SCU Men's Basketball - Cougars, Cardinals and Bears - Oh My!

                                                                                            



We found out something big about the Broncos during Tuesday's victory against Washington State .  Something that's been missing for a long time.  I'll call it GRIT.  Edgy, rough, bordering on Chaos Theory.  

Recent times past, against strong opponents, we've played like young colts; not Broncos.  A bit weak in the knees and insecure in our on court abilities.  Not now - not this team.  How/why the change?

Maybe there is a bit of Chaos Theory going on; where small changes lead to unpredictable big changes.  Is it Trey, Tahj, Willie, Keshawn and Josip maturing?  Was it last year's USC overtime thriller and a strong finish to the WCC season that gave them belief?  

My take, it's the new guys.  They play with a "tude" we desperately need.  It's been brewing in practice for the past six weeks.  Hi, I'm David Thompson and I want your minutes.  He's not big, but he plays big.  Affectationatley nicknamed the "sewer rat."  Or, DJ Mitchell's play, setting a "just try and stop me" example.  Keep going.  The Williams - Jalen and Giordan who have shown they can "shoot" you to the bench.  They are itching to get into the action.  
Chaos Theory at work.

Tuesday night was part game plan, but mostly mayhem.  Different than in the past, WE not only caused it, but thrived in it.  No stopping, more pressure, more defensive "stands."  A turnover by us, a steal, a block, a big rebound, an injured player returning and delivering a clutch three.  Making free throws at crunch time, the Bronco Corral end zone free throw antics, and watching the whole team, all in with their teammates.  Who wins a game against a good opponent with 21 turnovers AND your two most experienced players scoring only five points?  These guys.

A tougher mid-term exam comes this Saturday at Stanford.  Big, talented, young, and wants prove it.  They don't want to lose in their own backyard.  No matter the outcome, it will strengthen our resolve.  Click the link below for the Stanford season outlook.

Stanford Season Outlook

As fans and season ticket holders, you've got to like a full roster of guys who can play with mayhem.  I'd love to see us keep it going all season, so our opponents have to go full Butch Cassidy, declaring "who are these guys."  

They're colts, that are becoming Broncos and we all need to "ride" together to see what this team can become.

SCU Men's Basketball - "Sluggish" Won't Do vs The Cougars

                                                                                               

The Bronco's opened last Tuesday against the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs and on Thursday against the Cal Poly Mustangs.  

Most programs have a schedule that's a soft opening.  Even Duke played mighty Fort Valley state.  It's solely for getting the team "reps" - floor time.  That was all we were wanting from the UCSC game.  

Here's what we saw.  The coaches used their starters off and on for about 20 - 24 minutes.  The newcomers each saw 15-19 minutes of their first real game action.  

Questions were answered.  What about all the newbies?  Here's the rundown.  DJ Mitchell impressed.  Active, competitive, a power dunk high flyer, with an edge.  As for the two Williams, Jalen and Giordan, they played well and showed we have real depth.  Freshman Jaden Bediako also impressed, albeit against a much smaller lineup.  IMHO, the best thing about the "slugs" game was the ball was always moving in an up tempo game plan and open shots were everywhere.  

Different story when the Mustangs rode into Leavey.  The game started the same way as we did vs UCSC - good passes and two dunks.  One by Caruso, the other by DJ Mitchell onto an 8-0 lead.  
The next four minutes were flashbacks to last season, where we were plagued by turnovers and missed shots.  In that span, five fouls, three turnovers, and four misses resulting in an 11-2 Cal Poly run to lead by one.  
To our credit, the defense was aggressive and kept us in the game. We won't get away with the reach fouls going forward that lead to early foul trouble on three starters.  We found out we DO have a bench who compete with a "dive on the floor" mentality lead by David Thompson with a head first, fumble recovery type move, to force a game changing turnover and enable a nice run.  Vrankic and Caruso were able to impose their will deep into the second half for a 14 point win.  Shoulda, coulda, woulda, been a 20+ win, but there was no folding in this team a la Prairie View last season.  

For the next two games "sluggish" won't do.

Washington State will be a good early litmus test.  They have experience, decent size, and are coached by former USF head coach Kyle Smith, who would love to avenge last seasons loss at Leavey.  After that loss, USF fell into a four game tailspin and a post season snub that wasted a 21 win season.  They also have freshman DJ Rodman - yes the son of, on their roster.  
Forget about last year's SCU win away.  This will be a whole different deal.

Saturday away at Stanford will be another test of what our team can become.  Stanford has a combo of young and experienced talent and a strong defensive mindset.  A "W" would be great, but the experience playing better teams should help in prep for the WCC league play.
  
We should be close to full strength.  Keyshawn Justice, according to some G2 is a game time decision.  He did practice a bit,  but I'm sure the Coaches don't want to risk any longer term problems.   He can be a key piece for us this year and I hope he's ready to go.  

The team will be amped and ready to run.  The "corral" will be ready to taunt at every free throw.  All of us need to be loud and the sixth man for our team, because sluggish just won't do in this one!