Maybe this was mentioned here previously and I missed it, but we have a player on this year's roster named All Right. And All Right is the brother of a Rhode Island player named Always Right.
I can't help but imagine a scenario where Always Right argues a call with a ref and the ref gets frustrated and asks him who he things he is...and he responds with "I'm Always Right".
I know I had trouble finding in game clips of Isaiah Shaw at GCU besides short clips on insta. It appears somebody made a full highlight reel for this previous season for Shaw.
Shaw shot 30.4% from the 3 last year on 46 attempts. That's better than Stafford at 29.4 or a guy like Conner Barrett at 22.5! 83% FT shooter. Given his size at 6'8", he'll likely be able to shoot over smaller guards. Also like his ability to drive.
Shaw is listed as a 6'8" guard and I'm curious about his full court ball handling skills. His shot looks good but 30.4% from 3 isn't great and the team will need better.
The team group picture is finally available and Devon Ellis looks like he could be a real physical interior addition. Vaguely I remembering his highlights suggesting that he could defend the Valley 3 point shooters but we will have to wait and see to be certain of his foot speed.
Cooper Schwieger is listed at 6'10" and Carson at 6'8". If Carson and Tyler Schmidt can prove to be solid part time bench contributors then I Im liking how this season might shape up.
One thing I think we need to consider is that Cooper got some High Major looks and he chose to stay with Valpo. One thing we can give Powell some credit for is building a culture that makes that transfer decision extremely difficult to make. Another thing to mention is Cooper got 0 looks and was able to be developed into such an elite talent to get those high major looks. Powell learned from some of the best when it comes to scouting and talent aquisition. I expect another seemingly unsuspecting player to breakout this year.
As for Shaw. This is his home court. He knows this town. He knows the culture. He has a deep connection to this city, school, and to this team. He will most likely be a leader. As for instant success. The minuets just aren't there to give me an accurate depiction of his skillset. All I can say is his Uncle shot for 43% in college and that was his coach at GCU. Maybe he can tap into the knowledge and develop into a serious threat beyond the arch, but I just cannot get a read on a guy who didnt have minutes. From looking at tapes. The potential is there for him to be as effective as the former owner of #24.
Shaw shot 30.4% from the 3 last year on 46 attempts. That's better than Stafford at 29.4 or a guy like Conner Barrett at 22.5! 83% FT shooter. Given his size at 6'8", he'll likely be able to shoot over smaller guards. Also like his ability to drive.
If Shaw shoots 30% from 3 he shouldn't shoot from 3 or take a permanent seat on the bench. If that's getting playing time, the team is in trouble. Stafford shouldn't be held up as some high end shooter. He's a high volume shooter who is prone to kill a team just as easily, if not moreso, than he will carry a team. Barrett didn't play enough to get any read on other than he could foul out with the best of them.
I didn’t want to restart the Isaiah Shaw debate. Should point out that he is a career .356 3point shooter and tracking shooting percentages in limited playing time is not reliable. Ryan Fazekas shot lower than that at Providence and then came to Valpo and was the #1 three point shooter in the country.
We really need to see about 80 minutes of D-1 game play before we start forming any conclusions about our many newcomers.
AND
If we do another "Over-Under", it should be a real crapshoot of blind speculation.
One thing I think we need to consider is that Cooper got some High Major looks and he chose to stay with Valpo.
A good reason is that Cooper's brother is now at Valpo. Although Cooper and Carson could have both gone elsewhere and still could in the future.
And good luck telling Cooper and Carson apart on the court.
Which one is which?
To leverage their uniqueness, shouldn’t Carson have been assigned # 31?
Cooper is on the left and carson is on the right. Despite being twins Cooper has both lighter hair and a different facial structure
Cooper is on the left and carson is on the right. Despite being twins Cooper has both lighter hair and a different facial structure
And is two inches taller!
Shaw has a nice-looking lefty shot, but I might be a bit biased as a lefty. I think he goes 35%+ from 3 with more consistent playing time.