Off Day Observations

In preparation for the start of the regular season out of conference games on Wed at Michigan, UB Bull Run was in attendance in Alumni Arena for the Bulls exhibition matchup with local foe Medaille, who willingly stepped in for scheduled opponent Daemen when their team went on pause due to COVID issues. See below for some observations.

1. The Bulls should be deep and experienced, as expected. All of the usual suspects either started or came in off the bench early, with the exception of LaQuill Hardnett, who did not play. No news on his status.
2. The starting lineup included Brock Bertram and, when he plays, the lineup is big (6’11”, 6’8”, 6’5”, 6’5” and 6’1”) with respect to most teams they’ll see. They can always sub and go small from there, but he gives them size, rebounding, some shot blocking and a little bit of everything else and all he has.
3. Jeenathan, Rondo and Mballa look ready. This team will go as far as they can take them.
4. Maceo Jack looks comfortable and ready to step in for Graves. I expect him to be an upgrade from the standpoint of 3pt shooting, even if he doesn’t give them as much as Jayvon did in other facets of the game.
5. Curtis Jones looks like he’ll get the first look as the primary backup PG. He looked to be a solid ball handler who looks to run the team and create for others. He seemed comfortable with where to expect his teammates to be on the court and hit many open guys for clean looks.
6. I’ve always liked Travon Fagan’s game and still do. Think he could have gone elsewhere, once healthy, for more minutes and he hasn’t. That said, I’m not sure his role expands significantly this year, unless there are injuries.
7. Ty Perry looks sturdy, aggressive and physical. That said, he doesn’t look like a great ball handler, or jump shooter. Not sure where he fits in the lineup offensively. Maybe his role is as a high energy lock down defender, a la Dontay Caruthers? We’ll see.
8. Keishawn Brewton could be a bit of an x-factor. Has shooting ability, but was streaky last year. Can he be a consistent scoring threat off the bench? Would be huge for the rotation if he can.
9. David Skogman looked good; similar to what we saw in bursts last year. I’m not sure there are a ton of minutes for him, but he should have a role.
10. Mading and Blocker both look like quality athletes with upside. Like Jeenathan and Segu three years ago, their roles may be small on a deep, quality team. Mading, especially, looks like the future is bright, as he seems taller than his listed 6’9”, blocked 4 shots and had the highlight of the game on a monster putback of a missed jump shot.
11. Zaakir Williamson did not play and I believe his right arm was in a sling of some sort. Would seem likely he misses some time.
12. Jamon Bivens and Lucas Saleh return as walk ons to add depth and practice competition. No word on if Domonic Johnson will join when football ends, but he is still on the roster.

Looking forward to how the team evolves, beginning Wednesday.