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Monday, February 27, 2006
Random thoughts on Saturday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Whether Tech was playing Wake Forest or not, the Yellow Jackets did several good things Saturday. Here are some random thoughts:
** It was good to see Anthony Morrow put the ball on the floor more than he has been recently, particularly in the second half. At one point in the second half, he drove the left baseline, and made a sharp pass from under the basket to Dickey in the lane for two easy points. Morrow also shot four three throws in the second half (when he scored 13 of his 16 points), which is half as many free throws as he took in the previous eight games combined.
“I think he’s been thinking a little too much,” coach Paul Hewitt said. “That’s probably my fault because we’ve been going over some things on tape, little breakdowns that he hadn’t been making until the last three of four games. You start thinking too much and all of a sudden your feet slow down, and your body is not as aggressive.”
Said Morrow: “The thigh injury was kind of in my head, but I think I had to be mentally tough those two days after the Duke game and get my head back where it was. I think in the first half, my head was still a little cloudy. In the second half, coach talked to me and tells me he wants me to be a great player, and make that transition from being a good talent to a great player.”
** Lewis Clinch can be more than just a solid scorer. He has a chance to be quite a consistent threat in the future, on both sides of the ball. He not only scored a career-high 20 points, but had three steals, four assists and five rebounds.
“The thing I talk to him about all the time is, he’s a great athlete,” Hewitt said. “I always remind him, ‘You’re a great athlete and you can make great plays off the ball. I don’t think he can understand just how much ground he can cover off the ball, especially when he’s on the weak side.”
** Another freshman, D’Andre Bell, played his best game in a while, scoring eight points on two of four shooting and four of five free throws in just 12 minutes. He also had two steals. He’s got a strange-looking release, but if it goes in …
** Mario West scored just three points, including the game’s first basket when he drove right to the hole. More importantly, he had six assists, no turnovers, four rebounds and a blocked shot (right after his basket at the other end). Guy’s a major hustler.
** Other than Eric Williams, particularly in the first half, Tech defended quite well. Wake shot 21 of 60. Players other than Williams shot 12 of 43. Some were out-and-out misses when open, but in the past two games against Tech, the ACC’s leading scorers, J.J. Redick and Justin Gray have gone 5-of-21 and 5-of-18.
** Wake stinks. And not for lack of talent. Problem is, their talent is almost all seniors in Williams, Gray and Strickland. They REALLY lack a point guard, and have almost no cohesion. Several times, mostly during deadballs, coach Skip Prosser would call a play from the sideline, and Gray would shake his head. That’s not a good sign. That’s got to be one of the worst cases of underachievement in college basketball this season. They don’t have the youth card to play, either.
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