Kruger's biggest coaching mistake this year

[thebigabd]

Is starting Isaiah Cousins and benching Sam Grooms... Are you really telling me that Cousins is a better basketball player than Grooms right now?

Last several games for our starting point guard (Cousins):
SFA: 1 point, 0 assists, 2 turnovers
A&M: 0 points, 1 assists, 1 steal
Arkansas: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
NWSU: 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers
ORU: 0 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
WVU: 0 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

I mean, how in the hell are you supposed to win games or be any good with that kind of production out of a starting player?

Sam Grooms had the best assist/turnover ratio in the Big 12 last year... He averaged 7 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds per game last year. He was #2 in the Big 12 in overall assists. He averaged nearly 7 assists per game in conference play. He only committed 3 or more turnovers 3 times all season. He had several games with 10 assists, and had more than 7 assists 10 times. Thats pretty solid point guard play.

He played 30 minutes a game last year, now he is playing 16 minutes a game and not starting. When Grooms played last year, he produced. At a bare minimum, he played good defense and was good at creating for others.

 

[thebigabd]

2nd biggest coaching mistake is player minutes...

When you suck you need to keep your best players on the floor as much as possible... I dont understand why Hornbeak, Hield, Mbaye, Osby, Pledger, and Grooms arent pushing 30+ minutes per game.

 

[Big Old Booger]

2nd biggest coaching mistake is player minutes...

When you suck you need to keep your best players on the floor as much as possible... I dont understand why Hornbeak, Hield, Mbaye, Osby, Pledger, and Grooms arent pushing 30+ minutes per game.

From what I've seen, Cousins has way more upside than Grooms. The program will be better by playing Cousins, IMO.

If he started Grooms, Fitz, Clark, Pledger and Ro, which is what some people want, this team was at best an NIT team and then next year we have a whole new team with little playing experience. By playing the young talent, maybe this team could still be an NIT team but next year would be much further along.

We knew when Capel got the boot we were looking at 2-3 years of bad basketball even if we had John Wooden in his prime coaching the team. Nothing has changed so don't lose sight of the long term.

 

[jerry]

Fitz and Cousins have shot the worst on the team. Also, Fitz is only 43% from the line. Osby has to stay out of foul trouble to. Osby, M'Baye, Pledger, Hornbeak,Hield, Grooms and Clark should get majority of minutes with Cousins next. Fitz to me has gone way backwards.

 

[garyeb2]

2nd biggest coaching mistake is player minutes...

When you suck you need to keep your best players on the floor as much as possible... I dont understand why Hornbeak, Hield, Mbaye, Osby, Pledger, and Grooms arent pushing 30+ minutes per game.

The way Kruger shuffles and platoons players in and out it is like he thinks that there isn't much difference between the "best" players and the others.
Have you considered the possibility that he may just be right?

 

[thebigabd]

From what I've seen, Cousins has way more upside than Grooms. The program will be better by playing Cousins, IMO.

If he started Grooms, Fitz, Clark, Pledger and Ro, which is what some people want, this team was at best an NIT team and then next year we have a whole new team with little playing experience. By playing the young talent, maybe this team could still be an NIT team but next year would be much further along.

We knew when Capel got the boot we were looking at 2-3 years of bad basketball even if we had John Wooden in his prime coaching the team. Nothing has changed so don't lose sight of the long term.

The only upside ive seen in Cousins is that he is tall. Look at the stats and you will see nothing but really bad play. Look at the games I showed. Nobody with stats like that should be starting for a Big 12 team.

 

[thebigabd]

The way Kruger shuffles and platoons players in and out it is like he thinks that there isn't much difference between the "best" players and the others.
Have you considered the possibility that he may just be right?

Sure, I considered it... and dismissed it as folly.

 

[thebigabd]

Sure, I considered it... and dismissed it as folly.

The starting point guard from last year is still on the team.. he led the big 12 in a couple of assist categories.. Was a solid player. Averaged 7 assists per game in conference play.

The new guy gets 0 points a game and isnt ready to play.

Seems simple to me.

 

[garyeb2]

Sure, I considered it... and dismissed it as folly.

Oops, that is where you made your misake.

