get a better idea of just how good the freshmen are after they start scrimmaging with the veterans.

[Z.I.P.]

Had a chance to watch a Zips practice today and thought it might be useful to start a new thread for an ongoing discussion on how all the players are developing through pre-season practice. All the returning players from last season looked healthy and rested today. I didn't really see any significant changes in anyone's general performance. But it's still early in the practice season, and most of the drills were pretty basic. Most of my attention was on Q and the incoming freshmen.

I spent a lot of time watching Q and just kept shaking my head at how good his game looks. First of all, despite sitting out a season, he appears to be in the best condition of all the players. He worked out hard and fast throughout his time on the floor, but never seemed to run out of breath. He must be living in the weight room. Second, he has even better moves to the basket than I recall from the last time he played. And finally, his 3-point shooting was outrageously good. I joked that he looks like he's been taking lessons from Jonas. Q is intense and focused.

The four freshmen were all impressive. They're all big, athletic and pretty sound on the fundamentals for raw freshmen. They were learning new drills and all caught on quickly. Isaiah Johnson is huge, even next to Matt Futch! But he has a smooth, soft shot, inside and out. When the freshmen were practicing 18-footers from the side, Isaiah was using the glass a lot and hitting a higher percentage than I expected. He's impressive. As GoZips has noted, Kwan Cheatham has definitely added some weight and no longer looks like a rail. He has a nice outside shot that he probably developed as a shooting guard before his growth spurt. B.J. Gladden just arrived yesterday and today was his first practice. He's built like a smaller Tree and appears to be both strong and agile. Of the four, Aaron Jackson appeared today to be the most intense. He's really quick for his size, and has nice hang time on his jumpshots followed by a really quick release. We'll get a better idea of just how good the freshmen are after they start scrimmaging with the veterans.

So what you're saying is: Look out, because AJ is fighting to deny the red-shirt coaches want to put on his back! We'll be looking forward to the display all the malahini (newbie) Zips put on for the fans in the islands, come December 23rd. And hopefully before and after...

[akronzips71]

Thanks DIG. Please keep us updated.

The Dance owes us something this year.

KD has already decreed that there will be NO food the night before the game and anyone who gets arrested will be executed.

[Dave in Green]

I can honestly say at this very early stage that I did not see any obvious redshirts among the freshmen. I'll try not to be overly optimistic, however, as I had pretty high hopes for the class of 2010-2011 (Josh Egner, Dakotah Euton and Michael Green), and they all failed to live up to expectations. From what I saw today, my initial thoughts are that the UA program is attracting a generally higher level of recruit in the last couple of years than in previous years. But the four new freshmen still have a lot to prove under game conditions before they become anointed. Let's see how quickly they adapt to D-I college play worthy of an NCAA tournament invitation.

[akronzips71]

I can honestly say at this very early stage that I did not see any obvious redshirts among the freshmen. I'll try not to be overly optimistic, however, as I had pretty high hopes for the class of 2010-2011 (Josh Egner, Dakotah Euton and Michael Green), and they all failed to live up to expectations. From what I saw today, my initial thoughts are that the UA program is attracting a generally higher level of recruit in the last couple of years than in previous years. But the four new freshmen still have a lot to prove under game conditions before they become anointed. Let's see how quickly they adapt to D-I college play worthy of an NCAA tournament invitation.

That is what happens when you have some really solid players on the team. None of those guys were going to make Tree or Harney or Walsh or CG or AA sit. And no one was going to make Zeke sit.

It is all good. That is where we want to be.

[Quickzips]

I can honestly say at this very early stage that I did not see any obvious redshirts among the freshmen. I'll try not to be overly optimistic, however, as I had pretty high hopes for the class of 2010-2011 (Josh Egner, Dakotah Euton and Michael Green), and they all failed to live up to expectations. From what I saw today, my initial thoughts are that the UA program is attracting a generally higher level of recruit in the last couple of years than in previous years. But the four new freshmen still have a lot to prove under game conditions before they become anointed. Let's see how quickly they adapt to D-I college play worthy of an NCAA tournament invitation.

I can't see any way in which all 5 of the newcomers see playing time this year. Not with seven (if you want to count Q) guys coming back who have been in the rotation. If these 5 guys are all good enough to play minutes and push one or two of Melo, McAdams, Q, Kretzer, Harney, Tree and Forsythe to the bench then the MAC doesn't stand a chance in 2013-14. It is going to be a blood bath.

