The American Men's Basketball team has been like the schizophrenic guy that hangs out at Starbucks in Tenleytown the past three games; going crazy the first half with halftime leads of 17 and 11 respectively in the past two games, then sitting quietly sipping coffee for the second half letting the opponent take second half leads of 7 and 10.
After seeing the first home game for the men last night I left Bender both optimistic and worried for the remainder of the season. The two halves showed exactly why I was concerned as well as the scoring spread. Garrison Carr and Derrick Mercer, like the first two games, provided 68 percent of the points and were the only two players in double digits. The men's team right now is very one dimensional. The game seems to consist of passing it around the perimeter till either garrison or derrick get a three bomb off. While this works when their shooting percentages are good like in the first half, 57% from behind the arch but kills them when their shooting percentage is low, like the second half with a dismal 14%. Until American's big men can wake up and catch the ball with two hands or grab some rebounds it will be a difficult season.
I was optimistic however because of the looks that both Bryce and Frank were getting. These are going to be two strong contributors once they adjust to the speed and physicality of competitive college basketball. They were taking shoots and getting great looks. Once these shots start to fall they will offer a mid range threat the team is currently lacking. Another positive was the enthusiastic and showy play that came from AU. The warm up consisted of an entire drill of the team dunking, a far cry from last years conservative fundamental based team. This will be good for fan attendance and momentum as displayed by the crowd's reaction to Brian Gilmore's great inside move he capped off with a strong two handed jam. This emotionally charged play will be sure to bring in more fans then last year. Till next game....
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