Here's what Bala saw in the Concordia game - thanks Bala!
Everybody played well, but two names come gushing forth: DeMarcus Nelson and
Greg Paulus.
DeMarcus: He drove to the basket with distinct confidence and authority. He used
his strong body to remarkable effect to score. He was a beast on the boards esp.
the offensive boards (there was one instance when I think he got three consecutive
offensive rebounds, and he had to fight for all three of them). He played the fast
break with great fluidity and ease.
Greg: I donâ??t remember his assist to turnover ratio. Regardless, I would more
than double the number assists he ended up having (relatively easy baskets were
either missed or the passes just caught the receiver off guard). Three of his assists
come to mind: 1. He drives from the left side, jumps up in front of the basket,
tosses the ball over the raised hands of the defender to an open teammate for a
very easy bucket. 2. He makes this fast razor sharp, almost no look pass from the
top of the key to a open man for another easy basket. 3. He drives from the left
almost head on into a defender near the basket, and in one unsusupecting moment
flicks the ball behind his back to an open teammate.
Sure, he didnâ??t score a bunch but what a phenomenal passer ! He definetly makes
his teammates look good.
Josh: He finished a lot of plays with authority. But more to his credit he made
some remarkable assists. He clearly makes very few mistakes on the court â?? comes
across as very intelligent.
Jamal: He was intense throughout. He had several gritty rebounds and forced at least
two jump ball situations. Not that the others were lacking in defensive intensity
but Jamal kinda embodied it on a very consistent basis.
Eric: He plays undaunted near the basket. Heâ??s still getting to terms with handling
the ball well, though.
Martynas: He had a rather quite game in terms of the stat sheet but was his usual
energetic self. He fought for some good rebounds and made some crisp passes. He,
however, does seem to have a propensity to foul.
Sean: He played a very controlled and solid game. The ball just seems much more
safer in hands this year than in the years past. Needless to say, his defense was
remarkable.
Lee: He was just shooting lights out. I am postive his three point shot has improved
since last year.
JJ and Shelden: They were very very solid just like last year. The convenience of
not having to play long minutes doesnâ??t yet seem too obvious in the way they play-they
were just so good. Shelden made a three (quite unlike the buzzer beater at Georgetown
town two years ago, though).
General notes: Coach K was trying many line-ups, many times. We played a fast game.
There were at least four palming calls (Sean was called for one)-so, clearly, like
reported earlier, the officials are paying more attention to this area. Shelden
and #33 from Concordia got into a minor tussle in the first half but all went well
since then.
Much to their credit and coaching, the Concordia team never had a defeatist mentality
during the game.
The half-time had the jump-rope team from Durham display a simply breath-taking
performance, so much so, when the the Devils rolled onto the court after half-time
people almost forgot to cheer as much as they usually do-this effect that lasted
all so transiently, was clearly a credit to the jump rope team.
I got a free ticket from a gentleman, and thanks to him I got to savour another
exciting game at Cameron.
Bala.
PhD '05