Purple and Gold Scrimmage...

[I rock(ed) the Cape]

I'm not gonna be able to make the scrimmage tomorrow due to work commitments...can someone give me a report on everything?

[MRSGDG]

I'm not gonna be able to make the scrimmage tomorrow due to work commitments...can someone give me a report on everything?

 

 

I believe these were the two teams...(someone can correct me if I mixed ppl up)... the black team won.

 

Black Team:

Covington

Raffa

Connelly

Harris

McRae

Hastings

 

White Team:

Allen

Ambrose

Lindfors

Gifford

Barraza

Johnson

[GreatDanes06]

Harris and Raffa are the real deal folks. Harris had four three's to finish with 15 points while Raffa finished with 14. The surprise was Billy Allen to me. Finished with 10 points and looked very athletic. No signs of injury.

 

I see Raffa as a combination of Iati and Mike Trimboli, which is awesome. Allen can develop into a Brent Wilson type player. The team is fast and is going to focus on D. Wondering about someone who is going to crash the boards, but something that I think will be fine. Black Team won 46-39.

 

by the way...dunk battle this year between Ambrose and Harris...BE READY FOR INSANITY ABOVE THE RIM! lol

[Clickclack]

My observations.....

 

First of all, it felt real good to see UA basketball in action again. The alumni game was fun and it was good to see some of the players who've moved on but they were noticeably out of shape. Jon Iati looks like he never left though, his shots were falling and he looked good. Brent had a hard time finding his shot and at one point exclaimed to someone on the sideline that he was just trying to make it up and down the court (half joking of course). Jared Knots had some nice shots.

 

Now for the main event....

 

- DEFENSE - I know that coach has commented on the fact that they are working to install a new defense. I don't know what others thought but I thought the defense looked great. At times it was very very physical and guys got after it. The team played very much in your face D especially Timmy on Will and Mike on Anthony and vice versa. I'm not sure if it was a function of good defense or the focus being given to defense (in practices) thus limited time to learning the offense but the defense was mostly good. This team has the skill to be an excellent defensive team. I'd be shocked if we are not one of the better defensive teams again.

 

- OFFENSE - I didn't see a whole lot of set plays and it's obvious that at some point they'll have to spend some time to install the offense. Having said that this team has much more potential on the offensive end then last years team. No worries about the O, we'll be fine.

 

Player Observations

 

- Anthony Raffa - POS - Man, this kid is INTENSE, certainly has a swagger about him that we've all heard about. Plays hard, and doesn't take any plays off. Very vocal in running the point which is very good for a young kid. Certainly isn't lacking in the confidence dept. Had a nice offensive game and is a bit of a jitter bug. Appears to be a good shooter and has a strong handle. Tough as nails at one point had a hard fall driving to the basket where he fell on his stomach and chest without using his hands to break the fall.....subsequently clanking his head/chin off the floor. Looked scary as it was happening. Even though he ran back on D you could see that he was hurt and then took the next couple of plays off on the bench attended to by who I assume was the team doctor. NEG - Needs to learn to keep his hands/arms to himself. Got called for a few offensive fouls creating space. On one particular play in the first half he looked like he was gonna hurt Mike who was right up on him....he got around Mike and then kind of hooked him with this arm pushing off. Coach Brown was shaking his head and on the next whistle he was promptly spoken to by Coach Fillian (at least it looked like he was). Needs to be careful and keep his intensity in check or I fear some will call him a dirty player. Just needs to learn how to channel it properly. Doesn't focus necessarily on distributing the ball but not selfish, has no problem looking for the open guy or taking the shot. Probably wouldn't hurt if he used his speed a bit more to get into the lane and look to set other up.

 

- Will Harris - POS - Really like his game. He looks as strong as advertised with excellent athletic ability. Can certainly jump with ease and is a very good on the ball defender. Very smooth stroke from the outside and due to his height and strength is a very good inside player. High release point with a quick trigger should help him get his shot off at will. Good rebounder as he can get up and get the boards. Looking for big things from this young man this season, he will be a big help. NEG - The only negative I can think of is that he is a bit to passive at time. He has the skill set to be dominant I just hope he doesn't try to fit in a bit TO much!

 

- Mike Johnson - POS - I found him to be very calming and smooth running the point. Something about him handling the ball is comforting. He isn't as much a jitter bug as Anthony is but needless to say I was very surprised with how quick he looked. He was every bit is quick and fast as Anthony and in my opinion this is one of the major upgrades to this years team. The PG's can absolutely push the ball and turn the corner quickly. He made a number of nice passes after he got into the lane and also has a what looks to be a fairly reliable shot. Very good athlete and can really get up, had a number of dunks for a guy who isn't very tall. NEG - Didn't really notice any, I was impressed by Mike.

