Men's Basketball: Hall as advertised, length making a difference, possible rotations and more ...

Kent State’s coaching staff felt quite a bit better about its closed scrimmage than it did after last year’s session against the same team.

While NCAA rules prevent anyone from either school to provide specifics from Saturday’s trip to New York, Golden Flashes head coach Rob Senderoff offered a general review of the team’s play in his video blog on Monday morning. 

Here’s what I can add … 

… Jimmy Hall looks like he will provide what the Flashes hoped he would this season after waiting for the long-armed, 6-foot-7 forward to sit out a year under NCAA transfer rules. Saturday’s scrimmage and other intrasquad scrimmages during the preseason have been important simulations for Hall just to get used to the feel of playing in a game again after missing almost two full years. 

… The length at the three, four and five positions is showing up and giving this team a very different look defensively. In practice and in the scrimmage, the interior defense has made points difficult to come by for post scorers and perimeter players trying to penetrate. 

… Senderoff and his staff have been tinkering with how they will play when point guards Kris Brewer and Kellon Thomas are on the floor together. Brewer is at his best with the ball in his hands, so he has run the one in those situations while the smaller Thomas has tried to adjust to playing the two. They’ve had mixed results so far, but there are still 11 days to work things out before opening at Youngstown State. With Brewer and Derek Jackson likely to start at the guards, Thomas figuring to see major minutes off of the bench, and Devareaux Manley, the probable starter at the three, also expected to see some time at the two, the Flashes are probably going to need to play Brewer and Thomas together for some stretches just about every night.

… Junior-college transfers always tend to experience at least a few growing pains in the first season. For Gary Akbar, who is used to playing the four, the adjustment to playing more at the three hasn’t come easy during the preseason. But in recent days, Akbar appears to have made some major strides. Senderoff was particularly pleased with his play on Saturday.

… Blake Vedder has done some nice things of late. The Flashes would love to benefit his length at 7-foot-4 to fill out four or five minutes per night in the center rotation. When Vedder sees his first action this season, he will be the tallest player ever to step on the court in a Mid-American Conference game. 

… I talked to one of Kent State’s assistants yesterday, and he said the coaches are telling Khaliq Spicer that his realistic goal should be to lead the MAC in blocked shots and finish in the top 10 nationally. Spicer could be ready to take a big step forward this season.

… The Flashes escaped a scare last week when Chris Ortiz appeared to reinjure his lower leg during practice. Ortiz missed time as a freshman with a broken foot suffered at Youngstown State. He also spent some time in a boot during this past offseason, so the worries were warranted. But Ortiz has bounced back. He has had some very good days on the offensive glass. While Ortiz is a natural four, he could also see time at the three and the five off the bench this season.