Now that we've all had some time to celebrate the win, it feels bigger than I thought it would. Maybe its because of how we won, having to come back 3 times to finally win is probably making this even more special. To see how tired this team was, and the resilient effort when our backs were against the wall has really made this a special win for this group of kids. All the late nights and early morning game times were worth it in the end to all those who were able to follow along this journey. This is a HUGE team bonding experience.
Some takeaways from the Tournament as it relates to this coming year.
First off Wayne Selden is our go-to player for this year. Besides tired legs today in the Gold medal game he was electric. Dunks, drives, acrobatic layups, jumpers, 3-pt shots he had it all going. His improvement is astonishing actually to me because you just never know if he was going to "get it" and then apply it. He wanted this gold medal to put the past 2 NCAA tourney's behind him and his team and he helped do that.
Hunter Mickelson has played himself into the line-up. If Diallo is slow to learn Hunter should start. He cleaned up on the offensive glass and is the only big other than Ellis who can stretch the floor. He rebounded, he ran the floor and he was a force altering shots. He fouls a lot, he may always foul a lot but he was a huge surprise.
Mason, what can you say he's the rock of the team. Without his buddy Devonte here he had even more pressure on him to play big minutes. Frank simply makes big shots, all tournament from 3's to drives to FT's he did it all. He made his huge leap in development from Fresh to Soph. I still think he's gotten even better. He was too fast for PG's to handle.
Ellis, I think I had higher hopes for because of him being a senior and the praise Self had put on him this spring saying he had improved even more but I didn't see it this tournament. He was very good in spurts and without him we don't win but the same issues that he's always had are still popping up. He's still going to have a big year but with Wayne stepping up its better that we don't have to rely on Ellis as a Go 2 player all the time. I thought the competition would be more on a level that Perry could dominate as well but these Euro's gave him just as much of a problem as D-1 College players do.
Vick, the sky is really the limit for this kid. Has a smooth jumper and great athleticism. Kid knows how to score, point blank. I hope that Self trusts in him when we need scoring because he's instant offense. Can't wait to see how this kid develops with time, he really could be a star in the making.
Bragg, he had great spurts as well all tournament. He's not afraid to get on the floor for loose balls which will really stick with Self. He has a great jumper even though they really didn't fall much in the games. Has to get stronger, but I can already see that Self will trust him on the floor. Exciting future for that guy as well.
Mari, Lucas. Lumping them together because they showed the same we've seen all along. Neither is going to improve enough to change what they are. They provide depth and experience and I'm sure we will need both at different points in the year. Lucas was strong rebounding in the last few games as the one positive I did see from him here.
What a great learning experience for these kids and I'm sure these games will go a long way to helping this team to its goals this year. Rock Chalk Gold