– RED&WHITE SCRIMMAGE #2
(Starting Line-ups)
.
Great afternoon of basketball in the Yum Center as it seemed to me that both teams settled in and were very efficient. After the first scrimmage I felt the players played a little bit tight. There was none of that this afternoon as both of these squads went after each other. And after watching these guys play against each other at full speed it makes it easy to understand why we have seen our fair share of injuries. They are a very competitive group. This attitude will go a long way at getting this team ready for another title run. It was a very close game throughout but the Red team did prevail 85-74 behind a solid 29 points from Luke Hancock.
(First Half Stats)
I was again very impressed by the play of Kevin Ware and Montrezl Harrell. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a player in a Louisville uniform attack the rim like Harrell does. He actually gets mad if he can’t dunk the basketball. It is unreal that this guy was a late sign. Boy did we hit the Jackpot. He had 20 points and recorded a game-high five steals and was 9-of-13 from the floor. Watching him play you can’t help but wonder how long we will get to enjoy him as part of our team. This kid has NBA potential written all over him. And what can you say about Kevin Ware? This guy has had a total transformation in the off season. A guy that looked lost on the court last year took over the game in the late part of the second half this afternoon. He put the Red team on his shoulders and wasn’t going to be denied. At one point I couldn’t help but get out of my seat with the performance he was putting on. There is a swagger about him that you don’t see in every player. If there is an “IT” factor Kevin Ware has “IT”. He had 10 rebounds to earn a double-double, scored 20 of his points in the final period.
Luke Hancock seems to be everything we expected him to be. The guy has a really high basketball IQ. He does all the essentials on the basketball floor. I would call him the “Floor General”. He really got to showcase his skills tonight due to Siva rolling his ankle. This guy is going to be special for this team. And I think we’ve just seen him scratch the surface. He led all scorers, registering 29 points was 4-of-4 from 3-point range and a solid 11-of-12 from the charity stripe. He also dished out six assists and had two of the team’s 14 steals.
(Final Stats)
Anyone who didn’t walk away this afternoon amazed at the potential of this team really doesn’t know much about basketball. If you were going to put a team together this one has all the parts you would look for. If there is a better group than this one I can’t wait to see them going at it in March. To say I’m excited after 2 scrimmages is an understatement. Yes we got a long way to go but this team oozes greatness.
(Photos from scrimmage)