All of our current scholarship players except for Eli Brooks were there and working the camp. A few notes on them:
1. Ibi Watson has not only gained 6" on his vertical jump, he has added 22 pounds and it shows--he is cut. We'll see where it leads, but it is very clear that he is working extraordinarily hard in the off-season.
2. Jaaron Simmons is not 6'1" as listed--he's about 5'11. I'm not sure if that will make any difference whatsoever to his level of play, but those who were expecting a PG taller than Derek Walton are going to be disappointed.
3. Xavier Simpson looks more confident shooting the ball. Granted it was akin to pre-game shoot around, but the release was quicker and the stroke more efficient. Hope it carries over. Also, although all of the guys got into coaching their teams during the games, no one was more into it, or in more instruction mode, than X.
4. Jon Teske may be even bigger than he was--he towers over everybody and may be a legit 7'1". He could possibly do the Mikan Drill standing flat footed. That said, it appeared when he actually did the Mikan Drill with his feet moving that his footwork is still catching up to his increased size--he seemed a little less nimble than when I've seen him previously. I like Teske, and he's clearly got great potential as a defensive intimidator/rim protector, but I think he's a year away from putting it all together.
5. I was skeptical when we took Austin Davis. While we have to wait and see what happens when the lights go on, the transformation, even from past viewings, is remarkable. What is most remarkable is his footwork and agility--he's gone from a guy who had great hands and strength but looked somewhat slow and unathletic to a guy who has added some quickness and jumping ability and a lot of decisiveness to his other attributes. He also really sees the floor on defense, calling out screens and offensive sets while coaching his team.
6. Isaiah Livers has a beautiful looking stroke. He's also every bit of 6'7"-6'8", and has a strong looking upper body. Based on very limited viewing (i.e., a few one on ones with Jordan Poole), he has to work on his off the dribble game (or at least his confidence in it)--he was very willing to pull up and shoot rather than continue to the hole.
7. Jordan Poole and Livers are obviously close. Poole is very enthusiastic and, as expected, had very, very deep range in shoot around.
8. The others (Mo Wagner, MAAR, Duncan Robinson and Charles Matthews) were in other places from where we were watching, so I have nothing to report other than that Matthews looks strong upper body wise.
One other note--we had a chance to spend a few minutes talking with new coach Luke Yaklich. Great guy, and extremely excited to be here.
1. Ibi Watson has not only gained 6" on his vertical jump, he has added 22 pounds and it shows--he is cut. We'll see where it leads, but it is very clear that he is working extraordinarily hard in the off-season.
2. Jaaron Simmons is not 6'1" as listed--he's about 5'11. I'm not sure if that will make any difference whatsoever to his level of play, but those who were expecting a PG taller than Derek Walton are going to be disappointed.
3. Xavier Simpson looks more confident shooting the ball. Granted it was akin to pre-game shoot around, but the release was quicker and the stroke more efficient. Hope it carries over. Also, although all of the guys got into coaching their teams during the games, no one was more into it, or in more instruction mode, than X.
4. Jon Teske may be even bigger than he was--he towers over everybody and may be a legit 7'1". He could possibly do the Mikan Drill standing flat footed. That said, it appeared when he actually did the Mikan Drill with his feet moving that his footwork is still catching up to his increased size--he seemed a little less nimble than when I've seen him previously. I like Teske, and he's clearly got great potential as a defensive intimidator/rim protector, but I think he's a year away from putting it all together.
5. I was skeptical when we took Austin Davis. While we have to wait and see what happens when the lights go on, the transformation, even from past viewings, is remarkable. What is most remarkable is his footwork and agility--he's gone from a guy who had great hands and strength but looked somewhat slow and unathletic to a guy who has added some quickness and jumping ability and a lot of decisiveness to his other attributes. He also really sees the floor on defense, calling out screens and offensive sets while coaching his team.
6. Isaiah Livers has a beautiful looking stroke. He's also every bit of 6'7"-6'8", and has a strong looking upper body. Based on very limited viewing (i.e., a few one on ones with Jordan Poole), he has to work on his off the dribble game (or at least his confidence in it)--he was very willing to pull up and shoot rather than continue to the hole.
7. Jordan Poole and Livers are obviously close. Poole is very enthusiastic and, as expected, had very, very deep range in shoot around.
8. The others (Mo Wagner, MAAR, Duncan Robinson and Charles Matthews) were in other places from where we were watching, so I have nothing to report other than that Matthews looks strong upper body wise.
One other note--we had a chance to spend a few minutes talking with new coach Luke Yaklich. Great guy, and extremely excited to be here.
