Bola Alade

[thewez]

I don't know a lot about Bola but I'm sure some of you saw some of his HS stuff. Any chance he could play PG? Or is strictly a shooting guard?
Before the NCAA tourney, he was working with Sam Grooms pre-practice. So it got me thinking about it.
It might be a long shot but it would be nice if he could come in and play the point, since we only have 1 true point guard. You would think that might be the only way he ever cracks the lineup with the logjam at guard.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

Based on what I saw at the few OU practices that I attended, Bola is not a PG, but who knows if he has it in him. He is athletic and does have pretty good skills, but you correctly point out that he has a steep hill to climb for playing time at guard.

 

[KBaden145]

Bola is one of the better athletes on the team but he has a ways to go from a skills standpoint. From what I've seen, he's a wing player only. I think he could develop into a guy down the road we could steal some minutes with as a defensive stopper but it'll be tough for him to find the court with the talent they are bringing in on the perimeter.


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[pnkranger]

Bola is one of the better athletes on the team but he has a ways to go from a skills standpoint. From what I've seen, he's a wing player only. I think he could develop into a guy down the road we could steal some minutes with as a defensive stopper but it'll be tough for him to find the court with the talent they are bringing in on the perimeter.

I think he has a chance to play some as an upperclassman, but definitely a 2 guard in the strictest sense. Not a great shooter but moves well and can get up off the floor in a hurry.

 

[WTSooner]

I think he has a chance to play some as an upperclassman, but definitely a 2 guard in the strictest sense. Not a great shooter but moves well and can get up off the floor in a hurry.

If Cole and Mankin could only play about 2 meaningful minutes of basketball this season, there is no chance Bola plays any unless the OU roster completely falls apart.

I'm worried that we may have trouble getting minutes for all of our scholarship guards, let alone a walk-on.

 

[KBaden145]

Backup PG mins are going to come from Cousins and Walker. I saw enough from Walker in practice and early in the season to believe he can improve and win the backup job so Cousins can stay at the 2. I'm of the opinion that, with Woodard and Walker's improvement this offseason, we will be significantly better at PG next year.


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[usedtobe1]

Backup PG minutes are on hold until Pritchard gets here.

A PG is a lot more than a player who can get the ball into the front court. He has to set up plays and see the entire offense, and make everyone look better with passes. They're also the first line of defense. I think it's the most important position in college basketball.

That being said, it's a tough position to learn at the D1 level. I have no idea what kind of player Bola is and have no opinion if he can do it or not. I do think Pritchard is going to give Woodard a run for his money whenever he gets here.......

 

[DenverSooner]

If Cole and Mankin could only play about 2 meaningful minutes of basketball this season, there is no chance Bola plays any unless the OU roster completely falls apart.

I'm worried that we may have trouble getting minutes for all of our scholarship guards, let alone a walk-on.

I agree. Woodard, Cousins and Hield will get roughly 30 minutes a game. That laves 30 minutes to be split between Buford, Odomes, James and Walker. Nothing against Alade but I don't see him getting any meaningful minutes.

 

[thewez]

Maybe I missed something but I was of the opinion Lon and the staff completely gave up on the Walker point guard experiment.
Not sure what he showed this year that makes anyone think he can get many minutes or do anything with them if he does.

 

[CoachTalk]

Maybe I missed something but I was of the opinion Lon and the staff completely gave up on the Walker point guard experiment.
Not sure what he showed this year that makes anyone think he can get many minutes or do anything with them if he does.

He functioned well in there. He'll be alright next year. Maybe a few more minutes.

 

[KBaden145]

Maybe I missed something but I was of the opinion Lon and the staff completely gave up on the Walker point guard experiment.

Not sure what he showed this year that makes anyone think he can get many minutes or do anything with them if he does.

Juco transfers, especially role players like Walker, often struggle their first season in D-1. Walker lost his confidence in the non-conference and handling the point was just a little too much. His shot never really came around and he lost minutes to Booker on the wing and Cousins at the point. The coaches have never given up on him. I think the plan is to work with him and get him back, comfortably, on the ball more for next season. In practice and early in non-con, he was really able to bully his way into the lane, draw contact, and get to the line or finish. That's his game and I think, if he can get his confidence back and get in a little better shape, he can bring that element back into the offense. He's a powerfully built guard and I think his best asset is using his body to get where he wants on the floor. We'll see. I think he can really help us next season.


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[SoonerBounce13]

Maybe I missed something but I was of the opinion Lon and the staff completely gave up on the Walker point guard experiment.
Not sure what he showed this year that makes anyone think he can get many minutes or do anything with them if he does.

walker's play was very odd to me. He was completely nonexistent most of the time and offered very little except for resting woodard. Yet there were times that he looked like our best slasher and could create his shot. You would only see it on rare occasions

 

[usedtobe1]

Maybe I missed something but I was of the opinion Lon and the staff completely gave up on the Walker point guard experiment.
Not sure what he showed this year that makes anyone think he can get many minutes or do anything with them if he does.

+1

I thought he was a bull in a china closet driving thru the lane …. out of control, and I didn't have any confidence in his outside shot. With work over the summer, I hope he proves me wrong. It's not unusual for jucos to show a lot of improvement their 2nd year.

 

[chuckb]

Juco transfers, especially role players like Walker, often struggle their first season in D-1. Walker lost his confidence in the non-conference and handling the point was just a little too much. His shot never really came around and he lost minutes to Booker on the wing and Cousins at the point. The coaches have never given up on him. I think the plan is to work with him and get him back, comfortably, on the ball more for next season. In practice and early in non-con, he was really able to bully his way into the lane, draw contact, and get to the line or finish. That's his game and I think, if he can get his confidence back and get in a little better shape, he can bring that element back into the offense. He's a powerfully built guard and I think his best asset is using his body to get where he wants on the floor. We'll see. I think he can really help us next season.


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I think there's a lot of truth in here. I was impressed with Walker early but not late. Despite making a big 3 in the Dayton game (I think) he really doesn't have any business shooting many from the outside. He can get into the lane and make plays.

Hopefully either he does take that step forward next year OR the new guys play well enough that we don't need him on the court. Either way, I think our backcourt depth will be better next year than it was this year, assuming Buddy returns.

 

[Zimwillett]

+1

I thought he was a bull in a china closet driving thru the lane …. out of control, and I didn't have any confidence in his outside shot. With work over the summer, I hope he proves me wrong. It's not unusual for jucos to show a lot of improvement their 2nd year.

I'm with you. He clearly has the ability to be better. He averaged 15+ points per game and shot a good percentage from both the field and 3 in JUCO. More importantly, there were flashes where he looked good this season. When everyone else was kind of lackluster vs. Wisconsin Walker kind of kept OU within striking distance and had two really nice games against UT (his contribution in Norman was the difference in the game). But he was just awful in the last 8 or 9 games of the season.

I definitely think Dinjyil will improve. He has the ability, and Lon and his staff have a good track record of working with guys to improve from season to season.

 

[thewez]

I think he will improve and adjust, but I just don't think they even project him as a PG anymore. I did't mean they gave up on him as a player, just as a potential backup PG