4 guard lineup

[cowboysooner]

Hale just posted an interview with Coach. Consistent with what some were predicting earlier, he suggests that our strength will be on the perimeter and that we might see some 4 guard lineups this year. Thinks Willie and T-Croc will be the key players and that both will have good years. He clearly thinks Tiny is a lot better than what people anticipate or think. Has some good things to say about Yo-Yo and the job he is doing. Said in July he is allowed to be on the road recruiting 20 days, and he was on the road all 20 days.

Just as I thought, recruiting isn't falling into his lap, he is working his tail off.

I have liked all of our previous coaches starting with Billy, but I'm starting to think I like Capel the best. If we can keep him for a few years, I really think special things are going to happen for us.

I normally don't start thinking about basketball until the season gets underway, but I am really fired up already for this year.

 

[hoopmaster]

I normally don't start thinking about basketball until the season gets underway, but I am really fired up already for this year.

I'm usually kind of the same way, cowboysooner. In the past I've been anticipating it, but I don't really think much about it until it gets here.. and don't REALLY get into it until football season is over. Now, football is less than a week away and I can't wait for basketball!

It's definitely good to see the change in the atmosphere surrounding OU basketball. Capel has done a lot in a short time.

 

[DFWHoopster]

I assume those guards will be:

TMG
Warren
Crocker
Davis/Pledger

It might work. Villanova certainly had a lot of success with it a few years ago. The advantage is that Crocker and Warren are athletic enough for OU to get away with it defensively for a short stretch.

Baylor did a lot of 4-guard lineup with Carter, Dugat, Jerrells and Dunn on the court with Rogers last year. For the most part, it was a disaster though. Carter, Jerrells and Dugat were all under 6'1" and the defensive liability was too great.

 

[BigTime]

I assume those guards will be:

TMG
Warren
Crocker
Davis/Pledger

It might work. Villanova certainly had a lot of success with it a few years ago. The advantage is that Crocker and Warren are athletic enough for OU to get away with it defensively for a short stretch.

Baylor did a lot of 4-guard lineup with Carter, Dugat, Jerrells and Dunn on the court with Rogers last year. For the most part, it was a disaster though. Carter, Jerrells and Dugat were all under 6'1" and the defensive liability was too great.

I think you have it right with TMG, Warren, Crocker, and Cade. One of the big reasons that this line-up might be able to work is that Cade Davis is a really good rebounding guard, and the fact that Cade, Crock, and Willie all have good size and length.

 

[Seymore Cox]

It's a little different to have a 4 guard lineup like OSU, who has guards that can do some grunt work and then our guys who can barely hold their own against physical guards, far less post players.

 

[cowboysooner]

Capel didn't really say who the guards would be, but obviously they will include willie and crocker.

 

[luckyc1423]

Big, cade only averaged 1.7 rebounds a game...I wouldnt call him a great rebounder....He can rebound but in order to run a 4 guard lineup he would have to rebound much better...

 

[luckyc1423]

Crocker is a much better rebounder than cade...he snagged around 3 rebounds a game last year...and willis got approx the same number of rebounds a game as cade in far less minutes...I really think we can run 4 guards at a time I just think they need to be bigger guards...maybe this lineup could work!

1) Warren
2) Crocker
3) Cade/Willis
4) Willis/Cade
5) Gallon

Taking TMG out only because of his size...with this lineup all 4 guards should be able to get a couple of rebounds

 

[BigTime]

Big, cade only averaged 1.7 rebounds a game...I wouldnt call him a great rebounder....He can rebound but in order to run a 4 guard lineup he would have to rebound much better...

Good point, but, how do you expect Cade to rebound when you have the Griffin brothers down low. Let's face it, Blake didn't like to share many rebounds....

Also, look at Willie Warren and Crockers rebounds per game. Now look at their minutes played per game. Finally compare that to Cade's minutes and boards. He is a good rebounder. He uses good technique and combines that with good effort. I think we will see more of that next year.

 

[tomkar98]

Good point, but, how do you expect Cade to rebound when you have the Griffin brothers down low. Let's face it, Blake didn't like to share many rebounds....

Also, look at Willie Warren and Crockers rebounds per game. Now look at their minutes played per game. Finally compare that to Cade's minutes and boards. He is a good rebounder. He uses good technique and combines that with good effort. I think we will see more of that next year.

