Musketeer Madness

[muskieman]

Musketeer Madness (named after this site) will be Friday, Oct. 18
Fanfest begins at 5:30 p.m. on the Cintas Center plaza followed by players' introductions at 7 p.m. FREE to the public

[edgecliff hall]

Are you attending MM?

[X-Expert]

Musketeer Madness (named after this site) will be Friday, Oct. 18
Fanfest begins at 5:30 p.m. on the Cintas Center plaza followed by players' introductions at 7 p.m. FREE to the public

Does anyone know when the doors to the Cintas center will open

[VeroMuskie]

According to the schedule I read, the doors open around 7...

[Anti-Homer]

AH will be there, and due to my lofty position as Treasurer of the Moderators, I will be able to get in at 6:55.

[Shadow]

AH will be there, and due to my lofty position as Treasurer of the Moderators, I will be able to get in at 6:55.

I guess that explains the shortage from the bank account.

[skyhops]

Skyhops Jr and I will not be able to make it due to scheduling conflicts. AH & MM please provide me a report so I can compare notes. Looking forward to this year along with less TO’s, bonehead mistakes, and better shot selection. I won’t even make fun of Mack this year.

[X-Expert]

A ten minute scrimmage against players that know your moves and the plays is not easy to necessarily predict what will happen during the year. Also, J Carter did not play who i believe will be a factor this year. That being said, a few things did stick out for me. The freshmen really didn't do much but Freemantle looked smoothe. Tough to expect much from Bishop and Tandy when they were being guarded by Marshall and Goodin who are very good defenders. Tandy and Bishop showed hops during the slam dunk contest though. During the 3 point contest, Moore and Scruggs were ok. Scruggs started strong but missed his last 11 shots. The extended 3 point line may have an impact. During the scrimmage, i was frankly concerned at the shot selection from Marshall. He made his first 3 but after that not only did he take too many 3s in a 10 minute scrimmage but more concerned of the type of 2s he shot. He took shots you would take when there is one second on the shot clock. There was one specific play where Tandy was in the corner and threw a pass to Marshall at the wing and the defender followed him. A pass right back to Tandy is a wide open 3-instead he took a contested 3. Honestly, Marshall's shot selection was bad. Too much one on one. Shooting from the outside was not good. I know Goodin, Marshall, and Moore each hit one. Marshall probably missed 3 or 4 and Goodin missed a couple, Bishop, James, and Scruggs missed one and Tandy was blocked on a 3. My hope is that this was nothing more than an exhibition and disciplined basketball because more of the norm. I trust Steele but was worried going into the season about their outside shooting and is still concerned. As much as Marshall is responsible for touching the ball, the more important it is for Steele to reign him in now. If tonight is an indication, there will be monster challenges for this team offensively and they will be extremely easy to guard.

[Anti-Homer]

A ten minute scrimmage against players that know your moves and the plays is not easy to necessarily predict what will happen during the year. Also, J Carter did not play who i believe will be a factor this year. That being said, a few things did stick out for me. The freshmen really didn't do much but Freemantle looked smoothe. Tough to expect much from Bishop and Tandy when they were being guarded by Marshall and Goodin who are very good defenders. Tandy and Bishop showed hops during the slam dunk contest though. During the 3 point contest, Moore and Scruggs were ok. Scruggs started strong but missed his last 11 shots. The extended 3 point line may have an impact. During the scrimmage, i was frankly concerned at the shot selection from Marshall. He made his first 3 but after that not only did he take too many 3s in a 10 minute scrimmage but more concerned of the type of 2s he shot. He took shots you would take when there is one second on the shot clock. There was one specific play where Tandy was in the corner and through a pass to Marshall at the wing and the defender followed him. A pass right back to Tandy is a wide open 3-instead he took a contested 3. Honestly, Marshall's shot selection was bad. Too much one on one. Shooting from the outside was not good. I know Goodin, Marshall, and Moore each hit one. Marshall probably missed 3 or 4 and Goodin missed a couple, Bishop, James, and Scruggs missed one and Tandy was blocked on a 3. My hope is that this was nothing more than an exhibition and disciplined basketball because more of the norm. I trust Steele but was worried going into the season about their outside shooting and still concerned. As much as Marshall is responsible for touching the ball, the more important it is for Steele to reign him in now. If tonight is an indication, there will be monster challenges for this team offensively and they will be extremely easy to guard.

I agree with many of your observations. Freemantle will definitely contribute minutes this year. He banked a short left handed half hook, moved well without the ball, and defended well. I think Tandy and Bishop will contribute as well, even though they didn't distinguish themselves much during the scrimmage. This team isn't loaded with shooters, but can shoot a decent percentage, if they don't shoot 20 a game, and the right guys are the ones shooting.

My three biggest concerns for this year's team in no uncertain order are:

1. Marshall
2. Marshall
3. Marshall

Apologies to Jan Brady for stealing her line, though mine was equally apropos.

If one looked solely at the stats and saw that he was 4-8 with only one t.o. and three boards, you would think he played well. Nothing could be further from the truth. I didn't think his bball IQ, particularly with his shot selection, could get any worse than last year, but it has. He plays hero ball, when it is neither needed, nor aligns with his skill set. Steele needs to show some steel and reign him in. He also is frequently out of control as a consequence of playing too fast, dribbling too high, and seemingly having no plan B when he looks for his shot. He took a couple 27 foot threes which he clearly decided to take 3 dribbles before reaching half court. He is an elite defender, and rebounds well. but he will be a net negative if last year and tonight is any indication.

One thing I noticed is Kyky getting exasperated with him. A couple of times (Expert alluded to one), KyKy ran thru the motion offense and clearly wanted the ball back, but Marshall got word that he'd win a signed copy of Muskieman's autobiography if he led the team in scoring. I saw KyKy shake his head a couple times after a Marshall shot. What was most telling to me was at the end of the game. Scruggs threw an alley oop to Marshall from 40 feet out, and his dunk ended the scrimmage. Everyone went to congratulate Marshall, but KyKy walked right by him. RIGHT BY HIM, but with a frown on his face.

Marshall seems like a great kid, but he needs to realize that he isn't Kawhi Leonard. He might be a cheater, but Sean Miller would not put up with his selfish play. I hope Steele doesn't either. I hope I don't look at this post weeks into the season and see my Nostradamus like projections come true. Steele needs to convince Marshall to play the role of defensive stopper, as Miller did with Burrell. This despite the fact that Burrell was X's leading scorer, and clearly a more skilled scorer than Marshall.

AH Out.

[skyhops]

Once again great analysis from X-Expert and AH on Muskie Madness. As I watched a few video clips of the game I notice Naji in mid season from going coast to coast and taking an ill advised running 10 footer (with Tandy open) and not getting back on defense, which eventually leads to an alley oop that would never happen against a legit defensive team. The last thing we need are our worst two shooters (Q and Naji) taking the most shots. Scruggs, Moore, KyKy, and Bishops should be shooting the 3's and Q facilitate and Naji do his thing. Let's not forget Tyrique who should not be forgotten and can average 12-14 points. It is also concerning that your best player feels the need to shoot 8 times in an abbreviated preseason game and not get others involved. Hopefully, Travis can reign in Naji.