Wasn't D'Amico labeled by the Chicago Sun Times as the "Player of the Decade"?
Um, there's been some pretty good basketball players out of Chicago in the last decade (or any decade) ...
I do not disagree with any of the assessments of any of the players but an open practice or showcase is not indicative of what a player can do in competitive situations in practice or games
Not really breaking news considering he was removed from the roster but:
I missed the scrimmage, but I take issue with Scottie Ebube being called "a project." 🤣
From watching some of D'Amico's Senior year games, I anticipate he will play the 1 spot periodically for the Dawgs. D'Amico directed the play and flow on the floor even when Sayles had control of the ball. Might be a competitive edge to have a 6'7" Point Guard bringing the ball up!! He truly fits the definition of a Point Forward.
I watched many of Troy's games this past year and despite flashes of ball handling and court vision, I was really surprised at his struggles offensively, specifically shooting the ball. His size and versatility, however, should allow him to get some minutes this year, despite the depth this team has. If he can regain the offensive prowess that he displayed his JR season, he could be a very difficult player to defend in the MVC.
From watching some of D'Amico's Senior year games, I anticipate he will play the 1 spot periodically for the Dawgs. D'Amico directed the play and flow on the floor even when Sayles had control of the ball. Might be a competitive edge to have a 6'7" Point Guard bringing the ball up!! He truly fits the definition of a Point Forward.
I watched many of Troy's games this past year and despite flashes of ball handling and court vision, I was really surprised at his struggles offensively, specifically shooting the ball. His size and versatility, however, should allow him to get some minutes this year, despite the depth this team has. If he can regain the offensive prowess that he displayed his JR season, he could be a very difficult player to defend in the MVC.
Totally agree. His size, court vision, passing, & ball-handling are all a plus. But his shot was broken last year and if he doesn't fix that chicken-wing, it never will be right. I trust the coaches are aware of this and are addressing the problem. 😉
Did anyone go to the (open mic) basketball practice tonight? If so, I'd be interested in your thoughts, player analysis, etc. I am a season ticket holder, but live 2.5 hours away and could not make it. Thanks.
I was there. Here is my initial thoughts:
Starting Lineup:
PG - Lance Jones - Lance's outside shot looked VERY good tonight.
SG - Trent Brown - Trent didn't participate because of back spasms, but was dressed in white with all of my other predicted starters.
SF - Ben Coupet - This position is my only guess. I feel pretty confident in my other 4 based on what I saw. Coupet looked good out there by the way.
PF - Marcus Damask - Marcus was limited out there, so I wonder if they are limiting his practice time because of his previous injury. Regardless, we all know he is starting.
C - Kyler Filewich - Filewich received all reps with the other starters out here while Muila was in Maroon with most other bench players. I think Filewich gets the starting job to begin the season.
Bench:
Foster Wonders - Foster looked very good today as well. This kid can absolutely shoot. Dressed on the white team, I think Foster is challenging for a starting spot/6/7 man on this team. I think he has the best chance at being our biggest impact freshman.
Ben Harvey - Also dressed in white, I think Harvey is also battling for that last starting spot. Regardless, I think he gets plenty of PT, as long as his defense is there.
JD Muila - Dressed in maroon, JD seems to be the best athlete on this team. He can absolutely get up. I didn't get to really see him play defense since this wasn't a scrimmage but I expect Muila and Filewich to get basically all minutes at the 5.
Dalton Banks - We all know Dalton. First PG off of the bench and will get plenty of minutes.
Anthony D'Avanzo - I'm still not sure what Anthony's role is on this team to be honest. He was dressed in white but was a fill in for reps most of the time.
Troy D'Amico - I really liked what I saw in D'Amico. Good shot, ball handler, and seems to anticipate well on defense. With that said, I think his minutes are limited because of numbers here.
Steven Verplanken - I kind of see Steven being the one somewhat left out here with very limited minutes, but I could be wrong.
Scottie Edube - Scottie looks like a project to me. His athleticism is definitely on display, but he did seem to need additional coaching on several different drills. I like the potential, but I don't expect to see him on the floor much at all this coming season with Filewich, Muila, and D'Avanzo all able to play the 5.
Thanks for this. Well done!
I am troubled by the Marcus injury from last year. I fervently hope that we can get through this year with everyone staying healthy. That to me will be the biggest factor on where we finish.
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Did anyone go to the (open mic) basketball practice tonight? If so, I'd be interested in your thoughts, player analysis, etc. I am a season ticket holder, but live 2.5 hours away and could not make it. Thanks.
I was there. Here is my initial thoughts:
Starting Lineup:
PG - Lance Jones - Lance's outside shot looked VERY good tonight.
SG - Trent Brown - Trent didn't participate because of back spasms, but was dressed in white with all of my other predicted starters.
SF - Ben Coupet - This position is my only guess. I feel pretty confident in my other 4 based on what I saw. Coupet looked good out there by the way.
PF - Marcus Damask - Marcus was limited out there, so I wonder if they are limiting his practice time because of his previous injury. Regardless, we all know he is starting.
C - Kyler Filewich - Filewich received all reps with the other starters out here while Muila was in Maroon with most other bench players. I think Filewich gets the starting job to begin the season.
