My takeaways from Saturday:
11) Not having Dallas is going to hurt a lot more than we all care to admit.
I thought about going player by player after the scrimmage, but wanted to sleep on things, so here it is today.
Dallas will be missed a lot and it looks like he is struggling in dealing with the mental aspects of his injury. He waited behind and away from the other team mates as they introduced themselves, then the instant he was done talking he hobbled off the floor to the locker room as quickly as possible. He also sat on the bench, basically the far end and was quiet most of the game. I really hope he finds a way to pull through and keep connecting with his team mates.
Siewert - Will be the best big CU has this year. Yes he can spread the floor, but he looks bigger and more willing to mix it up inside.
Battey - is smooth and can clearly play, but he needs a big man camp as he has a bad habit of leaving the ball low and within easy reach of opponents when he is in the block. Also, he may be the worst defensive player on the team. A couple 6'4" mines guys abused him in the post a time or three. Good news is, he isn't likely to foul much.
Bey - I know coach is gaga about Bey, but if I am honest, he didn't look any different than he did at the end of last year, maybe his shot is slightly better, but it is flat. That being said, Bey at the end of the year last year was damn good.
Parquet - Not sure how much floor time he will see. Definitely athletic, but didn't excel anywhere in the scrimmage.
Kountz - I know I said Battey may be the worst defender, but Kountz will give him a serious run for his money. That being said, Kountz is very fluid on offense and his step back jumper is going to be really good one day. During the scrimmage he just wasn't very accurate.
Namon - I think he will be the best defender on the team, but no one and I mean no one will guard him past 15 feet. Definitely a slasher...still turn over prone.
Gatling - To me, Gatling and Parquet were almost indistinguishable during the game. Similar build, similar propensity to make mistakes, neither looked like great shooters....maybe Gatling just had a bad game??? Or maybe the step up to this level is going to be more difficult than I would have thought. At least five mines players are better shooters, with better form than Gatling....and he didn't look THAT much more athletic.
Schwartz - If this guy were just aggressive he could be one of the top three players on the roster....I expect to see more of that this year, but not to the extent he is capable of. Great form on his shot, good body to go inside, quick first step, not a bad defender....yet it isn't all coming together on the floor. You all didn't know this but Schwartz is actually spelled PSchwartz.
Strating - Already better than I ever thought he would be last year. Still shouldn't play except in clean up...Wait, I here the Football team could use a tight end. Strating definitely could do that as he looks much bigger than his listed weight of 227.
Deleon Brown - Didn't play, so probably the same Deleon we saw before? Honestly, except for his stature, he may be the second best guard on the team.
Dombek - Didn't play much, didn't look horrible out of place when he did...but thank GOD this was played in doors where there isn't any wind, or else he might have blown away.
M. Wright - Best player on the roster (duh), but to be honest, he didn't play very good defense against Mines (disinterested much?) and he turned the ball over more than the stat line said he did. Also he burned several Mines players, but CU's spacing on offense was so bad, it often just led to him being covered by others.