Austin Grandstaff to DePaul, not OU

[skyvue]

Grandstaff did pretty decent his freshman year at Ohio State. Averaged more points than any frosh we had on our team this year.

Did Hield come in and outperform Pledger his freshman year? NO!

If you want to compare this kid to Cousins, you might go back and see what Cousins did as freshmen.

Grandstaff would have been huge for this team. He's gone though and now we are down a SG and up a PG. And this PG is most likely not going to play much if Woodard plays PG this year which most likely will be the case.

You're the one who was carping at Kruger for playing Hield and Cousins so much their freshmen seasons, so it's beyond ironic that you're now complaining that another freshman, who will be joining a much deeper team than the one Hield and Cousins were members of their freshmen season, might not see much time. Kruger cannot win with you, period (not that I imagine he loses much sleep over that).

And the question is not whether Grandstaff will be better than Shepard in the upcoming season (he ought to be -- he's got a head start on him) and it's certainly not whether he was better as a freshman than Cousins and Hield were. It's whether he ends up being better than those three players when all is said and done. I feel confident Grandstaff won't be the national player of the year, so Hield's got him beat, and he's got a long way to go to top Cousins' achievements, too.

Will Grandstaff be better in the long run than Shepard? I have no idea. But then I wasn't the one making the guarantees on that question. That was WTSooner. I prefer to to take a wait-and-see approach, as I see little point in pronouncing one player better than another at these early stages in their respective careers.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

Grandstaff did pretty decent his freshman year at Ohio State. Averaged more points than any frosh we had on our team this year.

..........

BUT, he is no longer at Ohio State. Now he is no longer at OU. Oh for two so far. I hope he does well at DePaul, but there is more to the picture than average points as a frosh as Ohio State.

 

[Larry72]

I will not stir this any more.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

I will not stir this any more.

Aw, come on. The pot is not to a boil, as yet.

 

[CoachTalk]

I'll second that... No chance he is as good as Austin right now...

Shepard is late bloomer, ala cousins. But your hate for Austin is blinding some of you.

Clearly an impact guy at OU was Austin.

 

[skyvue]

I'll second that... No chance he is as good as Austin right now...

Shepard is late bloomer, ala cousins. But your hate for Austin is blinding some of you.

Clearly an impact guy at OU was Austin.

I don't hate Austin one bit (and I haven't got the sense anyone else does). But I do hate it when people who have barely (if that) seen one player play pronounce as if it's written in stone that he is better than another player they've never seen (or have only seen a highlight reel of), based solely on the number of stars various services have given them.

Recruiting rankings are FAR from infallible. That's why I mentioned both Buddy and Isaiah: None of us could have known when they were incoming freshmen how good either of those players would be (especially Buddy), and if any poster had predicted back then that they were going to be better than some four- or five-star player, a poster like WT would no doubt have rushed in to proclaim him wrong.

Multiple-star ratings are fine and a solid freshman year is a good accomplishment, but Austin hasn't yet demonstrated that he has his head on straight. Depaul may be the perfect place for him and it could be he's ready to settle in, get serious about school and his game, and grow up a little. I hope so. But Cousins was a late, under-the-radar pick-up too, just like Shepherd, so it insults both Shepard and Coach Kruger to write him off as a second-rate player at this stage in his nascent career.

 

[CoachTalk]

I don't hate Austin one bit (and I haven't got the sense anyone else does). But I do hate it when people who have barely (if that) seen one player play pronounce as if it's written in stone that he is better than another player they've never seen (or have only seen a highlight reel of), based solely on the number of stars various services have given them.

Recruiting rankings are FAR from infallible. That's why I mentioned both Buddy and Isaiah: None of us could have known when they were incoming freshmen how good either of those players would be (especially Buddy), and if any poster had predicted back then that they were going to be better than some four- or five-star player, a poster like WT would no doubt have rushed in to proclaim him wrong.

Multiple-star ratings are fine and a solid freshman year is a good accomplishment, but Austin hasn't yet demonstrated that he has his head on straight. Depaul may be the perfect place for him and it could be he's ready to settle in, get serious about school and his game, and grow up a little. I hope so. But Cousins was a late, under-the-radar pick-up too, just like Shepherd, so it insults both Shepard and Coach Kruger to write him off as a second-rate player at this stage in his nascent career.

