PTL Day 1 Observations (long)

SixerHawk

SixerHawk

Well-Known Member
Made the trip to North Liberty tonight. I was not able to watch the first game in the Old Gym and left at half of the last game. Here are some player observations for all the inquiring minds.

Basabe - stole the show tonight. Ended up going 15-20 from the floor to finish with 36 points. This kid is the real deal. Not only was he able to assert his will in the post, he also hit 3 3's. His outside shot still needs some improvement, and the form on his shot is unorthodox, however he has potential to be a threat from outside if he keeps improving. He showed a real knack for scoring around the basket with a variety of post moves and just using his athleticism to throw down dunks. Overall i was extremely impressed with his game and would be shocked if he doesn't see significant time as a Freshman if not in the starting line-up.
May - Just what i expected from Eric. Not overly assertive in this game. His ball handling has not seemed to improve from last season as he still favors his right hand and is limited when attempting to drive. From what i recall he had a decent shooting night and a dunk or two. Looks even stronger and it showed when his team posted him up and he converted a few under the hoop.
McCabe - Not an overly impressive game from Zach. Looked lost out there at the beginning but settled in as the game went on. I really like his shot from the outside as he hit a few from downtown. Physically he looks to be on par with May last year. Standing next to May it looked like he easily had 2-3 inches on him. His play really didnt stand out for me and i almost forgot he was out there at times. Needs to be more assertive and show he has a post game if he wants to play in Fran's up-tempo system.
Malcolm Moore - I hope he was kidding in the recent gazette article where he stated Fran had interest in him. His game has not changed a bit since i saw him last at City High. He was clearly outplayed by Pehl from UNI and made a lot of poor decisions. Has a decent post game, but missed a lot of easy shots when contested. He missed most of his outside looks and looks to have poor form on free-throws. After watching him i feel his game to be best suited for a mid-major as i have all along.
Andre Murphy - Field house legend showed his toughness all night long. Really short player out there at what looked to be easily under 5'10". However he plays way bigger than he is. He showed the ability to run the point and made some really incredible passes. He also crashed the boards on almost every miss and showed some skill around the hoop against guys much bigger then him. If McCarty indeed isn't coming to walk-on i would love to see Mr. Murphy get a chance.
Jordan Stoermer - Did not see much of his game. However from the 10 minutes or so i did see his play really impressed me. On offense he's always moving and running off screens looking for the ball. His shot really impressed me as he hit a few deep ones coming off screens. He also showed the ability to run the point. I feel he'll be a solid practice player and may fight for a few minutes here and there.
Cully Payne - cully looked just how I expected him to. A little more controlled then he played at times last season. Looked very comfortable bringing the ball up against Ali Farokmanhesh. He had some quick drives to the hoop and showed some good ability to finish against the other team's bigs. Should be a good year for cully.
Jarrod Uthoff - Having gone to Linn-Mar i had a few chances this past year to watch him play in the MVC. In high-school he could score much easier because of his height. What i saw tonight was a whole different story. He's a solid player don't get me wrong, but i just don't see his game translating to high D1 ball. In the game tonight he looked like a deer in headlights for the first 5 or so minutes. He floated around the perimeter the entire time on offense and when he had the ball his defender was all up on him daring to drive and he just couldn't beat his man. Physically he was clearly the skinniest guy on the court and it showed when he was crashing the boards. I feel if he wants to play when he hits a campus in a year he is really going to need to work on his strength and his quickness.

I did not get to see Cougil or Marble play, however one of my friends watched their game and was very impressed with Marble. he said he showed great athleticism and had a good shot. Cougil did not receive the same praise. He told me he was not impressed with Brennan as he looks slow and was not living up to being the number 1 pick. okay now I'm done
 
Thanks for the write-up, but... WHY CAN'T WE GET VIDEO? I mean everyone has a digital recorder now and most have autoload to You Tube. Someone who is up there, be a real fan and get us some film!
 
