Favorite "under the radar" Sooner of All-Time

[BigTime]

It's slow....who ya got and why.

I've got two:

Robert Allison (Sampson era) - he just seemed like he didn't have a whole lot of business playing big 8 ball, but he had several big games and could score well in the midrange. I keep hearing Allison Insurance commercials - wonder if that is him?

Eric Martin (Sampson era) - pretty slow, tweener size, average athlete but boy could he fill it up when he was on. I remember listening to one game on the radio (think it may have been at Nebraska? where he just went off in the second half and won us the game. Not sure if he ever ended up playing overseas.

 

[WTSooner]

Not sure I have a favorite, but along those same lines, I'd say Tim Heskett. Not an ounce of athleticism, but he sure could shoot it.

Johnny Gilbert might be another one. Seem like he was ranked pretty highly coming out of HS though. Maybe in the 50-75 range?

 

[skyvue]

Not sure I have a favorite, but along those same lines, I'd say Tim Heskett. Not an ounce of athleticism, but he sure could shoot it.

Johnny Gilbert might be another one. Seem like he was ranked pretty highly coming out of HS though. Maybe in the 50-75 range?

I like the guys who are unfairly blamed for the team's shortcomings by some fans, but they hang in there and win the fans over later in their careers.

Gilbert's a perfect example of this pattern. Fans on the boards trashed him for the longest time -- he was the go-to guy to point fingers at when things weren't going well -- but he sure won everyone over.

A.J. was much the same. Some fans ragged on him from the jump, but he just kept working hard (and overcoming injuries), and by the end, most fans appreciated him (and missed him when he was gone).

 

[BCSooners]

Michael Neal. Seems like his last 10 games or so he was catching it coming off a screen every time down the floor and just draining it.

 

[Salt City Sooner]

Don't know how "under the radar" these 3 were so to speak, but they weren't the big stars of their respective teams:

Dion Barnes
Kelley Newton
David Godbold

 

[thebigabd]

Michael Johnson
David Godbold
Kelley Newton

 

[WTSooner]

I always wanted Alex Spaulding to do more than he did. Seemed like a good kid. Glad he had that one really good game in the NCAA Tourney before leaving OU.

 

[WaymanFan]

Andre Wiley. He was so under-the-radar, Billy Tubbs forgot about him in the '88 title game

In the Kelvin Sampson era, I'd have to go with Johnny Gilbert. I don't think he was as highly recruited as some do, but I could be wrong. Regardless, he did a lot more for the teams he was on than the average fan can appreciate.

 

[JDSooners]

Same guy on the Allison Insurance stuff, always enjoy it when BBJ has a remote and they talk basketball.

 

[PledgerFan]

Beau Gerber

 

[dubyac]

Ernie Abercrombie...

 

[SoonerTraveler]

All of these guys may not qualify as “under the radar” but I thought of them in this context. Certainly they were under-appreciated by some fans.

Dave Sieger
Ernie Abercrombie
Austin Johnson
Steve Bajema
Tony Martin
Jameel Heywood
Lester Pace
Calvin Pierce
Renzi Stone

 

[NickZepp]

Daryan Selvy

 

[MNsooner]

Capel years: The first name that came to mind for me was Omar Leary. Too short, not quite a great athlete, but he had a way of hitting big shots and defending a bit better than his size.

Capel/Sampson Transition: David Godbold. Tough player who never gave up. The team was better the year after he left, but I think they needed a guy like him to bring physicality to the team.

Sampson: Johnny Gilbert for sure. Classic Sampson type of guy. Hustle incarnate.

Billy Ball: I like the Andre Wiley choice, WaymanFan. He could throw down. A better athlete than a basketball player, but that worked just fine in Billy's system.

 

[Dr Sleep]

Ernie Abercrombie by mile.

 

[mattham4]

Terry Evans
Terrence Mullins

 

[sdcloud9]

Dave Siegar (sp).

He could shot the rock and guard like a beast. Underrated athlete as well.

 

[jaymOU]

Michael Bell - the helicopter - awesome to watch him jump. Limited skill set other than jumping, but he sure did that well. Wonder what kind of volleyball player he might have been

Calvin Pierce and his one-handed follow dunks - things of beauty.

Shawn Clark - another awesome leaper and dunker. Really smooth, high-arching jump shot. Needed to go in more, but he was fun to watch.

Looking at my list, I guess I like guys that dunked a lot

Also John Ontjes - probably the least athletic guy I have seen play basketball at OU. Absolutely willed Kelvin's first couple of teams to win games. Great player to watch.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

God

 

[MNsooner]

God

:clap :ez-roll: