thebigabd
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2008
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I think the main problem I have with this is that you still significantly inflate the value that even the JUCO success stories possess. There is simply no way that Jones and Bandoo would have yielded us five or six extra wins. No chance. Every analytics expert on the planet would tell you how few players in the country are worth three wins, and those guys certainly don't fall in that very small group.
This is PURE speculation. Just like I can say IF they came to OU they both tripped and fell and had season ending injuries. Neither of us know if any of that is true. We also don’t know and aren’t privvy to the actual under workings of their recruitment. If they are so easy to come by, why didn’t “better” schools than Baylor and Arkansas sign these guys??
Baylor and Arkansas are both good basketball programs, who regularly sign very good players. That is a silly point to make.
As to the wins.... Yea... Sub out Reynolds and Lazenby and put Jones and Bandoo on the roster, and you've got yourself a winning combo that easily gets you 5 more wins. That is basically unplugging two scrubby players with two very legit Big 12 players.
Mason Jones (6'5'' 210)
Played in all 34 games and started 26 … For the season, was second on the team in rebounding (3.9), assists (96) and steals (31) while ranking third in scoring (13.6) … Ranked sixth in SEC in 3-pointers made (76 total, ninth in free throw percentage (.804)and 10th in free throws made (115) … Came off the bench in the last eight games of the year to provide more balance … In those eight games, shot 46.5 percent (20-of-43) from 3-point range while handing out 20 assists … Reached double figures in scoring 20 times … Led the team in scoring 10 times.
Devonte Bandoo (6'3'' 185)
Averaged 10 ppg in Big 12 play, ranking 4th in the Big 12 in 3pt percentage at 44%... Shot 89% from the foul line.
I mean, these are highly skilled players... Playing their first season of D1 basketball. You remove two guys who did nothing for you and add these guys, not only does it make you immediately better this year, but these are guys who got better as the season wore on and are prepped to do better next year.
This is a crazy notion... That you can't add two very solid players and it wouldn't matter to the win total? I guess OU was as good as they were going to get and there was absolutely no way to get better? Because if upgrading talent and production, increasing shooting ability, athletic ability, etc doesn't result in more wins then what the hell does? That is why you recruit better players, to win more games. For you guys to say adding guys who did very well in the SEC and Big 12, especially for first year players, wouldn't have changed the outcome over having guys who literally gave you nothing, makes no sense. At all. In any world. I can't even believe you said it. I don't even know how to respond to it.
To be clear on this... Jones, in his first year of D1 basketball, had about as many assists as Calixte, Reynolds, and Lazenby COMBINED. He hit 115 free throws... Jamal Bienemy hit 14. He made 76 3's.. That would be #1 on OU's team last year. Reynolds hit 8 threes on the year... Jones hit 76. He hit more 3's than Calixte, Reynolds, Bienemy, Odomes, and Lazenby combined.
I mean, this is just ridiculous.
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