Cavalier Corner

October 2012

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continued from previous page one other than ourselves so early and kind of determine what roles guys could have in the upcoming season, I think, is a huge benefit for us going into the preseason. The Cavaliers opened the trip in Amsterdam where they " split two games against the Netherlands B team. The Hoos fell to Belgian Club Gembo in Borgerhout and concluded the trip winning one of two against AMW Team France. Harris said one of the benefits of the 10-day trip was a chance to get to bond and build relationships with the new players on the squad. "We have five new freshmen and two new walk-ons, so there are seven new guys on the team. There's a lot of time to bond over 10 days, traveling together, go- ing on tours, so it was a special pe- riod of quality time together. was to find ways to improve and build on team strengths. It comes as little surprise that, for a Bennett player, the team's defense was not where everyone wants it to be. "We didn't play as well defensively as we could have early in the trip," But the primary focus of this trip " Harris said, "but then especially the young guys, our ability to apply what coaches were talking about during film sessions and make changes and finish the tour on a good note by playing really well de- fensively, I think that impressed me the most. Bennett agreed. "The areas we worked on in prac- tice, I tried to hold everybody ac- " CAVALIER CORNER ◆ OCTOBER 2012 ◆ 25 was a key factor in developing the team entering into the 2012 season. "To have the opportunity to go and play against some- For third-year sharpshooter Joe Harris, the competition countable in games because that is what we focused on, showed things that should have been stronger in those games. So what I liked was it gave a realistic sense of here's where we're at. If we're not ready, these things can happen to us on both ends of the floor. " the coach said. "The stuff that we spent the time on in the ACC standings or toward the team's overall record. Because of that, the trip provided not only real teaching moments for the players, it also allowed Bennett to get longer looks at new players without the burden of a nega- tive impact in the standings. "I really liked the fact that you weren't as worried about The good news for Bennett is these games didn't count " wins and losses and got to play guys in extended minutes and get a real good feel. " — Greg Waters

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