In general, everything that was said about the Hornets' weekend in Wheaton was correct. I do have a few other thoughts to add. As a biased observer, I do have to disagree with Mr. Sager a little bit. I felt like the Hornets outplayed Witt for 32 minutes of that game. The middle 8 minutes of the first half was bad with missed layups, turnovers, and some poor defense. Unfortunately for K, it is a 40 minute game and the (approx.) 21-2 run during the above span was too tough to overcome. Further, Kellogg and McCain got 2 or 3 bad calls in the 2nd half, which only made the foul situation worse.
Offensively, the Hornets have some talent, but have not been able to work together as a cohesive unit. They have a tendency to create good movement within their motion, but then stop the ball with excessive dribbling. If they can improve upon their teamwork (screening for each other, setting up their man, passing the ball to the open man WHEN he is open), they will become better on offense.
Defensively, they have a tendency to play in spurts. Sometimes, they are tenacious defenders. They are helping in gaps, taking charges, in passing lanes, and rebounding very tough (for their size). Other times, they seemed lost and lack intensity. Some of that may be due to their depth. The top 6 or 7 are playing a lot of minutes. The younger guys will get better with experience and hopefully with more depth, we will see a defensive effort that is sustainable.
All in all, I felt so much better after Saturday's game. You could even see some of the improvements made from Friday nights game. If they continue to work together, they will improve and maybe win some games later in the year that they are not supposed to win.
Offensively, the Hornets have some talent, but have not been able to work together as a cohesive unit. They have a tendency to create good movement within their motion, but then stop the ball with excessive dribbling. If they can improve upon their teamwork (screening for each other, setting up their man, passing the ball to the open man WHEN he is open), they will become better on offense.
Defensively, they have a tendency to play in spurts. Sometimes, they are tenacious defenders. They are helping in gaps, taking charges, in passing lanes, and rebounding very tough (for their size). Other times, they seemed lost and lack intensity. Some of that may be due to their depth. The top 6 or 7 are playing a lot of minutes. The younger guys will get better with experience and hopefully with more depth, we will see a defensive effort that is sustainable.
All in all, I felt so much better after Saturday's game. You could even see some of the improvements made from Friday nights game. If they continue to work together, they will improve and maybe win some games later in the year that they are not supposed to win.
