NCAAbbs

I saw the game thread already started on the ETSU site, so I figured we might as well get our own thread started. It is almost that time of year everyone. We have a game in 5 days. Post anything that you know about the upcoming matchup on this thread.

With it being an exhibition I'm sure we'll see everyone get a lot of PT. Regardless I'm curious to see who our first 5 out are.

The only thing i'm wondering is if Kelvin will start. I can see Kurtis taking over the starting pg spot this year.

Owlsfan84, while I agree about Kurtis, I really think he's better suited at the 2-guard position. I think I am more excited about this season (my 5th in all following the owls) than any other season. I will be there on Tuesday even if it is just an exhibition game. We have so much depth. Every time I think about a potential lineup I think "oh wait, what about JMac or what about Mitchell or Heramb". I think some of the biggest questions we all have going into this season is how much playing time the new players will receive early in the year. I think we all agree Cummings will be starting without question, but the interest comes with Green and Heramb. I was just reading all the comments from the Black and Gold game thread and I got so pumped for the game. Also, it's good to have some more posters coming around.

Escalade, I would agree that Kurtis is more suited for the SG position, but in reality so is Spencer and Kelvin. We don't have a true PG on our team. We have several combo guards who do an adequate job at starting the offense. I think either way Kelvin will get time if he is working hard. His shot and experience will be needed throughout the year.

Only one day left and it couldn't come any slower! The anticipation is ridiculous! Least I have the falcons on Monday Night Football tonight to keep me occupied.

After the way last season went.. and us basically not being able to recruit (having to forfeit two scholies) its been a LONG wait for this year.

I am pretty pumped for the game. Everyone going?

i will for a bit...but i have my own game to go to at 9. hopefuly i'll be able to see at least a half.

kr you know ill be there in my typical spot down on the baseline

I will be there with a few friends. I will try to find you.

I know they do something similar to this over on the A-Sun pick-em board, but what are your thoughts on the game tonight? I'll be conservative and say KSU wins by 15. Might be more, but this is a conservative number until i see Cummings and Green and the rest. The Wildcats are coming off a 13-16 (12-12) campaign in the SIAC (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (Division II)). It is also important to note that the University just hired a new basketball coach mid-October.

Yeah, I have tried to find out some information on Fort Valley State, and to be honest I think the new coach came in and revamped the whole team. The best source of information for our team is probably the fact that one of our walk-ons is a former player there and might know some of the guys still remaining. I think we will see a lot of different lineups tonight, and hopefully our guys will come out and perform well. I won't be attending, but hopefully I can get some good reports from here.

I think we probably see a starting lineup with mostly experienced guys + Markeith, but I could be wrong. If I had to guess a lineup it would be: Kelvin, Kurtis, Markeith, JMac, and Polo. I don't think that is how our starting lineup will be in the first real game, but that is my guess for this game. I saw Kelvin not too long ago, and he looks in great shape and quick on the floor. Hopefully he is primed for a great season. It sure would be nice for him to be able to catch and shoot off of penetration instead of constantly shooting with a man in his face.

I am excited to hear the reports from this game.

Go Owls!

I'm at the game. The first 5 out there were McConnell, Woods, Ajayi, Heramb, and Medinic. There is 5 min left in the first half and Ingle has played 11 guys. Mitchell is in street clothes along with Gibson and Henry.

update from halftime at the convocation center...FVSU 33 KSU 43. a little sloppy but it is the first preseason game. and in case anyone didn't already know...markeith cummings is sick. i can't wait to see what he is going to do with A-Sun competition.

complete and utter domination. final score 96-61. more to come later.

Well, the starters consisted of two walk on's so I don't think we can look too much into that lol Some quick notes... Cummings is a beast. Nasty Dunks. Green had some great blocks as did Heramb. Woods looked solid. We moved the ball well at times. J-Mac rebounded well but looked flustered.

My starting five:

Dixon (Great D)
Woods
Cummings
Heramb
Green/ Mitchell

KR you could be right.. those were the five guys to start the second half if I remember correctly. Personally I still put Kelvin ahead of Spencer.. I absolutely love his ability to hit the three... his range has no limits.

You've got to do more than just spot up and shot 3's. Markeith played a great game as well as Ladaris.Something to think about, we were out rebounded by a smaller team.Still no inside game.

I agree about Kelvin. He's a great shooter, but he's not very good at the point.

Markeith and Ladaris are stars. And even though this doesn't show up in the stat sheet, Ladaris altered so many shots it wasnt even funny. He's going to frustrate a lot of teams with his length these next 4 years.

