Tuesday's practice was open to the media and I was able to ask Chris Lowery and Carlton Fay a few questions and take some notes on the Saluki scrimmage.I asked Lowery if this non-conference schedule was the most difficult that he has ever had as a coach or a player, he said "Definitely, a lot of the teams we're playing have a chance to win their conference." Lowery explained that the tough schedule isn't just about the RPI but it also shows that the team isn't scheduling "gimme games" just to get a win.
Last year, in the early going, opponents had success playing zone defense against the Salukis. When I asked Lowery about prepping for the zone, he responded "The thing we had to figure out last year was how to get Randal the ball and get the other big men in foul trouble. That's something that we really executed well the last few months and it allowed us to get JT and Tony wide open shots from the perimeter."
Carlton Fay described the first week of practice as "very physical and tough" he mentioned "closeouts and moving my feet" as areas that needed improvement. Once shoot around started, Randal Falker pestered Fay as he took his shots but Fay was able to hit time after time from long range. During the practice, Fay was hounded by Lowery to move faster up and down the floor. When the scrimmage began Fay appeared to injure himself on defense. He was able to walk off the floor just fine, but did not immediately return. Below is video of the play when the injury appeared to have happened.
Nick Evans came into the scrimmage (sporting a black eye) after Fay left but did not look ready to compete against the other players. Based on what I saw from him I expect to see him redshirt this season.
Brandon Wood participated in full contact scrimmage today. He previously sat out the Maroon Madness scrimmage while recovering from a shoulder injury.
Tony Boyle (hand) did some layup drills using his left hand and even dunked the ball with his left hand at one point. He was held out of scrimmage but if he can develop his left hand and keep his conditioning he shouldn't really be too far behind once he returns.
Christian Cornelius (knee) participated in the conditioning portion of practice but was held out of scrimmage.
Jordan Armstrong is featured in the first clip below scoring on an assist from Matt Shaw. Armstrong could get a shot this year but it's worth mentioning that he finished last during opening wind sprints. The second clip is the one with Fay (red jersey) limping at the end of the play. It doesn't appear to be too serious.
