"Five" is a series of five things, players, thoughts or whatever I think will fill a post.
1. Recruiting a Team | Some of what I'll write will be dependent on whether or not Michael Carey actually arrives on campus, although I won't spend much time with him given the fact that it would probably make me crazy trying to figure out what returning player would be squeezed off the roster. It didn't occur to me to until recently that Gillispie essentially assembled a team, one through five (sorta) of players, perhaps with the thought that he could mold these players by the time that they are juniors or seniors into exactly what he wants out of his basketball program. This is something that I look for in football recruiting, i.e. recruiting at every position, but it didn't occur to me until I started to really think about what Gillispie had assembled from the freshman class.
2. A Pure Shooter | I don't think that Dusty Hannahs is really getting enough credit for his unique basketball ability. Maybe ability is the wrong way to put this. Maybe it should be unique basketball skill acquired after hours and hours shooting the basketball is more appropriate. Hannah's is a scorer, a under-rated scorer that outperformed one of the top players in the country in Archie Goodwin on a head-to-head basis in high school. I cannot recall where or when I heard Texas Tech assistant coach Bubba Jennings talk about Hannahs, but the question was asked which player will surprise next year and he was quick to say that he's excited about all of the players, but that Hannahs could shoot. If anyone should know, it's Jennings and Jennings' assessment couldn't make me happier.
3. A Matchup Problem | I can't help myself sometimes. For me, things need to have their places and when the don't, I spend entirely too much time worrying about how that thing will find it's place. Wannah Bail is like this in that I wonder if he is a small forward that can take advantage of smaller players with his incredible length or if he's a power forward that can take advantage of bigger players because of how he can handle the ball. Maybe I just need to think about Bail as being a matchup problem and let Gillispie worry about the rest. If Bail lives up to his potential, he is going to be really good and he's going to be a headache for opposing players more than me trying to figure out where he fits. And to give you an idea of to what type of matchup problem Bail is, this video has been disseminated on the internets in recent days:
Wanaah Bail Gets UP On Windmill Oop (via HomeTeamHoops)
More after the jump.
4. The Face of the Program | When Gillispie was recruiting PG Josh Gray I think that Gray tweeted that Gillispie said that he wanted Gray to be the face of the program. That may very well be appropriate because if Gray can take the starting point job spot from one of the JUCO players, then the ball will be in Gray's hands more than any other player, will likely have Gillispie in Gray's ear more than any other player and be responsible for leading that team. Like Bail, if Gray's potential is realized, then you have potentially two of the best players. I really don't know which one I would choose if forced to make the choice (luckily I do not): a point guard that can score and distribute the ball to his teammates or a forward that can play inside and outside with relative easy. I posted this video when Gray committed and it's easy for me to see how his game can transition to the college game, especially not knowing anything about the JUCO players (more on them later):
High School Hopefuls: Josh Gray, the BEST PG you never heard of... (via moelrod)
5. A Big | I really hate to call a 6'8" and somewhere between 220 and 235, he is forward a five or center, but let's just call him the inside player that can create problems for defenses by playing outside the lane. Much like Bail, Ross could prove to be a player that is difficult to define, and hopefully difficult to guard. But Ross isn't your lumbering power forward, but he is a crafty forward that can score multiple ways, especially in high school as evidenced by the video below. Yes, he is limited a bit athletically, but he has long arms and knows how to use those arms to put up shots against taller players inside. He can handle the ball quite nicely and has the ability to hit the outside jumper. I don't know how his post game will translate, but Ross might be exactly what Gillispie is looking for in a high post player that can create issues with his ability to handle the ball.
Marcus Smart vs Aaron Ross (via clovesdemos)