6'7'' 215 juco small forward claiming OU offer

[thebigabd]

J.P. Olukemi (6'7'' 215) out of Vincennes Junior College (which produced Carl Landry and I believe Aaron Mcghee) has a 6'7'' 215 small forward that is listing OU as his #1 right now, and reports an offer from the Sooners.

He led Vincennes as a juco freshman with 15 points and 4 rebounds per game, and will not play basketball this year so he will have 3 years to play at the D-1 level. California, Colorado, Washington, and Kentucky were looking at him out of high school but he didnt qualify.

ESPN Evaluation:
This strong, athletic wing can do a lot of everything well. J.P. is a hungry scorer who can put the ball in the basket in a variety of ways: he loves to drive to the basket get in the lane and use his power, he can post up and score inside, and he even knocked down the open 3-pointer. He excels in the open floor as he handles the ball or fills the lane for the finish. He rebounds like a man on both ends of the floor.

Rivals: "He's a slasher extraordinaire with good size and good bulk."

 

[BigTime]

I have heard that OU is showing some very strong interest. I'm not sure if the offer is a conditional one or not. With 5 to 6 ships available for the 2010 class, I would not be surprised to see Coach take a JUCO.

Here is a picture of Jason Paul:

 

[Mr.B!!!]

OU Basketball would be crazy not to continue to build on its JUCO reputation it worked so hard to build. I know that the JUCO landscape has changed somewhat, but stil plenty of good players out there. Would have liked to see what Cannon would have progressed to.

 

[thebigabd]

I have heard that OU is showing some very strong interest. I'm not sure if the offer is a conditional one or not. With 5 to 6 ships available for the 2010 class, I would not be surprised to see Coach take a JUCO.

I would like to see Capel take a juco post/forward such as Olukemi and a juco point guard or combo guard to provide depth and a backup option at the point. I dont think OU is going to land a big time high school point guard with TMG on campus.

In fact, I would like to see Capel get on Kendall Durant out of Weatherford College in Texas. He already has offers from South Carolina, VCU, Colorado, Tulsa, Penn State, and Virginia Tech. He is a 6'3'' point guard that is a big time shooter. He averaged 15 points a game as a juco freshman and shot 42% from the 3pt line. He signed with Virginia Tech out of high school but didnt qualify. I heard he is Kevin Durants cousin so maybe OU would appeal to him with Kevin right up the road in OKC?

TJ Taylor
Kendall Durant (or another top juco point guard)
JP Olukemi
Cameron Clark
Doron Lamb

 

[thebigabd]

OU Basketball would be crazy not to continue to build on its JUCO reputation it worked so hard to build. I know that the JUCO landscape has changed somewhat, but stil plenty of good players out there.

Without a doubt.

 

[Seymore Cox]

OU Basketball would be crazy not to continue to build on its JUCO reputation it worked so hard to build. I know that the JUCO landscape has changed somewhat, but stil plenty of good players out there. Would have liked to see what Cannon would have progressed to.

Without a doubt.

That's just what I was thinking. Forget trying to get in on These McDonalds All Americans and Lottery picks that we've been getting the last three years and lets corner the Juco ranks.

 

[BanjoCharley]

That's just what I was thinking. Forget trying to get in on These McDonalds All Americans and Lottery picks that we've been getting the last three years and lets corner the Juco ranks.

DM's right, lets just pick up our six lottery picks and go merrily down the road.

 

[thebigabd]

That's just what I was thinking. Forget trying to get in on These McDonalds All Americans and Lottery picks that we've been getting the last three years and lets corner the Juco ranks.

Capels the one offering jucos and McDonalds All-Americans, take it up with him. Were just talking about what Capel is doing.

You can sign McDonalds All-Americans and big time high school kids and mix them with good juco players who can fill gaps and play roles at a high level.

I am always amazed when OU fans (of all people) dislike junior college recruits.. The same school that went to a final four and could have won a championship with 3 juco starters. The same school that owes a great deal of its success in the Big 12 to junior college talent.

 

[thebigabd]

DM's right, lets just pick up our six lottery picks and go merrily down the road.

Exactly... Capel should just take 6 lottery picks with our open schollies. While were at it, pick up another top 20 pick and get him to walk-on.

 

[WaymanFan]

That's just what I was thinking. Forget trying to get in on These McDonalds All Americans and Lottery picks that we've been getting the last three years and lets corner the Juco ranks.

DM, it's called "low-hanging fruit." When it comes to getting in on JUCO talent, OU becomes the equivalent of North Carolina and Kentucky when they go after McDonald's All-Americans. Nobody wants Coach Capel to stop recruiting those McDonald's All-Americans. However, when there are a half-dozen scholarships on the table and you have one or two JUCO players who can make an immediate impact, it's not a difficult decision to at least take a strong look at them.

