I was impressed with all of the newcomers. I think all 4 that I saw have the opportunity to be very solid players...some of them early. Definitely an athletic group.
Jones is an offensive threat for sure. How much he plays may depend on the defensive end of the court. He was wearing a pretty solid knee brace. Hopefully that holds up too. Didn't see much post work from him, but that may have been planned to give Basabe room to work.
Wagner impressed me the most. Big time athlete who was a constant disruptive nuisance on the defensive end. In the way, in the passing lanes, quick and aggressive. I can see him in the rotation just for that. Might not be a big scorer here, but could be a very valuable player.
Really liked what I saw from Hutton too. He isn't very big, maybe 6'5" with shoes on, but he is well muscled and quick. Can create his own shot and slash to the basket. A lot of hustle on D. Didn't see a lot of perimeter shooting.
Williams has a ton of potential, but IMHO he could benefit with a redshirt year. Will need to get stronger and adjust to the faster pace.
All the veterans looked about the same, with the exceptions of Baer and Uhl. Both looked thicker in the upper body. Amazing the difference 10 good lbs can make. Uhl's play was also very impressive. Much more confident.
My starting 5 currently:
Woodbury
Uhl
Uthoff
Jok
Gessell
Clemmons, Jones, Wagner and probably the best of Fleming/Ellingson as the main rotation.
Edit: Dale Jones might be the most courteous basketball player I have watched. Usually the first guy to run over and help someone up, no matter which team he was on.
Also, if Jok can shoot during the season like he did last night, things could really get interesting. He and Lohaus looked like the "splash brothers" out there.
