Hawkinson, et al

[cr8zyncalif]

Somebody had to emerge to give Lacy some help or it was going to be a very long season. At this point, the only player that it is fair to say has "emerged" is Hawkinson. And what a pleasant surprise he's been thus far. Doesn't have blazing speed (not even a really quick first step), a lot of physical strength or a particularly good vertical. In an odd sort of way, that is good, because the success that he has had thus far has all been from things he could control, rather than being due to a bunch of natural gifts. And kids who succeed because of what is between their ears (as opposed to despite what is between their ears) can generally continue to progress over time. I don't expect him to have a good game every night. There will be bumps and slumps. But when a kid succeeds because he understands the game and understands how he can take the cards he has been dealt and play the game, good things tend to happen over time. I suspect that by the end of the season Mr. Hawkinson will be a very solid PAC level player. Now, if he happens to develop a leader's personality along the way, we'll really have something to look forward to in the future…but that remains to be seen.

It was also nice to see Lacy finally break out. Let's hope that is the start of a trend.

We still need a 3rd scorer, but that is a lot better than before the season, when I was wondering who the 2nd scorer was going to be (if were even going to have one). The good news is that there are several candidates. We really need a guy who can shoot the occasional 3 with some credibility, be reliable with a mid-range jumper and also penetrate. That traditionally is a 3, but Hawkinson is doing a lot of that from the 4 spot. If we can find a 3 who can do those things, we'll be in business. With three reliable scorers we can win some games. That won't win the majority of the games all by itself, but it at least gives us a chance to be in the game.

My biggest curiosity going into the Alaska tournament is whether somebody will step up to be that third scorer. And what the heck, with Boese starting the second half (who would have predicted that a month ago?), it seems like everybody on the bench is trying to earn minutes. Maybe somebody will actually take the next step. At least I've got something to watch, which is frankly a relief after years in basketball Siberia.

 

[How_did_this_happen?]

"Somebody had to emerge to give Lacy some help or it was going to be a very long season."

Regardless of this, it will still be a very long season.

Glad to see Hawkinson playing well too though.

 

[bogusto]

The second half was actually a very enjoyable stretch of basketball for the Cougs. I think Iregobou had a bit to do with that, too. The ball was moving around fluidly, for the most part, and the shooters were hitting shots, for the most part. "Que" needs to pick it up for this team to perform competitively in the Pac.

 

[SaveFerris]

Agree on the need for Que to become a consistent scorer and overall player for this team. Going back to the OP, I feel Que needs to become the #2 scoring option and hopefully Hawkinson's start is for real and he can become the 3rd option.

I did think Iroegbu played better in the second half but in the first it seemed like the team responded when Redding came in the game. Redding's obvious weakness is outside shooting and against better teams most likely defense.

It's going to be a tough go.

 

[Rich Lewis]

I actually thought Redding did a pretty credible job on defense. When they put him on Hansen (their big scorer) he did a real good job by denying him the ball. He also seemed quicker to me that he did against Azusa Pacific. Had some real nice drives. He can hit the runner off of drives. He definitely has no outside shot. His shooting mechanics are terrible.

 

[SaveFerris]

He was able to drop the runner a lot and had a good feel. Shooting mechanics are terrible but if he can defend I think he might end up the best option at the point. Still wondering about Iroegbu at the point.

 

[7ICoug]

Ike I think is a 2 guard but he did some nice things during the second half.

 

[Rich Lewis]

The problem with Ike is his outside shot is not good enough for the 2. So where do you put him? Part-time point, part-time 2? With his athletic ability and handle if he had a consistent outside shot he'd be unstoppable, or at least very difficult to handle.

 

[SaveFerris]

Ike has the mentality for the 2 but more of the skillset for the point. You can see he wants to score but agree he doesn't shoot well enough from the outside for the 2. He really doesn't have a optimal spot on the court but with our scoring difficulties he's going to get a lot of minutes. Plus he has the potential with his speed and size to play good defense.

We don't have many good shooters. Lacy, Boese, Johnson, and Hawkinson are about it. I would like to add Kernich-Drew to that group but he looks pretty much the same as last year so far.

 

[Rich Lewis]

I'm coming to the realization that DKD is never going to consistently live up to the talent I think he has. Don't know if the pressure gets him or what.

 

[cr8zyncalif]

The 3rd scorer spot is up for grabs. Somebody will grab it. I just hope they do it soon, and have a good grip.

Before the season, my bet was on DKD. He might still get it done. I think we'll get a hint during the Alaska games. One thing you can say for CEK, he will put a 3rd scorer in the starting line up regardless of who he is or what position he nominally plays. If that means we have two PG's, or two 2's, or even two 4's on the floor together, that is what CEK will do if somebody is willing to look competent at the offensive end of the floor. We've been running a giant audition since the exhibition game, looking for somebody to step up. Hawkinson did that. Now somebody else needs to do it.

 

[7ICoug]

You keep him working. Defense could keep him on the floor quite a bit. Part-time is not a bad idea. Keep him shooting a lot of buckets in practice day-after-day. I would also see if he could get some of the help that Lacy got from the trainer in Seattle.