 

- Timmy Ambrose - POS - Great, great athlete with a nice shot, no different then last year. Looks like he really hit the weights and is very thick....translation (strong). Can take a hit and still get his shot off either inside or outside. Looked much more comfortable playing the team game this year. Looking for a very strong year from him.

 

- Billy Allen - POS - I gotta say, I didn't expect him to be the athlete that he is. Very smooth stroke and I think he will be a very good player for us. Personally for me, he was the biggest surprise.

 

- Jake Lindfors - POS - Again, from what I heard about him (and the one clip I did see) he looked a bit slow of foot. Totally not the case, this kid have very good upside and appears to be light on his feet. I don't know how much playing time he'll see this year but he has great upside. For a kid his size he moves very well and is fairly athletic. If he develops properly we could have a very nice player in Jake. NEG - Needs to put on some weight and muscle.

 

- Brian Connelly - POS - Steady and reliable as always with a dependable mid range shot. His final year should be his best.

 

- Brett Gifford - Brett is Brett, if he can play some good post D and grab some boards I'll be happy.

 

- Louise Barraza - POS - Looks to have a good outside shot and with the line moving back we'll need a good shooter or two to spread the floor.

 

- Scotty McRae - Long and athletic with a decent stroke.

 

- Jimmy Covington - Nothing new to report.

 

Just some observations....

 

My starting five at this point would be....

 

- Mike Johnson

- Timmy Ambrose

- Billy Allen - not entirely sure about the wing spot but I was impressed enough to strongly consider him at the 3 spot.

- Will Harris

- Brian Connelly

 

The other alternative being....

 

- Mike Johnson

- Timmy Ambrose

- Will Harris

- Brian Connelly

- Brett Gifford

 

PS. The crowd was awesome......I don't know how many were there but Dr. M said there were 800+ there. The growth of this program is fun to follow/see. Bigger crowd then the one present last year for the same event.

[olddog71]

Guys,

 

Thanks for your reports. Something to look forward to as the days are getting shorter and the temps lower.

[danes05]

It was great to finaly see the team after all these months. The first thing I noticed was all the new faces. I mean, I knew we had almost a whole new team but until you see them on the court it doesn't click as to the extent of the change. That said, this team looks pretty athletic. was really impressed with Harris. Also, liked the play of Johnson at PG. Seemed calm and cool. bosiydid gives a good run down of the guys. Should be a fun season!

[quackman]

My observations.....

 

First of all, it felt real good to see UA basketball in action again. The alumni game was fun and it was good to see some of the players who've moved on but they were noticeably out of shape. Jon Iati looks like he never left though, his shots were falling and he looked good. Brent had a hard time finding his shot and at one point exclaimed to someone on the sideline that he was just trying to make it up and down the court (half joking of course). Jared Knots had some nice shots.

 

Now for the main event....

 

- DEFENSE - I know that coach has commented on the fact that they are working to install a new defense. I don't know what others thought but I thought the defense looked great. At times it was very very physical and guys got after it. The team played very much in your face D especially Timmy on Will and Mike on Anthony and vice versa. I'm not sure if it was a function of good defense or the focus being given to defense (in practices) thus limited time to learning the offense but the defense was mostly good. This team has the skill to be an excellent defensive team. I'd be shocked if we are not one of the better defensive teams again.

 

- OFFENSE - I didn't see a whole lot of set plays and it's obvious that at some point they'll have to spend some time to install the offense. Having said that this team has much more potential on the offensive end then last years team. No worries about the O, we'll be fine.

 

Player Observations

 

- Anthony Raffa - POS - Man, this kid is INTENSE, certainly has a swagger about him that we've all heard about. Plays hard, and doesn't take any plays off. Very vocal in running the point which is very good for a young kid. Certainly isn't lacking in the confidence dept. Had a nice offensive game and is a bit of a jitter bug. Appears to be a good shooter and has a strong handle. Tough as nails at one point had a hard fall driving to the basket where he fell on his stomach and chest without using his hands to break the fall.....subsequently clanking his head/chin off the floor. Looked scary as it was happening. Even though he ran back on D you could see that he was hurt and then took the next couple of plays off on the bench attended to by who I assume was the team doctor. NEG - Needs to learn to keep his hands/arms to himself. Got called for a few offensive fouls creating space. On one particular play in the first half he looked like he was gonna hurt Mike who was right up on him....he got around Mike and then kind of hooked him with this arm pushing off. Coach Brown was shaking his head and on the next whistle he was promptly spoken to by Coach Fillian (at least it looked like he was). Needs to be careful and keep his intensity in check or I fear some will call him a dirty player. Just needs to learn how to channel it properly. Doesn't focus necessarily on distributing the ball but not selfish, has no problem looking for the open guy or taking the shot. Probably wouldn't hurt if he used his speed a bit more to get into the lane and look to set other up.

