Troy basketball thoughts

November 06, 2007

Drew Champlin

Here is a box score from Troy’s 112-76 win over West Alabama.

Now, my thoughts…

...Head coach Don Maestri said his team hasn’t run the 40-minutes of hell type pressure since the early 90s. They are doing it to offset what lack of talent they might have compared to other schools. He said for fans to not be upset when they break the press and get an easy lay-up or two (that happened a few times last night). It’s designed to wear the opposition out and Troy will play 11-12 players a night to run it.

The only downfall will be when much more athletic teams that West Alabama go up against it. The Trojans had 7-footer Tom Jervis and 6-foot-9 Bernard Toombs guarding the inbounds, and that will work. When Jarvis Acker comes back, if he comes back, he will be that guy also.

Acker is a wild card. He missed Monday’s game with an academic issue that needs to be cleared up, whatever that means, but he said he’ll be back Friday and coaches think he will too.

He’ll start at the 5. Tom Jervis started there and while he’s got a ways to go to be effective down low - he’s still getting into shape after missing practice time with a high ankle sprain. He’s got a very nice stroke from the outside and hit both of his threes. But one rebound in just 17 minutes isn’t something to be thrilled with.

Troy still gets pushed around down low. A guy listed at 6-foot-6, 255 pounds had 22 points and 21 rebounds last night.

Justin Jonus and O’Darien Bassett have taken their games to new levels. Jonus had a Grade 3 patella dislocation and MCL tear in the summer and has worked harder than ever to get back. Just three seconds into the game, he drained a three. Troy needs 35 ppg from that duo to have success, maybe more.

Jerome Odem started at the point but I like the way Mike Vogler runs the offense. He’s a better ball-handler than Odem and probably a better defender, but not as good of a shooter from what I could tell.

Trayce Macon started at the 4. He, Mario Telfair and Kenny Ware will have their moments this year. Telfair and Macon are better offensive threats than Ware but both looked to be raw. Telfair can take it to the rack and Macon’s got a smooth stroke. They’ll get better.

Brandon Hazzard looks like a guy who can be a sharpshooter off the bench. He won the backup 2-guard spot over Josh Williams. Williams is an effort guy but right now he’s the 5th guard.

The enigma might be Bernard Toombs. Coaches want to redshirt him, but with Acker’s situation, if Acker can’t play, they might not be able to. They are confident that he will be a not good, but great player down the line and want to preserve a year of eligibility. He showed a nice jumper and really got after it last night with 10 points and 8 boards, mostly because Jervis was in foul trouble in the first half. He did have some clumsy moments, but I think he should play this year. Players can now play in exhibition games and still redshirt.

Bottom line is this - everyone on this team knows their role and I saw 100 percent effort all night. They’re not as talented as the rest of the league but there is potential. However, I’m not sure it can compete for a league title but could surprise if chemistry continues to stay at a high level.

Tuesday links

Drew Champlin

From the Dothan Eagle, you have a football notebook, leading with some stuff on Omar Haugabook, plus a men’s exhibition basketball gamer.

I promise I will have some basketball observations later today.

Couldn’t find anything Western Kentucky-wise for today.

Troy-West Alabama basketball

November 05, 2007

Drew Champlin

Starts at 7 p.m. CST, or it might be going on right now if you’re just checking the blog.

Go to http://www.troytrojans.com to listen to Taylor Bryan and Jerry Miller call the action.

Senior Jarvis Acker won’t play tonight and has an eligibility issue that needs to be cleared up, but he says he’ll be ready for Friday’s game at Alabama and coaches are hoping that’s the case. Junior transfer Tom Jervis (yeah, that’s the 7-footer) will start at the 5 position.

Depth chart changes at the receiver position

Drew Champlin

At the X (outside), junior Kennard Burton is now the starter with sophomore Justin Bray backing him up. Coaches moved junior Mykeal Terry from X to Z (the other outside receiver) to back up Gary Banks.

“That helped Gary out a lot,“ offensive coordinator Tony Franklin said. “It allows him a little bit more rest, and his burst after the catch was better for it.“

At the Y, coaches are hoping Austin Silvoy can come back this week from a knee injury. Josh Allen and Cornelius Williams are holding down the fort there, but Silvoy’s speed is missed.

At the H, it’s a plethora of players. You’ve got sophomore Andrew Davis listed as No. 1 on the depth chart, but redshirt freshman Patrick Cherry is getting better. Junior Gerald Tate is still being bothered by a knee injury and isn’t full speed yet. When running back Sean Dawkins is in the game, that’s in place of the H (I think).

Where does that leave talented freshman Jerrel Jernigan? I guess wherever coaches want to put him. He’s done a lot of things at a lot of positions and had a breakout game against UGA last week with 10 catches for 102 yards and two scores.

Sound familiar, anyone?

Drew Champlin

Head coach Larry Blakeney said at his Monday presser that he got a not-so-friendly e-mail from a guy who said he was a Georgia fan. This was in relation to the final drive where the Trojans used all their timeouts and scored with five seconds left to cover a 16.5 point spread.

Sounds like someone lost some money on the game.

“I got a real nasty e-mail today ... I mulled over it an hour and a half before answering it. I was trying to stir the guy up really well. I think he was one of those people that had one of those 17 and a half point spreads.“

“What if coach (Mark) Richt had his guys out there with 92,000 people trying to score? We teach our kids to finish each play and finish the game. You don’t finish the game by giving up.“

On Western Kentucky, this week’s opponent, and the Hilltoppers’ 87-0 victory over West Virginia Tech.

“What I need to find out is how you get West Virginia Tech on your schedule.“

More to come tomorrow.

Also, basketball-wise, look for this starting lineup tonight.
PG-Jerome Odem
SG-O’Darien Bassett
SF-Justin Jonus
PF-Trayce Macon
C-Jarvis Acker

Acker isn’t really a center, but plays that 5-position well in this offense. That’s four seniors and a sophomore (Macon) in the lineup.

Make sure you listen to the radio broadcast of

Barry McKnight Taylor Bryan and Jerry Miller.