Zona vs. Stanford: The short handed grades

It’s fair to say our young wildcats are finally starting to find their groove. Not only are our upper classmen beginning to learn how to be leaders, but our under classmen are really starting to develop into some scary good talents. We only went 7 players deep today, and with some magical subbing from Miller, he managed to keep anyone from fouling out.

As a team there was plenty of fight and desire to go around, but at the same time there were some obvious negatives we will need to fix if we are going to make a legitimate run for the tournament. I will say right now though, if this team manages to go on a run and get into the tournament, nobody is going to want to play us. Our biggest weakness to start the year was the lack of size in the middle. With Chol’s development we are now able to compete far better with those teams who have big men inside.

As for team stats here are a few thoughts:

• 38.3% FG shooting for the game. That is not good enough. I understand Stanford has a very good defense, especially at home, but we need to be aiming around 45% to be at our most dangerous.
• 31.3% Three point shooting. I can live with that number, but I think with our shooters we should be consistently around 40%.
• 60% FT shooting. 15-25 They only had 12 FT attempts for the game. When you get that many more chances from the line and fail to take advantage of that, it usually spells disaster. There is no excuse for this. I expect Miller to really hit on this all week.
• As always I am impressed we are able to out rebound a much bigger team 35-34.
• Only 8 assists for the game isn’t nearly what we need as a team.
• 7 Blocks today. CHOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• 11 turnovers. I always aim for under 10, but they weren’t glaring turnovers that immediately turned into points, so I can live with the 11 today.

Come join me after the jump for some well earned grades

Kyle Fogg: GRADE C Kyle made some big shots when needed, but he needs to do better than 3-9 shooting. Thank goodness for his 5-6 from the line though. I really wanted to give him a B however with 4 turnovers, I had to knock him down a grade.

Jesse Perry: GRADE B- Jesse does a great job of anchoring our back line, but for a big man to shoot 4-10 from the floor is not good enough. Can anyone tell me where his outside shot disappeared to? To start the year he was a threat to make any open jump shot, but now you might as well leave him open. I believe this lack of respect for the outside shot is really hurting his ability to drive to the hoop and get open lay ups.

Solomon Hill: GRADE B+ Man this guy is becoming a true leader. He only took 7 shots today, but it seemed like whenever we had to have a play made, we would go to Solomon. His 9 boards to lead the team was also a huge stat for us. My question to everyone, is he an NBA player?

Nick Johnson: GRADE B+ Nick is finally coming out of his slump, THANK GOODNESS. He shot 4-9 from the floor, which could use some improvement, but its nice to see him shooting with some confidence again. Plus seeing him rise in the air and throw down some dunks is always fun. I also have that great memory of a sweet block where his head almost hit the rim, man what a fun kid to watch play.

Josiah Turner: GRADE B I would have given Josiah a little bit higher grade, except for the fact he only had 3 assists. This really surprised me as it seemed like he constantly is setting players up. His spin move in the lane though was a true sign of his potential in the future. I really love how Josiah is really starting to buy into the team, and really show his desire to be a wildcat. I’m proud to have him here.

Brendon Lavender: GRADE C- Brendon got a decent amount of time out there today, but he didn’t really stand out one way or another. I do remember him passing up an open 3 point shot. Brendon you are an AMAZING three point shooter, SHOOT THE BALL.

Angelo Chol: GRADE A Before you question why the best grade goes to the player with the least amount of stats, remember I’m grading based on what I expect from the player. Chol the last few games has really come along, and even with the lack of stats he was a key part of our win today. Without him we absolutely lose this game. Watching him play is starting to get really exciting. His 4 blocks today were just amazing to watch. Can’t wait to see him the rest of this year and after his work over the summer, I can’t wait to see what type of player he is next year. Great job Chol.

Even short handed it was great to watch our Cats go out and win these two road games. As always if you have any thoughts about the grades please let me know. Thank you all for the support, and I can’t wait for the next game.