I think your right about Cade. I don't feel like crunching the numbers, but if you were to look at rebounds per minute(s) played, or rebounds per 40 possessions (whichever one is the correct one I'm thinking about, hopefully someone gets where this is going! haha). Anyways, if you were to look at his vs WW and Tony's you would see just about the same if not more than them.

 

[OKURanger]

It's a little different to have a 4 guard lineup like OSU, who has guards that can do some grunt work and then our guys who can barely hold their own against physical guards, far less post players.

I see Cade as a grunt work type of player on defense.

 

[hoopmaster]

Crocker is a much better rebounder than cade...he snagged around 3 rebounds a game last year...and willis got approx the same number of rebounds a game as cade in far less minutes...

Rebounds per minute played:
Cade Davis - .1176
Tony Crocker - .1096

Willis is a terrible comparison, because he only played minutes in mop-up duty so obviously he's going to have more opportunities when no one is fighting for the rebound.

That being said, Crocker was a much better rebounder as a sophomore than he was a junior for one reason..... Blake Griffin. Rebounds were few and far between. The reason Davis is a 'good' rebounding guard is because the guy goes 100% all the time. He isn't a better rebounder than other guys, he's just more determined to get the rebound where Crocker gets his rebounds because of him being long and quick. At least, that's my take.

 

[luckyc1423]

I agree with you guys about the griffins taking all the boards...I really just think that Crocker should be our best rebounding guard and I think he will be...Per minute he may not have done as well as cade in that category but I Think he will. With Willie at the point he should be able to outrebound any pg if he is trying...so two dominate rebounds and three including cade imo

 

[cowboysooner]

By the way, he didn't say he was going to run a 4 guard team, just that we would see it some. I'm predicting that against the bigger teams, we will still see a 2 posts and 3 perimeter lineup.

I may have read something into his comments that he didn't mean, but it seemed to me he was at least infering that Tiny and Wright were ready and that Fitz and Big O would help if they continued to progress. So, I won't be suprised to see a lineup of Tiny, Wright, Crocker, Willie and someone else, at least to start the year. Since Wright can guard and play the 4, maybe this makes more sense than Big O starting opposite Tiny (which I thinks mandates a zone defense). I have been predicting Big O starts but I starting to think I may be wrong on that guess. Similarly, the more I think about it, the more I think I may have been wrong with my guess that TMG doesn't start. I have been predicting Cade would start and Willie would play the point. However, the numerous discussions of this issue has got me re-thinking this guess as well.

I would be OK with just about any other perimeter player being "someone else". TMG at the point, cade - willis or pledger at the wing. Any of these combos would be competitive I think. Warren and TMG can rotate at the point, and we have two backups to rotate in at the wing spots. Looks good to me no matter how the rotation shakes out. Probably a legit case can be made for any of the above-mentioned players being the 5th starter. They all bring something good and different to the table.

In any event, I think preseason practices will be really competitive and that can't do anything but make us better.

 

[Seymore Cox]

I see Cade as a grunt work type of player on defense.

He's the best candidate. Willis isn't going to cut it in my opinion. I got tired of seeing Tony get tossed around last year. He hit the floor more than a chinese hooker. Willie is a guy who can be physical, it's just a matter of if he chooses to be. If Willie would be a better rebounder, it would take his game to the next level. He could be one of those guys like Chris Paul or Jason Kidd who can snag boards and push the break going the other way. I would not like to see any of our guys in a post up situation against James, Gary Johnson, any big for KU, or for that fact, Marshall Moses.

 

[BigTime]

I really wish that KREF did podcasts like the Sports Animal does. That was a public interview, so it would be nice for all of us to get to hear it.....

 

[Krugerfan52]

he's the best candidate. Willis isn't going to cut it in my opinion. I got tired of seeing tony get tossed around last year. he hit the floor more than a chinese hooker. willie is a guy who can be physical, it's just a matter of if he chooses to be. If willie would be a better rebounder, it would take his game to the next level. He could be one of those guys like chris paul or jason kidd who can snag boards and push the break going the other way. I would not like to see any of our guys in a post up situation against james, gary johnson, any big for ku, or for that fact, marshall moses.

lol!