GAMETHREAD: v. Ole Miss, 12:30, SECNet, ESPN3.com

espn3 lost the feed as well, must be a sat truck problem.

back now

so many wasted possessions already today. boys need to slow down.

Yes and no. There’s a ceiling with this LSU team, and that’s about .500 in SEC play. The SEC is bad enough that we have a chance to win every game. Tennessee has been wildly inconsistent. UF is the same. The SEC West is the worst collection of 6 teams in the BCS conferences. There’s plenty of winnable games out there. LSU has raw talent on the team. The problem with this talent is that it is inexperienced, and it shows every time we play.

There’s plenty of good pieces on this team. I have been pleased with Matt Derenbecker’s development. I didn’t see him doing much this year than shooting shots and hoping he gets hot. So far, he’s learned to create his own shot and draw fouls. That’s huge for a freshman that comes in as only a shooter. He’s starting to use his size which is an added bonus. I’m very pleased with how he has stepped up.

Ralston Turner, though injured, is the best player on this team still. Having him out hurts us a lot in the W/L column, but frankly, this season has to be about learning both how to play as a team, and becoming consistent. Players as a whole need to learn to curb bad shots(AKA 3 pointers from the L), pass the ball, and play as a unit. Turner is going to be our best shooter and overall player for the years to come.

Andre Stringer, I’m not sure what to say. He’s making the most freshman mistakes of all. His shot selection is horrid. Just because you can make a shot from halfcourt doesn’t mean you have to take it. Just because it goes in doesn’t mean it’s a good shot. A point guard’s goal shouldn’t be to hit those shots. It should be to get into the lane, pass the ball, find open shooters, anything besides launching whenever you feel like it. Can he get better? I hope so, I think so. His shot can definitely stretch out defenses and make it easier for others to drive or for the big men to get space to move. However, he needs to learn how to create for others at this time.

The forwards, I have less nice things to say. Garrett Green is perhaps my favorite forward. He tends to be a great hustle player off the bench and can be an asset as a rebounder only. However, cut the crap of shooting 3’s. Like mentioned above, just because you can make a shot doesn’t make it a good shot. Just because it went in before doesn’t mean you should take it again. I’d like to see him use his size more and get easy baskets. The SEC isn’t really known for forwards like other conferences are. Outside of Jones on UK, no center scares me(that includes Vernon Macklin).

Malcolm White, just ugg. I really don’t like any of his game. I may be harsh, but I’ll be honest. He doesn’t know how to post up and make easy baskets. He doesn’t play like a center. He’s paper thin, skin and bones, whatever you want to say, and get’s pushed around. His hands are cinder blocks and he fumbles the ball. He can’t identify double teams. I just don’t like what he brings to the team. We need him to play like a big body, and he’s never really done that. JOB can hopefully take his place in the starting line up.