Another thank you, sounds like Fran got an impact player in Basabe, now we need to bring in 2 more each year to get back into the top five of the Big Ten. Lot of role players next year, any news on Archie? How many of Lick's recruits will be here next summer? Sorry but we need some scholarships to open up.

Brommer,Cougill,McCabe, Archie?
 
Jamalot, in regards to Archie he was there playing last night. I forgot to add him in my little synopsis. From what i saw he is still very raw and lacking strength. He was aggressive the few times he posted up but really didn't show post moves and got pushed around easily on the low block. I just do not see him fitting in to Fran's system unless he is just an unreal athlete in transition. I would not know because his team was in no hurry bringing the ball up last night.
 
Question for those who have seen McCabe where does he project better long term, on the wing or playing a little undersized at PF? If he has a few inches on May it might make PF possible.

My guts says he lacks the explosion and foot quickness to play wing, and would get recruited over in time at that position. But that he has a nice skill combination shooting/passing/dribbling wise to play kind of a "stretch power-forward" and could cause some match-up problems in the future. I haven't seen that much of him however
 
I'm just giving a write up of each player I seen in the PTL yesterday.

Feel free to add any input or other information!

Thanks

Zach McCabe:

Zach McCabe didn't do much to impress. He had a solid game, both on offense and defense. His shot is a little unorthodox and a few times it bricked of the backboard and rim, but he did hit some shots. He had a nice post move, where he caught the ball in the high post power dribbled and went up in one solid motion. His coach matched him up on Malcolm Moore to test his low post defense and test his strength. I thought he fought very hard and did very well on the block defensively, it was a huge positive to see. He kept his position, while denying the ball, and I believe didn't let Moore score while he was guarding him. He did get caught in a few screens, when guarding a smaller player but that may have been due to the little talk that went on. He had a few steals which was nice to see. Also, he may need to work on some more ball handling. I see McCabe getting a few minutes off the bench each game.

Melsahn Basabe:

Undoubtedly the talk of the PTL with 36 points and 9 boards. The first points he had were impressive, he got an offensive board then tomahawked it in with a man on him. He is one of the best freshmen Iowa has had, that I have seen, ever. He has a complete all around game on offense and a shot alter on defense. Also, he plays above the rim, something Iowa has been missing in recent years. Whenever Melsahn caught the ball he was looking to be aggressive and score. He caught the ball in the post a few times and had very good moves, which included a decent hook shot. His hook shot will continue to improve and can be his best asset, outside of his pure athleticism. He has good ball handling skills for his size, including the ability to take his man off the dribble and get to the hoop. However, one thing I noticed his sometimes he'd lose the ball and turn it over, also sometime he would dribble and stay in one spot aka useless dribbles. All that is fixable and he will develop better handles as the summer goes on. He has a very awkward , but effective, shot. I didn't know this before the PTL game, but he has very nice range, which includes 3 3 pointers. Overall he shot 15 for 20, he has great moves, DUNKS, good shooter, good ball handler (can be improved), this kid is an offensive stud. On defense at times he'd leave his man, but would be able to recover quickly. His long, and I mean long arms, help him block and alter many shots. He blocked a three and a few others down low. He cleans up the boards very well. He his good on defense and should be affective in the Big Ten in all aspects of the game. Melsahn will be a starter at some point, if not the start, this season. He is an absolute monster. Also, a very generous kid and smart as seen by Rob's great interview.

Devon Archie:

I only stayed for half of the second game, and Archie was not impressive at all. Didn't have that good of a game from what I seen. In warm ups he showed some good hops and abilities by the rim, but warm ups are completely different then a game. He didn't look happy or enthused at all, which really bothered me. On defensive he is also a shot alter type of player. He can get up, as I said, but I didn't see him block anything but he makes people know that they have to look for him before they shoot. Sometimes on both offense and defense he wouldn't run back, he would get to a little over half court then quit. I didn't like that at all. His offensive game isn't complete, one time he caught it in the high post then tried dribbling down to the block only to travel after help came. He did have a nice basket around the rim where he got fouled, but his free throw looked awful. With his game not being complete, his hustle, and lack of enthusiasm I see Archie rarely playing and I think he transfers sometime during the season or end of the year. He seems like he has potential if he gives full effort and he can still make a difference, we'll just have to wait and see with Devon Archie.

