I made it out to the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Pro Am to check out some of the RMU guys play tonight. I watched about a half of each of the four games that took place. There weren't too many RMU guys there tonight but here are some observations about the RMU players that were in attendance.
Lorenzen Wright Jr. | G | Junior
I saw the first half of his game. Wright has a nice looking shooting stroke despite not making a ton, at least while I was watching. He also looks decently comfortable with the ball in his hands. It would be nice if he can be a secondary ball handler next to Kavon Stewart or whoever else he is in the game with.
Overall, he looks to have a solid game and should be someone who can come in and contribute right away and take some of the scoring load, which will be useful for this RMU team that doesn't seem to have a go-to scorer heading into the year.
Billy Giles | F | Senior
Billy Giles was on the opposing team of Johnson. Giles played exactly like he played all last season. He grabbed a few boards, was in nice position on the offensive end and even a few mid-range jumpers. He had one nice pull up jumper in the corner from about 15 feet out.
He didn't get too many touches due to playing with sophomore Pitt guard Damon Wilson, who dominated the ball for the most part, but when he did get his touches, he took advantage of them and played well.
Roberto Mantovani | F | Junior
After that game was over, I stayed in that same gym to watch the next game. In this game, I got to get my first glimpse of Roberto Mantovani. And overall, I really liked what I saw for him. He was good on the boards and was very good defensively. He was communicating well and calling out shooters and picking up guys on the defensive end. He blocked a few shots and was overall aggressive on the defensive end which was cool to see in a summer league game.
Offensively, he didn't do too much because he was playing with Pitt players Cam Johnson, who scored the teams first 11 points in 2 minutes and made 5 of his first 6 threes, and Sheldon Jeter, who was also making everything. But, he was moving well and setting screens and grabbed an offensive rebound or two. Also, even though they were in warm-ups, he was making some jumpers all the way out to right inside the three point line consistently. We'll have to see if those translate into games but his shot looked good so I have faith it will.
Overall, I'm excited to see him play more and see what kind of role he'll play next season, but for now off of one half of summer league basketball, I liked what I saw.
Aaron Tate | F | Senior
I also got to see Aaron Tate in this game, as he playing against Mantovani. Tate didn't surprise me with anything and played exactly how I expected. The other team had a bit of height advantage on him but he still held his own. He grabbed a few boards and was solid finishing around the rim.
Dachon Burke | G | Freshman
Dachon Burke was also in this game, playing on Aaron Tate's team. I liked what I saw from Burke. He's a long, skinny guy and looks to be a nice athlete. He has a solid handle and is comfortable with the ball in his hands. He can get to the rim nicely and can use his length to finish. His length and athleticism should be very useful on the defensive end, especially if Andy Toole decides to stay play zone.
It could be a crowded backcourt next season with Kavon, Isaiah Still, Matty McConnell and Jordan Lester returning and Wright and Clive Allen coming in along with Burke but Burke could find a way to contribute.
Nate Johnson, Conrad Stephens and Seth Rouse also played tonight but didn't really get to do too much. Johnson made a few layups and pretty nice floater in his game. Conrad grabbed some boards and made a few shots around the rim and played with the energy we're used to seeing from him. And I didn't get to see much of Rouse so I don't really have anything on him.
Lorenzen Wright Jr. | G | Junior
I saw the first half of his game. Wright has a nice looking shooting stroke despite not making a ton, at least while I was watching. He also looks decently comfortable with the ball in his hands. It would be nice if he can be a secondary ball handler next to Kavon Stewart or whoever else he is in the game with.
Overall, he looks to have a solid game and should be someone who can come in and contribute right away and take some of the scoring load, which will be useful for this RMU team that doesn't seem to have a go-to scorer heading into the year.
Billy Giles | F | Senior
Billy Giles was on the opposing team of Johnson. Giles played exactly like he played all last season. He grabbed a few boards, was in nice position on the offensive end and even a few mid-range jumpers. He had one nice pull up jumper in the corner from about 15 feet out.
He didn't get too many touches due to playing with sophomore Pitt guard Damon Wilson, who dominated the ball for the most part, but when he did get his touches, he took advantage of them and played well.
Roberto Mantovani | F | Junior
After that game was over, I stayed in that same gym to watch the next game. In this game, I got to get my first glimpse of Roberto Mantovani. And overall, I really liked what I saw for him. He was good on the boards and was very good defensively. He was communicating well and calling out shooters and picking up guys on the defensive end. He blocked a few shots and was overall aggressive on the defensive end which was cool to see in a summer league game.
Offensively, he didn't do too much because he was playing with Pitt players Cam Johnson, who scored the teams first 11 points in 2 minutes and made 5 of his first 6 threes, and Sheldon Jeter, who was also making everything. But, he was moving well and setting screens and grabbed an offensive rebound or two. Also, even though they were in warm-ups, he was making some jumpers all the way out to right inside the three point line consistently. We'll have to see if those translate into games but his shot looked good so I have faith it will.
Overall, I'm excited to see him play more and see what kind of role he'll play next season, but for now off of one half of summer league basketball, I liked what I saw.
Aaron Tate | F | Senior
I also got to see Aaron Tate in this game, as he playing against Mantovani. Tate didn't surprise me with anything and played exactly how I expected. The other team had a bit of height advantage on him but he still held his own. He grabbed a few boards and was solid finishing around the rim.
Dachon Burke | G | Freshman
Dachon Burke was also in this game, playing on Aaron Tate's team. I liked what I saw from Burke. He's a long, skinny guy and looks to be a nice athlete. He has a solid handle and is comfortable with the ball in his hands. He can get to the rim nicely and can use his length to finish. His length and athleticism should be very useful on the defensive end, especially if Andy Toole decides to stay play zone.
It could be a crowded backcourt next season with Kavon, Isaiah Still, Matty McConnell and Jordan Lester returning and Wright and Clive Allen coming in along with Burke but Burke could find a way to contribute.
Nate Johnson, Conrad Stephens and Seth Rouse also played tonight but didn't really get to do too much. Johnson made a few layups and pretty nice floater in his game. Conrad grabbed some boards and made a few shots around the rim and played with the energy we're used to seeing from him. And I didn't get to see much of Rouse so I don't really have anything on him.
