The entire team was on hand at one point of another, but a good number of them did not participate in the actual play. Hassan Adams, Isaiah Fox and Mustafa Shakur shot around while play moved down to the other end of the court. Daniel Dillon, along with former Wildcat Fil Torres, looked on from the stands for a few minutes, but had to rush off. Chris Rodgers and Matt Babcock showed up late, but did not have time to participate as Volleyball got use of the court at 3:00.
Channing Frye was again a tough match-up. His jump hook was falling and he was able to get it off against Kirk Walters and Matt Brase. He was also using a turn-around jumper very effectively.
Where Frye is at his best is moving without the ball. He appears to be a favorite target of players on the break. He and Salim Stoudamire seem particularly in sync. He was also deadly on cuts and coming off of screens. He got a number of open looks, including a few big dunks, in this manner.
Although Walters is not quite in Frye’s class yet, there is no denying that he is much improved. He was impressive on the boards. He had a thunderous dunk off a miss and battled Frye and Mohamed Tangara for every loose ball.
Walters offensive game is also coming around. He showcased a nice baby hook and is just making more tough shots. Too often last year he missed good chances inside.
Tangara just amazes you with his rebounding skills. He goes after every rebound as if his life depends on it. Offensively he’s still a mixed bag. His decision making is great one possession and terrible the next. He’ll pass out of the paint two trips in a row, but on the third he’ll try to attack a triple team.
He did have the pass of the day. He caught the ball in the high post and threw a bullet between the legs of a defender, setting up an easy Frye score.
One concern is the fact that he struggles to score after contact. A number of times he had a chance at a three-point play, but just couldn’t get the ball to fall after being knocked around. When he gets better at that, the strong Tangara could be very tough to stop down low.
Jesus Verdejo looks like he will be a real streak shooter. He makes and misses shots in bunches. He’s got a nice, soft shot and you can envision him being a very good outside shooter as his Wildcat career progresses.
For the second day in a row Jawann McClellan failed to do a whole lot. It’s not that he can’t score, he really didn’t try to. He ran the floor hard, but preferred to make passes and set screens for other players. He was solid on the defensive end and worked hard to slow down his opponent.
Stoudamire continues to play a lot of point guard. He seems to have made it a point to dictate the pace and look for the open man. He’d take the open shot when it was available, but his emphasis was on the pass.