Elon Outlook for 2022-2023 Season
Nov 14, 2022 9:37:35 GMT -5
elon_phan, camroc, and 1 more like this
Post by elonhoops4life on Nov 14, 2022 9:37:35 GMT -5
I just returned from Asheville where I had a courtside perspective of the two games they played this weekend. Before the season I was a little more optimistic about the upcoming year but now - not so much. I am as huge an Elon Basketball fan you will find and I am not bashing this team by no means - just an honest perspective. I now believe this team will go 4-9 or at best 5-8 in non-conference play. I see us possibly being 6-12 in conference play leaving us at 10-21 or 11-20 on the year heading into the CAA. That being said I do not blame any of this on the current roster or the coaching staff. Schrage left late and Taylor came in very late in the recruiting period. Even the portal was picked over by that point. I think he did great obtaining some of the talent he did. It is going to be a long painful year for Elon Basketball but keep in mind we lost probably four of our best players when Schrage left. I believe a couple of those guys would have left regardless but we will never know nor does it matter.
After seeing the two games in Asheville it is obvious to me we lack athleticism. Taylor wants to run and push the ball but the current roster we have does not seem athletic enough to me to do so. Perhaps this is something they improve on over the year and I suspect they will but I am not sure it will get to where Coach Taylor envisions them being. Below are some comments on individual players:
_Sean Halloran - He cannot drive the lane like he did at Belmont-Abbey. He could be a decent backup point guard but he is not a starter at the D-1 level. I would rather see Pratt get more playing time as I think he can develop as a talented point guard. Hallorman will probably be a coach somewhere one day as it is clear he is trying to be a leader on the team. During time outs while the coaches are huddled he is always "coaching" his teammates. On the floor he is always barking out where players should be lined up, etc. ALmost to a fault as once during the Harvard game he was trying to direct another Elon player on the floor to a different position and the ball handler drove right past him to the rim for a basket.
_JaDun Michael - He is finally healthy and in the starting lineup. Not super impressed. It is early and he has not had much playing time in his career due to injuries. I saw him play a few high school basketball games and then I was not sure what all the fuss was about. He was good but I did not think he was a high 3 star recruit. He seems to struggle a bit and his not hitting a high percentage of shots. THe jury is still out and give him some time and see how he adjust.
_Max Mackinnon - May be the best find for this team. He seems very comfortable on the court and rebounds well. A decent shooter and very active all over the floor. Grabbed a couple of steals in the Harvard game. I like this kid. Comes with a wealth of experience in Australia and I think could be the surprise find of the off season. Able to shoot the three and like I said feels comfortable. He is a fun player to watch.
_Sam Sherry - Able to give some good minutes and seems somewhat comfortable on the court. He plays hard and can give some guys a bit of rest. I don't think you will see much more than what you already see in him.
_Torrence Watson - The leader of this team (Well Sort Of) - Played great against Erskine but it is Erskine.....Did not look good against ETSU and played decent but inconsistent against Harvard. I think he is the leader of this team by default and we will see him throw up some big numbers in a few games this year but we will also see him be non-existent at times as well, much like the ETSU game. I am glad he stuck around for the season as his experience will help win some games. I am afraid he is not going to have the amazing year that I had hoped he would. Just too inconsistent.
_RJ Noord - Will play here and there and give some guys a few minutes rest. SOme games we will not see him at all, like in the ETSU game. He got 11 minutes in the Harvard game. He doesn't do anything to really hurt us while he is in but he isn't going to light it up while he is in the game. Glad to see him get a little time against Harvard.
_Otto Luessenhop - Will not see him play as a walk on he may get some garbage minutes but those will be few this year.
_Zac Ervin - I love Zac I really do but he may be the biggest disappointment on the team. At last year's Charleston Classic against West Virginia a West Virginia fan was screaming how bad Zac was. It made me mad. He said things like "There is a reason you play for Elon and not a big school" He said Zac was clumsy and cannot handle the ball. After watching the game with an open mind a lot of what he said was actually true. Zac is inconsistent as a three point shooter. But a three point shooter is what he is. Problem is he is not hitting them with a high amount of accuracy. He does have trouble catching the ball and handling it in a fast paced setting. A coach told me at Night of the Phoenix that Zac would be their leading scorer this year and that he was hitting lights out in Italy. I haven't seem that is three games to start the season. He has 8 made three's in three games (Not Bad) but he has taken many shots to get those 8. You will see him put up some big numbers and make some three's in some games. The problem is he is inconsistent.
