WKU Basketball: Grading WKU’s 91–52 Rout Over Campbellsville
Western Kentucky opened their home exhibition slate with a huge victory over Campbellsville on Wednesday. The Hilltoppers lived up to the hype, defeating the Tigers 91–52. Some players exceeded preseason expectations, now lets discuss.
Taveion Hollingsworth: A+
Taveion Hollingsworth was by far the most underrated player out of Western Kentucky’s most star studded recruting class of all time. With Lamonte Bearden out for an ankle injury, Hollingsworth took over point guard duties. From the beginning of the game he impressed everyone in Diddle with his ability to score. He had the hot hand with 20 points and also contributed seven steals on the defensive end.
Marek Nelson: B
Marek Nelson shocked everyone in Diddle Arena with his athletic ability. Nelson had three alley-oops that almost brought Diddle down, two of which were on back-to-back possessions. What he lacks in key areas, like his ability to shoot and rebound, he more than made up for with excitement. He didn’t take any jump shots, which doesn’t help a Hilltopper team that already lacks shooters and could use somone like him to step up. On the rebounding side, he got boxed out and out-rebounded for a lot of the night.
Dwight Coleby: B+
Dwight Coleby displayed his ability to create his shot in the post and his ability to rebound. He finished with a double-doubl of 13 points and 10 rebounds while only playing 27 minutes. He had a little bit of trouble finishing down low, but was able to get his own rebound many times and put it back up. He didn’t block as many shots as expected (just one) but I expect that stat to change as the season goes along.
Jake Ohmer: A-
Jake Ohmer started the game off slow, missing his first three attempts from long range, but took fire in the second half. He shot 3-of-7 from long distance (hitting the only made threes of the night for WKU), and finished with 18 points, 16 of them coming in the second half. Ohmer displayed his ability to score in bunches and showed that he can get to the rim. He lacks on the defensive end but expect that to come with more playing time and experience.
Overall Grade: A
The Hilltoppers looked very good. Yes, Campbellsville isn’t a household name and it was just an exhibition, but the Tops showed a lot of potential even with Lamonte Bearden, Moustapha Diagne, and Josh Anderson out.
How would you grade the Tops’ performance in their win over Campbellsville? Let us know in a comment below, via Twitter at @TheTowelRackWKU or on our Facebook page.
