The good news:  we just held a team to 21% shooting on the night, forced them into 25 turnovers (against 6 assists), and had 10 blocks and 11 steals.  We out-rebounded them by 10, and had twice as many assists as they did and committed fewer turnovers than they did, all with our starting point guard on the bench (A:12, TO’s:23 – still a bad TO number, but vs. last year…).  They did not block a single Wildcat shot (but did get 10 steals).

In the first half, our defense was particularly outstanding – they missed 22 of the 25 shots they took.  Had they missed that surprise early three-pointer, they would have scored a grand total of eight points in the entire half, and folks would have accused us of rubbing it in.

Once again, despite all of the hoopla about Patterson, Orton, and Cousins, our most efficient rebounder proved to be Josh Harrellson, and as the Camels began wearing down our out-of-shape Golden Boys in the second half (actually beating them for a long stretch), it was the senior leadership and play of Krebs, Harris, and Perry Stevenson (and the 18 points and 4 assists they combined for) that kept the second half from being an absolute embarrassment.

I do not point this out to lament the less than anticipated execution of our supposed stars, but to say we may take some solace in the apparent indication that no matter how scatterbrained and flustered our new guys get over the course of this season, it appears we will be able to interject the Old Guard from the bench and take advantage of some good, solid experience, and some darned fine talent that will be sitting there all year. 

The play from Perry was especially welcome, as it reminded one of the five game stretch two years ago (after Pat hurt his ankle) during which Perry’s numbers, playing in Pat’s place, were actually better than Pat’s season averages.  Three coaches have tried to encourage Perry to play with more aggression; let’s hope the lessons have taken now that he is a senior, with so much basketball under his belt.  Let’s hope it wasn’t a fluke.

As an NAIA team, Campbellsville is not burdened by the NCAA’s practice time restrictions that faced our guys.  They have surely been practicing for much longer than we have this semester, and that put us at a competitive disadvantage.  Moreover, from last year to this, that team did not have 50% turnover with players, and 100% turnover with its coaches.  Advantage camels.  

On the other hand, that team sucked last year in a mediocre league, and I would have been more comfortable if the second half score had been more like the first: 36-11, not 38-27.  Our play on both sides of the ball during the second half was unexceptional.

Needless to say, that game came after only two weeks of practice between six new and seven old players in a new system with a new coaching staff.  There was no well of experience upon which we could draw.  Additionally, I have to believe that in practicing in this new system Coach Cal has NOT asked the team to spend a great deal of time practicing as though its starting point guard were on the bench.  Some time, yes, but I have to believe that this Wall-less episode was as new to the team as it was to us.  Maybe one practice was devoted to running the team without Wall.  We will have to see it for a few minutes every game while Wall takes a blow, but for 40 minutes last night, we were playing with one hand tied behind our back.

Our old guys are picking up the DDMO a lot quicker than the newbies are.  That could mean they are just smarter, or that a few more years on the court (and experience with three different D1 coaches) has given the gray beards a leg up on the new guys.  I will note that Cal has said Wall picked up the DDMO a lot quicker than Rose, etc., so it could be that there is a great deal more difference in the team’s play with Wall on the court that even the most optimistic among us might expect.

Perhaps Friday will answer that question.  I was not as wowed by the play of Bledsoe as some others, as it appeared to me he missed many opportunities to drive the lane that Wall would have exploited.  Again, Friday will give some insight on that point.