The men’s basketball team’s annual open practice was today. Usually, the most interesting part of the event is the chance to check out the freshmen for the first time. This year’s version was no different, but head coach Karl Hobbs also told fans in attendance that Travis King will not be 100 percent until mid-December and that redshirt freshman Jabari Edwards has an unspecified injury which has prevented him from practicing.

About the freshmen:

• Tony Taylor, the point guard from New York, looked good. He is small, but aggressive and quick. This was just a very small sample, but I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about him for a while now and what I saw seemed to jive with that.
• Aaron Ware, the forward from California, looked serviceable. He had an impressive drive and finish and seemed to be able to keep up with the more experienced players. GW is relatively deep at small forward though, so I doubt Ware will see too much time early in the season.
• Matt Allbritton, the shooting guard from Texas, looked slow and much shorter than the 6-foot-4 he is listed at. From my perspective 10 or so feet away it looked like he was more like 6-foot-2. He only took a few shots, which for the most part went in, but his release is not as quick as senior Noel Wilmore’s and he does not get very high off the ground when he shoots. I would be surprised if he serves as more than a chemistry guy.

Speaking of chemistry, Hobbs said this team has it. Usually, I would take this with a grain of salt, the team did seem to be much more relaxed than last year’s team. Players were smiling and joking around, something fans rarely saw last year.

That’s all for now. The team’s exhibition game is only eight days away.