 

- Will Harris - POS - Really like his game. He looks as strong as advertised with excellent athletic ability. Can certainly jump with ease and is a very good on the ball defender. Very smooth stroke from the outside and due to his height and strength is a very good inside player. High release point with a quick trigger should help him get his shot off at will. Good rebounder as he can get up and get the boards. Looking for big things from this young man this season, he will be a big help. NEG - The only negative I can think of is that he is a bit to passive at time. He has the skill set to be dominant I just hope he doesn't try to fit in a bit TO much!

 

- Mike Johnson - POS - I found him to be very calming and smooth running the point. Something about him handling the ball is comforting. He isn't as much a jitter bug as Anthony is but needless to say I was very surprised with how quick he looked. He was every bit is quick and fast as Anthony and in my opinion this is one of the major upgrades to this years team. The PG's can absolutely push the ball and turn the corner quickly. He made a number of nice passes after he got into the lane and also has a what looks to be a fairly reliable shot. Very good athlete and can really get up, had a number of dunks for a guy who isn't very tall. NEG - Didn't really notice any, I was impressed by Mike.

 

- Timmy Ambrose - POS - Great, great athlete with a nice shot, no different then last year. Looks like he really hit the weights and is very thick....translation (strong). Can take a hit and still get his shot off either inside or outside. Looked much more comfortable playing the team game this year. Looking for a very strong year from him.

 

- Billy Allen - POS - I gotta say, I didn't expect him to be the athlete that he is. Very smooth stroke and I think he will be a very good player for us. Personally for me, he was the biggest surprise.

 

- Jake Lindfors - POS - Again, from what I heard about him (and the one clip I did see) he looked a bit slow of foot. Totally not the case, this kid have very good upside and appears to be light on his feet. I don't know how much playing time he'll see this year but he has great upside. For a kid his size he moves very well and is fairly athletic. If he develops properly we could have a very nice player in Jake. NEG - Needs to put on some weight and muscle.

 

- Brian Connelly - POS - Steady and reliable as always with a dependable mid range shot. His final year should be his best.

 

- Brett Gifford - Brett is Brett, if he can play some good post D and grab some boards I'll be happy.

 

- Louise Barraza - POS - Looks to have a good outside shot and with the line moving back we'll need a good shooter or two to spread the floor.

 

- Scotty McRae - Long and athletic with a decent stroke.

 

- Jimmy Covington - Nothing new to report.

 

Just some observations....

 

My starting five at this point would be....

 

- Mike Johnson

- Timmy Ambrose

- Billy Allen - not entirely sure about the wing spot but I was impressed enough to strongly consider him at the 3 spot.

- Will Harris

- Brian Connelly

 

The other alternative being....

 

- Mike Johnson

- Timmy Ambrose

- Will Harris

- Brian Connelly

- Brett Gifford

 

PS. The crowd was awesome......I don't know how many were there but Dr. M said there were 800+ there. The growth of this program is fun to follow/see. Bigger crowd then the one present last year for the same event.

 

I took my kids to the scrimmage today as well.

 

I didn't have a program, but kind of figured out who some of the guys were by description.

 

Thought Raffa looked like he is going to be a pretty good player for the Danes. He dribbles too much but my guess is that is because the offense isn't all the way in yet. He was certainly the most active person on the court. Very confident. He kind of reminded me of Chris De La Rosa, formerly of Siena, only with more of an offensive game. (Same kind of swagger CDLR had)

 

If it is the guy I was thinking of, Johnson was solid as well. He and Raffa had a nice battle going on, both obviously coveting the starting point guard spot. Johnson can probable run the team better though I though Raffa had more game.

 

Liked Harris' game, needs to exert himself more. Definitely looks like a big time player in the AEast. Bigger than everyone on the court. (not height, but body size)

 

Connelly was solid, he will be a good one to build the team around this year.

