Kruger expects players to battle for minutes next season

Will Hornbeak be groomed to take those minutes from Blair to give Grooms a rest? Everyone says he has the most well-rounded game in this class and is a combo guard. I'm really getting excited about next year's team. I don't remember what game it was, maybe more than one, where OU had Blair, Pledger, Neal, CJ and Arendt on the floor. That's just a brutal line up to say the least. OU could have the follwing coming off the bench next year:

Hornbeak
Hield
Clark or M'baye- depending on who starts
possible JUCO/HS player we don't know about yet.

OU should be legitimately 8-9 deep depending on who else they bring in next year.
 
Will Hornbeak be groomed to take those minutes from Blair to give Grooms a rest? Everyone says he has the most well-rounded game in this class and is a combo guard. I'm really getting excited about next year's team. I don't remember what game it was, maybe more than one, where OU had Blair, Pledger, Neal, CJ and Arendt on the floor. That's just a brutal line up to say the least. OU could have the follwing coming off the bench next year:

Hornbeak
Hield
Clark or M'baye- depending on who starts
possible JUCO/HS player we don't know about yet.

OU should be legitimately 8-9 deep depending on who else they bring in next year.

Sounds like Hornbeak, yes. According to Kruger Hield is more of a wing.
 
I think you are too hard on Blair. Relatie to Chris Walker, Oleg Retzov and Kyle Hardrick he isn't terrible. I suspect OSU gans, Missouri fans and most other fans could list a handful of players similar to the guys I listed. I just don't get the point of needing to be so critical of a 21 year old guy that works hards and stays out of trouble.

He is a turnover waiting to happen. He doesn't play defense and he isn't going to get any minutes next year.
 
Few posters on this board have been a bigger fan or more supportive of Carl Blair the past couple of years than me. But even I cannot ignore his glaring weaknesses. His unforced turnovers for no apparent reason drives me nuts sometimes. And, they usually come at the most inopportune times, late in games when a turnover is one of the worst things that can happen to end any hope we've got of pulling out a win.

I really like Carl and I want him to do well. He's not the worst player on the team by any means. But he has to learn to take care of the ball and make his outside shots when they're available to him. He shot the ball poorly from the perimeter in the last few games this season, which made him even less of an asset to the team as our only back up at the point.

If he doesn't improve by next year, I can definitely see him moving down in our rotation in favor of any newcomer on our roster who comes in ready to take his spot. I'll be very disappointed in Coach Kruger if he does not go with the best players on the team, regardless of class or how long they have been part of the program. If that means we may see seniors coming off of the bench, so be it!
 
I'll be very disappointed in Coach Kruger if he does not go with the best players on the team, regardless of class or how long they have been part of the program.

From his comments in this article I can almost guarantee you that is going to happen.
 
Kruger's statements after the Big XII Tourney makes me believe that he will be relying heavily on M'Baye, Hield and Hornbeak. I am a little surprised he offered another HS guard w/Woodard, Clark, etc. looking like real possibilities for 2013. OU desparately needs a wing scorer. Maybe I'm naive, but I think M'Baye masy start at the 3, but you will see a combination of 2 of Osby, Fitz and M'Baye up front most of the time. That's a very, very solid 3 man rotation at the post.
 
From his comments in this article I can almost guarantee you that is going to happen.

Sure hope you're right, SS. That's the only we'll ever break the cyle we have been mired in the past three years. Players with the most talent, and those who work the hardest in the off season to improve their game, should move to the top of our rotation. Period. We can't afford to play the "favorites" game anymore.
 
Not a good season with the losing record and the second half and late game fadeouts.

Still we were picked 9th and finished 8th. And I think the conference ended up being deeper and stronger than expected. I doubt anyone expected Missouri and Iowa State to be as strong as they were.

Two really bad losses at Missouri and Texas Tech (we are always going to have ugly games against a Gillespie team) and nearly a dozen games lost when we had a shot fairly late in the game. Depth really hurt, particularly down the stretch in those close games. It also hurt to catch Texas so late in the season when their freshmen were beginning to come into their own (we had none who really contributed).

I believe that Kruger will be true to his word. M'Baye is probably a given to take minutes away. A lot will depend on the freshmen. I think the 3rd one being mentioned is the walkon rather than Henry. If Heild and Hornbeak are truly 4 star players we have a shot at finishing pretty strong next year.

Randall and Stevie Clark could be real game changers in the Sooner picture. (Well I can dream). It will be hard to get either with the UNC, Duke, Kentucky gang getting into the picture now that Clark is not so much an unknown.
 
Well, no one really knows how much game these two freshman guards will have at the Big 12 level. And Kruger could sign two more in the late period. I don't think anyone knows who that will be.

But, Pledger,Cam and Fitz will all lose minutes. To what degree is the only variable. And mayby even Grooms if a newcomer proves to be a capable backup point.

Isaiah Cousins.
 
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