I've not seen any practices, but just in what I know of these guys and what I'm reading on here I think this is how it will play out.

Evans will get playing time. You don't bring in a JUCO PG to sit him on the bench. You especially don't sit him on the bench when your starting PG from a year ago is no longer on the team.

Cheatham will redshirt. In most instances guys who have gone through the kind of growth spurt he has need time to develop. Maybe on some other teams he could do that while still playing some minutes, but not here. And especially not when he will be competing for playing time with Tree and Harney.

Ike will play with the caveat that his conditioning has to be good enough for him to warrant minutes. His weight has to be a major concern for the coaching staff, and I expect them to monitor it quite closely. With the way the college game is played today you can't have a boat anchor out there. If Ike can keep up with the tempo he will at least see backup minutes behind Forsythe.

Gladden and Jackson will battle it out for the last spot in the rotation with whoever shows up better in practices winning out. There isn't room in the rotation for 2 more wings right now. Not with McAdams, Q, Kretzer and Harney already in place. I'll give the edge to Gladden at the moment simply because I think his skill set is something we don't quite have in any of the other guys right now, but I could easily see Jackson beating him out. KD loves guys who go at it hard all the time and bring some intensity to the game, and Jackson seems to fit that build.

And as one more aside. Deji plays sparingly if at all and transfers out at years end. Good kid. Plenty of athletic ability. Not a D-I basketball player.

[GoZips]

I can't see any way in which all 5 of the newcomers see playing time this year. Not with seven (if you want to count Q) guys coming back who have been in the rotation. If these 5 guys are all good enough to play minutes and push one or two of Melo, McAdams, Q, Kretzer, Harney, Tree and Forsythe to the bench then the MAC doesn't stand a chance in 2013-14. It is going to be a blood bath.

It is a numbers game. Thirteen quality players vying for nine or ten spots.Only injury or academics would bench any

of the current Zips. The freshmen, while talented, are not at the skill level to over take current players.

I've not seen any practices, but just in what I know of these guys and what I'm reading on here I think this is how it will play out.

I have to say that for having not seen any practices you have a darn good crystal ball. You are pretty much on the mark

with your observations. Kudos.

Evans will get playing time. You don't bring in a JUCO PG to sit him on the bench. You especially don't sit him on the bench when your starting PG from a year ago is no longer on the team.

Yes, Evans will get playing time. How well he adapts determines how soon the point is his to command. There are other options at the point.

Can Carmelo step up his game? Is one or more of the freshman capable of running the point? Playing Reggie or Quincy at the point is probably more determined by situational needs such as the need for tall point guard in certain offenses. The opposition could determine some of these combinations.

Cheatham will redshirt. In most instances guys who have gone through the kind of growth spurt he has need time to develop. Maybe on some other teams he could do that while still playing some minutes, but not here. And especially not when he will be competing for playing time with Tree and Harney.

Kwan is a six-nine power forward with an excellent outside shot. Since he was a shooting guard most of his high school

and AAU playing days he brings a different mind set than most power forwards. Add in that Kwan put on a solid thirty

pounds since he was recruited. He did not show up on campus like a stick man when being recruited.

Ike will play with the caveat that his conditioning has to be good enough for him to warrant minutes. His weight has to be a major concern for the coaching staff, and I expect them to monitor it quite closely. With the way the college game is played today you can't have a boat anchor out there. If Ike can keep up with the tempo he will at least see backup minutes behind Forsythe.

Isiah Johnson is no butterball. He is a BIG, powerful young man. Isiah right now might be the best offensive lineman

at Akron. The coaches will have him in great shape come the season. Johnson has to counted on to back up Pat Forsythe.

Gladden and Jackson will battle it out for the last spot in the rotation with whoever shows up better in practices winning out. There isn't room in the rotation for 2 more wings right now. Not with McAdams, Q, Kretzer and Harney already in place. I'll give the edge to Gladden at the moment simply because I think his skill set is something we don't quite have in any of the other guys right now, but I could easily see Jackson beating him out. KD loves guys who go at it hard all the time and bring some intensity to the game, and Jackson seems to fit that build.

Not sure that these two are battling each other for anything. They are two different style players. Aaron is a couple of

inches taller. BJ, on the other hand, can play point guard. Both have good outside game. Both can defend. Those of you

who watched several Gahanna Lincoln games on TV know that Aaron schooled De'shaun Tate more than once. Some one

will undoubtedly point out that Aaron Jackson played point on his high school team.

