Just came into BR for the weekend because my daughter, who will be a Tiger in the fall, had an orientation today. I got to watch them practice from 4-4:30 and Trent did not let up at all. He worked them hard before this game and though I have to agree with some of Raparoot's and Gumbyxl's assesments of the players and their performances, this was just a continuation of his earlier practice.

Trent had them primarily focused on executing their half court defense and had the purple team pushing the ball up court on the extremely tired and over matched Gold team. The only transition buckets that were made were 3 pointers but this game was about defense.

Ok, here is my take on our new Tigers and this team. Short and sweet.

3- Garret Green - He obviously has back issues and I can only see him coming in to spell someone for a breather or to Hack a Shack.
4- Chris Bass - He is quick but plays a lot like Dennis Brown did but with less of an offensive mind set.
5- Malcolm white - He will get considerable minutes but I need to see him against another big man to see how he stacks. Made no strong moves towards the basket.
10- Andre Stringer - Not afraid to shoot it and has the range to pull up for the 3 in transition. Need to see how he handles pressure on the ball. Did not see that yet. He will be starting or coming off the bench very quickly.
12- Daron Populist - Looked good until he got tired. He has already proven he can get the ball across mid court but hopefully he will never have to.
13- Eddie Ludwig - We all have a want for him to play better but the team didn't look for him to contribute offensively tonight. Have not seen him create his own shot yet. He needs to have more opportunities to shoot.
14- Jalen Courtney - Made 1 15 footer but not a lot of looks for him on the gold squad tonight. Not real sure about his over all skill set yet.
15- Dennis Harris- We will need at least 10 points a game from him and he should have no problem getting that. Maybe even 16, if he stays out on the court. He will start at one forward.
20- Aaron Dotson - I was worried about him until he made those 2 late 3's and that put back. Seem to be out of sorts again early on but remember, tonight was about defense.
21- Matt Derenbecker - He also is not afraid to fire it up and has NBA 3 range. We need his offensive mind set on the floor and he may warrant the other team's best defensive player. I see him starting very soon in his career. It will be hard to keep him off the court.
22- Ralston Turner- The most pleasant surprise by far. This kid did not miss a shot during the entire practice and pretty much brought that same game to the court. Can create his own shot off the dribble and was spot on from 3. He starts right away!
24- Storm Warren -Played sparingly and tentative tonight but he has to start and give us a double double every night.
25- Justin Hamilton- Did not play
32- Andrew Del Piero- We need him for practice.

After tonight's practice I see Stringer, Derenbecker, Turner, Harris, and Warren starting..Bass, Ludwig, Dotson, Coutney, and White will get playing time and depending on match ups, either one these 10 players could start. We are deep and more talented than I expected.

I like this team's potential. They will play D and shoot the 3's but can we get stellar play from our big men. Only time will tell..

Geaux Tigers!