Bench:
Foster Wonders - Foster looked very good today as well. This kid can absolutely shoot. Dressed on the white team, I think Foster is challenging for a starting spot/6/7 man on this team. I think he has the best chance at being our biggest impact freshman.
Ben Harvey - Also dressed in white, I think Harvey is also battling for that last starting spot. Regardless, I think he gets plenty of PT, as long as his defense is there.
JD Muila - Dressed in maroon, JD seems to be the best athlete on this team. He can absolutely get up. I didn't get to really see him play defense since this wasn't a scrimmage but I expect Muila and Filewich to get basically all minutes at the 5.
Dalton Banks - We all know Dalton. First PG off of the bench and will get plenty of minutes.
Anthony D'Avanzo - I'm still not sure what Anthony's role is on this team to be honest. He was dressed in white but was a fill in for reps most of the time.
Troy D'Amico - I really liked what I saw in D'Amico. Good shot, ball handler, and seems to anticipate well on defense. With that said, I think his minutes are limited because of numbers here.
Steven Verplanken - I kind of see Steven being the one somewhat left out here with very limited minutes, but I could be wrong.
Scottie Edube - Scottie looks like a project to me. His athleticism is definitely on display, but he did seem to need additional coaching on several different drills. I like the potential, but I don't expect to see him on the floor much at all this coming season with Filewich, Muila, and D'Avanzo all able to play the 5.
Thanks for this. Well done!
I am troubled by the Marcus injury from last year. I fervently hope that we can get through this year with everyone staying healthy. That to me will be the biggest factor on where we finish.
I'd say that they are just being cautious. A lot of people get concerned with players like Marcus "playing 40 minutes a game, getting wore out, being gassed at the end of the year, etc.." In all reality, its the whole body of work throughout the season that really matters when it comes to a players health. No, that extra 4 minutes playing (40 minutes instead of 36 per game) isn't what made a player tired at the end of the year. I'd say that because of the foot injury, they may just be limiting his practice reps to reduce stress throughout the season. I'd expect him to be a full go, and playing the minutes that we are used to seeing him play during games.
I'm bored, so I'll give my starting five to open the season:
5) Kyler Filewich
4) Anthony D'Avanzo
3) Marcus Domask
2) Ben Coupet
1) Lance Jones
Hope they make a lot of 3s because that'd probably be the slowest 3-5 spots in the league (especially the 4 and 5 combo).
I'm bored, so I'll give my starting five to open the season:
5) Kyler Filewich
4) Anthony D'Avanzo
3) Marcus Domask
2) Ben Coupet
1) Lance Jones
Hope they make a lot of 3s because that'd probably be the slowest 3-5 spots in the league (especially the 4 and 5 combo).
I believe Domask would struggle to guard most Valley 3’s.
I'd guess:
Lance Jones/Dalton Banks
Trent Brown/Foster Wonders/Steven Verplancken
Ben Coupet/Ben Harvey/Troy D'Amico
Marcus Domask/JD Muila
Kyler Filewich/Anthony D'Avanzo/Scottie Ebube
This gives you more of a scoring balance with the starting lineup and the bench. I think bench guys are going to play a lot of minutes though depending on how games go. I think you can mix and match starters based on opponents too. Like you might want to start Muila when you face a Gaige Prim. There's a lot of depth on this team and it's a good problem to have.
I'd guess:
Lance Jones/Dalton Banks
Trent Brown/Foster Wonders/Steven Verplancken
Ben Coupet/Ben Harvey/Troy D'Amico
Marcus Domask/JD Muila
Kyler Filewich/Anthony D'Avanzo/Scottie Ebube
This gives you more of a scoring balance with the starting lineup and the bench. I think bench guys are going to play a lot of minutes though depending on how games go. I think you can mix and match starters based on opponents too. Like you might want to start Muila when you face a Gaige Prim. There's a lot of depth on this team and it's a good problem to have.
I see D'Avanzo as more of a 4 instead of Muila based on D'Avanzo's ability to stretch the floor (for example, not sure they'd have Muila and Filewich on the floor at the same time, as I don't think either can shoot beyond 10 feet .. uh oh, free throws could be an issue this year). That said, that would be a heck of a lineup from a rebounding standpoint.
I'd guess:
Lance Jones/Dalton Banks
Trent Brown/Foster Wonders/Steven Verplancken
Ben Coupet/Ben Harvey/Troy D'Amico
Marcus Domask/JD Muila
Kyler Filewich/Anthony D'Avanzo/Scottie Ebube
This gives you more of a scoring balance with the starting lineup and the bench. I think bench guys are going to play a lot of minutes though depending on how games go. I think you can mix and match starters based on opponents too. Like you might want to start Muila when you face a Gaige Prim. There's a lot of depth on this team and it's a good problem to have.
I see D'Avanzo as more of a 4 instead of Muila based on D'Avanzo's ability to stretch the floor (for example, not sure they'd have Muila and Filewich on the floor at the same time, as I don't think either can shoot beyond 10 feet .. uh oh, free throws could be an issue this year). That said, that would be a heck of a lineup from a rebounding standpoint.
Yeah Muila was a bad free throw shooter in JUCO (35.9%). And Filewich was a 46% FT shooter last season.
I really like the bench of Dalton Banks, Foster Wonders, Ben Harvey, Anthony D'Avanzo, and JD Muila. Nice balance of defense and scoring.