_Jerald Gillens-Butler - Injured and hopes to return in January. WIll be nice to have him back and will definitely help the team. He is very active in pre-game warmups which I think shows his dedication to the team after injuries and personal issues that caused him to miss most of last season.
_LA Pratt - Wish this Freshman got more playing time in the place of Sean Holloran. Halloran will be gone after this season and we are going no where this season so shy not let Pratt get the experience. I would rather see him start and Halloran be the backup. No doubt we will need to recruit a point guard or utilize the transfer portal. This is a position we are very weak in currently. I thin Pratt could be a nice player with some experience.
_Austin Williams - Will not see this walk on play much at all this season. Seems like a nice kid but he knows his roll on this team and accepts it with a smile on.
_Andrew Junkin - Junkin only played 11 minutes against Erskine but he did start. Nice numbers with 6 points, 6 boards and 3 blocks. I like his size and his Power 5 experience he brings to the team. He plays hard and is very emotional on the court. I like his energy. I think his presence under the basket helps the team on defense. He had a couple of good offensive outings toward the end of last season. I think he is inconsistent but will give some good minutes. He did not play in the two games in Asheville has he had a viral sickness. He should be back in action on Thursday against N. Dakota.
_John Bowen III - Nice game against ETSU but most of his baskets were a matter of him in the right place at the right time (under the basket) Was non-existent during the Harvard game and was in foul trouble most of the game. He his not going to be the leader on this team but no stretch of the imagination. He doesnt hurt us by being in there but he is the same player he was in Wilmington. Don't expect much from him but capable of giving some decent minutes.
_Deandre Smart - I like this kid. He has much more size than I thought he had. Plays hard. I find it hard to believe he had no DI offers. He looks like a ball player. He has had good numbers in a couple of the games and is averaging over 10 points a game and a handful of boards. This could be a star player and perhaps the biggest surprise in the CAA this year. There - I said it. He will not be Rooke of the Year but for a kid with no DI offers except Elon. I think he will be a star player for this team in the year's to come.
That's my thoughts on each individual player on this team. We will have some bright spots and we will win a couple games that we should not and we will lose a couple that we should win. But that is every season. I hope my prediction for this ear is incorrect but as big a fan as I am this is my honest opinion of how the season will unfold. I will still be there for every home game and as many road games as I can. I will still be in DC for the CAA just as I was in Asheville. I am a fan. Win or lose I will support my team. I will hope we can recruit well and bring in some future star players that will one day take us to the top of the CAA.
After seeing the two games in Asheville it is obvious to me we lack athleticism. Taylor wants to run and push the ball but the current roster we have does not seem athletic enough to me to do so. Perhaps this is something they improve on over the year and I suspect they will but I am not sure it will get to where Coach Taylor envisions them being. Below are some comments on individual players:
_Sean Halloran - He cannot drive the lane like he did at Belmont-Abbey. He could be a decent backup point guard but he is not a starter at the D-1 level. I would rather see Pratt get more playing time as I think he can develop as a talented point guard. Hallorman will probably be a coach somewhere one day as it is clear he is trying to be a leader on the team. During time outs while the coaches are huddled he is always "coaching" his teammates. On the floor he is always barking out where players should be lined up, etc. ALmost to a fault as once during the Harvard game he was trying to direct another Elon player on the floor to a different position and the ball handler drove right past him to the rim for a basket.
_JaDun Michael - He is finally healthy and in the starting lineup. Not super impressed. It is early and he has not had much playing time in his career due to injuries. I saw him play a few high school basketball games and then I was not sure what all the fuss was about. He was good but I did not think he was a high 3 star recruit. He seems to struggle a bit and his not hitting a high percentage of shots. THe jury is still out and give him some time and see how he adjust.
_Max Mackinnon - May be the best find for this team. He seems very comfortable on the court and rebounds well. A decent shooter and very active all over the floor. Grabbed a couple of steals in the Harvard game. I like this kid. Comes with a wealth of experience in Australia and I think could be the surprise find of the off season. Able to shoot the three and like I said feels comfortable. He is a fun player to watch.
