Chris Lowery answered questions Thursday about the team's recent trip to Canada. Below are some of the topics that were covered along with some of my thoughts on this years team.
-The level of competition the Salukis went up against was strong, the team got to face 6-8 and 6-10 big guys and also gained experience defending against a disciplined Princeton offense.
- Dillard, Bocot, and Hare, all spent time at point guard during the trip and Lowery was happy with their play. Also, Bryan Mullins was extremely pleased that he didn't have to bring the ball up the court every time.
-After taking most of the summer off to rest his injured foot, Mullins was rusty on offense but Lowery described him as a "nightmare" for opponents defensively. The increased depth allowed Mullins to stay fresh, roam the floor, and he was able to get more steals as a result.
-The depth of this team looks to be a huge strength and Lowery sounds like he plans on staying with a deep rotation even when the regular season begins. If the Salukis are going to give 10 or more guys regular playing time I would expect to see an aggressive full court defense that will wear down the opposition. In my opinion the biggest challenge of playing so many guys will be establishing roles on offense and teaching the young players how to play hard without fouling. If those issues can be addressed other teams in the Valley will have their hands full.
-With 5 big men on the roster (Boyle, Fay, Booker, Evans, Cornelius) Lowery has no plans of playing a 4-guard lineup this season.
-Roundtree was cleared to play yesterday, and while he could have played in Canada the coaching staff decided to rest him and make sure that he was completely healthy. This was a good decision by the staff, but with a crowed backcourt it will be interesting to see if this will affect how much playing time Roundtree will be able to earn. Can Lowery really find playing time for 7 guards? edit 9/7 These things do have a way of working out, and I can easily see the Salukis playing a 6 guard lineup this season.
-Carlton Fay did some great things on the trip and Lowery feels that last season Fay did too much to try to "blend in" with Shaw and Falker and as a result didn't play up to his full potential. Fay stepped up big time in the final moments against Western Ontario hitting two 3's and grabbing two rebounds in the final minutes of a close win.
-Blocking out and rebounding is the area that needs the most improvement. Lowery feels that if this team can do a good job on the boards then they'll be able open things up in transition.
Photos- Credit SIU Sports Information Department