And as one more aside. Deji plays sparingly if at all and transfers out at years end. Good kid. Plenty of athletic ability. Not a D-I basketball player.

It is, after all, a numbers game. The coaches would like to keep some of this talent in reserve and build the future

around these kids, Still, some contribution from Evans and the freshman is needed for the Zips to have a great 2013-14.

[taxpayer]

I see four players subjected to extra pressure by KD and the staff:

Q - no BS in practice, show up early, lead by example and no off court issues. I look for Q to be co-leader of this group along with Tree. I believe Q is up to the challenge.

Mr. Evans - The coaches know that it's imperative for the pg to be a solid ball handler and a deliverer of the ball. Limited turnovers, the right pass, solid D will be demanded. A few points from this spot is icing on this cake. If the two listed pg's only play this position it will be a great thing.

Deji - he appears to be the odd man out at the 2 and 3. If he can be a defensive stopper, adequate rebounder and limit mistakes with the ball then that role is available. Shooters and average defenders abound. What will be needed is an effort and attitude like BWalsh displayed. Content with not alot of shots, defend other teams scorer at the 2 or 3 and rebound your butt off. If Deji embraces such a role then I see a redshirt for one of the freshmen.

Mr. Johnson might be the best offensive lineman at Akron but this is basketball. Speed kills (VCU) and not many 300+ young men can move. Nutritional discipline, time in the weight room and conditioning to be as important as skill development for Isaiah. If he buys into this, there are minutes for him. If not, run, run, and run some more big man. Get a red shirt, drop weight and work on your game for a year during practice.

Like last year, practices will be as intense as games to earn playing time.

Good luck to all!

[Dave in Green]

Isaiah's HS coach said that he had worked extra hard to get in shape for his senior season and had been running five miles a day, which is a lot for a big man like him. In college, Isaiah will not have the luxury of allowing his weight to balloon in the off-season. Even though he's proven that he has the willpower to work that weight off, it's not healthy to be gaining and losing so much weight all the time. From what I've read about Isaiah, I'm betting he will be up to the challenge and will work himself into shape and stay there.

[Dr Z]

it's not healthy to be gaining and losing so much weight all the time.

Don't tell that to Big Snack!

Hopefully Tree's conditioning/diet are an influence. If not, keep feeding him and get him a helmet.

[skip-zip]

I can honestly say at this very early stage that I did not see any obvious redshirts among the freshmen. I'll try not to be overly optimistic, however, as I had pretty high hopes for the class of 2010-2011 (Josh Egner, Dakotah Euton and Michael Green), and they all failed to live up to expectations. From what I saw today, my initial thoughts are that the UA program is attracting a generally higher level of recruit in the last couple of years than in previous years. But the four new freshmen still have a lot to prove under game conditions before they become anointed. Let's see how quickly they adapt to D-I college play worthy of an NCAA tournament invitation.

Dave,

Thanks for taking over my role of reminding everyone about this same thing every year. Some people feel compelled to start inserting freshmen into key roles before they have even had a taste of a D-1 basketball court.

And I do agree with you that the "scrub factor" has been reduced in recent years. May that trend continue.

[Quickzips]

It is, after all, a numbers game. The coaches would like to keep some of this talent in reserve and build the future

around these kids, Still, some contribution from Evans and the freshman is needed for the Zips to have a great 2013-14.

Just to follow up on a few of my comments:

It was not my intention in any way to imply that Kwan needed to add on extra weight to be able to play at this level. My only point is that guys who suddenly go from SG size to PF size usually need some extra time to adapt to that change. There are exceptions, but for every Anthony Davis (former Kentucky big-man and 2012 NBA #1 draft pick) there are 3 or 4 Cameron Blacks (BG center who really should have red-shirted a year). Unless Kwan shows up big time in the pre-season I would really rather see him red-shirt a year. It isn't like we are hurting at PF right now anyways.

I did not mean to imply that Gladden and Jackson are similar players. By all accounts they are not, and the tape on them from high school seems to confirm that. My only point is that they are likely going to be playing on the wing for the Zips, and that the Zips have a lot of proven wing players returning. In that sense I do think they will likely be in competition for whatever playing time might be available after Q, McAdams, Kretzer and Harney get their minutes. I doubt that there will be enough minutes left over to justify burning the red-shirt on both B.J. and Aaron, which is why I think one will play and one will red-shirt. I expect it to be one of the more interesting battles in camp.

