Article on Reaves

[BoulderSooner]

https://bustingbrackets.com/2019/04...ustin-reaves-set-make-dynamic-impact-sooners/

good stuff thank you for posting

 

[thebigabd]

I’ve heard from several sources that Reaves has been the best player on the team during practices.

I heard from multiple sources that Polla is the best rebounder on the team. Apparently being the #1 rebounder on your team doesn't earn you a single minute of PT though.

 

[AdaSooner]

I heard from multiple sources that Polla is the best rebounder on the team. Apparently being the #1 rebounder on your team doesn't earn you a single minute of PT though.

Really? Is that an exaggeration to make a point?

I don’t recall anyone saying Polla was “the best” at anything. The opinion of nearly everyone here, including me, is quite the opposite. I would love to be wrong.

 

[CMSOONER]

Really? Is that an exaggeration to make a point?

I don’t recall anyone saying Polla was “the best” at anything. The opinion of nearly everyone here, including me, is quite the opposite. I would love to be wrong.

I will say that info from the staff on players who don't play does tend to differ from the opinions on this board. Coach Speak...mostly. Some true, but doesn't mean it translates to game time.

I think most agree that Polla is not going to be a significant contributor for this team. But that doesn't keep the staff from talking about their excitement about him or his prowess as a rebounder. Could we all be wrong? I'd be ok with that.

 

[SuperHoops]

I heard from multiple sources that Polla is the best rebounder on the team. Apparently being the #1 rebounder on your team doesn't earn you a single minute of PT though.

There is a big difference between being the best overall player and the best at one particular aspect of the game. At his size Polla should be the best rebounder but unfortunately the rest of his game is lacking.

 

[Eielson]

Happens every year. OU fans (or fans in general) severely overrate the contributions or skills a true freshman will bring into the fold.

Like when we thought Trae would be one of the best players in the country as a freshman? Or Blake? Or WW?

Please tell me about these top 35 recruits we've been getting that keep busting.

 

[WTSooner]

Like when we thought Trae would be one of the best players in the country as a freshman? Or Blake? Or WW?

Please tell me about these top 35 recruits we've been getting that keep busting.

*sigh*

Where did I ever use the word "bust?" I didn't.

Did you really just compare Harmon to Blake, WW, and TY? smh

So here is the problem with this argument. MOST top 30ish kids are rated that high because of their offense. For most of these kids, that is their biggest asset. That, or pure size/athleticism. If you look back at (according to 247) some of OU's top bball recruits since they started tracking this, they were all really good offensive players with different "concerns."

Tiny Gallon. Willie Warren. Blake Griffin. Trae Young. Andrew Lavender. TMG. Cam Clark. Harmon*. McGusty. Austin Johnson.

Those are the top OU recruits (in order), by 247 rankings, since I don't know when. Most all of those players were elite offensive players. The exceptions would probably be Cam Clark and maybe Austin Johnson. Two of the guys that most closely resemble Harmon's current 247 rating (number, not ranking). Cam Clark never averaged more than 9 ppg until his senior year. Austin Johnson, in part due to injuries, never lived up to the hype either. He was pretty healthy his freshman year though, when he struggled. Cam was the #33 recruit in the country. Austin Johnson #53.

I'm not saying Harmon's freshman year or career will look exactly like any of those guys. But they were most all much better offensive players coming out of HS, and some of them struggled to varying degrees. Comparing Harmon to WW, Griffin, or Young is just silly though. Bad comparisons.

Harmon is currently ranked 36th by 247 with a rating of .9866. The best comparison from the prior year class would probably be Brandon Williams who went to Zona. He was ranked 34th with a rating of .9886. He did average 11 ppg this year for Zona, but he did it on volume alone, shooting 38% from the field and 31% from three. And he was a more offensive oriented player according to his scouting reports.

I've never really bashed Harmon. I expect him to start. I've simply said his offense is going to take a while to come around. He'll defend and bring the ball up the floor just fine from day 1. But I really don't think he'll make a huge impact that first year. That's my opinion. He isn't as elite on offense as a lot of the guys ranked in that area, and ahead of him. And elite offense is probably the best way a player can make a big impact. The other tools are important, but OU shouldn't be excited about recruiting a kid that defends, handles the ball well, and competes. That should be the norm. The expectation.

 

[Eielson]

Tiny Gallon. Willie Warren. Blake Griffin. Trae Young. Andrew Lavender. TMG. Cam Clark. Harmon*. McGusty. Austin Johnson.

You pretty much made my argument for me. Almost every one of those guys met or exceeded expectations as freshmen (please don't respond with something about their sophomore years). Doolittle probably has more relevance in this discussion than AJ, seeing as Lon brought him in.

 

[TINY]

Like when we thought Trae would be one of the best players in the country as a freshman? Or Blake? Or WW?

Please tell me about these top 35 recruits we've been getting that keep busting.

It really is remarkable how consistently excellent OU’s top 50ish high school recruits have been over the years. We should be able to grab a top 50 player and another top 100 or two most years.

 

[hoopsaustin]

It really is remarkable how consistently excellent OU’s top 50ish high school recruits have been over the years. We should be able to grab a top 50 player and another top 100 or two most years.

And thats all we need as a ceiling. Just need to hit some 3 stars and develop some players