Update From Greater Hartford Pro Am

I spent last night at the Greater Hartford Pro Am and saw Ater Majok, Jeremy Lamb, and Michael Bradley play for Springfield Slam. Keeping in mind how little you can tell from one night of a summer tournament, here are a few observations:

• First off, there’s no better deal for a hoops fan than this tournament. It’s free to get in, concessions are remarkably cheap, and you can watch the top players in Connecticut go up against each other. The gym is also air conditioned, which might not sound like much, but it’s certainly a nice bonus.
• Of the three UConn guys, Majok was the hardest to figure out. At times, his game resembled Jeff Adrien’s. He was aggressive, strong, and had some great one-on-one moves in the post. Unfortunately most of the time, he looked like Hasheem Thabeet as a freshman. Majok had tons of great looks that he couldn’t convert. He also turned what could have been a couple layups into eight foot jumpers against less-than-stellar defense. Majok also struggled defensively, including one play where Central Connecticut’s Ken Horton seemed to dunk right over him. Grabbing rebounds seemed to be an issue, as he was getting out-worked by smaller players around him.
• The first half of the game should have been called the Jeremy Lamb show. He was literally everywhere on the court. He fought his way in for several easy layups early, and was outstanding after that. He came out of nowhere for some very impressive rebounds and seemed to always be in the right place at the right time, intercepting quite a few passes. Lamb even managed a few blocks to add to what was a very complete game. From the start, you could tell he had a lot of confidence. He was not afraid to shoot the ball and was working hard every time down the court. At times he was a step too slow on defense, but he would make up for it the next time by getting in his man’s face and not relenting. He even made his free throws, something UConn struggled with last year. Like I said, you can’t take too much out of one game, but I pray this was a sign of things to come.
• When Michael Bradley played, he was definitely solid. He hustled, grabbed a few rebounds, and overall got the job done. His game was quiet but effective. Next season, don’t be surprised if Bradley emerges as a solid contributor off the bench.
• At halftime, I found Jonathan Mandeldove in the stands and asked him about his plans for next year. He expects to be ready to play in October and does not foresee any eligibility problems. “I’ve been working, and working hard, on my game, and in class,” he said.
• As everyone was leaving the gym, I also managed to find Roscoe Smith, who came to watch the action. He had the night off in the Pro Am, but has already played with Kemba Walker, Alex Oriakhi, and Shabazz Napier. He said it’s been nice to get some experience playing with his new teammates and he is ready for the upcoming season. The new group of freshmen are having fun, he says, and are already on the same page on the basketball court. All he could say about next season was that fans should “expect lots of excitement from the whole team.”

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