 

[thebigabd]

Hell, in 2002 an Oklahoma team featuring 6 junior college players in the regular rotation accomplished more than a team with two lottery picks in 2008-2009.. That team won the Big 12 and went to the Final Four, and was arguably the best team in the country.

But hey, Oklahoma is too good for junior college players.

 

[SoonerfanTU]

Hell, in 2002 an Oklahoma team featuring 6 junior college players in the regular rotation accomplished more than a team with two lottery picks in 2008-2009.. That team won the Big 12 and went to the Final Four, and was arguably the best team in the country.

But hey, Oklahoma is too good for junior college players.

:clap

It is no coincidence that our last two FF teams had ALOT of JUCO talent on them. I'm not saying that is the only way to get it done, I'm just saying it is a proven way. And with the 1/2 year and done HS players that Capel is recruiting, alongside the fact that other recruits leave programs too, you just about have to recruit some JUCO talent unless you are Duke/NC/KU.

 

[BigTime]

I just want the best players. I could care less if they are JUCO, prep school, overseas guys, or high school kids.

It seems like some people get too caught up in the JUCO debate. Could :kelvin have anything to do with it?

 

[SoonerfanTU]

It seems like some people get too caught up in the JUCO debate. Could :kelvin have anything to do with it?

LMAO

Billy recruited a ton of JUCO's too. Let the Kelvin stuff go, it is comments like yours that keep the animosity around.

 

[thebigabd]

Kelvin has nothing to do with my support for juco recruits...

 

[McG78]

Get the best talent. Everyone likes to point to the successes to justify who we should recruit. Yes, we have had some great junior college players (e.g., Mookie), and yes, we have had some great high school recruits (e.g., Wayman and Blake). There are also a lot of busts on both sides.

The question should be why are we recruiting this guy or that guy. People look down on juco players because a lot of times you are picking up a kid that already has some type of problem (academic, discipline, attillo, etc.). Also juco guys are sometimes used to fill a huge need (e.g., Omar Leary) or to use up a scholarship under the thought why sit on it when you can give it to a guy for one and at most two years.

When you get on the best juco players early and not because you have a desperate need or an available scholly, you are usually getting a high quality player. Most high-schoolers don't produce until their junior year anyways.

My point always be in the position where you are choosing players not where they or circumstances are choosing you. So recruit the world, but do it on your terms.

 

[BigTime]

Get the best talent. Everyone likes to point to the successes to justify who we should recruit. Yes, we have had some great junior college players (e.g., Mookie), and yes, we have had some great high school recruits (e.g., Wayman and Blake). There are also a lot of busts on both sides.

The question should be why are we recruiting this guy or that guy. People look down on juco players because a lot of times you are picking up a kid that already has some type of problem (academic, discipline, attillo, etc.). Also juco guys are sometimes used to fill a huge need (e.g., Omar Leary) or to use up a scholarship under the thought why sit on it when you can give it to a guy for one and at most two years.

When you get on the best juco players early and not because you have a desperate need or an available scholly, you are usually getting a high quality player. Most high-schoolers don't produce until their junior year anyways.

My point always be in the position where you are choosing players not where they or circumstances are choosing you. So recruit the world, but do it on your terms.

My biggest complaint with today's typical 2 year JUCOs is that it almost always takes them at least half of the first year to get adjusted and then you only have them for one season. As a fan, I feel like I hardly get to know them, and then they are gone. I guess the same is said about the 1/2 and done guys though.

 

[Seymore Cox]

If Juco talent was anywhere near the level it was 15 years ago I would be OK with it. If it were the level of 7 years ago I would be fine with that. Problems is OU had two Juco AAs last year and one didn't leave the bench and the other had talent but had wholes. The year before that we landed a second team Juco PG that despite being very scrappy and heady, didn't have alot of talent. A few years before that we landed that California Juco POY and he couldn't even get off the bench.

 

[Krugerfan52]

The problem I have with Juco's is that often they are not able to qualify for college out of high school and then have even more trouble staying eligible. That means you end up losing them to grades in the middle of season or they dont make more than a semester or a year.

 

[Seymore Cox]

The problem I have with Juco's is that often they are not able to qualify for college out of high school and then have even more trouble staying eligible. That means you end up losing them to grades in the middle of season or they dont make more than a semester or a year.

The problem now is the really good kids who don't qualify most often go to a 5th year prep school and try and gain eligibility. The Juco standouts now are mostly mid and low major prospects. Wayne Runnels, a 6'6 guy here in state average nearly 30pts a game and didn't get a sniff. Why? Because he was on a Juco team that had less talent than PCO.