How did...

[TrojanEmpire]

the exhibition go today?

[kiwan]

We were up 100-70 when I left with 5:00 minutes left. We looked bigger than last year :). #44 is a baller.

[ksdtrojan]

I hope we con compete in the Tournament next weekend and come out with a couple of wins. That would be great momentum for the rest of the season.

[troydad]

C.J. (Cedric) Jackson opened up the season by hitting the first 10 points of the game. The 6-7, 235 pound forward from Columbia, South Carolina, hit from everywhere and often. In my humble opinion, he looked like the best player on the team... though there were several others with lots of potential. I'm really surprised the Gamecocks didn't try to sign him.

Senior shooting guard Jacob Hazouri started out slow but had a great second half. His backcourt partner, Bobby Dixon, dished out 12 assists and created some nice dunks for high-flying newcomer Sammy Sharp, who'll quickly become a crowd favorite.

Californian Todd Martin shot early and often and displayed a nice shooting touch we haven't seen in a couple of years from a big man. Jarvis Acker looked solid and hit all four of his shots. J. Lee is going to redshirt this season because of his slow recovery from his second knee surgery in September. His replacement, Boo Ramsey, showed he can hit from any spot on the court and that he loves to shoot the three. Redshirt Darryl Davis looked like he has some potential. At 6-9, though, he's thin. He'll get better as the season progresses and as he bulks up. Freshman point guard Josh Williams looked like your typical freshman playing the most demanding position on the court. It's probably the biggest adjustment for a freshman to make in basketball. Playing time will help him alot.

In my opinion, C.J., Jacob, Bobby, Jarvis, Sammy, and Todd will be the top 6 players. Reshirts Rich Cheaney (sp?) and J. Lee will be waiting in the wings for next year and will both make us better for our second year of Sun Belt play. Rich is a tremendous athlete who can play the point, shooting guard or small forward spot and J. Lee looks like he's hit the weight room with a vengeance.

Coach Felix told me we're close to signing another really good player and that the 6-10 kid is a nice addition... and that the move to the Sun Belt is helping recruiting already.

Despite all the new talent, I think we'll be lucky to break even with our tougher schedule this year. This team could easily compete for the A-Sun title, but playing in the new league is a big step up. Rebounding is still going to be a problem. Defense looked non-existent the other day. On the plus side, we have lots more size inside and the new players look like they have great potential, especially C.J., Sammy, and Todd. We also have great coaches, and I liked the new assistant from Western Kentucky. He's got some fire in his belly.

[ksdtrojan]

Sound like we have some real talent from that report troydad. I hope we can continue to get better as the recruits see us progressing this year. I know most kids like to play the up tempo game Troy has become known for and that should be a plus as we try to add more great recruits.