Former Energy Player Shannon Brown Again!
In what is becoming a recurring theme on EnergyHoopla.com, we feature the phenomenal athleticism of one Shannon Brown. Mr. Brown showcased the same skills in Des Moines just a short time ago. Now, he’s on the big stage and showing off. Also, credit the pass from former D-Leaguer Jordan Farmar.
Nurse’s Notes: Energy Win Pre-Season Opener
We had our first look at our game against some opposition Saturday in OKC, versus the Tulsa 66ers.
Here is a quick re-cap.
First of all as a team, we played pretty hard and executed some of the things we spent our entire training camp on. Things like transition defense, rebounding, and defense in general. We had a decent effort from everyone 1-12. We were able to play everyone quite a few minutes and probably gave some more minutes to players who are on the cut bubble and further down the roster than we normally would have done in a regular season game, but we used the game as a real evaluation tool. (We have to cut two more players by Wednesday.)
Curtis Stinson – played a very good game, he is a better player this year than last. His shooting is ever improving, he runs the team and he had just a real solid game scoring 15 points, hitting one three ball, and dishing out 8 assists.
Pat Carroll- is a good all around player, he shot it well, did have a few more turnovers that normal, but got put in some funny situations. He plays at both ends, and has a high IQ to go along with his good outside shooting touch. He made some big shots when the game was in the balance.
Jeff Trepagneir – Jeff is down 20 lbs from a year ago and is in great shape. He is viewed mostly as a 3 point gunner, but his overall team play was solid yesterday. He knows how to play defense and is giving great effort on that end so far.
Earl Barron – played hard, not great, is a good outside shooter, but has tools to play well with his back to the basket has well. Played really hard on Saturday, had some foul trouble, but love his attitude and work ethic.
Energy Win Pre-Season Opener
The Energy got things started off on the right foot by defeating the Tulsa 66ers 99-89 in their first and only pre-season game on Saturday. The outcome is hopefully a sign of things to come as the men in purple and orange used a balanced effort to put the game away. Eight Energy players scored eight or more points. Curtis Stinson led the way scoring 15 points and dishing out 7 assists.
With the game tied at 9, Stinson keyed a big Energy run, by hitting two free throws and moments later drilling a three-pointer. That was part of a 14-3 run that gave the Energy separation they needed.
Earl Barron controlled things in the interior, contributing 15 points and 9 rebounds. The former Miami Heat center was impressive in his Energy debut.
The Energy also had it stuck on automatic from long distance, drilling 10 of 18 three point attempts. First round pick Rashad Anderson and veteran guard Jeff Trepagnier each hit shots from beyond the arc.
The game was far enough in hand that the Energy reserves played the entire fourth quarter.
The first regular season game is on Friday, November 27th in Springfield, Massachusetts. This is just the start of what is going to be a fantastic season for the Energy.
Click HERE for the box score against Tulsa.
From the Desk of the GM: The Journey Begins
First Game Action…Today (if you count the preseason!):
Energy fans, today is the first time your Iowa Energy will hit the court wearing the purple and orange against another squad. At 3pm, the Energy will take on Tulsa in a preseason matchup in Oklahoma. The “game” isn’t open to the public, but we should get a good idea of what our team will look like this year.
There is no doubt we have the deepest team ever. Whether that translates to our best team ever is yet to be seen. I know Coach Nurse plans on playing a lot of people today so that our staff can get a good idea of which 10 players will make up the 2009-2010 roster.
Tulsa has a nice lineup. Steven Hill, a big 7-footer played in the NBA last year. They also have Mustafa Shakur at guard who has NBA experience. Throw in a couple of returning guys and they should provide a good matchup for the Energy.
No Futurecast of this game, but live stats are supposed to be going starting at 3pm. To follow (if you are a real Energy junkie!), go to www.d-league.com. Click on “Scores”. Then, you have to move the calendar to today’s date and you should be able to watch…actually READ….what is going on.
Inside the Energy: Grinnell Mutual Basketball Camp
Last weekend, the Energy had the pleasure of working with Grinnell Mutual to host a basketball camp at Grinnell High School. Over 80 kids showed up to participate in the clinic hosted by Energy coaches Nick Nurse and Nate Bjorkgren and Energy players Adam Emmenecker, Shy Ely and Russell Hicks. It was a great time. Take a look at the pics to see for yourself.
Media Day Fesitvities
On Thursday, we held our annual media day at Wells Fargo Arena. It gave us a chance to show off the 12 players on our roster to those that will be covering us. It’s always great to see the guys with their Energy gear on for the first time. Watch the video from ABC5 and John Walters to get an inside look at Media Day.
Our roster stands at 12 players as of today. There is going to be one more cut before the start of the season next week. It’s been a great training camp. The competition has been healthy and the players have had a very good chemistry. We have one exhibition game scheduled with Tulsa down in Oklahoma tomorrow, before the season gets underway a week from today! Let’s get it started!
High School Hoop Series Photo Gallery
We held a press conference this week announcing our High School Hoop Series games this year. We have a great slate of games, which includes the #1 High School basketball player in the nation, Harrison Barnes. He and the Ames High Little Cyclones will face off with Sioux City North as part of a Triple-Header on February 6th. For more info on other games click HERE.
From the Desk of the GM: Playoff Changes
The D-League announced today that they will be expanding the playoffs to three rounds, best of three games in each round. This decision is probably controversial on a lot of ends, and I’m sure the playoffs will continue to be tweaked as this league grows. There are definitely pros and cons to this change:
PROS: More legitimacy to the league (a real playoff system)
Greater development of rivalries (I’ve heard people ask about how much would be lost if last year’s Celtics/Bulls series was only one game.)
Greater chance that the best team wins.
Energy Links
There is a lot going on with us this week. The players are arriving into town, and practice will get going by the end of the week. This year’s squad should be extremely fun to watch. Here are some links from around the web with a little Energy flavor:
Great article from the Niagara Falls Review about Energy 7th round pick Russell Hicks, the 7 foot center from Canada. He sounds excited to get here!
Find more info HERE on 5th round selection Joah Tucker, who had a great career at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Check back here to EnergyHoopla all week as we report on the happenings at Training Camp and give you an inside look on how the Energy roster is shaping up.
