Saturday practice notes
Posted by williampowell on October 26, 2008
I went to the open practice that the men’s team held yesterday afternoon before the football game.
From watching practice and speaking with coach Anderson, the point guard and shooting guard positions are up for grabs. Junior returner J.T. Tiller is competing with junior transfer Zaire Taylor and freshmen Kimmie English, Miguel Paul and Marcus Denmon for backcourt minutes.
Defensively, Tiller was the most impressive of the group at Saturday’s practice. By sticking his hands in the passing lanes, Tiller repeatedly came away with steals and started fastbreaks. He also showed off some of his quickness and jumping ability when he raced down the court and then soared to jam a lob pass.
On offense, it was Paul who stood out Saturday. He shot threes comfortably from the new longer distance, handled full-court pressure well, and made plays going to the basket for himself and teammates despite his diminutive 6-foot-1-inch, 172-pound frame.
Coach Anderson likes the competition, because he said it motivates players to work hard. Anderson was reluctant to say if anyone had separated himself from the pack, but he did say that right now Tiller and Taylor are the favorites because of their experience.
Missouri’s top two scorers from last season, Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll, are the likely starters at the four and five spots, with Matt Lawrence starting at the three position, like he did for most of last year.
Notes: Carroll made three three-point shots during a scrimmage at the end of practice, the same number of threes he made all of last year … Anderson said one benefit of the longer three-point line is that it clears space for his interior players … The team broke into roughly even black and gold squads for the second half of practice and played seven four-minute periods. They ended tied at 59, but the black team won in a free throw competition … The scrimmage brought out the competitive side of the players. With the game tied and five seconds remaining, Tiller brought a white board onto the floor to diagram a play for his squad.
