Practice observation posted by Stephen Hooks on ITAT.

This week was the first week of allowed practice during the summer semester. I wanted to see several things.

1. How was the mood of the kids this early as they prepare for what could be a historic season.
2. How had the staff changes affected the culture or chemistry.
3. How had the player additions and subtractions changed the chemistry of the team.
4. Any other observations good or bad.

Practice was divided into bigs and smalls. All smalls took the court first while bigs stayed in the locker room. Coaches present were Wes Flanigan and Chad Prewit. CBP was not present. I spoke with almost all the smalls as they took the court before practice and 100% were in great moods. They had enjoyed time off and all seemed very excited about the upcoming season. Bryce gave me a really nice insight into his Hawks workout. He seemed to really thrive on the positive feedback he received. I get the feeling that he and Jarred picked up a personal boost by their workouts and feedback.

First major thought. Man I like Wes Flanigan. Tough, disciplined, worked out with the kids in all drills. Wes ran the entire practice as if it was his team. He is oozing with skills that the kids are really responding to. He took zero crap yet was able to keep the kids motivated and laughing at times. From this two hours observing he looks to be a home run hire for CBP. He is the kind of assistant CBP needs. I see him able to reach many of these kids deeply while instilling team discipline. We shall see how he can recruit etc etc but so far so good. One final thought on this. Coach Adler who I am very close to gives Wes the highest praise since he arrived.

Daniels was great and the kids listen to him as well. There was a drill where both Flanigan and Daniels were playing and it was delightful to watch. Having two former relatively young fit AU legends on the staff I think will pay off in spades.

Secondly, our kids look sharp. All look like they have taken very little time away from the weight room and the skills practices. Chuma, Samir, Bryce, Austin, Horace and Jarrod looked really sharp. Jeez our starting lineup and first several off the bench are really going to be special together. I will also add Samir has a very special personality. He is vocal, funny and seriously encouraging to his fellow teammates. He stood out as a leader. The kind of fun loving vocal guy you desperately want on a team. Oh and him being a straight up baller doesn't hurt either......

Purifoy had some rust which does not surprise me in the slightest. The kids has so much natural talent that often he is lazy as he has always been able to excel with little effort. He was not remotely as hard working in his mandatory off year as was Austin. He will be fine but he's a step slow and rusty but will be fine by season start.

Jamal Johnson has a LONG way to go. I don't know what Tubby was doing with kids development when he was at Memphis but Jamal seemed to receive little as his body shows little signs of an intensive weight program etc. Luckily he is not eligible so he has a full year to improve in all areas of his game if he ever wants to see game time at AU.

Overall it was a very positive experience. I have seen many a year of these and this one left me most impressed in al areas. Long way to go but foundations are in place. Kids seem to grasp whats possible and we have one great new assistant coach and one great new GA.