Ferguson

[usedtobe1]

If Doolittle doesn't play, there is zero chance he would play the three over anyone.

Since our roster will have an abundance of guards and wings next year, I agree that it's highly unlikely he will play. I see a redshirt in his future. That's not a bad thing. He has a huge upside, so a year to develop his game may be the difference in spending most of one season on the bench, the way Odomes did this year, to being ready to contribute as a redshirt freshman.

As for Dante Buford, if he continues to work on his game in the off season, I think he could be a factor at the three next season. While 11 of 29 is a limited sample of his ability to knock down threes, 38% is still a respectable percentage. His defense was suspect early on, but he's much better on defense now. Can he defend a top notch three? The jury is still out on that one. But, if he can, I think he could become a three-four hybrid, much like Romero and Cam. That was the plan for him when signed with OU.

I agree with you Ada. My big concern with Buford at the 3 is he hasn't shown me the quickness to guard someone on the perimeter. I also agree that he needs to pick up his rebounding, but he's still not totally comfortable on the floor. He jumps better than I originally thought he could, and he is big-bodied so the potential is there. Offensively OU is better with he and Spangler on the floor than any other post combination. I see Buford as a post player next year, too.

You and I have visited before about Freeman possibly playing the high post like Spangler does on offense. He wouldn't be hesitant to put up the open perimeter shot. It makes me giddy thinking about it. I just don't know if he can adequately pass and rebound like Spangler does ..... Ryan is stellar at those skills.

I'm also anxious to see Doolittle. He's a lot better player as a HS senior than he was as a junior. He's gotten bigger and more aggressive. I'm not counting him out, but am also looking forward to seeing Odomes after they re-work his shot.

Next year's team is gonna be fun to watch develop. They could surprise us.

 

[WTSooner]

Buford, as he stands right now, isn't anywhere near athletic enough to play the three for an extended period of time. I'm not saying he can't work and get there at some point, but I doubt it would be next year. And that is fine. We have a lot of bodies available that can play the 2/3 spots. Hopefully Buford starts working on his quickness some this offseason, and even if he doesn't get to the point of being able to play the 3, he can be quicker than he was this year going against 4's.

 

[152219]

Buford, as he stands right now, isn't anywhere near athletic enough to play the three for an extended period of time. I'm not saying he can't work and get there at some point, but I doubt it would be next year. And that is fine. We have a lot of bodies available that can play the 2/3 spots. Hopefully Buford starts working on his quickness some this offseason, and even if he doesn't get to the point of being able to play the 3, he can be quicker than he was this year going against 4's.

If he gets just a tad quicker and bit better with the ball in his hands he could become a mismatch nightmare at the 4 position for other teams considering how good his jumper is.

And I think Lattin has a solid stroke as well. I wonder how he will be with the ball in hands more on the offensive end next year. Will he be a 12 ppg scorer next year? Traditional 5s shouldn't be able to guard him because he is so much quicker.

 

[WTSooner]

If he gets just a tad quicker and bit better with the ball in his hands he could become a mismatch nightmare at the 4 position for other teams considering how good his jumper is.

Agreed.

As long as he can rebound adequately, I see him as a much better player at the stretch 4, than as a 3.

 

[AdaSooner]

I agree with you Ada. My big concern with Buford at the 3 is he hasn't shown me the quickness to guard someone on the perimeter. I also agree that he needs to pick up his rebounding, but he's still not totally comfortable on the floor. He jumps better than I originally thought he could, and he is big-bodied so the potential is there. Offensively OU is better with he and Spangler on the floor than any other post combination. I see Buford as a post player next year, too.

You and I have visited before about Freeman possibly playing the high post like Spangler does on offense. He wouldn't be hesitant to put up the open perimeter shot. It makes me giddy thinking about it. I just don't know if he can adequately pass and rebound like Spangler does ..... Ryan is stellar at those skills.

I'm also anxious to see Doolittle. He's a lot better player as a HS senior than he was as a junior. He's gotten bigger and more aggressive. I'm not counting him out, but am also looking forward to seeing Odomes after they re-work his shot.

Next year's team is gonna be fun to watch develop. They could surprise us.

I could be wrong about Doolittle redshirting next year, usedtobe1. I really haven't seen enough of him even on video to say that for sure. My main reason for saying he would likely redshirt is our depth at the wing and guard positions next season. The battle for playing time is going to be intense.

Your idea to play Freeman at the high post is an exciting proposition for me. As I said before, he has a unique skill set for a guy his size no one else on the team can match. At a legit 6' 9" (some sites have him listed at 6' 10") he can easily pass over defenders and knock down shots with range. He also has better than average handles for a player his size. No way he doesn't play and play often next season.