cowboysooner
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Has anyone on here seen Kuath play live, and if so, what is your take on him? Thanks.
Anyone Seen Kuath Play Live
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cowboysooner
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Thanks Ada. Let's hear from you Hops
SIAP, Here's some quotes from his now former Juco and High school coaches I copy pastas. I'll throw in every thought I've had regarding Kuath with no hidden charges except for a deduction of your time.
"We're very excited for Kur to sign with Oklahoma," SLCC coach Todd Phillips said. "Kur has come a long way from having no scholarship offers out of high school to being recruited by major programs all over the country. It's a great tribute to his determination to get better."
To add to the excitement, Kuath also earned national honors late Tuesday as he was named to the NJCAA All-American team as a third-team selection. Kuath also won a variety of other honors, including making the All-Region 18 team.
Phillips said Kuath's playing style helps differentiate him from other players.
"He's a long, athletic big who rebounds and dunks everything," he said. "He's one of the top shot blockers in junior college. Oklahoma is getting a good kid and a great player."
"Kur is an ultra-long, athletic big man," said Todd Phillips, Kuath's junior college coach. "He has great timing, moves quick. His offensive skill level is growing. He's going to protect the rim and rebound.
"He's a great kid who is happy and friendly around campus. The biggest thing with Kur is potential. I think his ceiling is really high as he grows into his game.”
Phillips called Kuath "a game-changer" because of his length and mobility.
"Blocks are definitely one of my favorite things about playing basketball," Kuath said. "I just let people know, 'Don’t come into my paint.' It's just what I do."
"He was a late bloomer," Kern's High School coach Dan Cosby said. "He was a good shot blocker, but now he's amazing."
Kuath, who averaged 10.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, helped Salt Lake to a 30-4 record that featured the Bruins winning a Scenic West Athletic Conference title, a Region 18 title and a District 1 title. Salt Lake fell in the opening round of the NJCAA National Tournament to eventual national champion South Plains, 79-78.
Not a whole lot to go on, but I think it's premature to decide his impact until we see him in a Sooner uniform. Kuath was interviewed by a local Utah station and talked about not taking basketball seriously until the eleventh grade. His family fled the civil war in Sudan about 15 years ago. He talked a little about this experience and wanting a better life for his family here and those still in Sudan. He's seems motivated and his coaches say he's willing to work for it. Combine the mindset of a good student with athletic skills to boot and you see why the word "potential" is brought up so much. At the very least, adding a plus athlete with something to prove should be a positive for even the most hesitant prognosticators of the board. He like's playing defense and thinks he owns the paint. If our perimeter defense doesn't improve, we'll find out real soon if the wingspan of his beliefs can really alter states.
I could be completely wrong on my assessment but I think people are sleeping on this kid. I understand there is a log jam of players currently on the roster so where and how he get's his minutes is still unclear and to be determined. I pondered earlier in his recruitment if he could redshirt this upcoming year and by his senior year Polla, Manek and Kur would be your bigs to go along with future commits. I'm still not sure if Kur has a red shirt year available. Amath M'Baye is a similar comparison in my mind. Although M'baye had to set out one year due to transfer rules and Kur is available now. It's kinda intriguing if Kruger would weight the thought of a RS. He tried to do that with Bennet a few years ago, if I'm not mistaken. Again, just spit balling and forecasting possibilities in the dry season is all.
I also think people are reading to much into his shooting statistics. He has a good looking shot. He's not a guy you see shooting and go, "I don't want him to shoot the ball unless it's a dunk." Yeah, he shoot 17% from three last year, but he only took 24 attempts from deep. He played in 34 games so it's not like he's just jacking up 3's every game. I don't know how many of those attempts are at the end of the shot clock, uncontested set shot or half court heaves. Looking over his game logs. His first 7 games he shot 4/11 from deep and made all 4 during a 3 game stretch going 4/9. He missed his next 13 attempts the following 27 games. Now, I'm not advocating he's a deep threat or possibly want him shooting 3's just clarifying it's a pretty small sample size. I watched some of his warm up drills he's knocking down the midrange comfortably. Will the midrange translate at OU? Who knows, but he doesn't seem out of his element doing it.
His free throw shooting was around 60% (53-90). Obviously that needs improvement but Kur played in 30 games at Western Wyoming Community College and averaged 69% (37-54). He has the ability to shoot it at a higher clip from the line and I'm sure it will be addressed by the coaches but again, we'll see. All I'm saying is it's not a complete reboot to clean up a few things.
He did shot 62% from the floor even with those 20 misses from deep. I'm not saying he's a scoring savant but he's not a liability where the defense can completely ignore him either. If he can show any type of range, he's got the landing gear and wings to fly by bigs tying to pressure.
From what I've seen in videos, he catches the ball well in all areas. He can go up and get it, but the waist level catches after a dump off under the basket are typically hard for a lot of tall guys. His film shows that ability to make this play and he is a fast riser. He anticipates well and is already making his move before the ball reaches him. Some bigger guys have to compose themselves, Kur's limber enough to catch a bad pass and still follow through with his motion.
