my.nwi.com

My initial impression is that this is going to be a fun team to watch this season.

The team played five games to 12 with the winners staying on the floor. The entire team, was in attendance, but Brandon Wood and Cameron Witt did not participate. Both were very vocal. 

During the first two games, the team of Brandon McPherson, Nick Shelton, Erik Buggs, Mike Rogers and Milos Milosevic dominated. The opening opponents were Howard Little, Ryan Broekhoff, Tommy Kurth, Cory Johnson and Chris Halvorsen.

In the second game, Matt Kenney, Hrvoje Vucic and Jake Diebler joined Little and Johnson while the three freshmen got a break.

In the third game, Little, Broekhoff, Kurth, Johnson and Halvorsen played together again and the team swept the final three games of the afternoon.

Here are some thoughts on the individuals that stood out:

Brandon McPherson -- Very vocal and seemed to be a bit of a player-coach on the floor. He hit shots from all over the perimeter and didn't shy away from contact at all. There was a huge scare in the last game when McPherson hit the ground after a drive to the basket and immediately punched the floor and grabbed his right ankle. The gym fell silent, as even the women's players who were gathering for their shot at open gym watched in horror. McPherson spent about 30 seconds on the ground before sitting up against the wall and examining his shoe. He then stood up and walked off the court with a bit of a smile on his face. He didn't walk by me on the way out, but Diebler and Little both said he was fine.

Erik Buggs -- Much more confident from beyond the arc. The buzz in the gym was that Buggs was finally healed after not playing much over the summer. Pressing some of the players for what that meant, they said that he was hurt for most of last season with a shin injury that affected his mobility. He took some time of during the summer and was now getting back into basketball shape. He never left the court during the five games and looked like his motor was running on high the entire time. He still suffers from the ability to pull off an ankle-breaking move on a defender but not have a place to go after. I'm sure this will work itself out as the players spend more time together.

Mike Rogers -- If there was one player I was disappointed with, it was Mike Rogers for the first game and a half. If there was one player who was an animal for the last three and a half games, it was Mike Rogers. At the beginning, he looked like a classic upperclassmen. My take on open gym is that the freshmen go full out because they want to prove themselves. Sophomores are nearly at the same level because they don't want freshmen coming in and taking their spots. For a guy like Rogers, and to a lesser extent, Little, these players are starters and they pick their spots during pickup games. That being said, after a disputed foul call in the second game, Rogers elevated his entire game to another level. We've seen in some games during the past two seasons that he can take over, but we've also seen him disappear. With a deep roster ready to take his minutes, I don't think we'll see as much of that once the games start to count.

Milos Milosevic -- Didn't see much from Milos. He was relatively quiet on the floor, but admittedly, I wasn't looking at him a whole lot. He can bang in the paint, no question, but his jump shot looked a bit off. I have only a small sample of which to evaluate him, so if I were grading, I'd still go with an incomplete.

Chris Halvorsen -- This guy can finish under the basket. He is very active on both the offensive and defensive sides of the glass and he can flush it home without much effort.

Cory Johnson -- What's not to love about this guy. He's Dan Oppland, but with two more years of eligibility. I didn't think it was possible, but Johnson has gone and put on more muscle over the off-season. He will be a clear difference maker this season and I can't wait to watch him battle against the Butler bigs. 

Howard Little -- The newly-tattooed Little played with high energy throughout the afternoon. He slashed to the basket with every chance that he got and knocked down some perimeter shots as well. I can't say that I was surprised by any of his moves. I thought Little was the hardest working player (with the exception of Diebler) last season. Homer Drew has always liked his veterans and I can't imagine Little losing his spot in the starting lineup this season.

Hrvoje Vucic -- My thoughts after watching him today...he'll more than likely end up redshirting. That's not to say he isn't talented, which he most definitely is, but if he is willing to stay for five years, then I can only imagine how much better he'll be in his fifth year compared to his first year. I shared my brilliant thoughts with McPherson who knocked me down off my perch when he said "Paul, what player wouldn't be better in their fifth year?" Isn't it time for him to leave already? Back to Vucic....he's got a good game, likes to drift out to the perimeter a bit much, but I only say that because he's the tallest player on the floor and typically the tallest player camps out in the post. He's rail thin and will benefit from some time in the weight room, but I saw him interact with the team more today than I ever saw Beas Hamga over the course of an entire semester.

Ok, now for my top three stars of the afternoon, in no particular order.

Matt Kenney -- This guy can jump out of the gym. Valparaiso might have missed out on Zack Novak, but Drew went and got the next best thing in Kenney. He's listed at 6'3, which I'm pretty sure is a blatant lie. He's not that much taller than me and I'm just over six feet, but he pulled down some boards in traffic against Johnson and Halvorsen with no problems and I'm pretty sure that says more about Kenney than it does about the other two. His scoring ability didn't stand out to me and by that I mean he never tried to take over the game, but he was in every right spot at every right time to help his team.

Ryan Broekhoff -- Best shooter on the team, no questions asked. He can knock down shots from the baseline, from either side of the arc and from the top of the key. How anyone left him open in the fourth game was beyond me. He hit back-to-back 3-pointers, including the game-winner and was emotionless the entire time. He shoots with a confidence unlike anyone else except maybe McPherson. How he plays defense will go a lot to determining his role on the team. I won't compare him to Samuel Haanpaa yet, because I haven't seen how he reacts to a double team and I won't compare him to Lubos Barton yet because I've yet to see him play in a big-game, but he's close to being a hybrid of the two.

Tommy Kurth - I'll save my most surprising for last. It seems that the buzz among the Valparaiso internet fan base is that Kurth is playing out of his league at Valparaiso and that he is almost sure to redshirt. Heck, I may have been guilty of that same mindset before today. He handled the ball for his team whenever he was on the floor. Granted he was matched up against both McPherson and Buggs, and Brandon Wood was on the sidelines, but Kurth more than held his own. He knocked down some effortless 3-pointers, including one that barely touched the net on the way down. He's very quick and can get into the lane without hesitation. He, along with Broekhoff and Kenney, are the kind of players that you just want to watch more of because you can't believe they are doing the things they are doing.

I bumped into Luke Gore after the games were done (coaches aren't allowed to be in the gym) and he asked me my thoughts. I echoed much of what I just wrote and then he asked me if I could pick five guys based on the open gym performance alone, who would they be? I easily picked McPherson and Johnson. Next I took Broekhoff and Kenney and finally I chose Kurth over Little. I just think the kid showed a lot today. -- Paul Oren