Omaha/TCU notes, play-by-play:
- Great hands and timing by Jameer Nelson Jr leads to a turnover and an easy Emanuel Miller transition score.
- Great dig and motor by Jameer Nelson Jr to read this help defense with the dive after for the loose ball
- Outstanding defensive footwork and technique by Miller to contest the shot
- Smart play by Avery Anderson to trap the defender out of the P&R with a good pass to Cork, who has the choice to make one more pass to Coles (which he eventually does for the and-1) or to go up at the rim. Win-win situation for the big thanks to an intelligent play by Anderson.
- Great read by Xavier Cork off the P&R into a flash to make a great catch & pass in one motion to the corner O’Bannon, who missed the open 3.
- 13 minutes in and I’ve already seen 5 strong defensive rotations from Jameer Nelson Jr. The intangibles are strong and clearly deeply rooted in his game from being around his dad.
- 3:32 1H great defensive possession ended with a strong contest by Nelson
- 2:28 1H another great dig by Nelson to force a steal (gave the ball back right away and got a foul, however)
- 1:27 1H Jameer Nelson stepback mid range jumper
- 19:09 2H nice contest by Miller, although a bad shot by Omaha shooter
- Micah Peavy has had several turnovers due to shuffling feet and playing ahead of the offense, clearly being flustered by the offensive flow
- 17:18 2H Miller lefty floater in transition
- 15:46 JaKobe Cole’s turnaround jumper
- 13:22 Emanuel Miller standing dunk putback
- 11:36 Jameer Nelson jr lefty drive
Takeaways:
- Micah Peavy’s interior scoring is still good, but as long as his panicky turnovers & lack of shooting combination make him hard to project to the NBA.
- Ernest Udeh has great physical tools being slim and nimble with size, but the lack of production in the first two games in matchups that favor his size is a bit alarming.
- What a great start it’s been for JaKobe Coles through 2 games. His jump shot looks good yet again and more confident in more situations. He finished with 21 points on 7-8 shooting with 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
- I continue to be impressed by Xavier Cork’s role-player ability as a premier backup big in the Big 12. His ability to play well at the rim & in P&R situations is unique for TCU. He’s been a consistent finisher at the rim in his time at TCU, and has room to grow as a switchable defender and turning his tools into consistent ability.
- Jameer Nelson Jr makes losing Damion Baugh & Mike Miles a much easier pill to swallow, especially with Avery Anderson behind him. Although Anderson hasn’t been efficient in his time in college, he still sets the tone with a quick pace to his game. As for Nelson, his defensive intensity, decision making, and ability to create looks for himself and others makes him an ideal point guard for TCU. A good athlete at 6’1, Nelson should get looks in the G League next season as a worst case scenario, especially with his dad being the GM for the Delaware Blue Coats.
