WKU Basketball: Exhibition Game Grades
The first game of the season allows us to get a look at what to expect from the Hilltoppers this seas0n. While it wasn’t entirely pretty but the Tops got the job done in the end
Ben Lawson - A|Ben started against the Tigers and contributed 20 minutes of time on the floor. When Campbellsville went small, Lawson had to leave the game or just wasn’t effective. However, when he was on the floor he contributed 12 points two blocks and a steal. I expect big things from Stretch this year, especially against bigger line ups.
Willie Carmichael - B| You can see why Stansbury is so high on the Tennessee transfer. He has nice raw talent, but sometimes it needs to be reigned in a little bit. We wont hold it against him in the first exhibition of the year, however.
Pancake Thomas - A| By far the brightest Hilltopper on the floor. He commented post-game that he was a little jittery to start off, but you can’t argue with the results overall. However you can see in him what coach Stansbury is so excited about.
Que Johnson - N/A| Que fouled out after only 15 minutes on the floor, but when he’s on the floor, expect big things. He was so close to having a crowd electrifying dunk but got rim stuffed. But it would have been awesome if he had completed it.
Tobias Howard - D| I’m curious to see where and how he fits into Stansbury’s system. He’s not his recruit yet still wanted him to come here. We havent got to see a whole lot out of him between his nine minutes against Campbellsville and his limited action in Hilltopper Hysteria.
Damari Parris - C| Damari is a freshman and you can tell. He’s also 6'0…and you can tell. He is fast though and gives me a lot of hope. Coach Stansbury wanted to get him into some game action and that was nice to see. Continue to watch him though because once he grows up i think he could be a fan favorite.
Justin Johnson - A| Next to Pancake, JJ is the next biggest bright spot on this team. He’s developing a beautiful three shot as he went 2/3 from behind the arch. He knows his “bread and butter” is still at the rim but a four shooting the three-ball is a nice addition to a lineup thats already looking pretty strong.
Anton Waters - C| Anton is Anton. There were rumblings early that he didn’t fit Stansburys system. However, he’s big and can give valuable minutes down low when Justin and tired or hurt. He was average in his first nine minutes on the floor, contributing six points.
Overall the team was sloppy however they will be much improved come Saturday after getting a real look at how they performed in life action Tuesday night.
How would you grade the Tops following their first action against other competition? Let us know in a comment below or on twitter @TheTowelRackWKU.
