Definitley excited for next year

[afaSooner]

Definitely excited for next year

Jeff Capel just might have pulled it off. Looking over the list of commitments, it's hard not to get excited about these guys. Great mix of versatile guys. It seems like each one of them have a lot of promise as well.

Cam Clark (F/G) = super athlete, star level recruit
TJ Taylor (PG/G) = can play the pg or guard spots, highly recruited
Calvin Newell (PG/G) = could be a sleeper, athletic scorer
Carl Blair (PG) = experienced pg, sees the floor really well
CJ Washington (F) = tenacious rebounder in JC, double double machine
Nick Thompson (F) = talented big man, can put it on the floor, has range
Tyler Neal (F) = gatorade player of the year, has range, he's only 17 so he may continue to grow and develop into a really solid D1 player
Abdi Ahmed (C/F) = has been described as having a tremendous upside

That's not a bad start to the off-season. If this Dougherty rumor pans out I think I may get even more excited. A lot of positive vibes out there right now. Jeff has really done a good job not only holding things together amid some recent shaky events but exceeding expectations. We'll have to wait and see of course but I'm pretty optimistic this recruiting class can make some noise. I'm excited to see these new guys play with Davis, Fitzgerald, & Pledger.

 

[tomkar98]

I have been very impressed with the job Capel has done in the past few months. I still have a great deal of faith in him and what he can get accomplished. I can't wait to see this team get started on working hard over the summer and to see what they can bring to the court!

 

[SoonerNorm]

+1. A few weeks ago this program was on life support. Today, there is reason to be optimistic. As some of us have said, we are probably not going to win several more games than we did last year but I believe Jeff has put together a team that will play hard and will be the foundation to getting the program back where it belongs. He has done a much better job than I expected.

 

[dubyac]

what are the chances that neal or ahmed redshirt??? with fitz thompson and washington thats a solid post trio and even cam can swing down to a 4... i think either neal or ahmed or maybe even both might possibly redshirt... of course we'll have to see how they shake out through the summer and fall... but there wont be enough minutes for all of those guys...

 

[MichSooner]

+1. A few weeks ago this program was on life support. Today, there is reason to be optimistic. As some of us have said, we are probably not going to win several more games than we did last year but I believe Jeff has put together a team that will play hard and will be the foundation to getting the program back where it belongs. He has done a much better job than I expected.

Totally agree. Like they say, it is sometimes darkest before dawn. Glad it wasn't darkest before the lights went out on us...............

 

[smileyjackson]

Capel has certainly stepped up and did about the best he could to wrap up recruiting but let's be honest. There is a very good chance we or ISU are the worst team in the B12 next season and I don't know how that makes anyone excited.

 

[AdaSooner]

I keep telling myself not to be too optimistic about next year, but it's hard not to get excited about the possibility that this team could turn out to be special in a number of ways. As I've said before, while OU's win-loss record is important to me, I don't use that as a barometer to gauge progress from one year to the next. If this team plays with heart and comes together as the "family" we heard so much about last year but never really saw, I will consider that a huge improvement.

I think it's wise to temper our excitement with caution, and remind ourselves that eight new faces and very little experience back from last year on our roster, will almost certainly mean these kids will struggle early on. But I like the make up of this team, and as afasooner has already said, I like the versatility they'll bring to the court at almost every position.

The keys once again, however, will be team chemistry and defense. If they do indeed mesh as one unit and sell out on defense, instead of just talk about it, I believe there is a very good chance this group of kids could surprise a few people.

 

[Sid]

I keep telling myself not to be too optimistic about next year, but it's hard not to get excited about the possibility that this team could turn out to be special in a number of ways.

I think it's wise to temper our excitement with caution, and remind ourselves that eight new faces and very little experience back from last year on our roster, will almost certainly mean these kids will struggle early on. But I like the make up of this team, and as afasooner has already said, I like the versatility they'll bring to the court at almost every position.

The keys once again, however, will be team chemistry and defense.

^
​

 

[SoonerNorm]

Capel has certainly stepped up and did about the best he could to wrap up recruiting but let's be honest. There is a very good chance we or ISU are the worst team in the B12 next season and I don't know how that makes anyone excited.

If your expectations are a high finish in the Big 12, you might as well just stick to football for another year as you are not going to like this season any more than you did last season. There are reasons to be optimistic but the win-loss record isn't one to focus on.

