Hannes Polla - The enigma

[thebigabd]

Perhaps no player on roster (for next year) garners more extreme views from the fans than Hannes Polla. There seems to be a group of people on here who think he has a really bright future and will be some sort of 6'11'' bruiser in the mold of a Kevin Bookout (below the rim player)... and then there are those who don't think he can play at this level. Those are very opposite things....

I happen to be in the 6'11'' bruiser camp... if he stays and puts in the work, I think he will be an impact player. First, you can't coach 6'11'' 275... Second, a lot of freshman "big guys" struggle in their first seasons. He really should have redshirted. Was a disservice to him not to redshirt.

 

[Matthew G]

Think he needs time before I come up with a secure reading on him. Honestly, every player from overseas needs time, because the game here is different than over there. It takes time to learn the American game, and then it takes time to get used to college in itself.

 

[Boomer!Sooner!]

Not sure he wanted to Redshirt. Alot of the overseas players want to be hear 4 years and get back.

I am sure the staff gave him the option to redshirt, my guess would be he chose not to do so.

 

[NY Soonerfan]

I understand it was a very limited sample, but he just seemed to play in slow-motion (or slower motion than even that) out there; he was constantly a step or two late, could barely jump over a piece of paper, had no rhythm, flow, or great instincts. He seems beyond the definition of a project. I hope like all heck I'm wrong, b/c we need help from anyone and everyone wearing a jersey next year, but I just can't seem him being anything more than a 6-10 mpg guy, or someone we would have to use in an emergency if Jumani or a big got in foul trouble.

And like I said, the sample size was small, and I understand when you don't play consistently, don't know if you're going to play at all, etc., it's tough to find yourself, but he just did not look anything like a B12 player IMHO

 

[opsooner]

I also have hopes for this guy. Hoping he can get some better coaching and develop strengths in walling off defenders and turning over either shoulder. You can’t coach his size and if he develops appropriate skills (not asking for him to be all conf) then he can be a good asset.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sooner 1234]

Kevin Bookout almost made the Olympics . He was a dual sport college athlete , all American in one .
In high school he hit 65 home runs ,averaged 30 points and 16 boards in basketball /state title and set Highschool track and field records.

With his feet he could have been a first round pick at Left tackle had he played football and had the desire for it .

Polla looks like a 50 year old running down the court . The only comparison is that they are white and both played for ou .

 

[oudna]

Perhaps no player on roster (for next year) garners more extreme views from the fans than Hannes Polla. There seems to be a group of people on here who think he has a really bright future and will be some sort of 6'11'' bruiser in the mold of a Kevin Bookout (below the rim player)... and then there are those who don't think he can play at this level. Those are very opposite things....

I happen to be in the 6'11'' bruiser camp... if he stays and puts in the work, I think he will be an impact player. First, you can't coach 6'11'' 275... Second, a lot of freshman "big guys" struggle in their first seasons. He really should have redshirted. Was a disservice to him not to redshirt.

Sampson would’ve liked him

 

[Soonerinkc]

Kevin Bookout almost made the Olympics . He was a dual sport college athlete , all American in one .
In high school he hit 65 home runs ,averaged 30 points and 16 boards in basketball /state title and set Highschool track and field records.

With his feet he could have been a first round pick at Left tackle had he played football and had the desire for it .

Polla looks like a 50 year old running down the court . The only comparison is that they are white and both played for ou .

I'm 53 and I think I can outrun him down the court...at least 1 or 2 trips~

 

[opsooner]

I'm 53 and I think I can outrun him down the court...at least 1 or 2 trips~

Betting you could also outrun Krutwig from Loyola but he helps his team. Polla could possibly be that kind of player with some coaching.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[thebigabd]

For those of you saying he is too slow.... What are you saying that on exactly? Does someone have footage of his minutes against KU this year? I'd like to see that.

 

[Leroy]

Slow can't catch or finish around the rim. Don't blame the coaches because he can't play, just blame them for recruiting him. I talked to an OU beat writer who said he is the worse OU scholarship player since the 7'1 Russian. Krutwig can play unlike Polla. Bad basketball IQ doesn't help. Sampson wouldn't play him either and didn't recruit him.

He has to be one of the worse five players in the Big 12 with Freeman.

