An Outsider's View

[earlpearl]

Last night is the first time that I have watched the Sooners from wire to wire. The one thing that stands out more than any other is that they simply need to play much harder. In spurts last night they looked like they could be a formidable team at some point in the future esp after the backboard fiasco.

I really think the attitude of this young team is a reflection of WW. The man is ultra talented and if he put a tenth of the heart in the game as a Najera or Price we are talking number one player out of college. If WW does not improve between the ears them I would say the best thing to happen to this group of youngsters is for him to go to the NBA.

The sad thing is that this reminds me of the Sean era at OSU. He had some super talented plyers but they would not play with intensity for him. I am not comparing Capel and Sean at this point but gee it makes you wonder.

After all that rant the Boomers could show up the next game and look like a top 20 team with a little effort because they do have some serious talent.

One last thing is that you can never underestimate youth. A year from now these guys may make me eat my words about the Capel/Sean comparison. I hope they do because this was much more fun when we had Eddie vs Kelvin because you knew thos teams would bring it every night.

 

[SoonerfanTU]

One last thing is that you can never underestimate youth. A year from now these guys may make me eat my words about the Capel/Sean comparison.

I pretty much agree with you.

The only I think I don't like about the youth argument, is when does it end? If WW's problems are b/c of youth, then how are we better next year? We'll replace three players out of the top 7.....WW (soph), Crocker (SR), and Wright (SR), with, for the most part, more underclassmen. The frosh will be sophs, but if sophs are still young (see WW argument), where will the improvement come from?

There are teams around the country with equal players to OU (experience and talent) that are playing much better ball. I don't think it is our youth, as much as it is our group of youths. We just seem to have 3-4 guys that don't get it. If one or two of them played like some other talented young guys around the country, we'd probably be okay nursing 1-2 of them along. Can't nurse 4 of them along though.

 

[Cheno]

Earl I pretty much agree as well. I haven't been posting much lately because I don't want to be negative but this team, I hate to say it, I don't even like watching them play. Nothing frustrates me more than a team that doesn't play hard, doesn't play defense and looks to have attitude problems. It's embarrassing.

There are teams around the country with equal players to OU (experience and talent) that are playing much better ball. I don't think it is our youth, as much as it is our group of youths. We just seem to have 3-4 guys that don't get it. If one or two of them played like some other talented young guys around the country, we'd probably be okay nursing 1-2 of them along. Can't nurse 4 of them along though.

Well said.

 

[coolm]

it''s true. they do need to play much harder. much.

 

[earlpearl]

I pretty much agree with you.

The only I think I don't like about the youth argument, is when does it end? If WW's problems are b/c of youth, then how are we better next year? We'll replace three players out of the top 7.....WW (soph), Crocker (SR), and Wright (SR), with, for the most part, more underclassmen. The frosh will be sophs, but if sophs are still young (see WW argument), where will the improvement come from?

There are teams around the country with equal players to OU (experience and talent) that are playing much better ball. I don't think it is our youth, as much as it is our group of youths. We just seem to have 3-4 guys that don't get it. If one or two of them played like some other talented young guys around the country, we'd probably be okay nursing 1-2 of them along. Can't nurse 4 of them along though.

I really think youth looks to upperclassmen for guidence. Leadership is manifest by action. Crocker and Davis can give the young ones some motivation but let's face it WW is the super stud. If he would just realize that the role is there for him to grasp this team could come change overnight. WW can score at will on just about any player in college ball. Of this I am sure. If he would hit the boards and defend like it were his last game on earth then the youth would strive for the same standard. I have said enough in criticism but I just hate to see any team waste talent. Perhaps they will figure it out sometime.

 

[sys]

i think it is youth. and lack of depth. it isn't that they don't want to defend, they just don't know how.

 

[DeaconBoomer]

Last night is the first time that I have watched the Sooners from wire to wire. The one thing that stands out more than any other is that they simply need to play much harder. In spurts last night they looked like they could be a formidable team at some point in the future esp after the backboard fiasco.

I really think the attitude of this young team is a reflection of WW. The man is ultra talented and if he put a tenth of the heart in the game as a Najera or Price we are talking number one player out of college. If WW does not improve between the ears them I would say the best thing to happen to this group of youngsters is for him to go to the NBA.

