Leaderboard

This team is on fire. Beat the pre-season favorites a week ago and swept last year's top team (Hofstra) this past weekend.

Got to see hoops practice on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was mostly about drills so I decided to wait until today to make a report. First saw Solomon U. on the side working out, which meant he was obviously injured but not seriously because he wasn't limping. Found out he had a scope on his knee and should be back shortly. His brother Vic got a lot of playing time the last couple of days with Solomon out and Nakye Sanders slowed by an ankle injury. Guys that sit out are usually not that involved but in the post, we only had Tunstall and freshman Charles Thompson. Juwan Gray is a stretch four, he's not really a typical Towson power forward. So Sunday, got a better view of the team as they did more five-one-five stuff. Situational stuff, shot clock at 8, but at least a lot of five-one-five, which is better than five on none. Coach Skerry is trying to limit the contact to save bodies this early in camp. That's understandable considering two guys are banged up and even Timberlake is dealing with a back issue. It's all about the point guard play. As expected, T.J. (Tobias) Howard was playing more shooting guard. Jakigh Dottin and Jason Gibson are basically vying for the starting spot. Dottin is fine defensively, but he doesn't offer much of a threat as a shooter. As for Gibson, I don't love his set shot jumper but it's not bad for a three-pointer. His floater worked extremely well and he can go to his left just as well as he can go to his right. He's probably a legit 6-1 and close to 170 pounds after putting on weight so he's not that thin. But the thing that stands out is his passing. He'll drive the lane and kick it out, which is something you haven't seen that often in Towson point guards. He thinks pass-first but is a threat to score if you back off or think he's too slow. He's always looking to dish it to Fobbs in the corner or Timberlake. It's early, but I think they have finally found a legit point guard. At least with Dottin and Howard, you have guys that can fill in just in case. In Howard, I can see him play some with Gibson, off the ball or on it. They say the best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores. Or that the biggest improvement players make is from their freshman to sophomore seasons. Corny cliches' but I think the latter is usually true after covering games forever. That's not always the case but it was in guys like Mike Morsell. I think Nick Timberlake has made some strides though technically he is a freshman. He looks more confident in his jumper though he does double-clutch on his mid-range shot. He's not really thinking on his three-point shot. He's just shooting it. And for the most part, it's going in. I remember watching him last summer when he just showed up. I wasn't sure about his jumper and thought he should take it to the hoop more because of his ups. I still think he should take it to the hoop more but his jumper looks better. I can say the same thing about AB (Betrand). He's playing with a lot more confidence and they like his defensive ability. He'll see time at the 2 and 3. I'd like to see him play with Gibson more because his size and defense could help if he starts at the 2. Gibson will have his struggles on that end. Most freshmen have issues on D. He's not bad but teams will attack him. Betrand can help some though Timberlake might be too good not to start. It's not a bad problem to have if these second-year guys continue to improve. Other than Gibson, the key is Gray. He's probably going to start at the 4. He gives the team another scoring option next to Fobbs, so teams won't just harp on 23. I thought he looked great in the shooting drills on Saturday. Really nice rotation on the ball and great on corner threes. In the five-on-five stuff, I didn't really notice him. He didn't really force anything. Doesn't appear to slash to the basket much or post up. Just has to be more involved in the offense. But again, these are drills. Might find out more next week when they scrimmage. Charles Thompson, the 6-7, 235-pound freshman looks good. Doesn't shoot outside of 5 feet, Typical old-school power forward. Can rebound, has very long arms and score down low. Should play some though with Solomon, Dennis, Nakye and Gray, not sure there will be a lot of time for him. I guess if Solomon was out for a long period of time, they could redshirt him. But I also think he has better potential as he can shoot from distance and has a nice touch overall but can also post up. Sanders might get the start because he can help Gray rebounding (not that Gray is bad), but is bigger and more physical than DT. Either way, DT and Sanders will play a lot in the post. Thompson and Solly will have to fight for the other minutes. I'll have more comments later from PS. The rest is pretty much status quo.

Two preseason previews are out today... https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/10/7/20901405/towson-tigers-ncaa-basketball-season-preview-brian-fobbs-caa-2020 https://www.three-man-weave.com/3mw/colonial-2020-preview

If you have HBO or HBO Go, they are focusing on Florida and the first episode has them preparing for Towson. Surprised Liev Schrieber was able to pronounce "Towson" right though caught a little Towzen. The facilities are just incredible. Not surprising of course. Everybody has a crazy S&C coach and this one uses a megaphone. Saw a little Towson film. Then some Flacco first half highlights of him running and dropping the ball. But no mention of his name. Dan Mullen's halftime speech, "thank God their quarterback dropped the ball and their kicker missed." Rob got a little pub at the end with the extended handshake. None of that publicity happens if you play Akron or Toledo.