
Here are some additional basketball notes from the opener:
- Air Force barely used its matchup zone. Coach Jeff Reynolds said the team used its zone defense on only one possession through its win against UCCS. Reynolds was happy with the defensive effort in the first half, and playing aggressive man defense might be the key to better 3-point defense. UCCS made just 1-of-14 3-point attempts against Air Force.
The defense let down in the second half, but Reynolds said that can be corrected.
“I think that’s a lack of maturity on our part,” Reynolds said. “That’s something that comes as the season comes.”
- Reynolds went through how he thought some of his players did in the opener. He said Derek Brooks played consistent, Mike Fitzgerald was solid, Tom Fow had some lapses on defense but played well on offense. Reynolds also praised Taylor Broekhuis for his aggressiveness.
Reynolds also liked Evan Washington’s game – he had 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
“I thought Evan had a typical Evan night,” Reynolds said. “He was incredibly engaged defensively.”
Another player who didn’t have a great stat line but drew praise from Reynolds was Taylor Stewart. He missed all three shots and had three turnovers, but on defense he showed the coaching staff some good things.
“He did everything we asked him to do,” Reynolds said. “He pressured the ball and forced those guys out of those 3s.”
Reynolds did say he hoped for a better game from Todd Fletcher, who got in foul trouble and played just 16 minutes.
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