[NU Sports] NU/DePaul ...

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

BIG win for Carmody's Cats - we really needed this to kick start the season
after the slow start out of the gate.

As for Mike Thompson -- a lot of rough edges and first-game kinks, but man,
this team really looks promising with him in the lineup.

Our offense didn't look good -- we were really struggling to figure out how
to use MT (need some more cutting when he has the ball up high and more
inside/out when he's down low), but that will be worked out as they play
together more.

The biggest thing you could see was on defense -- especially that matchup
zone that just shut DePaul down in the stretch. With Thompson in the paint,
he altered shots, gave us some rebounding help and really stopped the
opponent ruling the paint as Virginia did.

As a player, he still looks like he's fitting in - but he was willing to
step up down the stretch and you gotta like SOMEONE on this team taking the
go-to role in clutch. He doesn't make stupid fouls -- and he makes the
hustle plays you love to see from a big man (he's already strong on the
pick-n-roll -- we need to use that more with Parker -- and was even diving
on the floor at times).

Plus now we have some semblance of a bench with DD, Seacat and Lee
available. With a couple more tough games before Christmas, it will be nice
to see this team get more comfortable with each other and hopefully hit
stride right as Big Ten play approaches.

And going back to our transfer discussion -- they mentioned it on ESPN on
how this is the anti-KO era with people transferring IN to NU to play for
Carmody. Yeah, we didn't get Amaker back then and the O'Neill era was
awful, but I couldn't be more happy than where we're at now -- Bill Carmody
is the perfect fit for the NU job and a class act. Plus, I don't think
Amaker's the type to stick around (he'll be gone from Michigan within 5
years) ... Carmody's not looking at Evanston as a stepping stone.

Not a great game - but a real promising start to the MT era and a
much-needed win over our crosstown rivals (who had just come off a big win
over ND ... Greer had a big game, but we really shut down Diener). Welcome
aboard, Mr. Thompson!

GO CATS!!!
-SjT


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88888b  Y88 *     Stephen J. Truog     * 88888b  Y88
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88  Y88b 88 * --- Wildcat Football --- * 88  Y88b 88
88b  Y88888 * -- Illinois ------ 21 -- * 88b  Y88888
888b  Y8888 * -- NORTHWESTERN -- 28 -- * 888b  Y8888
8888   Y888 * ------ CATS WIN!!! ----- * 8888   Y888
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