Tony Bennett on KJR

by Jeff Nusser on Oct 22, 2008 8:05 PM PDT

Tony Bennett visited with noted Coug Ian Furness on KJR yesterday, and it's an nice interview from a guy who is knowledgeable about the program. Nothing super earth shattering from Bennett, but there are a few interesting things that came up:

Even Bennett sounded excited about Klay Thompson and DeAngelo Casto, and it's sounding more and more like they are the two freshmen that are most Pac-10 ready and likely will be counted on the most out of the newcomers.
Bennett said he's not sure which freshmen, if any, might redshirt this year, saying that there's going to be a lot of competition. It will be interesting to see how that shakes out, because if you're going to have competition, it's likely going to happen during the early nonconference schedule, meaning redshirts might get burned up in the process. Just something to keep an eye on.
Bennett was reluctant to heap too much praise on the team overall yet, especially the athleticism of the new guys. He made it a point to say that Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver and Robbie Cowgill were pretty athletic, and athletic with the ball in their hands. It sounds like the new guys have a ways to go in that respect, as expected.

Anyway, it's definitely worth 10 minutes of your time.

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Interesting that Casto is deemed Pac-10 ready

Especially when there wasn’t much recruiting hype surrounding him at Ferris. (And Mike Harthun is supposed to be the second strongest recruit in the class behind Klay)

[Steven A. Smith voice] HOWEVA, if you saw Casto play in high school you know he’s freakishly athletic and has the size, strength and knowledge of the game to get going right away. I hope he’s ready to go – we certainly needed an Ivory Clark-type shot blocker and defender last season.

by Grady Clapp on Oct 22, 2008 8:39 PM PDT reply actions

I think that's the key

It really comes down to the fact that this team is really thin athletically up front, and his particular skill set fills a gaping void. So, “Pac-10 ready” might be a little bit relative in this case — we probably shouldn’t be expecting double-doubles or anything. In an ideal world, I’m sure Bennett would love to not have to count on freshmen, but that’s where we’re at.

Remember, it was reported that Georgetown and UW tried to get in late on Casto. Not sure how much truth there is to it, but that would explain what he’s doing now.

CougCenter

by Jeff Nusser on Oct 23, 2008 6:12 AM PDT up reply actions

word on the street is

he’s “Pac-10 ready” defensively, as far as timing on blocked shots and rebounds. Offensively not so much, but anyone with his athleticism can put back missed shots and throw down alley-oops. I wouldn’t expect double doubles, but I’d take a 6pt-8reb-2blk statline from a frosh any day.

I don't believe in the existence of the St. Louis Rams. They're just an urban legend!

by johnnycougar on Oct 23, 2008 12:39 PM PDT up reply actions