_Sam Sherry - Able to give some good minutes and seems somewhat comfortable on the court. He plays hard and can give some guys a bit of rest. I don't think you will see much more than what you already see in him.
_Torrence Watson - The leader of this team (Well Sort Of) - Played great against Erskine but it is Erskine.....Did not look good against ETSU and played decent but inconsistent against Harvard. I think he is the leader of this team by default and we will see him throw up some big numbers in a few games this year but we will also see him be non-existent at times as well, much like the ETSU game. I am glad he stuck around for the season as his experience will help win some games. I am afraid he is not going to have the amazing year that I had hoped he would. Just too inconsistent.
_RJ Noord - Will play here and there and give some guys a few minutes rest. SOme games we will not see him at all, like in the ETSU game. He got 11 minutes in the Harvard game. He doesn't do anything to really hurt us while he is in but he isn't going to light it up while he is in the game. Glad to see him get a little time against Harvard.
_Otto Luessenhop - Will not see him play as a walk on he may get some garbage minutes but those will be few this year.
_Zac Ervin - I love Zac I really do but he may be the biggest disappointment on the team. At last year's Charleston Classic against West Virginia a West Virginia fan was screaming how bad Zac was. It made me mad. He said things like "There is a reason you play for Elon and not a big school" He said Zac was clumsy and cannot handle the ball. After watching the game with an open mind a lot of what he said was actually true. Zac is inconsistent as a three point shooter. But a three point shooter is what he is. Problem is he is not hitting them with a high amount of accuracy. He does have trouble catching the ball and handling it in a fast paced setting. A coach told me at Night of the Phoenix that Zac would be their leading scorer this year and that he was hitting lights out in Italy. I haven't seem that is three games to start the season. He has 8 made three's in three games (Not Bad) but he has taken many shots to get those 8. You will see him put up some big numbers and make some three's in some games. The problem is he is inconsistent.
_Jerald Gillens-Butler - Injured and hopes to return in January. WIll be nice to have him back and will definitely help the team. He is very active in pre-game warmups which I think shows his dedication to the team after injuries and personal issues that caused him to miss most of last season.
_LA Pratt - Wish this Freshman got more playing time in the place of Sean Holloran. Halloran will be gone after this season and we are going no where this season so shy not let Pratt get the experience. I would rather see him start and Halloran be the backup. No doubt we will need to recruit a point guard or utilize the transfer portal. This is a position we are very weak in currently. I thin Pratt could be a nice player with some experience.
_Austin Williams - Will not see this walk on play much at all this season. Seems like a nice kid but he knows his roll on this team and accepts it with a smile on.
_Andrew Junkin - Junkin only played 11 minutes against Erskine but he did start. Nice numbers with 6 points, 6 boards and 3 blocks. I like his size and his Power 5 experience he brings to the team. He plays hard and is very emotional on the court. I like his energy. I think his presence under the basket helps the team on defense. He had a couple of good offensive outings toward the end of last season. I think he is inconsistent but will give some good minutes. He did not play in the two games in Asheville has he had a viral sickness. He should be back in action on Thursday against N. Dakota.
_John Bowen III - Nice game against ETSU but most of his baskets were a matter of him in the right place at the right time (under the basket) Was non-existent during the Harvard game and was in foul trouble most of the game. He his not going to be the leader on this team but no stretch of the imagination. He doesnt hurt us by being in there but he is the same player he was in Wilmington. Don't expect much from him but capable of giving some decent minutes.
_Deandre Smart - I like this kid. He has much more size than I thought he had. Plays hard. I find it hard to believe he had no DI offers. He looks like a ball player. He has had good numbers in a couple of the games and is averaging over 10 points a game and a handful of boards. This could be a star player and perhaps the biggest surprise in the CAA this year. There - I said it. He will not be Rooke of the Year but for a kid with no DI offers except Elon. I think he will be a star player for this team in the year's to come.
That's my thoughts on each individual player on this team. We will have some bright spots and we will win a couple games that we should not and we will lose a couple that we should win. But that is every season. I hope my prediction for this ear is incorrect but as big a fan as I am this is my honest opinion of how the season will unfold. I will still be there for every home game and as many road games as I can. I will still be in DC for the CAA just as I was in Asheville. I am a fan. Win or lose I will support my team. I will hope we can recruit well and bring in some future star players that will one day take us to the top of the CAA.