 

[thebigabd]

Slow can't catch or finish around the rim. Don't blame the coaches because he can't play, just blame them for recruiting him. I talked to an OU beat writer who said he is the worse OU scholarship player since the 7'1 Russian. Krutwig can play unlike Polla. Bad basketball IQ doesn't help. Sampson wouldn't play him either and didn't recruit him.

He has to be one of the worse five players in the Big 12 with Freeman.

Wow, that is extremely harsh. I just want to know how a guy with the attributes you are talking about got 2 points and 6 rebounds in 4 minutes vs. Kansas. To put that in perspective, he led the team in rebounding that day in 4 minutes of action.

That is extremely small sample size, but it's basically all you have.

 

[sperry]

Wow, that is extremely harsh. I just want to know how a guy with the attributes you are talking about got 2 points and 6 rebounds in 4 minutes vs. Kansas. To put that in perspective, he led the team in rebounding that day in 4 minutes of action.

That is extremely small sample size, but it's basically all you have.

He's big and physical. He will clearly do well on the glass. Problem is, he looks to be way too slow to hang defensively against all but the most traditional bigs, and he doesn't have the hands/skill to do much on offense.

Who is he going to guard against a team like K-State? If I'm any coach and OU tries to run Polla out there I'm putting in a small ball line up and just exposing him until they pull him.

 

[TINY]

Wow, that is extremely harsh. I just want to know how a guy with the attributes you are talking about got 2 points and 6 rebounds in 4 minutes vs. Kansas. To put that in perspective, he led the team in rebounding that day in 4 minutes of action.

That is extremely small sample size, but it's basically all you have.

People have lost their mind. Polla is going to surprise, if he puts in the work.

 

[Ghost of Gar Heard]

He's big and physical. He will clearly do well on the glass. Problem is, he looks to be way too slow to hang defensively against all but the most traditional bigs, and he doesn't have the hands/skill to do much on offense.

Who is he going to guard against a team like K-State? If I'm any coach and OU tries to run Polla out there I'm putting in a small ball line up and just exposing him until they pull him.

I tend to agree. He clogs the lane and is a liability defensively. Who in the Big 12 could he guard? It's possible there's some offensive ability but guys like him are pretty easy for other teams to defend. He just has to show a lot more flexibility & versatility to be a legitimate Big 12 big.

 

[sperry]

I tend to agree. He clogs the lane and is a liability defensively. Who in the Big 12 could he guard? It's possible there's some offensive ability but guys like him are pretty easy for other teams to defend. He just has to show a lot more flexibility & versatility to be a legitimate Big 12 big.

Yep. The move to smaller lineups has turned a guy like Polla into a dinosaur. For him to be a plus player he'd have to become a fantastic passer and a guy who can score at will when matched up with an undersized opponent. He is miles away from being able to do either of those things.


The one thing to keep in mind is that Kansas is likely to have legitimate impact big guys (and Texas sometimes as well), as those are schools that can recruit elite level bigs.

 

[Darwin]

Polla certainly has upside. The concern from some posters about the deep roster spots baffles me. Many years with KS and Billy there was nothing past 9 or 10 players except guys intended as practice players. Recently the focus of these posters was C.J. Cole, a guy that made the team better yet was not a cancer even though he rarely got minutes. Some posters thought Muni was a wasted scholarship after 2 years. There is reason for concern with the core spots 1 thru 8, even 9,10 but having 1 or 2 projects with upside doesn't effect that. Obviously not every project becomes a core player but they help the team if they are team players.

 

[vbdad]

He needs to finish better around the rim. He is certainly worth the scholarship and has a chance in the future to help us.

It was his first year in the program. If nothing else it is nice to have a guy who doesn't get pushed around. He also sets monster screens although he is no threat to roll or pop off of it.

 

[BoulderSooner]

Kevin Bookout almost made the Olympics . He was a dual sport college athlete , all American in one .
In high school he hit 65 home runs ,averaged 30 points and 16 boards in basketball /state title and set Highschool track and field records.

With his feet he could have been a first round pick at Left tackle had he played football and had the desire for it .

Polla looks like a 50 year old running down the court . The only comparison is that they are white and both played for ou .

i like bookout but woooooo he was not close to the olympics and he could not have played in the nfl ..

if he wanted to be a pro baseball would have been his only chance

 

[BoulderSooner]

some of yall would kick isaac haas off his team also ...