 

[smileyjackson]

Did I say my expectations are to finish high in the B12, to anyone who read my post the obvious answer is no.

 

[Mr.B!!!]

Did I say my expectations are to finish high in the B12, to anyone who read my post the obvious answer is no.

Did anybody say that you said your expectations are to finish high in the B12?

 

[SoonerNorm]

Did I say my expectations are to finish high in the B12, to anyone who read my post the obvious answer is no.

Then you won't be disappointed.

 

[Mr.B!!!]

Then you won't be disappointed.

But definitely nothing to be exited about, absolutely, positively and without a doubt NOTHING to be excited about.

 

[SoonerinNC]

I'm usually a glass half full person but let's face it. We will have a lot less talent on the floor next year than we did this year.

Of course that talent didn't deliver and maybe next season's group will get it together better.

I have only seen video on Clark, Taylor, Washington and Newell.

Clark and Taylor look like strong prospects. Hopefully they will make an impact next year but it is more likely they will be hot and cold and have some growing pains. Hopefully they will be more like sophomores by the end of the year.

Washington looks like a good garbage player. He should be more productive than Wright but I think he will struggle in certain matchups. I like his tenacity.

Newell looks very quick and could be a real sleeper.

I'm not sure how any of us can say that the attitude and work ethic will be drastically different next year. I hope so but have no rational reason to say so now.

 

[Shooterms]

Did Butler or Northern Iowa have more talent on the floor than we did this year?

 

[usedtobe1]

Next year should be interesting. Most of us will be satisfied with a competitive team with a change in attitude. Ada talked about team chemistry and a commitment to defense. I just want to see more players like Cade who hustle and want to be out on the court.

As for results, I'm hopeful but temper that with being a realist. I honestly think we will be OK at the 1-3 positions. I like bringing in an experienced PG like Blair along with a talent like Newell. I hope Cameron Clark will develop into a star some day (not necessarily next year) and TJ will be a solid player. They will be good complements to Cade and Pledger.

The area of concern will be in the post. We won't have a lot of length and quickness inside. Even Fitz doesn't have much experience. Washington may be a scrapper but is undersized, and Thompson could be pushed around a little with his frame when he mixes it up inside. I'm OK with that if they play with heart.

The truth is they will eventually just play with 7-8 players in the rotation so it will be fun to see who emerges.

 

[SoonerNorm]

I'm usually a glass half full person but let's face it. We will have a lot less talent on the floor next year than we did this year.

Of course that talent didn't deliver and maybe next season's group will get it together better.

I have only seen video on Clark, Taylor, Washington and Newell.

Clark and Taylor look like strong prospects. Hopefully they will make an impact next year but it is more likely they will be hot and cold and have some growing pains. Hopefully they will be more like sophomores by the end of the year.

Washington looks like a good garbage player. He should be more productive than Wright but I think he will struggle in certain matchups. I like his tenacity.

Newell looks very quick and could be a real sleeper.

I'm not sure how any of us can say that the attitude and work ethic will be drastically different next year. I hope so but have no rational reason to say so now.

I think most of us are looking at it from the perspective that last year was a disaster. I have never seen that much talent play that poorly. They seldom played up to their capability, even in short spurts. Hopefully, that is as bad as we will ever see again at OU and if that's the case, the only way we can go is up.

 

[afaSooner]

Well I certainly wouldn't attempt to drum up any expectations that would be too much for this team to handle. I wouldn't think anyone should expect OU to compete for the Big12 crown or perhaps even a NCAA post season appearance for that matter. As has been pointed out we'll have too much inexperience thus little to no leadership from seasoned upper class players AND unfamiliarity amongst the team to boot.

I, on the other hand, will quietly expect to see a major change in team unity thus a change in moral. I also expect to see a singular direction and passion for the game. It just so happens that if what I expect to see does in fact transpire, I will not be surprised if OU competes well enough on the year to be in the hunt for post season play. As OU fans we have seen what a couple high level recruits and guys with a team first attitude can achieve. We saw it under Bliss, Billy, and Kelvin. We've seen it from programs like Gonzaga consistently and "outmatched" teams who made deep runs in the NCAA tourney. Now go back and look at the list of guys Capel has brought in (not to mention the rumor of this Noreen kid), and again it's quite easy to get excited about next year.