[Dr Z]

According to George's twitter, Tree is having a precautionary MRI on his knee.

[akronzips71]

According to George's twitter, Tree is having a precautionary MRI on his knee.

If he has to have it scoped, he has plenty of time to rehab it. Do it now, it will not interfere with the season at all.

Tree gets so high in the air it probably is killing his knees.

[Warriors4life]

Just to follow up on a few of my comments:

It was not my intention in any way to imply that Kwan needed to add on extra weight to be able to play at this level. My only point is that guys who suddenly go from SG size to PF size usually need some extra time to adapt to that change. There are exceptions, but for every Anthony Davis (former Kentucky big-man and 2012 NBA #1 draft pick) there are 3 or 4 Cameron Blacks (BG center who really should have red-shirted a year). Unless Kwan shows up big time in the pre-season I would really rather see him red-shirt a year. It isn't like we are hurting at PF right now anyways.

I did not mean to imply that Gladden and Jackson are similar players. By all accounts they are not, and the tape on them from high school seems to confirm that. My only point is that they are likely going to be playing on the wing for the Zips, and that the Zips have a lot of proven wing players returning. In that sense I do think they will likely be in competition for whatever playing time might be available after Q, McAdams, Kretzer and Harney get their minutes. I doubt that there will be enough minutes left over to justify burning the red-shirt on both B.J. and Aaron, which is why I think one will play and one will red-shirt. I expect it to be one of the more interesting battles in camp.

I would like to clear up some facts regarding Kwan. He has never been a SG has always played the 3 and 4. Really started playing the 5 in his junior year of AAU which in his junior year of high school her actual play the 3, 4 and 5 sometimes he brought the ball up as the 1 if needed. Also, Kwan grew to about 6 '8 over the summer of his junior year and weigh about 215. This past year he grew another inch in half which brings him to 6'9 1/2 and about 235 lbs. Kwan will turn 18 this August and if he continues to develop his ball handles because he can already shoot the ball and his defense is on point. I really can't see them red-shirted Kwan with all that height and talent his has.

[akronzips71]

I would like to clear up some facts regarding Kwan. He has never been a SG has always played the 3 and 4. Really started playing the 5 in his junior year of AAU which in his junior year of high school her actual play the 3, 4 and 5 sometimes he brought the ball up as the 1 if needed. Also, Kwan grew to about 6 '8 over the summer of his junior year and weigh about 215. This past year he grew another inch in half which brings him to 6'9 1/2 and about 235 lbs. Kwan will turn 18 this August and if he continues to develop his ball handles because he can already shoot the ball and his defense is on point. I really can't see them red-shirted Kwan with all that height and talent his has.

If he is really around 6'10" that is awesome. Size matters in hoops.

[Dave in Green]

@KC4three, that's my bad memory for identifying Kwan as a former shooting guard. In fact, I was the first one on ZN.o to post any information about what positions he had played, and I cited that he was a wing who could shoot from both the inside and outside before moving to power forward. He developed his outside shot playing the 3 spot and not the 2.

[Dave in Green]

I just did a little research on the term "wing" as used in describing basketball playing positions. While there are many slightly different definitions of wing players, most describe a wing as someone who plays both the small forward (3) and shooting guard (2) positions, also known as a swingman. I think that's what threw me about reading the description of Kwan Cheatham having once been a wing with inside and outside games. I assumed that he had played both the 2 and 3 positions before moving to the 4 spot. If he has the strength to play the 4 against D-I college competition, Kwan's good outside game and the ability to handle the ball more like a 3 may qualify him as a stretch 4. Examples of stretch 4s in the NBA include players like Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Bosch and Carmelo Anthony.

[Blue & Gold]

Has anyone seen Nyles Evans in action, and if so, how does he look?

[GoZips]

Has anyone seen Nyles Evans in action, and if so, how does he look?

Nyles is not yet on campus. He should be in Akron for summer session II.

[Blue & Gold]

Nyles is not yet on campus. He should be in Akron for summer session II.

Thank you

[GoZips]

Big Dog is coming.

[zippy5]

Aaron Jackson's alley oop was #7 on sportscenter

[Blue & Gold]

Aaron Jackson's alley oop was #7 on sportscenter

SportsCenter? Really? I'll have to check that out. Did they mention UA?

[Blue & Gold]

SportsCenter? Really? I'll have to check that out. Did they mention UA?

Nevermind.