All 6 new guys on campus

[chiron]

there is not a true 2 or 3 in the scholarship additions ..

Yeah, SG would have to be filled by the walk on, which I would be curious to see how well he matches up.

And maybe I was wrong about SF, I was thinking Buford was a high school PF that would eventually be a SF for college and possible NBA spot.

Thanks for bursting my bubble

 

[MNsooner]

The comment that I heard was that he is already a better offensive player than Osby. I'm not knocking Osby at any level. By the time he left here he was a really good player.

My only point is that there are basketball people that believe Thomas was a very good get for OU and that some may not yet have full appreciation of that fact.

That's great news. I think Thomas immediately fixes our team's biggest weaknesses. He adds toughness, shot blocking, and rebounding. I really think he is the missing puzzle piece. I'll be surprised if he is the kind of leader 'Ro was, but I would love the be wrong about that.

Any chance we'll get some practice updates again this summer when things get going, Gary?

 

[garyeb2]

That's great news. I think Thomas immediately fixes our team's biggest weaknesses. He adds toughness, shot blocking, and rebounding. I really think he is the missing puzzle piece. I'll be surprised if he is the kind of leader 'Ro was, but I would love the be wrong about that.

Any chance we'll get some practice updates again this summer when things get going, Gary?

Last summer was a little different. They had those 10 practices for the summer trip. It is my understanding that they are allowed so many hours for individual workouts. Those are usually grouped by position.

In addition to that they are also allowed 2 hrs per week of team workouts. It is also my understanding that Coach Kruger likes to spend those 2 hrs. all at once for one two hour team practice a week. If that is the case and if I can track down the time of that weekly practice, I will certainly try to be there.

I'm as anxious as everyone to see how the new guys fit in.

 

[jerry]

Last summer was a little different. They had those 10 practices for the summer trip. It is my understanding that they are allowed so many hours for individual workouts. Those are usually grouped by position.

In addition to that they are also allowed 2 hrs per week of team workouts. It is also my understanding that Coach Kruger likes to spend those 2 hrs. all at once for one two hour team practice a week. If that is the case and if I can track down the time of that weekly practice, I will certainly try to be there.

I'm as anxious as everyone to see how the new guys fit in.

Great Gary and thanks for your efforts in keeping us informed. Exciting times for OU basketball.

 

[sperry]

People just don't realize that Houston was in one of the best basketball conferences last year, and Thomas still put up huge numbers. The Big XII is a lateral move in terms of competition, and there's no reason not to believe he can't duplicate what he did last year at OU.

 

[DenverSooner]

Even if someone doesn't agree about The American being one of the top conferences, he made all conference in two conferences. If he can do it in the Big XII that will be amazing.

 

[dahldennsull]

Even if someone doesn't agree about The American being one of the top conferences, he made all conference in two conferences. If he can do it in the Big XII that will be amazing.

bet that is a good stat. Bet no one has ever done that before, since usually you would only transfer once, and usually not after being an all-conference performer. But the university changing leagues, he could be the first 3 time all-conference performer in 3 conferences

 

[AdaSooner]

First, props to chiron for posting the pics and getting this thread started! :chestram2:

Back to CoachTalk's question. It's hard for me to pick one player out of the four newcomers. I can honestly say I'm excited about all of them. Thomas will be a huge addition, even if we have to wait until next year to see him in an Sooner uniform. If he's eligible to play this season, I think he'll start at one of the post positions opposite Spangler. He's too good to keep on the bench.

Lattin, to me, has the most upside of the freshmen post players. If Thomas is not eligible to play, he'll have to contribute almost from the get go to give us the depth we'll need in the front court to compete against the bigger teams on our schedule. I personally believe he will be up to the task.

I agree with what WT said about Buford. He has a chance to play a lot, and maybe even start, his freshman season. His athleticism is off of the charts in some areas. The only question is, does he have the skills, especially in knocking down shots from the perimeter to have the kind of impact we'll need to continue and even build on our success of the last two seasons.

That leaves Jamuni McNeace. This kid has so much raw talent, it might be difficult to justify a redshirt season, particularly if Thomas is not available. Think about how far he has come in the last three years. He didn't even make the team as a 5' 10" freshman. As I said on another thread, he is a relative newcomer to the game. He was harder to ignore when he put 30 pounds on his skinny frame in a 12 months period, and grew almost a foot by the start of his senior season. By all accounts, he is an extremely hard worker with a huge upside. I, for one, will not be surprised if he competes for playing time his first year. He can rebound and block shots. The only thing holding him back is an offensive game.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

The official 2014-15 Team Roster has been updated:
http://www.soonersports.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=31000&SPID=127260&SPSID=750394

OU/SoonerSports Bio on TaShawn Thomas:
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArt...B_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=209525437&Q_SEASON=2014

CAREER NOTES - Started all 96 career games at Houston ... Posted three-year UH averages of 14.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.2 blocks while shooting .571 from the field ... Recorded single-game career highs of 31 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists, six steals and seven blocks (three times) ... Registered a double-double in 35 percent of his games (34 of 96) ... Shot at least 50 percent from the field in 77 percent of his competitions (74 outings) ... One of only seven players in UH history to record at least 1,300 points and 800 rebounds.

2013-14 (as a JUNIOR AT HOUSTON) ... Named to the All-American Athletic Conference Second Team ... Only player on UH squad to start all 33 games ... Averaged team highs of 15.4 points and 13.6 rebounds in 31.6 minutes a contest ... One of only three players to rank among American Athletic Conference's top nine in both scoring and rebounding ... Finished second in the league with a .591 field goal percentage (ranked 14th nationally) and with his 2.7 blocked shots per game (26th nationally) ... Also averaged 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per outing ... Shot at least 50 percent from the field in 27 of 33 games ... Recorded nine double-doubles ... Scored in double figures in all but three contests ... Scored at least 20 points six times ... Registered at least four blocked shots on nine occasions (a career-high seven rejections three times) ... Poured in a season-high 27 points on 10 for 14 field goal shooting at Louisiana (Dec. 14) ... Scored 25 points on 10 for 12 shooting in home win over Temple (Feb. 9) ... Produced 24 points on 10 of 15 shooting in victory at Temple (March 1) ... Pulled down season-high 18 rebounds vs. Howard (Nov. 21) ... Finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and two assists in home win over eventual national champion Connecticut (Dec. 31).