Juco Center Emmanuel Ugboh being recruited by OU

[CoachTalk]

The difference between 11ppg and 15ppg is gigantic, in terms of talent and role on the team. I know it doesn't sound like it, but it is. If you look at the stats nationally tons of players fall of the list each time you add a ppg.

Its easy to think, "surely Doo can put the ball in the basket 2-3 more times per game".... and that sounds very easy. But it isnt.

I was just think how much better he was big play vs non conf.

I think we all can agree he was massively assertive later in the year.

 

[CoachTalk]

OU would also likely have to jump to what, top 2-3 in the conference? Otherwise, if there is a similar player on a better team, that dude is likely to win.

Anybody ready to predict top 2-3 in the Big 12 for OU next year?

With better players around him, Doolittle probably isn't going to see a huge uptick in usage next year. And undersized 4/5 guy that with a somewhat limited offensive game that isn't a great defender is a long shot for POY. Impossible? Probably not. Improbable? I'd guess so.

I was just posing a ? Rowland did...

I’m not predicting it or too 2 in conference

It’s the offseason

 

[Eielson]

Culver was 19 and 9 almost 20/10 guy....
Lawson was 20/10 guy...

Doo was 11 and 7.... overall and 14/8 in big 12 play...

I think its not too much to get 3-4 more points and 1/2 rebounds a game more.

Doo contributes in a lot of ways that go underappreciated in POY voting. He can get his rebounds up to where they need to be, but I don't see his points jumping that much. Our offense was bad enough that we often let Doolittle go 1 on 1 and settle for a mid-range jumpshot. Those plays were efficient enough for this offense, but with the infusion of guys like Reaves and Harmon, I don't see us calling his number as often. I think he can get all of his numbers where they need to be except for scoring.

 

[Eielson]

It's hard to understand the lack of love for Doo on this board. His numbers the last half of conference play were outstanding. The only thing holding him back before then was that he wasn't as aggressive as he should have been. Once he got over that hump, he was clearly one of the best players in the league. Dean Wade was the preseason POY pick. If Doo adds a respectable three point threat to his game, how would he not be in the same class?

Doolittle has been almost universally regarded as the best player on our team this year. It's an overstatement to say that believing Doolittle is anything less than a CPOY caliber player is a "lack of love." OU has had two players ever win that award - Blake Griffin and Buddy Hield. Trae and Hollis didn't even win the award. Doolittle isn't in the same universe as those four.

Dean Wade would have been one of the worst players to ever win the award.

 

[WichitaSooner]

Doolittle has been almost universally regarded as the best player on our team this year. It's an overstatement to say that believing Doolittle is anything less than a CPOY caliber player is a "lack of love." OU has had two players ever win that award - Blake Griffin and Buddy Hield. Trae and Hollis didn't even win the award. Doolittle isn't in the same universe as those four.

Dean Wade would have been one of the worst players to ever win the award.

Well, we just had one of our most frequent posters say that he is limited offensively and not especially good on defense, and we had a recent debate in which in was argued by some that Doo isn't good enough to start on a good Big 12 team. And just last weekend, someone (I can't recall who, I am not intentionally being vague) made a similar statement that he wouldn't start on a number of teams in our league. That is what I was referring to -- I didn't mean to suggest that anyone saying he won't win POY is overly critical. I should have made the clearer, that's my bad.

 

[steverocks35]

Kristian Doolittle is a fantastic player. That is all.

 

[Eielson]

Well, we just had one of our most frequent posters say that he is limited offensively and not especially good on defense, and we had a recent debate in which in was argued by some that Doo isn't good enough to start on a good Big 12 team. And just last weekend, someone (I can't recall who, I am not intentionally being vague) made a similar statement that he wouldn't start on a number of teams in our league. That is what I was referring to -- I didn't mean to suggest that anyone saying he won't win POY is overly critical. I should have made the clearer, that's my bad.

That's fair.

 

[mict085]

Kristian Doolittle is a fantastic player. That is all.

I agree.

 

[Ghost of Gar Heard]

Next year's team will have more scorers than this year's did. They'll be less dependent, therefore, on Doolittle so I just don't see him being an 18 PPG guy. 14 or 15 I'd say. Reaves should be in the 12-15 area as well w Manek in there. Williams & Harmon will get theirs & Bieniemy should be a 6-8 PPG guy instead of 4 also.

Depending on who returns for ISU, Baylor's Tristan Clark may be the conference's best returning player.