 

Overall, thought there was a ton of athleticism on the court. Gifford/Covington are what they are. Lots of smaller guards that can be interchangeable.

 

We walked around a bit and drove the entire campus. Nice atmosphere for the football game.

[I rock(ed) the Cape]

Thank you to everyone for your reports!! I really appreciate it

[McFan]

Great run downs above.

 

Couple of points I noticed.

 

Tim Ambrose covering the 6" bigger Will Harris. Despite the points (not all on Tim) I thought he played solid D. He was later matched up with McRae (with 8" advantage). Was wondering if it was a number thing today or if maybe Coach is looking at Tim at the 3. He can certainly rebound there. Can he cover at the three in the AE?

 

Billy Allen was very active. Involved in a lot of plays on both ends.

 

Raffa's shot was odd but very effective. Outside shot better than anticipated. Didn't get going in the open court like I would have liked to have seen. That was partly due to M. Johnson.

 

Johnson was solid. Both ends of the floor. Didn't seem to miss a beat.

 

Echo the above about Harris. At 6'6" is an outstanding athlete with a nice touch. Seems to have the skill to take over games if he wants.

 

Big men were relatively absent. A few nice moves here and there.

 

L. Barraza had a rough day shooting, but a very smooth stroke. Seemed angry when he missed. Will be fun to see him have some good nights. He will really stretch the D.

[Dane96]

Talk to me about Scotty McRae and Lindfors. I would like more on those two.

[McFan]

Unfortunately, not much to offer. Lindfors hit one outside shot. Looked thin (as we knew he would).

 

The only time I noticed McRae was when Ambrose was covering him.

 

Not a lot of inside play. Here and there a nice play (Jimmie had a nice jump hook), but overall guard and small forward dominated game. My opinion anyway.

[UAalum72]

Harris' being 'passive' may be because I heard that, since he just found out that he could play this year, while he may be in shape he's not in 'game shape' yet, but there's still three weeks to go.

 

I'm not so sure about Barraza's shot, some of them didn't seem to have the right rotation. Allen and a few others all threw up a couple of airballs.

 

Lindfors somehow didn't 'look' 6-10 to me - maybe he's broad even if there's not as much muscle on the bones as we'd like yet - but he is between Connelly and Giff in height.

[Clickclack]

Courtesy of Mark and the TU.....

 

Newcomers Will Harris and Anthony Raffa scored 14 points each to lead the Purple team over the Gold 46-39 in the annual intrasquad scrimmage at SEFCU Arena on Saturday afternoon.

 

Harris, a 6-6 junior forward, made three 3-pointers in his first game-like conditions since transferring from the University of Virginia. Raffa, a freshman from New Jersey, made a left-baseline jumper for the first points of the scrimmage and buried a pair of 3-pointers in the opening 6:30.

 

Senior forward Brian Connelly added nine for the Purple team, while sophomore guard Tim Ambrose, redshirt freshman forward Billy Allen and junior guard Mike Johnson scored 10 points each for the Gold.

 

Asked what he was pleased with, UAlbany head coach Will Brown responded, “Effort. Usually these things become glorified pickup games and teams try to outscore each other … For a Purple-Gold scrimmage, in front of these people (fans) for the first time, I thought they did a pretty good of sharing the basketball, playing some defense and playing fairly hard.”

 

The Great Danes held a practice on Saturday morning, but they went lighter than usual so players would have something left for the 30-minute scrimmage, which was divided into 15-minutes halves.

 

“They were fresher,” Brown said. “We’ve always practiced all-out before this, whether it was two or three hours. We came in this morning and all we did was just go through some of our sets. We just had a jog-through and went over some things.”

 

Everyone played except freshman guard/forward Logan Aronhalt, out with a broken foot. The teams were separated like so:

 

Purple: Sr. G Jerel Hastings, Fr. G Anthony Raffa, Jr. F Will Harris, Sr. C Jimmie Covington, Sr. F Brian Connelly, Jr. F Scotty McRae.

 

Gold: Jr. G Mike Johnson, So. G Tim Ambrose, Jr. C Brett Gifford, Fr. F Billy Allen, So. G Louis Barraza, Fr. F Jake Lindfors.

 

Assistants Pat Filien, who coached the Purple team, and Chad O’Donnell, who led the Gold, held a draft to pick sides.

 

“Just like the NBA,” said Brown, who couldn’t remember who the No. 1 pick was. “I was the moderator, but obviously, I wasn’t paying attention too much.”

