Akolda Manyang: What's going on?

[BoulderSooner]

Why would he play a stretch 4 in Juco, but at OU he'll play the 5? You would think a JC would have less post depth than OU, and could use a 7-footer on the block.

Sounds like he won't be playing immediately if he makes it to OU anyway. Hope I'm wrong.

he was playing at the best juco program in america they have great depth at every position

 

[DenverSooner]

His JC coach had him playing out of position as a stretch 4. At OU he will defend, block shots, and shoot 3 ft jump hooks.

I don't know if he will start or come off the bench. But, every staff member that has rendered a candid opinion believes that his presence will make the team better.

Longar had a very good shot. It is my hope that Manyang can knock down 15-18 foot shots too.

 

[bocabull]

Every staff member that has rendered a candid opinion believes that his presence will make the team better.

How many times has a staff member told you "this guy is kind of a stiff. We missed on him but will still honor his scholarship. Don't expect more than him riding the pine?"

Yeah that's what I thought ...

 

[garyeb2]

Longar had a very good shot. It is my hope that Manyang can knock down 15-18 foot shots too.

My information is that, while the coaches hope that he will become that type of player before he leaves, he is not that type of player now. Next season he will be a true #5. Something we haven't had in a long time.

 

[garyeb2]

How many times has a staff member told you "this guy is kind of a stiff. We missed on him but will still honor his scholarship. Don't expect more than him riding the pine?"

Yeah that's what I thought ...

Why would you come after my contribution to this thread. You have no information, no insight, and no knowledge of any kind on the topic at hand. From the assistant coaches to the grad assistants, the staff was, and is very excited about the contribution they believe the kid can make to the team. I am too.

I don't have the time, I'm leaving for the golf course as soon as the temperature hits 45, nor do I have the inclination to break my "don't argue with idiots" rule.

 

[SoonerJK12]

Let's take boca's talent evaluations with a grain of salt. I am pretty sure that boca once questioned Lattin's jumping ability.

 

[cvangild]

Guy was averaging like 5 & 5 at juco. He'd be riding the pine behind Spangler & Lattin anyway. Not a big deal as long as Buford and McNeace are ready to help.

Really really looking forward to Spangler + Lattin next year.

Wow, you really are clueless aren't you?? He averaged close to 10 points a game and was playing minimal minutes compared to a JC player on another team because Indian Hills is frickin loaded at every position!! They are like the Oakhill Academy for JC's over the past few years, so you cant just look at numbers only. Well, you can, but it will make you look clueless.

All I know is all the publications had him rated the #1 center in JC and the #2 overall player. That's good enough for me!

 

[skyvue]

Let's take every word that dribbles out of boca's keyboard with a grain of salt.

Fixed that for you.

 

[BCSooners]

Guys, Manyang is not on his juco team anymore, but he is still taking classes and
OU plans on him being here this summer. He has had some personal issues to clear
up and it was better for him to sit out this semester and concentrate on studies. The
coaches at Indian Hills continue to support and help him .

So it sounds like he really has to work hard to become academically eligible at OU. To accomplish this he has to work on school full time. JMO on from what people on here have said and what I've read.

 

[Northbase]

i'm leaving for the golf course as soon as the temperature hits 45, nor do i have the inclination to break my "don't argue with idiots" rule.

lol

 

[DenverSooner]

I think Boca is correct about Lattin's future.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

Coach Chris Crutchfield gave the pregame talk last night inside the Courtside Club. In response to a question, he confirmed that Akolda Manyang will be on campus at OU in June. Coach Crutchfield seems quite excited to get Akolda Manyang on campus, and he obviously expects Akolda Manyang to make a big positive impact on the OU basketball team next season.

 

[campbest]

Coach Chris Crutchfield gave the pregame talk last night inside the Courtside Club. In response to a question, he confirmed that Akolda Manyang will be on campus at OU in June. Coach Crutchfield seems quite excited to get Akolda Manyang on campus, and he obviously expects Akolda Manyang to make a big positive impact on the OU basketball team next season.

I would hope he would say that, and for all purposes, he is probably right. More informed of the situation than anyone on here.

