Rutgers Red and White Scrimmage

I attended the recent Rutgers Red and White scrimmage on Saturday, October 29 and the following are my impressions of individual talents as well as team concepts strictly from this one brief scrimmage only.

The scrimmage was 2 ten-minute halves. Little can really be gained from this (as we’ll also note from our scrimmage this coming Saturday) but these are my interpretations:

Quincy Douby – Q was his usual self. He’s probably got more talent that we give him credit for but he just has to get his. Made some nice passes early, then insisted on shooting a bit in the second half. He is always dangerous with the ball in his hands.

Marquis Webb – Did what Marquis Webb does: Play solid if not spectacular ball but leads. As a WF, he is nothing special physically but he is the leader of this team.

Byron Joynes – Didn’t play, hurt his shoulder and had it iced the whole time.

Adrian Hill – Didn’t play, not ready yet.

Jimmy Inglis – Lost a few pounds, moves better, just not very skilled. Can rebound.

Ollie Bailey – Was pretty much non-existent. Rutgers played more up-tempo and that is not his style. I wouldn’t be worried about him if I was an RU fan though; he’s a warrior and will be fine.

Frank Russell – Long and lean. He had some decent minutes but is not very athletic. There’s a reason why he was a bit player at Hampton.

Dan Waterstradt – Didn’t do much in the scrimmage, he’s more of a high post player and was forced to play down low, covering freshman Zach Gibson (see below). Always gives 100%. He is Rutgers’ version of Grant Billmeier.

Courtney Nelson – Didn’t play a lot but played like I’ve always seen him play: Like a jittery water bug. Quick with a decent shot, he’s often out of control.

Shayle Keating – Played real well for a walk-on. Plays very good defense and can handle the ball but is no threat to score. Was offered some scholarships from low Div 1 schools over the summer. He should have accepted, his playing time will always be virtually nil at Rutgers.

Jaron Griffin – Nice body for a freshman. Up-tempo athletic presence didn’t do much in this scrimmage though.

Zach Gibson – Lanky, not very athletic. Overmatched at times, was called several times for traveling, wasn’t called several more times when he did travel. Took a lot of shots, most forced. Needs work.

JR Inman – Thought he looked a step slower than I expected. He’s long 6-8, 6-9 and athletic. I think he doesn’t have a position yet. He’s between a 3 and a 4. Has obvious talents and will be a good one but may need a bit more time than anticipated.

Anthony Farmer – Now we are getting somewhere. He played very well at point guard. I always thought he was a good basketball player but was never sure he was a point guard. He looked VERY comfortable running the point for Rutgers. Real good passer and floor leader, can also score when he want to. Good outside shooter. I thought he was good but he still surprised me with his play

As for Rutgers as a team, they played an up-temp style with a lot of on the ball pressure defense. As a team, they looked pretty much in synch. They exhibited a lot of passing and looking for the open man on their fast break. This can only be a help to another team expected to be near the bottom of the Big East. Remember, these scrimmages could mean absolutely nothing though.