 

Brown said he was impressed by the performance of Raffa, a point guard who matched up against Johnson.

 

“I thought Anthony Raffa did a nice job for us,” Brown said. “He had struggled the first couple of days of practice. Mike Johnson was really doing a good job the first couple of days of practice and the past day or two, Anthony’s really played well.”

 

While Harris showed his prowess from behind the 3-point arc, which the NCAA moved back a foot this year to 20 feet, 9 inches, Brown said the fans didn’t see the real Harris.

 

“Right now, he’s probably 50 percent conditioning wise, so for him to get through the scrimmage is a good thing,” Brown said. “He didn’t do anything this summer because he expected to sit out so he’s really way behind conditioning wise. He’s much better than he showed (today) as far as attacking the basket off the dribble and attacking the glass. I think he’ll be a much different player come (Nov.) 14th (against Villanova) once he gets his legs under him and gets into shape.”

 

Although Covington scored just two points, Brown singled the senior center out for praise, saying he liked the Chicago native’s energy.

 

“I felt good,” Covington said. “We’ve been beating each other up, so I was kind of glad we had referees out there to get some calls. I know I have to show a lot of leadership this year because we’ve got a lot of new guys who are talented.”

 

This wasn't even the REAL Will Harris.....wow, looked pretty good to me! Also, love what Jimmy had to say, with so many new faces it's good to know what we have at least one established veteran who's been through the wars of the NCAA runs etc. He might not give us a double double but make no mistake, he is a very important cog in the UA wheel.

[Dane Pound]

Agree that if that was Harris at 50% then it's going to be a fun year. He pretty much got what he wanted out there when he wanted. The prospect of Harris and Ambrose on the court together with a point guard who can create will give some of our fellow AE members headaches.

 

The guy I liked that hasn't been mentioned much was McRae. He's 6'7 or 6'8 and I thought much quicker than anyone we've ever had his size. He hit some outside shots and put the ball on the floor and drove to the basket as well. It's generally tough for big guys to make a good showing in these kind of games that are more guard oriented and I liked what I saw from him.

[Zalman B]

Talk to me about Scotty McRae and Lindfors. I would like more on those two.

 

I was actually relatively impressed by McRae. He was one guy I knew nothing at all about going in. A friend I was watching the game with commented that he looked "like a Stony Brook player", at least insofar as his body build, and I don't think that's far off.

 

Tall, long, and athletic, but a pretty slight build. That said, he didn't play all that soft when he was in. He's 6'8" but shot from the outside (even 3-point range) with some confidence (though he didn't shoot often) and seemed relatively comfortable with the ball.

 

Honestly, I'm not sure how he'll be used this coming season (looking at the roster/lineup, I could see him getting only limited minutes), but I liked the athleticism I saw and think he could be a decent contributer if given the opportunity.

 

 

Some other observations about the new guys:

 

Raffa looked like a good, hard-nosed player with a scorer's mentality. My unofficial tally had him score 6 baskets (2 threes) both from the outside and finishing drives. While I like that he can create his own shot, I'm wary of the possibility that there could be times we rely on that with him running the point, rather than running offensive sets.

 

Johnson fit the mold of a pass-first "true" point guard. There were at least three or four times where I said "nice pass" or "nice look" out loud watching him handle the ball. Forced to create his own shot though, I'm not sure he has the finishing ability of Raffa (although he did have four baskets, I think). If the guys around him can score and benefit from the opportunities Johnson creates, I think he'd do great at the 1. If he's out there without a real finisher, I think he might struggle more. He also strikes me as someone who might benefit a lot from a more up-and-down tempo and I'm not sure how much that'll be the style we play. I did like his defensive intensity, too.

 

Harris is built like a beast. It was interesting to watch Timmy guard him, because they have similar builds (very strong). Harris, though, has an extra 6 inches in height. Looked to have a nice shooting stroke (4 threes and one two), but as others have mentioned, he didn't always seem that aggressive on the offensive end. That may change once he is in more of "game shape." He also was vocal when he wasn't in the game, clapping and shouting some encouragement to his teammates, which was absolutely great to see. Overall, he seemed like someone who can really contribute and do whatever we need him to do on a given night.

 

Billy Allen really impressed me. I knew he could shoot, and he showed he can (2 threes and a 2 in the first half), but he also looked much more athletic than I anticipated. Both in the pregame drills, the unofficial dunk contest, and the scrimmage itself, he looked very smooth. He also had more lift than I expected, so I don't think he'd be limited as a scorer to spot-up shooting.