With that said, it's ok to become more skeptical due to the recent events. Coaches say a lot crazy things.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

I would hope he would say that, and for all purposes, he is probably right. More informed of the situation than anyone on here.

With that said, it's ok to become more skeptical due to the recent events. Coaches say a lot crazy things.

I have had some opportunity to be around Coach Chris Crutchfield and the rest of this staff at various Tip In Club events. None of them seem inclined to say crazy things. I am just reporting what Coach Chris Crutchfield said.

We will see. No matter what the current situation, no signed recruit is a sure thing until they get enrolled in school; and even then things can happen (e.g., Buford).

Also at the pregame Courtside Club, I will go on and say that Coach Chris Crutchfield seemed very confident of OU's chances against WVU. As a fan, I was not confident at all at the pregame. Coach Chris Crutchfield was right. And no, the coaches do not always come across as this confident. It seems that the team has "picked it up" at practice. It certainly showed in the on-court performance last night.

 

[bocabull]

If AK shows up and is better than Lattin that's awesome.

However there are red flags everywhere. In high school he ended up in Duluth due to a court order after being charged with felony burglary. Then he was suspended for the state playoffs. Then he didnt have the test scores to qualify. Now he's off the juco team where he was the 10th leading scorer. His offers were limited to OU, ASU & Minnesota.

Hopefully his issues are all behind him. Taking playing time from Lattin is not going to be easy. You can just see the spark in him. Expect him to be a major player next season.

 

[skyvue]

Taking playing time from Lattin is not going to be easy. You can just see the spark in him. Expect him to be a major player next season.

I love Lattin's spark, too, and he's certainly contributed defensively, but until he starts to pick up his offensive game (not dogging him, he's just a freshman), he's not going to be the huge factor some are predicting he will be.

People have dogged Thomas all season for averaging "only" 11 points per game this year, but I'm not convinced Lattin can match that "disappointing" average next season. I hope he can.

 

[bocabull]

I love Lattin's spark, too, and he's certainly contributed defensively, but until he starts to pick up his offensive game (not dogging him, he's just a freshman), he's not going to be the huge factor some are predicting he will be.

People have dogged Thomas all season for averaging "only" 11 points per game this year, but I'm not convinced Lattin match that "disappointing" average next season. I hope he can.

From what I understand Lattin is supposed to be a rebounding rim protecter which he does very well in limited minutes. A guy with his quickness & length will get 11 just by getting more minutes IMO. His shot looks pretty good to me but right now we don't need a freshman big shooting much.

As for Thomas I never expected him to reach Cam's production. What he's doing is about what me & Campbest said we'd be happy with. He actually plays less aggressive than Lattin at times because he's been rejected a few times and is still fitting in.

It's only the first week of February fellas. This is where we have faded the past few seasons. Looks like we are going to turn the corner higher this time. Lattin is a one reason IMO.

 

[scrybe]

As for Thomas I never expected him to reach Cam's production. What he's doing is about what me & Campbest said we'd be happy with.

Well, as long as you and campbest are happy… :ez-laugh::ez-laugh:

 

[Price is Right]

I hope things pan out with Akolda but I'm with Boca and others as far as Lattin is concerned. If Akolda comes in and is good enough to start over Lattin look out big12 we may have three of the top bigs in the conference!

 

[DenverSooner]

I love Lattin's spark, too, and he's certainly contributed defensively, but until he starts to pick up his offensive game (not dogging him, he's just a freshman), he's not going to be the huge factor some are predicting he will be.

I think people will be surprised how much his scoring increases over the years. You like to talk about Stacy King. Another example is Ryan Minor. Minor didn't score much his freshman year. He averaged 4.7 points per game. However, he stood out to me. He played limited minutes but would block shots, get a rebound, a steal or dive for a lose ball. His sophomore season when he got more money he averaged 16.2 points per game.

Lattin is similar. He is doing a lot of things. Next season he is going to have so much more confidence and a full off season to really work on his post offense and shot. If he starts next season, I think he will get about 8 boards and 8 points a game.