Andre
Miller - Looks great, he'll make a run for All-American. You
know his game. Andre never got up to full speed, but still dominated.
He shot very well from the perimeter in the scrimmage and was the leading
scorer overall. During the third scrimmage (his team lost 20-0) he
played shooting guard. I don't think he was trying very hard in this
game, but the offense didn't run through him much, either.
Alex Jensen - Yeah, baby! This Ute is coming on strong. He'll put up much bigger numbers than last year (he'll have to, because someone must fill the void left by Doleac). Alex won the 3 point shooting contest. He was very agressive, not the Jensen you once knew. Alex drove with the ball several times. He did have some trouble finishing, but I don't doubt that he will fix that. It was probably a case of extreme fatigue. Otherwise he was da' bomb. Alex can pass, he can shoot, he can dribble and he moves extremely well without the ball. You already know he's a great defender. He has turned the weight he gained on his mission into muscle. He's a contender for All-WAC first team.
Hanno Möttölä - Looks strong. He was more agressive on the boards than I remember. He spent most of the evening playing center and rejected several shots. He uncorked his "Euro" moves in schooling Tyson Johnsten. He went down near the end of the third scrimmage with a sprained ankle. He limped off the court without help, so he should be good to go for the upcoming exhibition. He should contend for All-WAC first team.
Tony Harvey - Mononucleosis has vicitmized him. He's Ashante-thin and was sucking wind, but he still managed to impress. He's obviously a smart and disiplined player. His help defense in the post is effective as well as his man-to-man defense. He can penetrate, pass, and shoot well. He should start at guard once he gets back into proper conditioning.
Jeremy Killion - Got lost on defense a few times. Needs to work on that and will not see many minutes until he improves. A hit or miss shooter. The guy is muscular. He should be able to control his opponent on both ends of the floor.
Phil Cullen - This kid has everyone excited. He looks vaguely like a special freshman from five years ago, not only in his face, but in his slight build and game skills. He has a functional hook shot and good shooting range (he was a runner-up in the 3 pt. contest). The one thing he does better than KVH is pass. He will be victimized by stronger post players on the defensive end, but he isn't afraid of contact. He banged with Johnsten all evening.
Tyson Johnsten - Project. Tyson has good size and weight to play center, unfortunately he is the rawest player on the team. This comes from years of playing against small competion. He isn't ready to see PT. I'd like to see him redshirt, but the Utes will need his big body this year to foul Kenny Thomas and Mekeli Wesley. His only scores were two wide open slam dunks, thanks to other players breaking down the defense. He got stuffed several times trying to shoot against Möttölä, and 'Dre stuffed him, too. He has no range on his shot. He didn't rebound very well, either. The coaches took Mike Doleac from nowhereland to the NBA lottery. Let's hope they have another such trick in them.
Ben Heusser - Being the only other pure point on the roster, he will be backing up 'Dre this season. He didn't look good in the scrimmages, albeit he was playing against an All-American candidate and international gold medalist. 'Dre picked his pocket several times. He had all kinds of trouble bringing the ball up court. When he could get the ball into the front court, Andre's defense kept the ball out of his hands. Defensively he couldn't guard Andre. He got posted up, screened off and all, but you're used to seeing 'Dre do that to opposing PG's, so it may not mean much. He doesn't look like much, but the kid is very athletic. At 5'11" he won the slam dunk contest, and deservedly so. If he can learn to protect the ball and handle with confidence he will be a good player.
Brad Crockett - At best he will be the next Drew Hansen. Right now he's too slow, can't shoot very well and not a ball handler. He's the kind of guy Majerus likes because he'll do the dirty work, but he was basically invisible in these scrimmages.
Adam Sharp - He looks good for a guy who hasn't played competitively for three years. He played a bit of PG when Heusser wasn't cutting it against Miller, and looked to be a better option for a backup PG for the short term at least. He handled the ball well against Miller's pressure. He's the best bet for an immediate replacement for the Caton or Hansen type of player. He's been named the starting shooting guard for the time being.
Nate Althoff - Held himself out due to pain in his shoulder, which was operated on over the summer. Likely the starter at center, because he's the only guy with size and experience.
Shane Willis - Out for the year with a knee injury. It's too bad. He looks strong and tough and by all reports would have been a very good backup for Miller.
In all, it was a revealing evening. There were 7 guys that we've never even seen play before. I'm sure this team is a long way from where last year's team was. They are several learning experiences away from having a solid supporting cast but the nucleus could beat any threesome in the nation. How far can that nucleus carry Utah? How quickly will the newbies blend in? The answers are coming in small, game-sized increments over the next five months, give or take a couple of weeks. Let the games begin!!!
-Steve
First round:
Jensen - 7
Sharp - 4
Harvey - 7
Möttölä - 5
Cullen - 3
Crockett - 4
Killion - 6
Miller - 7
Second round:
Miller - 2
Harvey - 2
Jensen - 3 (in 15 seconds)
Winner: Alex Jensen
First round:
Miller - miss
Harvey - miss
Johnston - miss
Heusser - a bounce, catch jam.
Killion - off the backboard putback jam.
Sharp - a bounce, catch jam.
Second round:
Heusser - One handed baseline runner.
Killion - miss
Sharp - 180° elevator.
Winner: Ben Heusser
Game #1
24 : Miller, Möttölä, Jensen, Cullen,
Sharp
7 : Killion, Harvey, Johnsten, Heusser,
Crockett
Game #2
22 : Miller, Jensen, Cullen, Harvey, Killion
5 : Sharp, Möttölä,
Heusser, Crockett, Johnsten
Game #3
20 : Jensen, Sharp, Cullen, Harvey, Killion
0 : Miller, Möttölä,
Johnsten, Heusser, Crockett
Game #4
17 : Miller, Crockett, Johnsten, Sluga, Cullen
16 : Jensen, Killion, Harvey, Heusser, Sharp
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