And Markeith...well i'll put it this way. If he doesn't become the best player we've ever had i'd be surprised. He will be the most athletic guy on the court all season...and that includes Georgia Tech.

We'll see what Ingle decides but all 3 guards will get plenty of minutes. I believe Kelvin is an adequate passer, with adequate vision, and a great shot... Not JUST a shooter.

I was surprised just how well Ladaris played. Way better offensively than I expected. Markeith was insane tonight.

Glad that ya'll were able to see Markeith and Ladaris finally play. Now you can understand why I have been excited for these young men to suit up in the black and gold. Both players have the physical skills to perfectly be used in an Ingle system. Long, athletic, skilled players that can guard multiple positions, and contribute in multiple ways on offense.

Thanks for the reports...keep em coming :)

Markeith was worth the wait man, this kid is special.

How did Heramb play?...this was his first game action so I am curious on how he did.

I only saw Heramb for a half. He missed all of his shots from what i saw, but he did look smooth and all of them werent off by much. He knows what he's doing. He picked up a few boards, but overall, he didnt have a good game., but he's very skilled. He needs to up the intensity.

(11-03-2009 11:35 PM)Owlzfan84 Wrote: [ -> ]I agree about Kelvin. He's a great shooter, but he's not very good at the point.

Markeith and Ladaris are stars. And even though this doesn't show up in the stat sheet, Ladaris altered so many shots it wasnt even funny. He's going to frustrate a lot of teams with his length these next 4 years.

And Markeith...well i'll put it this way. If he doesn't become the best player we've ever had i'd be surprised. He will be the most athletic guy on the court all season...and that includes Georgia Tech.

Owlzfan84;

Calm down.

I love the new guys

We should surprise some people this year

Still need to work on the inside game but the game was not close and I think that played into everyone shooting 3s like crazy

Heramb didnt have the best game but he is going to be a great player for us. Green did alter a lot of shots. Fort Valley's players started to think twice. The ball he tossed before the end of the first half was awesome. My only concern with Green is his weight. I have a feeling he might get pushed around a lot. I wanted to note that Jay Mitchell didnt play last night and he will provide us with more physical post play. I am in agreement with Owlzfan84 about Markeith becoming the best player we've ever had. He is by far the most athletic player we have had and appears to have a nice shot. He handles the ball well as well. Over the course of the next 4 years he should contribute a lot to say the least. I liked watching Spencer play defense. He had three steals last night and looked good on that side of the ball. Also, Dixon rebounded well (3). Kelvin's shot is amazing. We are going to be very deep this year. I just hope the team can put it all together.

(11-04-2009 08:18 AM)Go Fly Win Owls! Wrote: [ -> ]

(11-03-2009 11:35 PM)Owlzfan84 Wrote: [ -> ]I agree about Kelvin. He's a great shooter, but he's not very good at the point.

Markeith and Ladaris are stars. And even though this doesn't show up in the stat sheet, Ladaris altered so many shots it wasnt even funny. He's going to frustrate a lot of teams with his length these next 4 years.

And Markeith...well i'll put it this way. If he doesn't become the best player we've ever had i'd be surprised. He will be the most athletic guy on the court all season...and that includes Georgia Tech.

Owlzfan84;

Calm down.

I second that emotion. Markeith has played one exhibition game, he has a long ways to go. He is a great athlete, but he will face equal and better athletes all year long. You mentioned the Georgia Tech...I guarantee you that Derrick Favors, a likely top 3 pick in next year's NBA draft will be a better athlete. That being said, I am extremely glad to have Markeith and to watch him develop. Coach Ingle loves to have a wing like him that can score and distribute. If Markeith keeps his head on straight, works hard on the court and in the classroom he could be a great player for us.

But yes, I agree with GFWO...calm down a bit on the freshman koolaid. Let's not put unrealistic expectations on any of our players, or on a team that last year was dead last in the conference. Let's see if we can compete before we start throwing around superlatives :)

(11-04-2009 08:42 AM)kr983 Wrote: [ -> ]Heramb didnt have the best game but he is going to be a great player for us. Green did alter a lot of shots. Fort Valley's players started to think twice. The ball he tossed before the end of the first half was awesome. My only concern with Green is his weight. I have a feeling he might get pushed around a lot. I wanted to note that Jay Mitchell didnt play last night and he will provide us with more physical post play. I am in agreement with Owlzfan84 about Markeith becoming the best player we've ever had. He is by far the most athletic player we have had and appears to have a nice shot. He handles the ball well as well. Over the course of the next 4 years he should contribute a lot to say the least. I liked watching Spencer play defense. He had three steals last night and looked good on that side of the ball. Also, Dixon rebounded well (3). Kelvin's shot is amazing. We are going to be very deep this year. I just hope the team can put it all together.

