I think there's one more big positive for this team: Coach Crean. I was sitting on the court for the first game, and I could hear what he was yelling out to the players. He's very much a teacher, and it made me smile when I would hear his positive encouragement. When Tijan Jobe did something right, you could hear him saying, “That's right, Tijan! Good job, Tijan!” When this team hits the inevitable bumps in the road, Coach Crean is really going to hold them together.

but, I agree with most people in that, we WILL need Taber on the court to help contribute on the defensive end with rebounds, Pritchard will be one hell of a player the more comfortable he gets down low, and this team will surprise a few people as the season goes on

Also, as it was my first game of the season, I was really impressed with the heart and hustle Moore showed on the court last nite…even if he wears the goofy Rip Hamilton mask

From what I could see, it was very similar to the first exhibition. I thought it was good to see the team respond when Bemidji made a run at them in the second half. Moore and Finkelmeier will be sparks for the team.

Story and Jones both showed good athleticism, and yes, Pritchard should spend the next 3 days standing under the basket shooting layups over McLeod.

I think they are still offensively out of sink, but that should improve (especially if they have some success early, ie wins).

Tijan Jobe, we need to develop productivity from him on both ends.

J

1.) Ball movement: I think this team passes well and seem to look for each other on the court, it's not always perfect, but it's there.
2.) Hustle: What we lack in skills, we make up for in hustle. Several players got after it in both exhibition games.
3.) Emotion: I saw several players display positive emotion. It shows that they care, and as lame as that might sound, I think it's a huge step from last year's squad.

Negatives:
1.) A weapon: We have no real weapon. Dumes is flashy, but unpredictable; Jones seems inconsistent; Pritchard can't hit a layup; Williams hasn't shown enough; Roth has been pretty absent;
2.) Chemistry: You can't gel with your teammates in this short time. It'll come, but can the Hoosiers really work well enough together to edge out more experienced teams?
3.) Sloppiness: Chalk it up to youth and lack of chemistry, but this team makes some silly plays from time to time; I can only imagine it'll get better, but probably only slightly.

Overall, I'm pleased that we took care of business in both games, but last night was a bit more eye-opening.

I think there's one more big positive for this team: Coach Crean. I was sitting on the court for the first game, and I could hear what he was yelling out to the players. He's very much a teacher, and it made me smile when I would hear his positive encouragement. When Tijan Jobe did something right, you could hear him saying, “That's right, Tijan! Good job, Tijan!” When this team hits the inevitable bumps in the road, Coach Crean is really going to hold them together.

but, I agree with most people in that, we WILL need Taber on the court to help contribute on the defensive end with rebounds, Pritchard will be one hell of a player the more comfortable he gets down low, and this team will surprise a few people as the season goes on

Also, as it was my first game of the season, I was really impressed with the heart and hustle Moore showed on the court last nite…even if he wears the goofy Rip Hamilton mask

From what I could see, it was very similar to the first exhibition. I thought it was good to see the team respond when Bemidji made a run at them in the second half. Moore and Finkelmeier will be sparks for the team.

Story and Jones both showed good athleticism, and yes, Pritchard should spend the next 3 days standing under the basket shooting layups over McLeod.

I think they are still offensively out of sink, but that should improve (especially if they have some success early, ie wins).

Tijan Jobe, we need to develop productivity from him on both ends.

J