 

[BCSooners]

I think he can contend for 1st team all Big12 but doubtful for POY.

 

[Jccouger]

One thing that is hard to overlook is Doolittle's improvement. He has arguably improved more on a year to year basis than any Sooner I can remember not named Blake or Buddy.

If he shows that same level of improvement from this year to next as he showed from last year to this year, he is going to be an absolute stud.

 

[Darwin]

Next year's team will have more scorers than this year's did. They'll be less dependent, therefore, on Doolittle so I just don't see him being an 18 PPG guy.

That is a very good point but if KD does start shooting the 3 quite effectively, being a senior he may become the target of the offense again.

Referring back to the OP they really need to have a better option at the 5 position so he can grow into a more natural role.

 

[CoachTalk]

1-5 is so overrated.... 1-5 was 20 years ago.

Can he defend a 5? Most times yes... Can you rebound vs the other team... Most times yes, as a team on the season we outrebounded our opponents.

Then its flipped, can the other team big guard him???

 

[WTSooner]

I get position-less basketball, but if it were ideal to have a 6'5 (maybe 6'6) center (5, big man, post, whatever you want to call it), more teams would do it. Look at the 5's that most top 25 teams are running out there. It's not accidental that most are considerably "longer" than Doolittle.

In an ideal world, Doolittle is our starting 4, and plays some minutes at the 5 when we go to a small lineup. Being forced to pretty much play all of his minutes at the 5 is less than ideal. Might not have a big affect when we play non-top 25, or top 30 teams, but when you start playing those better teams, it makes a difference. Not the greatest example given that UVA is basically the #1 team, but they man handled Doolittle inside.

 

[Eielson]

1-5 is so overrated.... 1-5 was 20 years ago.

PG, SG, SF, PF, C is definitely outdated. I think 1-5 still has meaning today if people can accept that it's a different thing. 4 does not necessarily mean PF, and a 4 for one coach isn't necessarily a 4 for another coach.

 

[CMSOONER]

I get position-less basketball, but if it were ideal to have a 6'5 (maybe 6'6) center (5, big man, post, whatever you want to call it), more teams would do it. Look at the 5's that most top 25 teams are running out there. It's not accidental that most are considerably "longer" than Doolittle.

In an ideal world, Doolittle is our starting 4, and plays some minutes at the 5 when we go to a small lineup. Being forced to pretty much play all of his minutes at the 5 is less than ideal. Might not have a big affect when we play non-top 25, or top 30 teams, but when you start playing those better teams, it makes a difference. Not the greatest example given that UVA is basically the #1 team, but they man handled Doolittle inside.

100% this....correction 99.8% this. I think he needs to step out a little more as well and take some 3's. Teams were starting to not guard him on the perimeter because they knew he wasn't going to shoot.

 

[Eielson]

I think every player at every position would benefit from being able to shoot 3s effectively. Even Gasol and Cousins do it now.

 

[BoulderSooner]

1-5 is so overrated.... 1-5 was 20 years ago.

Can he defend a 5? Most times yes... Can you rebound vs the other team... Most times yes, as a team on the season we outrebounded our opponents.

Then its flipped, can the other team big guard him???

it very much went from 1-5 then shifted to 1-2Wings-2Bigs (how kelvin played)



and now it really is idealy 2 playmakers 2 shooters and 1 rolling Big (this is on O)


on D it is only about who you can guard ...

 

[OU92Grad]

I get position-less basketball, but if it were ideal to have a 6'5 (maybe 6'6) center (5, big man, post, whatever you want to call it), more teams would do it. Look at the 5's that most top 25 teams are running out there. It's not accidental that most are considerably "longer" than Doolittle.

In an ideal world, Doolittle is our starting 4, and plays some minutes at the 5 when we go to a small lineup. Being forced to pretty much play all of his minutes at the 5 is less than ideal. Might not have a big affect when we play non-top 25, or top 30 teams, but when you start playing those better teams, it makes a difference. Not the greatest example given that UVA is basically the #1 team, but they man handled Doolittle inside.

Doo has been successful against bigger 5's. He has not been successful against smaller 5's, definitely not against 3's or even 4's since his freshmen year when he was a 3 point threat. The VA guy that "man handled" Doo was a small 5 (they have big 5's in Salt and the 7-1" guy"

 

[mict085]

I agree that the 1-5 position argument is overrated. However, when you have no size inside it kills you against the better teams. Our best inside player is generously listed at 6-7. That’s a problem.


And no, manek is not an inside player. He’s a perimeter player.