I saw a photo where Kur's head is around the rim. I mean a guy that explosive, jumping that high, and with a wingspan that long used to be something people got excited about adding to a team. Trying to remember a good business model that incorporates these traits in exchange for a large sum of compensation. Oh yeah, the NBA! Is Kur NBA ready? Heck no, but he's a young prospect that has identifying traits that are desirable in todays game. Depending on his body development, maybe he's a Corey Brewer (florida) type at the next level or destined to play internationally for a small club. He's talks about playing professionally, most do at this age but I can absolutely see someone taking a flier on him just off of his measurable's and athletic abilities. Guys like a M'baye or a Jerami Grant (Syracuse) are versatile enough players coaches are going take a chance on.
We'll see, maybe the lack of weight is to much of a skinny man's burden to push back but until proven otherwise, I see a driven individual ready to accept, reject and protect his lane of opportunities. I'll shut up for now while I await the buzzards arrival.
"We're very excited for Kur to sign with Oklahoma," SLCC coach Todd Phillips said. "Kur has come a long way from having no scholarship offers out of high school to being recruited by major programs all over the country. It's a great tribute to his determination to get better."
To add to the excitement, Kuath also earned national honors late Tuesday as he was named to the NJCAA All-American team as a third-team selection. Kuath also won a variety of other honors, including making the All-Region 18 team.
Phillips said Kuath's playing style helps differentiate him from other players.
"He's a long, athletic big who rebounds and dunks everything," he said. "He's one of the top shot blockers in junior college. Oklahoma is getting a good kid and a great player."
"Kur is an ultra-long, athletic big man," said Todd Phillips, Kuath's junior college coach. "He has great timing, moves quick. His offensive skill level is growing. He's going to protect the rim and rebound.
"He's a great kid who is happy and friendly around campus. The biggest thing with Kur is potential. I think his ceiling is really high as he grows into his game.”
Phillips called Kuath "a game-changer" because of his length and mobility.
"Blocks are definitely one of my favorite things about playing basketball," Kuath said. "I just let people know, 'Don’t come into my paint.' It's just what I do."
"He was a late bloomer," Kern's High School coach Dan Cosby said. "He was a good shot blocker, but now he's amazing."
Kuath, who averaged 10.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, helped Salt Lake to a 30-4 record that featured the Bruins winning a Scenic West Athletic Conference title, a Region 18 title and a District 1 title. Salt Lake fell in the opening round of the NJCAA National Tournament to eventual national champion South Plains, 79-78.
Not a whole lot to go on, but I think it's premature to decide his impact until we see him in a Sooner uniform. Kuath was interviewed by a local Utah station and talked about not taking basketball seriously until the eleventh grade. His family fled the civil war in Sudan about 15 years ago. He talked a little about this experience and wanting a better life for his family here and those still in Sudan. He's seems motivated and his coaches say he's willing to work for it. Combine the mindset of a good student with athletic skills to boot and you see why the word "potential" is brought up so much. At the very least, adding a plus athlete with something to prove should be a positive for even the most hesitant prognosticators of the board. He like's playing defense and thinks he owns the paint. If our perimeter defense doesn't improve, we'll find out real soon if the wingspan of his beliefs can really alter states.
I could be completely wrong on my assessment but I think people are sleeping on this kid. I understand there is a log jam of players currently on the roster so where and how he get's his minutes is still unclear and to be determined. I pondered earlier in his recruitment if he could redshirt this upcoming year and by his senior year Polla, Manek and Kur would be your bigs to go along with future commits. I'm still not sure if Kur has a red shirt year available. Amath M'Baye is a similar comparison in my mind. Although M'baye had to set out one year due to transfer rules and Kur is available now. It's kinda intriguing if Kruger would weight the thought of a RS. He tried to do that with Bennet a few years ago, if I'm not mistaken. Again, just spit balling and forecasting possibilities in the dry season is all.
I also think people are reading to much into his shooting statistics. He has a good looking shot. He's not a guy you see shooting and go, "I don't want him to shoot the ball unless it's a dunk." Yeah, he shoot 17% from three last year, but he only took 24 attempts from deep. He played in 34 games so it's not like he's just jacking up 3's every game. I don't know how many of those attempts are at the end of the shot clock, uncontested set shot or half court heaves. Looking over his game logs. His first 7 games he shot 4/11 from deep and made all 4 during a 3 game stretch going 4/9. He missed his next 13 attempts the following 27 games. Now, I'm not advocating he's a deep threat or possibly want him shooting 3's just clarifying it's a pretty small sample size. I watched some of his warm up drills he's knocking down the midrange comfortably. Will the midrange translate at OU? Who knows, but he doesn't seem out of his element doing it.
His free throw shooting was around 60% (53-90). Obviously that needs improvement but Kur played in 30 games at Western Wyoming Community College and averaged 69% (37-54). He has the ability to shoot it at a higher clip from the line and I'm sure it will be addressed by the coaches but again, we'll see. All I'm saying is it's not a complete reboot to clean up a few things.
