I would say that we are pretty far along in preparation for the season, probably because of the 10 full practices we were allowed back in August before the trip to Puerto Rico. Not much work on basic ballhandling, shooting, boxing out, etc. Most of the practice was given over to working on transition and to working on half court offense and defense. I would say most of the correction and teaching was given to our 5 scholarship freshmen, which is to be expected.
Our roster has 13 scholarship players and 3 walkons. Eli Youfan is the returning walkon ( has ankle or foot issues) while Hampton Dauparas and Blake Anderson, both former Indiana HS players are new to the program. Morgan Safford was not there. Julian Lewis and Reese Potter sat out all competitive drills with minor issues.
I would guess that almost every scholarship player will get playing time in the early season, they all have solid ability, although after watching one practice I have a pretty strong idea of who look like starters. Everybody expects our best returning players from last season Safford and Mirambeaux to start, but since Safford is not practicing, we have no way of knowing when or if he can return. I like the play of all 3 of our transfer portal guys, who are junior and seniors who have already experienced
success elsewhere. So that is 4 or 5 guys who I think will get plenty of playing time. Lewis and Morris and Mabrey all played a lot last season. We will just have to see how quickly the freshmen develop.
I think guys know they are battling for playing time and practice was very intense. Practicing hard carries over to games, and I see our team as one which will be pushing each other to keep getting better.
DDay and Paul N were also watching practice. All the players and coaches came over and shook hands and introduced themselves both before and after practice. Only a little over 3 weeks to our first game, hope we can continue the positive momentum the football team is building. We are capable.
Dick, our experience yesterday was very similar. We asked Carl Richburg if he had any practice drills like we watched when he played. Both he and Travis laughed. This team was fighting hard to learn and be better. One of my wife’s takeaways was that Travis never said NO or berated a player. It was all about positive learning. We were treated like royalty and had a great conversation with Travis after practice. My wife, a retired teacher and published author, sent Travis a humorous but gracious thank you email last night and got a personal reply sent after practice today. We’re counting down the days to be in our new seats behind the bench.
Dick, thanks for the Hampton Dauparas scoop! Looks like he played a year at LaLumiere after transferring from Providence Catholic in New Lenox, IL. I guess he played after Mabrey left LaLumiere. Not a lot of info-a game summary from his soph year calls him “hulking”.
Disappointing news on Safford, but there was no sign of him in the videos of the very first practice in late September, so I’m not surprised. As excited as I am about the future, this season really takes a hit if Safford doesn’t play. He was a candidate to be MAC POY.
I assume this is a carryover of the academic issues that were mentioned over the summer?
Scary as in Halloween? I don’t think so. Scary as in it’s the practice facility for a D1 program and not Miami Middletown? Yes.
Looking forward to hearing about what you see. Based on the PR highlights, Morris looks a lot more comfortable, Bultman seems to be able to do it all, and I’m very excited about some of the freshmen being able to contribute early.
Not scary. I used to play and shoot around there a lot in the mornings. It was the site of one the three best shooting performances I’ve ever had. Of course, the bar was pretty low . . . !
The sub-gym, while not a beautiful facility, has just what it needs to be a very serviceable practice room. You will find yourself sitting courtside and feeling very much a part of the action. Expect to even get a little sweat dripped on you from the players as you watch.
I have attended a couple of the women’s team practices this fall and one men’s practice, and I had much the same experience as reported above: the players are happy to greet you, the coaches are willing to share their practice agenda, and afterward the head coach sat and chatted for an extraordinary length of time with me answering all my questions. I am strongly encouraged by what I have witnessed from both teams. While I am not expecting championships this year I definitely feel Miami will be very competitive and challenging teams to face. Strong senior leadership and eager-to-contribute youth guided by coaches who are approachable and forthcoming. Go 'Hawks!