Eric May:

Eric May, as known, has struggled with ball handling. He has improved a little but still looks strange and uncomfortable when dribbling, he still has a way to go. He shot alright, and drove to the rim a few times including a very nice looking jam and a good lucking lay up. With the tempo Fran is going to install he should thrive. He has improved on offense but not enough to see the difference by much. On defense he is still a bruiser and a hustler. At times he would get stuck guarding the other teams biggest man and he did a very good job despite giving a few inches. I didn't see any blocks and maybe just a steal or two. He is a very good defender and can become a very big offensive threat. He also can get rebound very well too. I see him breaking out this year. With the new style I see him being a starter at the 3 spot averaging 15 - 20 points and a few blocks and steals a game. He will be a very solid contributor towards our success.

Andre Murphy:

Andre Murphy was the biggest surprise to me. I knew very little of him, just knew he was going to be a senior at Iowa this year and has become quite the Fieldhouse Legend. He is a very quick point guard, that makes very good looking plays. He can take his man off the dribble and score at the rim over much taller defenders or dish it to an open guy outside or under the basket. I really enjoyed his shiftiness and quickness. I didn't notice his shot, if it was good or not. He actually managed to get a few rebounds and got, what seemed like quite a few steals that lead to points and break aways. One play I remember it was off a steal or offensive rebound and he came running down the lane and made a tough lay up with a bigger defender on him. Fran will enjoy him as a walk on. With his quickness, hustle, enthusiasm, ball handling, and just all around game I see him being a great practice player that may earn a few minutes here in there. He may be able to get more than a few, he seemed very good.

Darius Stokes:

Outside of Melsahn Basabe and Andre Murphy, I was most impressed with Darius Stokes. His physique isn't very good, very skinny. He makes up for his lack of strength by his hustle and length. Darius was all over the place and in the face of whoever he was guarding. You could tell he was giving it his all and I really enjoyed watching him play defense. I didn't really notice much on offense, don't remember if he had any baskets. He seems to be a very intelligent player, and a kid that the coaches love. He did get a few rebounds in traffic, which was nice to see. Darius Stokes is going to be a very good practice player, and with his hustle and effort I could see him playing some in his college career. For this year though I see him just being an all around solid practice player. A huge get for Fran!!

Cully Payne:

I only seen a half of this game, but from what I seen Cully looked a bit bigger but hasn't slowed. He shot well from outside, he made plays for his teammates, and took it to the rim a few times with purpose. Cully utilized his speed to beat defenders and get to the rim. He likes to draw contact it looks like and he can really get up, I hope his back issues aren't and won't affect him. He got all his teammates involved and was a very good leader on the court. His shot is very nice, and he looked fresh. On defense he is quick and I really didn't notice him that much outside that. There is no doubt in my mind that Cully will be the starter the whole year, unless Cartwright is secretly a All-Big Ten player in disguise. I didn't notice many if any turnovers which is a huge positive. I see Cully becoming a guy that scores 8 - 12 points with 6 - 8 assists a game, with a very good A/T ratio. The Big Ten better look out for Payne!