He did shot 62% from the floor even with those 20 misses from deep. I'm not saying he's a scoring savant but he's not a liability where the defense can completely ignore him either. If he can show any type of range, he's got the landing gear and wings to fly by bigs tying to pressure.
From what I've seen in videos, he catches the ball well in all areas. He can go up and get it, but the waist level catches after a dump off under the basket are typically hard for a lot of tall guys. His film shows that ability to make this play and he is a fast riser. He anticipates well and is already making his move before the ball reaches him. Some bigger guys have to compose themselves, Kur's limber enough to catch a bad pass and still follow through with his motion.
I saw a photo where Kur's head is around the rim. I mean a guy that explosive, jumping that high, and with a wingspan that long used to be something people got excited about adding to a team. Trying to remember a good business model that incorporates these traits in exchange for a large sum of compensation. Oh yeah, the NBA! Is Kur NBA ready? Heck no, but he's a young prospect that has identifying traits that are desirable in todays game. Depending on his body development, maybe he's a Corey Brewer (florida) type at the next level or destined to play internationally for a small club. He's talks about playing professionally, most do at this age but I can absolutely see someone taking a flier on him just off of his measurable's and athletic abilities. Guys like a M'baye or a Jerami Grant (Syracuse) are versatile enough players coaches are going take a chance on.
We'll see, maybe the lack of weight is to much of a skinny man's burden to push back but until proven otherwise, I see a driven individual ready to accept, reject and protect his lane of opportunities. I'll shut up for now while I await the buzzards arrival.
He knocks down a few midrange jumpers here and looks quite comfortable doing it.
https://twitter.com/OU_MBBall/status/984544381091893250
https://twitter.com/OU_MBBall/status/984544381091893250
AdaSooner
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Thanks for posting, perryj! You’re right, Kur does look comfortable taking those shots from fifteen and in. His shot also looks smoother and closer to technically correct than in the other videos I have watched. He’s obviously a quick learner.
After reading what dsuits had to say, I’m not too proud to admit that I might be selling him short. Nothing would please me more than to see him dominate the paint on defense and give us a big down low who can score in a variety of ways.
WichitaSooner
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As much as I would love this to be true, I'd be careful even mentioning Embiid's name. There are dozens of kids who come from Africa to play college ball. Some are busts, some are mediocre, and some are very good. But there is only one Embiid -- he is one of the most gifted big men in history. I know you aren't predicting that Kuath is going to be as good as Embiid, but even bringing up the name is likely to lead some people to get the wrong idea lol.
sheepdogs1
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Somehow they'll be able to work through it.
Soonerinkc
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Debbie Downer alert!
My expectations for the team are "0" next year...so the only way is up. Makes it more enjoyable! lol...
BUT, I will say this about his coach's quote...
6 schools he had offers from, 4 in Utah, OU and Robert Morris...I don't consider that "being recruited by major programs all over the country"...NOW, if ya want to say the schools enquired about him fine...but that is not being recruited...
As I said, no expectations..but if he was some major impact stud...he'd have more and better offers as the coach said he did.
hoopsaustin
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How many megapixels is that camcorder? 1? Lol
You're alright Ada, I saw the % and had the same initial thoughts. I didn't mean it to come across that it's not a valid concern. Your opinion is as good as mine. I confess I know practically zilch about predicting player development. My thoughts and opinions are irrelevant to the success or shortcomings of OU basketball. To tell you the truth, if everyone is singing someones praises, I'd go the other way to try and balance it out.
Reading Edward Bernays PR books forces you to look at how information is presented. Make no mistake, there are legitimate questions for every single player on every team. We've been burned on Juco guys before and it will happen again. I thought Akolda Manyang would be a impact guy based on what little film I'd seen. It didn't work out the way it should have for Akolda and OU but I hope brighter days fill his life. This past season, Akolda averaged 13pt 8reb and 2bk for Utah Valley St. He had a 25, 15, and 6 against Weber St last year. I'm happy he found some stability and is continuing along his journey.
Kuath flashes some characteristics I personally like to see in players. He'll have to continue to put in the work to become a finished product but the attitude and skill set are there to refine.
He's self admitted that basketball wasn't important to him until the last two years of high school. His HS coach seemed surprised how much better Kur has gotten in a short amount of time since he graduated HS. Looking up his numbers at the Wyoming juco his first year, he averaged 15 min a game and 6 pts. Transfers to respected SLCC in Utah that has put out some D1 talent as of late. Production increases and his natural abilities gets a year of development and coaching. Some local D-1 schools start to take notice. If he was uncommitted leading up to the Juco signing day I'd reckon that offer list would include several more offers. He shut down his recruitment mid season, January 2 with 16 games left.
Kids can slip through the cracks and late bloomers happen. I hope this is the case for OU and Kuath makes some people take notice. Worst case, we have a effort/shot blocker on roster for one year after Jumani graduates. Either way, Im pulling for the kid and hope he exceeds his own expectations.
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