Doolittle Interview

[TINY]

Sooner Bred podcast has a great interview with Doolittle. What an impressive young man he is and a tremendous Sooner! Just search Sooner bred on any podcast platform and it should come up.

He had some decent nuggets on the team and coaches. Also spoke how he is the only Sooner in a family of pokes. Absolute class act Gentleman!

 

[cowboysooner]

Tiny

Summarize some of the nuggets for us. Thanks. BTW, I agree that the kid is a class act.

 

[Stikboy]

I listened to it. The host asked a couple of questions I thought were interesting. First, what bigs Doolittle thought would come on. He mentioned Jalen Hill first. He mentioned that Hill has the same skillset as himself, just more raw. Makes me wonder if it's possible that Hill could be the guy that they plug in as the starter alongside Manek, instead of Kur. He also mentioned Victor. Didn't say anything about Kur or Rick unfortunately. He then asked about the guards, and he brought up Alondes. Said he might explode now that Doolittle is gone and there's more room for scoring. Can't remember which question it was, but he brought up Anyang. Said he thinks he may be like 6-11 now. Said he was 6-9 last year but has grown. Had lots of good things to say about the coaches. Thought it was interesting that his favorite memory was the UNT game where he went off. Out of all the other big time games he'd played in. Anyway, he was a really good interview.

 

[skyvue]

Is Doo going to be playing overseas?

 

[WichitaSooner]

Is Doo going to be playing overseas?

Some projections still have him as a possible second round pick, but I’d put my money on overseas or the G League, at least to begin his career. He did get invited to the combine, which is obviously a good sign.

 

[skyvue]

Some projections still have him as a possible second round pick, but I’d put my money on overseas or the G League, at least to begin his career. He did get invited to the combine, which is obviously a good sign.

Good to know, thanks. I hadn't heard any of that.

 

[Eielson]

I'd love Doolittle to get a shot at the NBA, but unfortunately I don't think he is explosive enough as an athlete. He had some great games against players that were bigger or more explosive, but really struggled against those that were both (like Diakite). Unfortunately in the NBA, he'd have those matchups every single game.

 

[tmeyer3307]

Hill at the 4 and Manek at the 5 is such a small line up though.. I could see it for a few mins at a time maybe. Good info, will miss Doo for sure!!!

 

[pnkranger]

Hill at the 4 and Manek at the 5 is such a small line up though.. I could see it for a few mins at a time maybe. Good info, will miss Doo for sure!!!

Harmon - 6'0"
Reeves - 6'5"
Williams - 6'5"
Hill - 6'7"
Manek - 6'9"

The Rockets are playing pretty well with a similar sized lineup right now.

 

[AdaSooner]

Harmon - 6'0"
Reeves - 6'5"
Williams - 6'5"
Hill - 6'7"
Manek - 6'9"

The Rockets are playing pretty well with a similar sized lineup right now.

One problem, and you already know what it is without me pointing to the obvious. There are no Rocket caliber players on our roster.

If Manek is the biggest player on the floor in a Sooner uniform at any time this season, we’ll be in trouble. He’s not big enough, strong enough or tough enough to keep Big 12 bigs from abusing him down low. It will be a long season if Kur, Big Rick and/or Victor are not ready to play.

 

[pnkranger]

One problem, and you already know what it is without me pointing to the obvious. There are no Rocket caliber players on our roster.

If Manek is the biggest player on the floor in a Sooner uniform at any time this season, we’ll be in trouble. He’s not big enough, strong enough or tough enough to keep Big 12 bigs from abusing him down low. It will be a long season if Kur, Big Rick and/or Victor are not ready to play.

I agree with your point, but we won’t be playing the Milwaukee Bucks either. Only a couple of teams last year abused our size. KU 2x. Who else?

 

[AdaSooner]

I agree with your point, but we won’t be playing the Milwaukee Bucks either. Only a couple of teams last year abused our size. KU 2x. Who else?

With Doo not around anymore, the majority of teams on our schedule will out-tough us if Brady is our “enforcer” inside. He’s a skilled player on offense. He’s just not someone I think we can count on to hold his own against bigger, stronger players. If he does, it will be a first. That’s why I said the other three bigs have to be ready to go or we’re going to struggle.

I’m optimistic they will be. I’m simply not convinced a smaller lineup with Manek in the middle is a good idea.

 

[BCSooners]

With Doo not around anymore, the majority of teams on our schedule will out-tough us if Brady is our “enforcer” inside. He’s a skilled player on offense. He’s just not someone I think we can count on to hold his own against bigger, stronger players. If he does, it will be a first. That’s why I said the other three bigs have to be ready to go or we’re going to struggle.

I’m optimistic they will be. I’m simply not convinced a smaller lineup with Manek in the middle is a good idea.

I think it would be a good lineup at times. All depending on how the game is going & matchups. Definitely not ideal to have Manek at the 5 majority of the time.

 

[AdaSooner]

I think it would be a good lineup at times. All depending on how the game is going & matchups.

No argument there. I’m always for any lineup combination that works.

 

[Stikboy]

Didn't Hill come off the bench to replace guards last year? Yet, Doo mentioned him as one of the bigs. I will say when Hill was in there, he seemed to me to mix it up pretty good. He had games where he fought on the offensive glass and had some pretty good rebounding games for the minutes he played. So I think he could be a good rebounder. But, i'm going to have to agree with Ada. Manek as the main big wouldn't be optimal. We need another taller guy in there with him.

In another interview, Kruger said that Trey Phipps was going to help THIS YEAR. He really likes the kid. I'm intrigued by him, and Anyang. He appears to have put on more muscle, and he may be 6-10. Does he stay at guard? From some early clips, he appears to be able to shoot. I just wonder if he can play team basketball, get in the flow, play physical, and play defense. His measurables are really intriguing..

 

[BCSooners]

Didn't Hill come off the bench to replace guards last year? Yet, Doo mentioned him as one of the bigs. I will say when Hill was in there, he seemed to me to mix it up pretty good. He had games where he fought on the offensive glass and had some pretty good rebounding games for the minutes he played. So I think he could be a good rebounder. But, i'm going to have to agree with Ada. Manek as the main big wouldn't be optimal. We need another taller guy in there with him.

In another interview, Kruger said that Trey Phipps was going to help THIS YEAR. He really likes the kid. I'm intrigued by him, and Anyang. He appears to have put on more muscle, and he may be 6-10. Does he stay at guard? From some early clips, he appears to be able to shoot. I just wonder if he can play team basketball, get in the flow, play physical, and play defense. His measurables are really intriguing..

I think the main think is he rebounds & competes well enough to guard 4s & that’s where there are potentially more minutes. He definitely won’t play there on offense imo.

 

[Eielson]

I don't know that we give up that much size losing Doo, but I doubt we'll be able to replace his heart or skill. That's the real issue.

 

[pnkranger]

We have plenty of size. Toughness is the issue.

PJ Tucker is defending guys 7+ inches taller and 25-50 pounds heavier because he is a junkyard dog.

 

[AdaSooner]

We have plenty of size. Toughness is the issue.

PJ Tucker is defending guys 7+ inches taller and 25-50 pounds heavier because he is a junkyard dog.

Exactly! Our bigs have been soft the past few years. It’s frustrating to watch sometimes. I’m hoping Victor can change that.