Hannes Polla has committed to OU

OUHoops

OUHoops

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 22, 2008
Messages
9,345
Reaction score
1
...

@EvanDaniels: 2017 Finnish big man Hannes Polla just verbally committed to Oklahoma, a source tells Scout. From Helsinki Academy.
Click to expand...
 
Chose OU over Tulane and Penn State. Trust Lon?

http://www.hoopseen.com/news/player/201609/hannes-polla-ready-be-oklahoma-sooner

The Oklahoma Sooners stuck on Thursday with a massive commitment in the frontcourt by landing the services of Hannes Polla. A 6-foot-11 center that defines what it means to be a space eater, while the Big 12 bunch was involved with a few local recruits, nabbing the Finnish born big man looks to be an excellent addition to their 2017 class thus far.

Running with the Helsinki Basketball Academy program, the same group that current Arizona freshman star big man Lauri Markkanen suited up for last year, Polla will bring an immediate presence and some toughness to the interior next year. Capable of facing his man up and converting on mid-post jumpers, Polla’s true strength comes around the basket.

Domestically, there just aren’t many the size and strength of Polla throughout the high school ranks. Capable of changing shots at the basket due to the sheer size of him, the Finnish big man is a solid rebounder of the basketball. He is decently skilled with his back to the basket as he can convert on hook shots over his left shoulder and has fine touch on putback attempts. While he should not be seen as a premier athlete, Polla’s explosiveness should improve in the coming years where he recently tore his ACL last year.

Beating out the likes of Tulane and Penn State for the near 7-footer, Polla took an official visit to Norman last week and now becomes the second commitment within the Sooners’ 2017 recruiting class. The recent hiring of former Rice assistant, Carlin Hartman, paid dividends in luring the Finnish big man to American soil as the new coach on staff has a solid background in recruiting overseas.

Joining Polla at Oklahoma next winter will be Brady Manek, a sharpshooting and versatile forward from the state. Of course, the Sooners remain heavily in the hunt for its top target in the senior class, Trae Young. Regardless, it would seem that the Lon Kruger and his gang have solidified their frontcourt for years to come and will now place all hands on deck in their pursuit of the five-star guard from Norman North High School.
Click to expand...
 
Will there be any problems with the NCAA clearinghouse? Any time I see a foreign player coming in from a "Basketball academy" it always makes me wonder. Maybe it's not as shady as I perceive it to be.
 
original.jpg
 
Nice get. Hope his ACL tear isn't a lingering issue. Seems like the staff are looking at Doolittle and Freeman as our PFs of the future. Polla sounds like a more traditional pivot in the Kaleb Tarczewski mold than a guy who will play combo like Khadeem.
 
Last I checked Theo was trending Minnesota Golden Gophers.
 
furge said:
Nice get. Hope his ACL tear isn't a lingering issue. Seems like the staff are looking at Doolittle and Freeman as our PFs of the future. Polla sounds like a more traditional pivot in the Kaleb Tarczewski mold than a guy who will play combo like Khadeem.
Click to expand...

yep, really rounding out the roster with slashing/scoring combo guards, athletic stretch 4s, and now a big man in the middle to anchor it.
 
SuperHoops said:
Will there be any problems with the NCAA clearinghouse? Any time I see a foreign player coming in from a "Basketball academy" it always makes me wonder. Maybe it's not as shady as I perceive it to be.
Click to expand...

He should be fine. Teammate is currently enrolled at Arizona.
 
OUScout's Evan Daniels on Polla:

http://www.scout.com/college/basket...lahoma-gets-commitment-from-hannes-p-ll?s=146

I'm intrigued by the fact that LK sees Polla as a low post center. How long has it been since we had a true center? As a 6' 11" 265 space eater, Polla definitely has the size to play on the low block. He reminds me a little of Kevin Bookout, mainly due to his size and low post defender/scorer skill set.

It's also interesting to note that his Helsinki Academy coach, Hanno Mottola, said he played for Coach Kruger. Any idea where he played for LK?

EDIT: I answered my own question. Looks like Mottola played for Lon when he coached the Atlanta Hawks. He was a second round draft pick. He played his college ball at the University of Utah on a team that made it to the NCAA finals, before losing to Kentucky.

http://basketball.realgm.com/player/Hanno-Mottola/Summary/1146
 
OUHoops said:
Chose OU over Tulane and Penn State. Trust Lon?
Click to expand...


I'm surprised by your post since you've always been a voice of reason. I realize that choosing OU over Penn State and Tulane is not going to have us dancing in the streets. Still, Coach Kruger has proven time and again that his EVALUATION techniques are superior to most coaches. If these recruiting ranking services go back five years and re-rank everyone based on their performance, you will find that most of Coach Kruger's players (not just at OU) would be rated higher afterwards than before. I will even bet that Hornbeak and Booker will end up rated higher in a re-ranking.

Coach Kruger simply doesn't waste scholarships. We should give him a pass on Casey Arent due to the circumstances of coming here and trying to fill a roster. CJ Cole may not make any on-the-court contributions, but the fact Lon wanted him to stick around for his senior season speaks volumes about what he contributes off the court. Again, he doesn't waste scholarships. Knowing that, I'm going to trust his judgment that Hannes Polla will make a significant contribution at OU.
 
WaymanFan said:
I'm surprised by your post since you've always been a voice of reason. I realize that choosing OU over Penn State and Tulane is not going to have us dancing in the streets. Still, Coach Kruger has proven time and again that his EVALUATION techniques are superior to most coaches. If these recruiting ranking services go back five years and re-rank everyone based on their performance, you will find that most of Coach Kruger's players (not just at OU) would be rated higher afterwards than before. I will even bet that Hornbeak and Booker will end up rated higher in a re-ranking.

Coach Kruger simply doesn't waste scholarships. We should give him a pass on Casey Arent due to the circumstances of coming here and trying to fill a roster. CJ Cole may not make any on-the-court contributions, but the fact Lon wanted him to stick around for his senior season speaks volumes about what he contributes off the court. Again, he doesn't waste scholarships. Knowing that, I'm going to trust his judgment that Hannes Polla will make a significant contribution at OU.
Click to expand...

I hear you and, obviously, will defer to trusting Lon. I wasn't excited about his hire, but I absolutely love the man now. And I would say that before last year's Final Four run.

That being said, it is curious that this is one of the takes coming off said Final Four run -- a foreign player whose other top suitors were Penn State and Tulane. I'm sure he more than held his own when he worked out with the team during his visit to land the offer.

And, yes, I admit I get caught up in the recruiting hype and star rankings and wanting to land those big names, especially the ones close by in Texas. But Lon has proven he can win with recruits without those pedigrees, so I won't worry about it too much. :)

I'm anxious to see some video on him. It is interesting though how there is virtually no video of him and very few pictures, and then compare that to what was out there on Matt Freeman when we first learned of him. This is a true diamond in the rough.

Also, if WT is sold on "Trust Lon" then we all should be. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Thoughts from the Tech Game
2 3
Replies
44
Views
2K
WichitaSooner
W
thebigabd
I smell more recruiting negligence......
2 3 4
Replies
60
Views
7K
AdaSooner
AdaSooner
B
Thoughts from Game
2
Replies
24
Views
1K
TEvans4Three
TEvans4Three
BoulderSooner
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Replies
0
Views
173
BoulderSooner
BoulderSooner
Sooner04
Along Came Jones
Replies
5
Views
1K
ousooners1baby
ousooners1baby
Back
Top