Here is a breakdown of what I saw from the four Rebels that participated in Desert Reign on Monday night:
Ike Nwamu:
Nwamu was obviously rusty. He has been off the court for a very long time, but still showed up and competed. There was plenty to like and plenty that was a bit questionable. Shot selection, of course, in these types of environments is always a bit of a problem. Nwamu was no different. Lot's of near 40-foot jumpers left his hands. There were more than a handful of airballs, but there was also a stretch where he showed his shooting prowess. Nwamu has great size for the wing, guard position that he will man. He definitely doesn't hurt for confidence. He also showed some decent rebounding and passing skills.
Dwayne Morgan:
In summer action, a lot of players go away from what will make them successful in the regular season. Morgan didn't do that. He concentrated solely on moves and possessions that he would likely be able to perform in a more organized setting. He posted up and overpowered defenders. He slashed to the rim. I believe he only shot one 3-pointer. Morgan looked improved and way more under control. He never settled for anything but a good shot. It was rather refreshing to see.
Jordan Cornish:
Cornish looked slimmed down and ready to produce. He didn't force too much on offense, besides a few very deep jumpers. However, I'm not concerned about Cornish's offense arsenal at all. I would like to see him attack the basket a little more in the upcoming weeks. Defensively, we aren't going to have any clue by watching Desert Reign games. The good is that it appears he has worked hard to get in top shape this offseason.
DaQuan Cook:
Cook looked extremely rusty in the first half. He turned the ball over a good bit and wasn't able to connect on his jump shot. That changed in the third quarter. Cook became very assertive and attacked on the offensive end. His deep shot never came around but he hit a mid-range with proper balance and fluidity. Cook was just finding his groove whenever he got his tooth knocked out by Davell Jackson on a play where he got into the lane and forced the defense to react. Coming off an injury, I would think that Cook is still a work in progress at this juncture.
Ike Nwamu:
Nwamu was obviously rusty. He has been off the court for a very long time, but still showed up and competed. There was plenty to like and plenty that was a bit questionable. Shot selection, of course, in these types of environments is always a bit of a problem. Nwamu was no different. Lot's of near 40-foot jumpers left his hands. There were more than a handful of airballs, but there was also a stretch where he showed his shooting prowess. Nwamu has great size for the wing, guard position that he will man. He definitely doesn't hurt for confidence. He also showed some decent rebounding and passing skills.
Dwayne Morgan:
In summer action, a lot of players go away from what will make them successful in the regular season. Morgan didn't do that. He concentrated solely on moves and possessions that he would likely be able to perform in a more organized setting. He posted up and overpowered defenders. He slashed to the rim. I believe he only shot one 3-pointer. Morgan looked improved and way more under control. He never settled for anything but a good shot. It was rather refreshing to see.
Jordan Cornish:
Cornish looked slimmed down and ready to produce. He didn't force too much on offense, besides a few very deep jumpers. However, I'm not concerned about Cornish's offense arsenal at all. I would like to see him attack the basket a little more in the upcoming weeks. Defensively, we aren't going to have any clue by watching Desert Reign games. The good is that it appears he has worked hard to get in top shape this offseason.
DaQuan Cook:
Cook looked extremely rusty in the first half. He turned the ball over a good bit and wasn't able to connect on his jump shot. That changed in the third quarter. Cook became very assertive and attacked on the offensive end. His deep shot never came around but he hit a mid-range with proper balance and fluidity. Cook was just finding his groove whenever he got his tooth knocked out by Davell Jackson on a play where he got into the lane and forced the defense to react. Coming off an injury, I would think that Cook is still a work in progress at this juncture.