The sad thing is that this reminds me of the Sean era at OSU. He had some super talented plyers but they would not play with intensity for him. I am not comparing Capel and Sean at this point but gee it makes you wonder.

After all that rant the Boomers could show up the next game and look like a top 20 team with a little effort because they do have some serious talent.

One last thing is that you can never underestimate youth. A year from now these guys may make me eat my words about the Capel/Sean comparison. I hope they do because this was much more fun when we had Eddie vs Kelvin because you knew thos teams would bring it every night.

Good post. Standing around and taking plays off is killing this team. It's a total lack of effort. I'm really suprised this team is stuck in this mode.

 

[Seymore Cox]

Last night is the first time that I have watched the Sooners from wire to wire. The one thing that stands out more than any other is that they simply need to play much harder. In spurts last night they looked like they could be a formidable team at some point in the future esp after the backboard fiasco.

I really think the attitude of this young team is a reflection of WW. The man is ultra talented and if he put a tenth of the heart in the game as a Najera or Price we are talking number one player out of college. If WW does not improve between the ears them I would say the best thing to happen to this group of youngsters is for him to go to the NBA.

would not play with intensity for him. I am not comparing Capel and Sean at this point but gee it makes you wonder.
The sad thing is that this reminds me of the Sean era at OSU. He had some super talented plyers but they
After all that rant the Boomers could show up the next game and look like a top 20 team with a little effort because they do have some serious talent.

One last thing is that you can never underestimate youth. A year from now these guys may make me eat my words about the Capel/Sean comparison. I hope they do because this was much more fun when we had Eddie vs Kelvin because you knew thos teams would bring it every night.

To compare these guys to the Sean Era is laughable. They atleast would man up and battle a Kansas or Texas. They wouldn't lay down off of the onset.

 

[HoHum]

To compare these guys to the Sean Era is laughable. They atleast would man up and battle a Kansas or Texas. They wouldn't lay down off of the onset.

That was never Sean's problem. Heck, he was the last lost for the Kansas team that won it all. His teams played Texas close and won once. His problem was losing to Colorado, Oral Roberts and North Texas. He had no control over that team. The players would get up for big games and play well 50% of the time, it's the games they felt entitled to win they'd lay an egg.

That and he played Tyler flippin' Hatch out of necessity because of recruiting mess ups.

 

[Seymore Cox]

That was never Sean's problem. Heck, he was the last lost for the Kansas team that won it all. His teams played Texas close and won once. His problem was losing to Colorado, Oral Roberts and North Texas. He had no control over that team. The players would get up for big games and play well 50% of the time, it's the games they felt entitled to win they'd lay an egg.

That and he played Tyler flippin' Hatch out of necessity because of recruiting mess ups.

Tyler Hatch turned out being more successful than all those hacks. I love him on Jersey Shores.

 

[oSuJeff97]

That was never Sean's problem. Heck, he was the last lost for the Kansas team that won it all. His teams played Texas close and won once. His problem was losing to Colorado, Oral Roberts and North Texas. He had no control over that team. The players would get up for big games and play well 50% of the time, it's the games they felt entitled to win they'd lay an egg.

That and he played Tyler flippin' Hatch out of necessity because of recruiting mess ups.

I was about to post the same thing.

Sean's teams competed well with and even beat some of the best teams in the league... in addition to beating KU when they won it all, remember the 3OT game against Texas and Durant? Or the epic game with Kansas in the Big 12 tournament that same year.

Even outside the conference... remember they also beat really good Pitt, Tennessee and Syracuse teams in his first two years.

As HoHum says... the problem was that we lost far too many games to teams we had no business losing to because the "leadership" of the team (Boggan, Monds, etc.) would take nights off against "inferior" competion.

Of course, what that led to was losing a lot of those games and then not being able to close the deal against the really good teams.

It's no surprise that the one guy who NEVER took the night off among those guys (Eaton) was the guy who led OSU back to the NCAA tournament last year.

 

[afaSooner]

Good post. Standing around and taking plays off is killing this team. It's a total lack of effort. I'm really suprised this team is stuck in this mode.

I see this as the biggest issue although some of it could be contributed to youth.

 

[ousooners1baby]

I thought they play like past OSU teams too!