although I did not have time to attend the scrimmage Saturday morning, I was fortunate to watch practice Friday morning.
Agree with folks who attended the scrimmage. A lot of talent on the floor. To me, these players stood out to me in the two hours observed. Davis, Hensley, Elliott and Mayo. Like others have mentioned, the true frosh big man Aligbe looked good. Pretty agile, with some quickness for 6' 9" and 240. He hit numerous shots from outside, including the three. Moreno looked pretty solid, and will provide a large presence inside. Webber seems a step behind, and appeared from a distance to be a bit down. Somebody mentioned here that he is coming back from a hamstring injury, so if true, that can take some time. Steffe seemed to struggle from three while I was in attendance. Hopefully it was just an off day shooting for him?
All in all, I enjoyed watching the practice and new players. I must say, Coach Nagy was really working them on the defensive side of the ball. I hope it translates to the floor on game days. We shall indeed find out.
GO DAWGS!!!
KenPom preseason rankings are out:
93. Bradley
112. Murray State
115. Northern Iowa
133. Drake
147. Southern Illinois
160. Indiana State
170. Belmont
195. Illinois State
204. Evansville
218. Valparaiso
219. Missouri State
220. UIC
Looking at Kenpom and seeing that red under the tempo for siu is something we haven't seen in a while. Kenpom has us projected as the 44th fastest tempo team in the nation.
The MVC did another round of media interviews today. A few quick takeaways from the Nagy interview:
- Confirmed they have a scrimmage this weekend and said it will help him sort out the starters/rotation
- More Kennard gushing at both ends of the floor
- Said Dibba is extremely explosive and that he and Davis give them a pair of very good wings
- Again said the team's defense is ahead of the offense overall
- Said Mayo will probably play some PG since there isn't what he considers to be a true PG to run the show
- Said Bey might be team's most talented scorer but he has to figure out how to move/play without the ball in his hands more to grow into a bigger role
Sounds like Bey may end up in the rotation especially as the year progresses. That is nice to hear because 6'9" wings are hard to come by and he could be a huge matchup problem for other teams. He was highly recruited coming out of high school and was a pretty big get for the Bears at the time. Definitely showed flashes in the open practice we attended.The MVC did another round of media interviews today. A few quick takeaways from the Nagy interview:
- Confirmed they have a scrimmage this weekend and said it will help him sort out the starters/rotation
- More Kennard gushing at both ends of the floor
- Said Dibba is extremely explosive and that he and Davis give them a pair of very good wings
- Again said the team's defense is ahead of the offense overall
- Said Mayo will probably play some PG since there isn't what he considers to be a true PG to run the show
- Said Bey might be team's most talented scorer but he has to figure out how to move/play without the ball in his hands more to grow into a bigger role
Excited to hear how we do against a power like Iowa in the scrimmage.
I have to say, I really like this coach and this team and I’m excited about this season-so much so that I’m back on this forum after several years of only occasional drive by reads, starving for more info.
At the SEMO FB game, a source from the athletic department told me how the team was coming together and against all odds, and he was stoked about having a coach with the experience Nagy brings. This person is a chronic pessimist and HE is fired up? Have not seen that kind of zizzle since BW. It’s year 0 so I’m trying to keep my expectations in check, but something is different. You can sense it.
There’s a meet n greet Tues at 5:30. I plan on going. Really hope we can get some secret scrimmage nuggets before then.
GO DAWGS!
Agree. That's what made me wonder if it's going to happen.
I just heard back from my contact at bdglobalsports. The GCS is still on!
Hi Jeff,
I got your email about our tournament. I know it’s weird that we haven’t announced the bracket yet, we’re still finalizing the final team but the event is 100% going to happen, just cant tell you tip times for SIU quite yet.
J
I’m cautiously optimistic about this season but I think we need to be patient. This team is going to play maybe the toughest non-con schedule in the conference and we start with the top 2 teams in the MVC in conference play (Bradley, @ UNI). We might see this team get off to a slower start than we’d like but I think we have the coach to have us playing good basketball by the end of the season when it matters.
Agree. That's what made me wonder if it's going to happen.
I just heard back from my contact at bdglobalsports. The GCS is still on!
Hi Jeff,
I got your email about our tournament. I know it’s weird that we haven’t announced the bracket yet, we’re still finalizing the final team but the event is 100% going to happen, just cant tell you tip times for SIU quite yet.
J
Hope they’re not expecting much attendance with this debacle of a rollout.
I know it’s year one so like everyone is saying expectations should not be super high. I think this years team will start slow not just because the familiarity of playing together but also the toughness that this years schedule brings. With that being said I highly doubt the Valley will be close to being as good as it was last year, at least at the top. There will not be 3 teams that could win at least a game in the NCAA tournament. With that I just don’t see how this team would not beat last year’s squad. Take away X from last years team we were terrible! I feel we have different guys who could be that guy this year to give us 20. The reason I bring up last years squad is that I think people forget that all the way up to the last conference game we had a shot at getting the first round bye and being the 4th seed! I know what I’m saying might be a little far fetched but I would very suprised if this is not a top 4 team in the Valley. Excited for the season! #GODAWGS
I agree, we will be better defensively and much deeper. We have a lot of guys who can get their own shot. The last few years we only had a player or two who could get their own shot when needed. We have wings and bigs that can get to the basket. We may not have the greatest shooters, but we have a bunch of guys who can score the ball in other ways. Our length and athleticism is something our fans haven't seen on a Saluki team.I know it’s year one so like everyone is saying expectations should not be super high. I think this years team will start slow not just because the familiarity of playing together but also the toughness that this years schedule brings. With that being said I highly doubt the Valley will be close to being as good as it was last year, at least at the top. There will not be 3 teams that could win at least a game in the NCAA tournament. With that I just don’t see how this team would not beat last year’s squad. Take away X from last years team we were terrible! I feel we have different guys who could be that guy this year to give us 20. The reason I bring up last years squad is that I think people forget that all the way up to the last conference game we had a shot at getting the first round bye and being the 4th seed! I know what I’m saying might be a little far fetched but I would very suprised if this is not a top 4 team in the Valley. Excited for the season! #GODAWGS
I'm not that worried about shooting. Steffe, Davis, Bey, and Hensley can all fill it up.
Doesn't seem like today's "secret scrimmage" went very well:
https://twitter.com/IowaHoopsDave/status/1847740046763577502
Comments mentioned a 24 point drubbing…not going to panic just yet. Most of these guys have never played with each other and Iowa is a solid team.
Comments mentioned a 24 point drubbing…not going to panic just yet. Most of these guys have never played with each other and Iowa is a solid team.
Think the final score was Iowa 92 SIU 68. Agreed though, I wouldn't put too much stock in the scrimmages.