 

[campbest]

2nd biggest coaching mistake is player minutes...

When you suck you need to keep your best players on the floor as much as possible... I dont understand why Hornbeak, Hield, Mbaye, Osby, Pledger, and Grooms arent pushing 30+ minutes per game.

M'Baye can't stay out of foul trouble.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

i hope that all this weird substition patterns and starting player decisions is just genious by LK but i'm starting to have my doubts

 

[sheepdog]

Cousins might be starting but Grooms usually gets more playing time.

 

[AdaSooner]

Kruger did not make a mistake in starting Cousins. The experience will prove to be invaluable going forward.

If he made a mistake, it was in staying the course when Isiah's poor shooting proved to be no better than Sam Grooms. The main difference in the two right now is that Couisins is a better defender. As proof, Isiah has 10 steals and a block this season, Sam has none.

Is the edge on defense worth the risk you take in staying with an inexperienced point guard who does not always make good decisions? I have no answer for that question. There is plenty of evidence to show that Grooms can be a liability on offense, and he has not done much to prove he is any better this year than he was last season.

Obviously, the point guard position continues to be a problem for OU. It seems that we can't get a break in finding the right player to run our offense. I couldn't help but wish that we had a player like SFA's Hal Bateman, as I watched him dismantle our defense with clever ball handling, 13points, 9 assists and 0 turnovers. Hopefully, Woodard will change all of that a year from now.

 

[bgrch1350]

The starting point guard from last year is still on the team.. he led the big 12 in a couple of assist categories.. Was a solid player. Averaged 7 assists per game in conference play.

The new guy gets 0 points a game and isnt ready to play.

Seems simple to me.

Agree! Krugers mistake is that he thinks that his recruits are good enough to play 24 mpg and their not.

 

[Seymore Cox]

Cousins just isn't very good in my opinion. Even if you have upside you atleast show it somewhere. I don't know where signs of his upside have been shown, besides coaches' hype and spin.

 

[thebigabd]

Cousins just isn't very good in my opinion. Even if you have upside you atleast show it somewhere. I don't know where signs of his upside have been shown, besides coaches' hype and spin.

Agree 100%... like I said, the only upside he has shown is being tall for a point guard. Other than that, i have seen pretty much nothing.

 

[thebigabd]

Oops, that is where you made your misake.

SFA: 1 point, 0 assists, 2 turnovers
A&M: 0 points, 1 assists, 1 steal
Arkansas: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
NWSU: 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers
ORU: 0 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
WVU: 0 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

Gary,

Sorry, but Grooms is better than that. He showed that last year. Grooms should be playing 30+ minutes a game.

 

[AdaSooner]

Agree 100%... like I said, the only upside he has shown is being tall for a point guard. Other than that, i have seen pretty much nothing.

Grooms is averaging exactly 2.2 mpg less than Cousins. What has he done to prove he is a better option?

 

[SoonerBounce13]

Grooms is averaging exactly 2.2 mpg less than Cousins. What has he done to prove he is a better option?

Seems to me the offense runs better with grooms out there

 

[garyeb2]

SFA: 1 point, 0 assists, 2 turnovers
A&M: 0 points, 1 assists, 1 steal
Arkansas: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
NWSU: 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers
ORU: 0 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
WVU: 0 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

Gary,

Sorry, but Grooms is better than that. He showed that last year. Grooms should be playing 30+ minutes a game.

Firstly, I'm not for sure that Grooms and Cousins are playing the same position much any more. Kruger moved Hornbeak to the point and Cousins to the #2 last week. All I know is that Kruger said that he was going forward with that plan. If it makes you feel better, run a Hornbeak/Grooms stat comparison.

Secondly, Osby is a pretty good player. It would be nice to have a guy like him around all the time. But, the rest of last years bunch aren't any good. Fitz, Pledger, Cam, and Grooms have had their turn. They didn't accomplish anything. They are all probably causing more problems with team chemistry than they are worth. Kruger has moved on past last years bunch as far as he can at this point.

I'm with Kruger. An uneven start is a small price to pay to have the chance to be better than last year. I'm surprised there isn't a movement by some of you to get Carl back for the 2nd semester.