Since the players are playing each other in a scrimmage, sometimes it can be hard to tell just how good they are. Was that a great shot... or poor defense? Was that block great defense or a weak run to the rim? That said, here are my thoughts about the scrimmage;
The thing that stood out most for me this year was that, while there were some really impressive plays by individuals, no player was able to dominate. I believe that is a positive. In my opinion, the reason was that there were so many really good players on the floor. I have been a season ticker holder for 40 years now. Overall, this team may have the best depth during that time ... Don't hold me to that, I get a pass for old age memory ... But it's got to be close.
The true freshman Keeshawn Barthelemy is a name to remember in more ways than one. He is supposed to red shirt, but I think that Tad will be severely tempted to play him. You can tell the good (maybe great?) ones. He has floor sense, great vision, can handle the ball, distributes, shoots with good from and is not afraid to take his 165lb body to the rim in traffic. This kid is terrific ... no fear and plays like he belongs. Can't wait for him to grow up. The times when McKinley and he were on the foot together, they played very well off of each other ... probably would be the best guard tandem on the team
D'Shawn Schwartz has definitely been in the weight room. He looks strong and more mature. He shot very well from the three, but also rebounded and passed ... asserted himself more than I have seen in the past. I think that he can have a break out year.
McKinley was McKinley ... no sign of rust or injury. He is the man on this team. At last year's preseason scrimmage, I thought that he pressed and tried to do too much ... not so this year. Let the game come to him ... and asserted himself when the opportunity (or inclination maybe) presented itself. His three point shooting seems to have improved.
Tyler Bey looks like he picked up where he left off last year. He did all of the things that made him noteworthy in the last half of last year's season. In addition he make some outside shots ... but his shooting form still seems a little "unique" to me. Also noteworthy was what appeared to be more expressions of leadership on the floor. I think that will make him even more effective.
Evan Battty also seemed to be in his groove. As I recall, he lead the team in charges taken last year ... did that two or three times in the scrimmage. Evan is the juice. I love this kid. I think that he will be fun to watch for three more years. And he is a load underneath, but sill one of the best vision/passers on the team.
Daylen Kountz has gotten a little bigger and he is playing with a lot of confidence ... 2nd best guard on the team in my opinion (assuming that Keeshawn red shirts).
Eli Parquet looks bigger and stronger as well. I watched him some in shooting drills and he looked good. We will see if that translates to the game.
It was good to see Dallas Walton back on the floor. He has been on the sidelines now two out of three years due to injury and his freshman red shirt to recover from high school injuries. If his knees hold up he can make a significant contribution this year. But you can see some rust from not being in game action for a while. This guy is underrated from a skills point of view ... he can shoot the ball (made a long three) and he is 7.0 ft. I don't think that he will start early on, but he will likely round into form if his health holds out. He is easy to root for.
Jakub Dombek looks stronger than his advertised 190 lbs. He is still learning and developing, but he made a driving reverse layup coming down the baseline in heave traffic that was a thing of beauty. I also watched him in shooting practice. He can shoot the ball. I think that he is going to be a big contributor as time goes by ... maybe not so much this year due to team depth, but he certainly shows promise for the future.
Shane Gatling looked about the same ... playing with a lot of intensity and he made (and missed) some threes. He may be challenged more this year for playing time.
Lucas Siewert has probably the best three point shooting form on the team (except for maybe Schwartz). He seems to be having some fun out there in his senior year ... nothing tentative about him anymore.
Maddox Daniels (the JUCO transfer this year) looks to be better than I thought he would be. He has great shooting form ... shoots the three but also has a good floor game, hustled and drove to the basket a couple of times. At 6/6 he is a big guard and may get good minutes, depending on the match ups. Could not tell too much about his defense, but he is athletic.
Alex Strating is still Mr Hustle ... showed the same grit and teamwork as last year ... this guy gets the most out of his gifts.
The walk-ons seem to be well integrated as teammates, but none were particularly impressive compared to the scholarship players.
I think that this will be an enjoyable year for CU basketball fans. But I am mindful that in years with high expectations, sometimes things don't pan out so well. Still, we are due ... maybe overdue ... to make a run at a PAC 12 championship and make some noise in the NCAA. I have my fingers crossed.