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mat1992

Second Practice Update

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This will be my last basketball practice update until the fall. No Pat Skerry, Pat O'Connell and Kevin Clark for this one as they were on the road recruiting. Coach Parfait ran the practice and it was good to see a lot of 5x5. They ended 15 players going back-and-forth full court. The team that scores the basket takes gets the ball back and goes to the other side against a different group of five players. That included Juwan Gray and Brian Fobbs who were also there before going back overseas. Jason Gibson was out.

Things also got a little heated, which you usually don't see in the summer as they are more casual workouts. Maybe they needed that. I would say that fortunately, the season is about 3 1/2 months away. There were a ton of turnovers and sloppy play. Some of that was due to some new guys not used to seeing that defensive pressure. Ryan Conway was playing with the twos with Nygal Russell, Sekou Sylla and a collection of Tyler Coleman, Christian May, Chris Biekeu, Dylan Williamson and Chase Paar.

I would say that Conway should eventually start and needs to play with Cam Holden. Holden is the leader and he finds the open player. I would Conway, as of right now, is more lead guard than point guard. Radhir Hicks started at the point and I could see that happening in the regular season, at least at the beginning. Hicks has improved his body, his jumper and has gotten more confident in his play. You know what we have in Timberlake, Thompson, and Holden. (Gibson as well). Nic has become a terrific shooter around the perimeter, though I'd like to see him finish better and use his left hand more. Holden has improved his jumper some, but he's still the guy that runs the show. CT is CT.

So Conway is the key. I think he's a guy that can eventually the guy playing at the end of games when you need a bucket and someone who can create. His ability to score in a variety of ways makes him valuable as hell. He just needs to improve on other areas: defense, turnovers, creating for others.

Sylla still seems more comfortable backing people down. He's essentially a center at 6-5, 220, but will need to improve at facing the basket. His three-point shot is serviceable. Probably needs a little more arc. If he's coming off the bench, he could be great at the 4 and 3. Not sure how he fits in as a starter with Holden because I didn't see that combination today. 

Paar looked good physically. Looks though he dropped at least 10 pounds, if not more. It will be a battle between him and Biekeu for the backup 5 spot.

I do like May and Williamson. Both shoot the three ball well. Williamson will just need to get bigger and stronger. I don't see him playing much this year. You can't play everyone. He's probably more of a two as well and will need to develop more point guard skills. May is very athletic and can shoot the three. He can just rise over guys if you don't block him out and jam it back as it comes off the rim. So he has the shot and athleticism. Again, finding time for him will be tough with a guy like Russell at the 3. Timberlake can play the 3 and Hold and Sylla as well.

More later as I have an interview with Cam to come.

 

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19 minutes ago, TuTigers2012 said:

What’s wrong with Gibson 

Nothing major. Pat mentioned it Monday when I spoke with him and I forgot if it was a dental issue or something other minor issue.

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Here are some comments from the Cam Holden interview after practice:

 

 On chemistry of last year's team

"I think the chemistry came together around this time late last summer. I feel like we all clicked together. Make sure everybody is sharp physically and mentally. Today was a great practice, even though it wasn't much basketball. Make sure everybody toughened up and competed. I think it clicked mostly off the court. We're all best friends and a bunch of brothers. It's more off the court than on the court."

On new guys

"These guys fit perfectly. Sekou was a D2 Player of the Year-a great player. Nyga (Russell), I played against him in my old conference (at Tenn Martin). He brings great energy. Great defender and shooter. Ryan Conway comes from a high major and has great skills. Is a very good scorer and has to learn how to tell with us. We have a great freshman corps. They came in and were ready to compete."

On his accolades last season (1st team All-CAA, All-Defense)

"My year was great. My teammates trust me. Coming from being a transfer they let me lead and play my style. All the accolades had my name on it, but it should have their names on because they gave me the ball where I wanted. They trusted me on the defensive end to guard 1-through-5."

On being unselfish

"What I noticed this team, they didn't need a big-time scorer. They needed a piece. A versatile piece that I am. A swiss-army knife that can post up and play inside out. I was that guy that helped gel. Same with Terry Nolan. We helped changed Towson basketball. We re-loaded. A lot of guys say  re-build, but we re-loaded."

On playing with mask

"Playing with a broken jaw was the hardest thing. I had to accept it. The first game against Drexel (on the road), I was complaining to the coaches that I couldn't see (with the mask).  Eventually, I just practice every day with it and became something I couldn't go without. I got a new mask that was clear from Ohio State and my face was molded up. By the time I got the clear mask, it was time to take it off."

On the CAA Tournament

"We had the worst luck going into the semifinals game against Delaware. They were a great team, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and adds fuel to the fire. We all look back and think about that game that we dropped. We definitely were a tournament team. So this year is nothing but a revenge tour. The main reason I hopped out of the portal, I just knew I couldn't leave on that note knowing that this team hadn't been in the tournament since 1991. We brought a regular season championship. I'm here to set the tone every day. Now, it's all about the tournament."

"It's like a bad nightmare. It was hard to watch tournament teams after that."

On cutting down the nets after Delaware

"Still a great experience. I never won a regular season championship. Just seeing everyone happy. Students running around. Happy that we could do something special. It's July, I'm thinking about what we need to do at D.C."

On what he needs to work on

"Catch-and-shoot. We have great shooters. If I shoot the ball better, it will help those guys get open. Free thrown line. I went there a bench. Try to improve."

On portal

"My ultimate goal was to play at the high-major level. When I look back and think about it, this school took time. I thought about it. I had 15-20 high majors. I returned the call and said this is home. They accepted me from a school that wasn't winning. I felt like I couldn't leave guys like Nic, Charles and Jason. They treated me like family. Made me feel like I was home. I feel like I could finish my career here."

To get that ring

"We have to get to the end. Playing a team three teams, it's hard to beat them three times. Delaware caught on what we did. They capitalized and adjusted better. Unfortunately, Charles and I were banged up. We never had our true lineup. We were always playing with a different lineup. I played point guard at Elon with all point guards out. (Tyler) Gill did a nice job for a few minutes. We make sure everyone is ready and prepared. When your number is called, you should be ready to go."

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I wish we could clone Cam.  Love the way he is wired - also love that he knows many of us old timers have suffered for years waiting for that elusive NCAA berth, I'd love to see him take us there!

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2 hours ago, tu_fan said:

I wish we could clone Cam.  Love the way he is wired - also love that he knows many of us old timers have suffered for years waiting for that elusive NCAA berth, I'd love to see him take us there!

Fantastic interview and I agree.  
We have to remember these are kids and I get him going into the portal but the fact that he realized he had unfinished business makes me smile.  
 

We must dance this coming season.  No ifs, ands or buts.  
 

In Cam we trust…  break his face again any team and a group of us alumni will travel to your campus and kick some ass. 

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Injuries happen to everyone but Delaware was a talented veteran team that finally lived up to their potential. 
 

nice interview. And happy he’s back and worked through whatever was going on in April/May.  Being the hunted is different than the hunter so let’s see how they react to it. 
 

with the unbalanced schedule we have what looks to be the toughest out of the top 5 teams 
 

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