Maddie

[SoonerNorm]

There has been a lot said about Maddie over the last few weeks. I have said that I like her potential from what little we've seen of her. But, that is the question...have we seen enough to really know how good she can be? Against teams like Baylor or West Virginia, will she be able to get to the rim? Can she shoot from distance? Can she defend at a high level? Will she attack the basket for rebounds? We have only seen her play against two good teams...UCLA where she played 6 minutes without scoring and against Arkansas where she had a nice game playing 32 minutes and scored 10 points.

Nothing would make me happier than if she leads the team in scoring and assists this year but, I think it is still a bit early to crown her the next Stacy Dales.

 

[sybarite]

Of course, it's too early. But, the first issue is whether she has the athletic ability. What we saw in her HS videos indicated that she had some unique abilities.

Last year, she really didn't look all that special during the Australian trip or during the first three games in which she was a reserve. When promoted to a starting role, she didn't do it every play. But, she gave little five second glimpses of what can be. She had Sherri's son out of his chair with some of her moves.

At one key time when the score was tied late, she simply stole the ball and scored---twice. She was quick enough to do it, and she was almost DRob quick in driving once she got the ball. We also saw her drive the entire length of the floor before the other team got set up twice in a row, being called once for a charge.

We saw her outleap everyone around her by over six inches for a rebound. She is, after all, 6-1, and she is too tall for a guard to defend, too quick for a forward. We saw her take the ball inside and jump a foot over the defender to get off her shot, a clear shot inside since nobody jumps that high that would be guarding her.

We only saw one outside shot, which she made. But, her outside shot may not yet be great. I think she was not quite a forty percent three point shooter in HS. But, there were little glimpses that demonstrated that she has the ability to do what nobody at OU has ever done. None of it manifested itself until she started. She is still learning what is possible. She left Sherri's son speechless with what she could do.

If she learns to do it regularly...

 

[rocjunkie]

Strictly my opinion, but in answer to your questions, yes, yes, not too worried about long distance shooting, because we have plenty of 3 point shooters, I will be happy if she gets to the rim and can be solid from 17' on in, probably and last, don't be surprised if she is our second leading rebounder. What little we have seen from her so far, she knows how to follow her shot, and when a shot goes up she goes to the ball for rebounds. I think she will become every thing we want her to be.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Of course, it's too early. But, the first issue is whether she has the athletic ability. What we saw in her HS videos indicated that she had some unique abilities.

Last year, she really didn't look all that special during the Australian trip or during the first three games in which she was a reserve. When promoted to a starting role, she didn't do it every play. But, she gave little five second glimpses of what can be. She had Sherri's son out of his chair with some of her moves.

At one key time when the score was tied late, she simply stole the ball and scored---twice. She was quick enough to do it, and she was almost DRob quick in driving once she got the ball. We also saw her drive the entire length of the floor before the other team got set up twice in a row, being called once for a charge.

We saw her outleap everyone around her by over six inches for a rebound. She is, after all, 6-1, and she is too tall for a guard to defend, too quick for a forward. We saw her take the ball inside and jump a foot over the defender to get off her shot, a clear shot inside since nobody jumps that high that would be guarding her.

We only saw one outside shot, which she made. But, her outside shot may not yet be great. I think she was not quite a forty percent three point shooter in HS. But, there were little glimpses that demonstrated that she has the ability to do what nobody at OU has ever done. None of it manifested itself until she started. She is still learning what is possible. She left Sherri's son speechless with what she could do.

If she learns to do it regularly...

I didn't see that kind of quickness but I hope you're right.

 

[sybarite]

I can't remember the girl from Tulsa who was supposedly a superstar point guard who AFan4Hand said Maddie drove on relentlessly. But, it was obvious that she was quicker than a McDonald's type guard.

If someone 5-6 drives the lane, we notice their quickness. Maddie is 6-1 or 6-2. She drives the lane in a single bounce. She drives the length of the floor in a much smoother flow. She doesn't look as fast, but she is faster.

Maddie has raw ability far beyond anyone else that we have had at that position.

 

[MsProudSooner]

Maddie doesn't have to be quicker than DRob. Maddie just has to be quicker than the people guarding her.

 

[Mutron76]

The only thing that worries me about Maddie is her recovery. If healthy, the little I have seen of her has convinced me. I have zero worry about any facet of her game. It is an eye test more than anything else that has some of us jumping out of our seats. She just has it.