Rondo ... rebounding machine?
Yeah, you read that right.
Kentucky (1-0) got it done, 71-57, but outrebounded a much outsized team by only 5.
Lukasz Obrzut? He's 7'0". He can't grab anything except the towel they toss to him upon returning to the bench.
Rajon Rondo? 6'1" of pure athletic marvel. He had 12 rebounds. Seriously, 12.
This, in addition to running the floor game (which was sloppy on Sunday) and menacing the South Dakota St. (0-1) backcourt into 6 steals and countless turnovers or rushed shots. It's rare that you can say that one player was the difference between a competitive game and a game that was never truly close, but Rondo was exactly that in the Guardians opener.
Oh, and just to reiterate his claim on "go to" guy this year, the Thrill from the 'Ville tossed in 17 points, 2 threes and 6 assists. The second half was the player that can be a first team-All American. Now if only his teammates would shoulder some of the yoeman's weight with him.
The aforementioned Woo? Brutal on Sunday. I'm too sure that Obrzut will be the difference in a win/loss this season to play the Big Blue stereotype to a tee and moan too long, but at times it hurts, like he's suddenly Gimel Martinez after shaving his moustache and spending too long playing red-eyed games of PS2 with Marvin Stone and Jason Parker. Something isn't translating in real time with the poor guy, and we fans could really use some reason to cheer him on other than "he's a Cat." It'll hold 'em off for a while, but eventually he'll start getting the whipping boy tag and -- ugh, it's ugly to consider.
Other standouts from Sunday's win include Rekalin Sims, whose humility after the game (“I didn’t play well at all. I didn’t shoot well from the field, and I had a couple of turnovers. I just didn’t play to my ability, and my flaws showed...") was as impressive as his tenacity and low-post help defense. Shagari did his thang, minus a stretch where he was more "lampost you have to avoid" than shot blocking threat. But he was effective in his way. Bobby Perry looked sharp and Joe Crawford's jumper was silky until he seemed to tire late.
All in all, an effort that looked a lot like a scrimmage to me but gets the job done nonetheless. Fans should remember that they DO have a game tonight.
As for Patrick Sparks, I'm giving him a mulligan. He's earned a few. But if he shows up tomorrow looking as ragged and D-II as he did today, he'll start hearing the business from chuckleheads like me. Mark it down.
Kentucky (1-0) got it done, 71-57, but outrebounded a much outsized team by only 5.
Lukasz Obrzut? He's 7'0". He can't grab anything except the towel they toss to him upon returning to the bench.
Rajon Rondo? 6'1" of pure athletic marvel. He had 12 rebounds. Seriously, 12.
This, in addition to running the floor game (which was sloppy on Sunday) and menacing the South Dakota St. (0-1) backcourt into 6 steals and countless turnovers or rushed shots. It's rare that you can say that one player was the difference between a competitive game and a game that was never truly close, but Rondo was exactly that in the Guardians opener.
Oh, and just to reiterate his claim on "go to" guy this year, the Thrill from the 'Ville tossed in 17 points, 2 threes and 6 assists. The second half was the player that can be a first team-All American. Now if only his teammates would shoulder some of the yoeman's weight with him.
The aforementioned Woo? Brutal on Sunday. I'm too sure that Obrzut will be the difference in a win/loss this season to play the Big Blue stereotype to a tee and moan too long, but at times it hurts, like he's suddenly Gimel Martinez after shaving his moustache and spending too long playing red-eyed games of PS2 with Marvin Stone and Jason Parker. Something isn't translating in real time with the poor guy, and we fans could really use some reason to cheer him on other than "he's a Cat." It'll hold 'em off for a while, but eventually he'll start getting the whipping boy tag and -- ugh, it's ugly to consider.
Other standouts from Sunday's win include Rekalin Sims, whose humility after the game (“I didn’t play well at all. I didn’t shoot well from the field, and I had a couple of turnovers. I just didn’t play to my ability, and my flaws showed...") was as impressive as his tenacity and low-post help defense. Shagari did his thang, minus a stretch where he was more "lampost you have to avoid" than shot blocking threat. But he was effective in his way. Bobby Perry looked sharp and Joe Crawford's jumper was silky until he seemed to tire late.
All in all, an effort that looked a lot like a scrimmage to me but gets the job done nonetheless. Fans should remember that they DO have a game tonight.
As for Patrick Sparks, I'm giving him a mulligan. He's earned a few. But if he shows up tomorrow looking as ragged and D-II as he did today, he'll start hearing the business from chuckleheads like me. Mark it down.
1 Comments:
At 10:45 AM, The Old Doc said…
I saw the box score and noticed also that Woo was just woeful - and the sad part is that his performance seems identical to his performance last year, which is to say, woeful. He does not get better. For Rondo to get 12 boards is remarkable, seeing as how he is only 6'1", but we long time fans know he has truly amazing hops.
I'm just hoping UK played down to the competition last night. They sure need to improve fairly quickly. Assuming they navigate past Lipscomb, some heavier hitters await early.
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