thebigabd
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No no... the guy I asked that question to said that Harkless was leaving because his minutes were "shrinking"... Nothing backs that up.
EJ to the portal
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No no... the guy I asked that question to said that Harkless was leaving because his minutes were "shrinking"... Nothing backs that up.
I was referring to his minutes next year with the addition of Joe B. Also why I don’t think EJ’s announcement was coincidentally right before Joe B’s commitment. My fault for not clarifying.
I seem to have stirred the pot by calling EJ a leader in my first post, let's see what I can do in post #2!
I think his offensive efficiency numbers were hurt this year by trying to be "the guy" and go get a bucket, sometimes by poor choices, but often late in the shot clock in situations where someone had to shoot and he was our best/most willing option.
A few positives for me though:
1. EJ was the only one on the team that I trusted to go into a scrum and come out with the ball. Not that he's great at it, but I thought this team was very poor at getting and keeping the ball in loose ball or long rebound situations.
2. He seemed the most willing 9n the team to dive for a loose ball to save it from out of bounds.
3. I thought he was one of the best on the team at going to the hole strong when he knew contact was coming.
Finally, thanks for the welcome ABD!
I think his offensive efficiency numbers were hurt this year by trying to be "the guy" and go get a bucket, sometimes by poor choices, but often late in the shot clock in situations where someone had to shoot and he was our best/most willing option.
A few positives for me though:
1. EJ was the only one on the team that I trusted to go into a scrum and come out with the ball. Not that he's great at it, but I thought this team was very poor at getting and keeping the ball in loose ball or long rebound situations.
2. He seemed the most willing 9n the team to dive for a loose ball to save it from out of bounds.
3. I thought he was one of the best on the team at going to the hole strong when he knew contact was coming.
Finally, thanks for the welcome ABD!
BanjoCharley
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Good Post and welcome!
StoopsBros
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WichitaSooner
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That would seem to be a good fit for him.
You think he's that soft?
StoopsBros
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WichitaSooner
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So much for all those who thought he would have Top 25 teams beating down his door. I never thought there was any way he would have been a starter at a place like USC or UCLA. This is a good move for him. Maybe on that team, in that league, he can be the man, in a way that he just wasn't capable of in the Big 12.
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allday92
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Lol yup. Still a big maybe, but best of luck to him.
I agree. Solid player for us, but not a gamechanger. Would have been nice to have but clearly he was looking for more. Hopefully we can replace him with someone better. I would still take Harkless over no Harkless and someone who isn't better.
WichitaSooner
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And yet you’re the one whose opinion obviously wasn’t shared by coaches of P5 programs, and who apparently won’t acknowledge that.
My thoughts exactly. Best of luck to the young man.
Transferring to a non power 5 school does not mean that he couldn't have stayed power 5 or that he didn't have opportunities. If so, it would mean the St Bonaventure lineup had nobody who could play at OU, and we saw first hand that wasn't true.
UNLV is a solid program, has coaches familiar to EJ, and is closer to home. It may just be a good fit.
Best of luck to him!
UNLV is a solid program, has coaches familiar to EJ, and is closer to home. It may just be a good fit.
Best of luck to him!
WichitaSooner
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No one has said he couldn’t have stayed P5. Obviously he could have stayed at OU. And I’m sure he could have gone to other P5 schools and been a valuable player, maybe even a starter. What a lot of us have said is that he isn’t a good enough player to be an offensive centerpiece on a top 25 or 30 caliber team. We saw what happened when he tried playing that role this season. If he is your best offensive option, you are a very limited team.
TarheelstateSooner
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Depends what he's surrounded with as well. Surrounded by the players on OU? Yeah, not exactly going to be a centerpiece of offensive awesomeness. Surrounded by a good amount of skill players and shooters? Maybe.
WichitaSooner
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If he was surrounded by skilled players and shooters, that would automatically make him something other than a go-to guy. And having better teammates wouldn’t suddenly make him a competent ball handler or good shooter himself. I’ve said many times I value his defense and toughness, but I just have a hard time seeing why so many fans can’t see that he is a very limited offensive player. Dude has played four years … we know what he is at this point.
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