(ESPN) Looking ahead: Oklahoma Sooners

[SoonerTraveler]

Looking ahead: Oklahoma Sooners
Myron Medcalf, College Basketball Reporter

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/107121/looking-ahead-oklahoma-sooners

 

[artvandelay]

No mention of Buford. I think a lot of the prognosticators will be overlooking him this offseason.

 

[Max Power]

No mention of Buford. I think a lot of the prognosticators will be overlooking him this offseason.

Most national guys see that he redshirt and don't look into his Hugh school rankings or the circumstances surrounding the red shirt. They just assume he is a project. We know better but we also follow the team daily

 

[Zimwillett]

No mention of Buford. I think a lot of the prognosticators will be overlooking him this offseason.

Yep. No mention of Lattin either. I don't expect a national reporter to know every detail, but a front-runner for a starting position is at least worth a mention.

I think what's going to surprise the "national" folks next season will be OU's improved size and explosiveness. Increased minutes and improvement from Lattin, plus Buford, Manyang, and even Odomes will really change the look and feel of this team. I expect a lot more blocked shots and steals leading to even more points in transition.

 

[okhoops918]

While Lattin and Buford are certainly worth mentions in a write-up like this...they are certainly overrated at this point from fans on our board.

 

[skyvue]

While Lattin and Buford are certainly worth mentions in a write-up like this...they are certainly overrated at this point from fans on our board.

You can't possibly know that for a few more months. Some fans are expecting big things from those two players; you apparently are expecting smaller things. We'll see soon enough who was right. It'll probably fall somewhere in the middle.

 

[okhoops918]

You can't possibly know that for a few more months. Some fans are expecting big things from those two players; you apparently are expecting smaller things. We'll see soon enough who was right. It'll probably fall somewhere in the middle.

I'm expecting things that players of that stature and in the scenario they are in normally produce.

They idea that both of them come in above and better than what normal expectations would leave one to believe is a little far fetched.

I think they'll be solid contributors for us. Obviously we'll "see" which is why I'm taking the wait and see approach rather than high expectations.

 

[skyvue]

I'm expecting things that players of that stature and in the scenario they are in normally produce.

They idea that both of them come in above and better than what normal expectations would leave one to believe is a little far fetched.

I think they'll be solid contributors for us. Obviously we'll "see" which is why I'm taking the wait and see approach rather than high expectations.

You took the opposite of a wait-and-see approach, actually. You stated outright that those who are expecting big things from the two players are overrating them. That's taking a pretty clear stance on their abilities; it's not waiting and seeing.

I don't really know what fans are saying that you think is so overstated. Given Thomas' departure and the work Buford put in during his redshirt season, it's not unreasonable to predict a bigger role for him than your average first-year player might play, and Lattin showed a lot of promise as a true freshman, so it's not unreasonable to expect that he'll show improvement.

In any case, I've seen no particular hype about either player here -- no predictions of breakout seasons or all-conference selections. I think "solid contributors" is the level the vast majority of posters here see for them.

 

[Zimwillett]

I think it's absolutely reasonable to expect Lattin to improve dramatically from his freshman to his sophomore season. Look at the leaps Hield and Cousins took from year one to year two. Hield went from averaging 7.8 ppg and about 24% from 3 to 16.5 and almost 39%. Cousins went from 2.7 ppg and 25% from 3 to 11.0 and 40%. Would it have been far-fetched to assume these guys would make those kinds of gains prior to the 2013/14 season?

Obviously, Lattin's situation is a little different given that he plays the post, but the precedent for dramatic improvement from freshman to sophomore under Kruger is definitely there. Based on that, I don't think it's the least bit far-fetched to expect Lattin's offensive output to increase from 2 to around 9 or 10 ppg. I'm especially hoping that Lon and staff work on getting his FT % up from around 52% to the mid/high 60s.

 

[bgrch1350]

The big thing that missed last year was a bench. Our bench this upcoming year looks to be way better.

 

[SoonerInJersey]

I think it's absolutely reasonable to expect Lattin to improve dramatically from his freshman to his sophomore season. Look at the leaps Hield and Cousins took from year one to year two. Hield went from averaging 7.8 ppg and about 24% from 3 to 16.5 and almost 39%. Cousins went from 2.7 ppg and 25% from 3 to 11.0 and 40%. Would it have been far-fetched to assume these guys would make those kinds of gains prior to the 2013/14 season?

Obviously, Lattin's situation is a little different given that he plays the post, but the precedent for dramatic improvement from freshman to sophomore under Kruger is definitely there. Based on that, I don't think it's the least bit far-fetched to expect Lattin's offensive output to increase from 2 to around 9 or 10 ppg. I'm especially hoping that Lon and staff work on getting his FT % up from around 52% to the mid/high 60s.

I am hoping that if he beefs up say 15 lbs (solid lbs not fat) then his fouls per minute will go down his rebounds per minute up, and he can maintain or even improve his blocks per minute. I like what he does now but these little improvements might be huge for the team.

 

[KBaden145]

I think it's absolutely reasonable to expect Lattin to improve dramatically from his freshman to his sophomore season. Look at the leaps Hield and Cousins took from year one to year two. Hield went from averaging 7.8 ppg and about 24% from 3 to 16.5 and almost 39%. Cousins went from 2.7 ppg and 25% from 3 to 11.0 and 40%. Would it have been far-fetched to assume these guys would make those kinds of gains prior to the 2013/14 season?



Obviously, Lattin's situation is a little different given that he plays the post, but the precedent for dramatic improvement from freshman to sophomore under Kruger is definitely there. Based on that, I don't think it's the least bit far-fetched to expect Lattin's offensive output to increase from 2 to around 9 or 10 ppg. I'm especially hoping that Lon and staff work on getting his FT % up from around 52% to the mid/high 60s.

The work this staff puts into developing players in the off season is their biggest strength and the most overlooked and under appreciated part of this program by a lot of OU fans. Anyone who doesn't think these guys will really develop this offseason obviously don't understand how this staff operates.


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[DenverSooner]

Additionally this is a team full of hard workers. That is contagious.

 

[dahldennsull]

The work this staff puts into developing players in the off season is their biggest strength and the most overlooked and under appreciated part of this program by a lot of OU fans. Anyone who doesn't think these guys will really develop this offseason obviously don't understand how this staff operates.


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which is part of what has me so excited for Buford too. We have no idea what he can even do and he will almost be 2 years worth of work on his game in him.

But agree on the whole topic, with our development coaching, and Lattin/McNease/Buford ceiling, it's not unreasonable to think at least one of them makes a big jump next year

 

[usedtobe1]

But agree on the whole topic, with our development coaching, and Lattin/McNease/Buford ceiling, it's not unreasonable to think at least one of them makes a big jump next year

Don't forget to include Manyang in the discussion, too. He should be in Norman in 2-3 weeks. We're going to have a lot of fresh bodies and height to put on the floor next year.