Jordan Stoermer:

He was on Cully's team, so again I didn't get to see the whole game. Stoermer seemed like a sharp shooter. He has a nice looking stroke from deep and loves to come off screens looking to shoot. Jordan looked like a strong build guard. I didn't really notice or see how well his ball handling was. He plays with a high basketball I.Q. From his build I imagine him to be a tough defender that likes to be in peoples faces, but I really didn't n
 
JCarr1321 said:
Melsahn Basabe:

Undoubtedly the talk of the PTL with 36 points and 9 boards. The first points he had were impressive, he got an offensive board then tomahawked it in with a man on him. He is one of the best freshmen Iowa has had, that I have seen, ever. He has a complete all around game on offense and a shot alter on defense. Also, he plays above the rim, something Iowa has been missing in recent years. Whenever Melsahn caught the ball he was looking to be aggressive and score. He caught the ball in the post a few times and had very good moves, which included a decent hook shot. His hook shot will continue to improve and can be his best asset, outside of his pure athleticism. He has good ball handling skills for his size, including the ability to take his man off the dribble and get to the hoop. However, one thing I noticed his sometimes he'd lose the ball and turn it over, also sometime he would dribble and stay in one spot aka useless dribbles. All that is fixable and he will develop better handles as the summer goes on. He has a very awkward , but effective, shot. I didn't know this before the PTL game, but he has very nice range, which includes 3 3 pointers. Overall he shot 15 for 20, he has great moves, DUNKS, good shooter, good ball handler (can be improved), this kid is an offensive stud. On defense at times he'd leave his man, but would be able to recover quickly. His long, and I mean long arms, help him block and alter many shots. He blocked a three and a few others down low. He cleans up the boards very well. He his good on defense and should be affective in the Big Ten in all aspects of the game. Melsahn will be a starter at some point, if not the start, this season. He is an absolute monster. Also, a very generous kid and smart as seen by Rob's great interview.
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You're making me hot! :p Good to see we have this level of talent coming in. A nice start for Fran and staff.

Thanks, as well, for some great info.
 
Just a question: does the PTL use legit basketball officials and do they call these games even remotely close to what the players will see in OOC and conference play? For those of us not familiar with the PTL it would help to know if these are more like glorified pick-up games or whether there is structure to them.
 
They use ISHAA certified officials, and most of the officials work high varsity and/or local college ball.
 
Ok guys who were at the games...Stoermer's getting some love for how he comes off of the screens looking to shoot...would you say he's a taller version of Brody Boyd in that regard or "could be" sometime down the road? I realize we're going on info from just one game, but still...it's June 16th and we're talking Iowa BASKETBALL!!! So it's all good!
 
HawkeyeShane said:
Ok guys who were at the games...Stoermer's getting some love for how he comes off of the screens looking to shoot...would you say he's a taller version of Brody Boyd in that regard or "could be" sometime down the road? I realize we're going on info from just one game, but still...it's June 16th and we're talking Iowa BASKETBALL!!! So it's all good!
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I would still say it's pretty early to give him that comparison. However after seeing a bit of him last night i definitely see the potential with him to get minutes. I did not pay attention to him defensively so that will be the biggest question mark if he is going to get playing time in the next two years. Offensively i feel he could contribute because of his shooting and ability to play the 1.
 
SixerHawk said:
I would still say it's pretty early to give him that comparison. However after seeing a bit of him last night i definitely see the potential with him to get minutes. I did not pay attention to him defensively so that will be the biggest question mark if he is going to get playing time in the next two years. Offensively i feel he could contribute because of his shooting and ability to play the 1.
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Honestly, I can't say because I didn't see enough of his handling to see if he could play the one, but I'll continue to watch him. I think he is more of a two, due to his shooting and the lack of handling I have seen of him.
 
JCarr1321 said:
Honestly, I can't say because I didn't see enough of his handling to see if he could play the one, but I'll continue to watch him. I think he is more of a two, due to his shooting and the lack of handling I have seen of him.
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There's no question his natural position is at the 2. At the beginning of the game he brought the ball up a few times and looked comfortable doing it, but looked best when off the ball. He gets his shot off well coming off screens and on the move.
 
Did Brandon Stubbs play? If so, how did he do? He is a natural point guard and a gym rat....I could see him playing quite a bit as a junior or senior.
 
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