Thoughts on Ryerson vs. Laurier

1. Coach Rana made a change to the starting lineup we’d seen all preseason, inserting Myles Charvis (29 min, 4–6 FG, 13 PTS, 7 REB) for Manny Diressa (who sat out tonight with a sore groin) to combat the speed of Tevaun Kokko from the opening tip. The move paid off as the Rams opened on a 7–1 run on two layups from Adika Peter-McNeilly and a Keevon Small three ball.
2. THE FIRST QUARTER WAS AN ABSOLUTE GOD DREAM. The Rams led 25–6 after one, and only gave up one field goal in the quarter. The defence from the backcourt was incredibly active as Adika & Myles combined to force 4 turnovers while the wings and bigs were running the floor to convert at the other end. Coach Rana cycled through the rotation and there was never a drop off in the level of play on the court.
3. Chase Vassell (16 min, 2–4 FG, 8 PTS, 2 STL) never stopped moving while he was on the floor, and besides it opening up shots for himself and driving lanes for others, his running motion is a pure glide and it’s so much fun to watch.
4. Adika (26 min, 5–16 FG, 10 PTS, 7 REB, 4 STL) was everywhere in the 2nd quarter, not just contributing through his scoring and playmaking, but immediately quashing the mini-run the Golden Hawks tried to mount by drawing a charge on Tevaun Kokko.
5. After missing a bunch of the preseason with an ankle injury, it was nice to see Juwon Grannum back in the starting five and moving around well while bringing his always solid defence to the painted area. Oh yeah, and he hit a “Jamal Crawford shot” in the words of the Laurier announcers:

6. The Rams were on cruise control in the 3rd quarter until-OH MY GOD DEEKS BECAME LEBRON….

Also nice to see Warsame Mohamed (12 min, 4–6 FG, 8 PTS, 4 REB) crashing the offensive glass for the put back, his soft touch and bounciness around the rim is going to pay major dividends for the 2nd unit.

7. Jovan Leamy (18 min, 4–8 FG, 13 PTS, 4 AST, 3 REB, 3 STL) made a great case to be the 2nd wing off the bench with Manny out tonight, attacking the rim consistently and knocking down 5 of 7 free throws while reading passing lanes and making opportunistic plays on defence.

It was a very solid 40 minute effort for the Rams against the weaker competition, backing up their #10 national ranking with the 34 point win.

As for Laurier, they’re just going to have keep trusting the process.