No 2nd rate player at all. I fringe 5 star player vs a late bloomer 3 star, one with a year of college teaching one without.

I think is fairly easy to say which one is more impactful.

I've seen Austin with my own eyes. Video of shep.

Spoken to coaches prior to seasons end. Austin was going to likely start no guarantees of course.

I think Shepard will play and play well in time..

 

[152219]

No 2nd rate player at all. I fringe 5 star player vs a late bloomer 3 star, one with a year of college teaching one without.

I think is fairly easy to say which one is more impactful.

I've seen Austin with my own eyes. Video of shep.

Spoken to coaches prior to seasons end. Austin was going to likely start no guarantees of course.

I think Shepard will play and play well in time..

Ultimately, what did Grandstaff bring to the OU hoops program?

 

[garyeb2]

I went to a couple of practices when Grandstaff was here. He looked to be about 12 yrs. old, but, a nice enough player. He certainly wasn't better than anyone else and not as good as most. Kruger was giving him a look at point guard, about the only spot available for him. He shot craps there. No great loss.

 

[skyvue]

No 2nd rate player at all. I fringe 5 star player vs a late bloomer 3 star, one with a year of college teaching one without.

If we're speaking of just this season, then yes, Grandstaff should be better (assuming he can play right away), but since when do we judge any player's career based on a single season? And given Grandstaff's peripatetic approach to his college career so far, not to mention whatever his off-the-court issues have been, I think it's not unfair to say the jury's still out on him.

 

[CoachTalk]

If we're speaking of just this season, then yes, Grandstaff should be better (assuming he can play right away), but since when do we judge any player's career based on a single season? And given Grandstaff's peripatetic approach to his college career so far, not to mention whatever his off-the-court issues have been, I think it's not unfair to say the jury's still out on him.

Misunderstood. I thought we were talking this yeR only. My fault

 

[bgrch1350]

If we're speaking of just this season, then yes, Grandstaff should be better (assuming he can play right away), but since when do we judge any player's career based on a single season? And given Grandstaff's peripatetic approach to his college career so far, not to mention whatever his off-the-court issues have been, I think it's not unfair to say the jury's still out on him.

I have a hard time thinking a kid is going to be an impact player when he's lucky to be on our team do to 2 players being kicked off. Odds are he would not be on this team if those 2 were still here.

 

[skyvue]

I have a hard time thinking a kid is going to be an impact player when he's lucky to be on our team do to 2 players being kicked off. Odds are he would not be on this team if those 2 were still here.

Cousins was a similar under-the-radar late signing. Would you now say he was an impact player?

Again, I'm not the one making guarantees about Shepard's career. WT did that, in a negative sense (relative to Grandstaff, anyway). I just object to any poster claiming he knows what lies ahead for any young player, including Shepard. These pronouncements regarding what what a player will achieve (or not) are almost proffered by those who embrace recruiting rankings as if they are sacred texts delivered from on high.

 

[hoopsaustin]

Man. Chill everyone

And lol at the guy mad and upset that an ou fan messageboard is making rash predictions about players.... been on a messageboard long?

 

[zeptrey]

Offseason is going to be a long one... When is the NBA Draft at least that'll be nice to see?

 

[BigTime]

"He shot craps there" Gary for the win! Lol


Best of luck to Austin G. Hope he finds what he is looking for at DePaul.

 

[WTSooner]

It'd be really interesting to see what those talking down about Grandstaff now, were saying when OU recruited him the the first time (before his OK State commitment). And the second time (after OK State decom, but before the Ohio State commitment). And eventually the third time (coming from Ohio State).

We all know how Lon Kruger works. For Lon to recruit the kid thru all of that, I'd say he things Grandstaff has the talent to be one heck of a player.

 

[Sooner04]

I hope Austin's dad finds what he's looking for at DePaul as well.

 

[oudna]

I didn't know why Kruger gave him a spot in January.

 

[oudna]

No 2nd rate player at all. I fringe 5 star player .

No, just another miseval by the recruiting services.