Cummings won't stay with us 4 years, the NBA won't let him.

Hahahaha....Now that is funny :) GFWO. You have now jumped off the deep end with Owlsfan84. Let's try to stay on planet earth ... at least let us get to a real game before we start putting unrealistic expectations on a player. November is always college basketball's 'silly season' of high hopes and aspirations. Let's see if we can stay somewhat grounded.

(11-04-2009 10:10 AM)KennesawBasketball Wrote: [ -> ]Hahahaha....Now that is funny :) GFWO. You have now jumped off the deep end with Owlsfan84. Let's try to stay on planet earth ... at least let us get to a real game before we start putting unrealistic expectations on a player. November is always college basketball's 'silly season' of high hopes and aspirations. Let's see if we can stay somewhat grounded.

True KB ... just a little something to think about before somebody else on the board actually comes out and says it! I got a little excited when someone said 4 years for Markeith here at Kennesaw.

His hops are Stoopid and the league is an entertainment league. Hopefully he gets better to the point where the league is an everyday conversation!

I had to watch the game via ASun-TV and one of the commentators talked about how excited he was to see Markeith in action. He also touched on the fact that we get him for 4 years.. assuming he doesn't get drafted.

Regardless I share the same views as KB. Ladaris and Cummings should be very good players for us but we need to see a WHOLE lot more out of both kids. Cummings couldn't have played better last night. He couldn't miss a shot and was everywhere. If he's in the game he's impossible not to notice. Lets also keep in mind who we're playing.. We need to look great against sub par competition or its gonna be a LONG year.

I also thought Baller made a good point about us being out rebounded by a smaller and less talented team last night. Exhibition or not, that shouldn't happen.

Rebounding would definitely be a concern. This NBA talk is pure pipedream. There are 2nd and 3rd team All-Americans out there that never make the league, and we are seriously considering hyping a freshman who hasn't played a real game yet to the NBA? Seriously fellas, we need to get a grip on ourselves. Who knows what can happen in the next 4 years. Let's just be happy with having some talent and take it from there. I think we are getting WAY ahead of ourselves :)

I never said we'd lose him to the NBA.. or that he'd be an NBA caliber player. Just re-stating what was said last night. I think its too early to say where he ranks in our conference... but he is definitely impressive. Our fan base has said more preposterous things in the past, and will probably say some more in the future. Even though our fan base isn't particularly large.. there are always these types of fans. I'm fine with optimism but prefer realism.

Things are never as good as they look, or as bad as they seem. This is something we should all keep in mind when we go from playing Fort Valley State and North Georgia, to the likes of Notre Dame and Georgia Tech.

Excellent Post Corn. I am right with you. It will be interesting to see what happens against North Georgia even. North Georgia is a solid D2 program.

North Georgia won't be a 30 point blow out. I see us winning a 72-60 game or something around there. For those who watched the game on A-Sun Tv, how did Cummings rebound dunk look through that coverage?

A little side bar I am not sure has been covered (sorry if I missed it)...there was a fairly decent crowd at the game. I think the story from SID Mark Toma said over 1,000 in attendance. I looked at the box score and the official attendance wasn't listed. While this is good, we're nowhere close to ETSU and a couple other schools in conference. I read the story from ETSUBucs.com about their preseason game last night and they had something like 3700 in attendance. I understand that winning brings in the fans, but thats pretty large. Hopefully the excitement of this team and its athleticism as well as the reclassification period being over will draw in larger crowds this season.

(11-04-2009 03:06 PM)kr983 Wrote: [ -> ]North Georgia won't be a 30 point blow out. I see us winning a 72-60 game or something around there. For those who watched the game on A-Sun Tv, how did Cummings rebound dunk look through that coverage?

Explosive pretty much describes everything Markeith does. Rocket boosters for legs.

Commentary referred to him and Ladaris as "the Savannah Connection"..

They also said Ladaris was a high school guard at 6'2, and then grew 6 or 7 inches in at year.. That I wasn't aware of but it does help explain his ball handling/passing skills.

Good to see we had a decent crowd, and that they got a good show. Hopefully next game will be even better. Winning cures all, but hopefully our promotions team will be able to capitalize on some of the momentum that Ingle and the team are creating. We are at the bottom of the mountain, and we are trying to push the boulder up the hill...we need all the help we can get :)