Manek

[Leroy]

He kills us when he tries to play post defense, block out an aggressive offensive rebounder and is a bad passer. Good shooter when his feet are set. He is soft and that is not going to change.

 

[WichitaSooner]

We're the same era, so here goes:

1. Minor was a three. No comparison.
2. Eduardo every day.
3. Hump, but barely.
4. Which year of Ace? 2001, Manek. 2002, Ace by a gargantuan margin.
5. Bookout - Kelvin's Spangler
6. Jabahri if it's a weed smoking contest. Otherwise, Manek.
7. Selvy? Manek for sure.
8. I would've named my daughter Ernie had my wife allowed. The Big A for sure.
9. Renzi? Hands of Stone? Now you're reaching. No contest, Manek.
10. Johnnie Gilbert? Manek, and it's not close.

Seems a pretty fair assessment. I don't think Renzi himself would choose Renzi in that debate. And I'd add that many of the guys cited only played as juniors and seniors. And as others have noted, it seems a bit unfair to bash Manek for some of his weaknesses, which would not be nearly as big a deal if he didn't have to play out of position. For example, while Selvy occasionally had to defend a true post if Ace or Brown was resting or in foul trouble, he didn't have to do it for entire games like Manek is this year.

Also, were you at least able to convince your wife to nickname your daughter Skeeter?

 

[oudna]

I offered actual facts in my reply, not just feelings and opinions.

I said Manek statistically isn’t any better than last year. Those are actual facts.

 

[WTSooner]

We're the same era, so here goes:

1. Minor was a three. No comparison.
2. Eduardo every day.
3. Hump, but barely.
4. Which year of Ace? 2001, Manek. 2002, Ace by a gargantuan margin.
5. Bookout - Kelvin's Spangler
6. Jabahri if it's a weed smoking contest. Otherwise, Manek.
7. Selvy? Manek for sure.
8. I would've named my daughter Ernie had my wife allowed. The Big A for sure.
9. Renzi? Hands of Stone? Now you're reaching. No contest, Manek.
10. Johnnie Gilbert? Manek, and it's not close.

You are only looking at this from a scoring perspective. Or even moreso, shooting. Defense. Rebounding. Toughness. Leadership. Hustle. Consistency. Those things all matter too. I know it gets tough to quantify and compare some of those things, but it has to be done. I don't really care that Manek is a better three point shooter. I care about the overall player.

 

[WTSooner]

I said Manek statistically isn’t any better than last year. Those are actual facts.

Yep. More minutes and more shots, but a lower shooting percentage from 2 and 3, and more than twice as many turnovers per game.

 

[BoulderSooner]

Yeah, the idea that Manek sucks is ridiculous. He is the third best player on a team that is going to make the tournament, and he's just a sophomore. He needs to mature, but he is a good player.

second maybe best

 

[skyvue]

I said Manek statistically isn’t any better than last year. Those are actual facts.

Here are some actual actual facts for you:

Got Better (total of six categories)
Points per game, FTs per game, FT percentage, rebounds, steals, assists

Stayed the Same (four categories)
FGs per game, 3pt FGs per game, turnovers, blocks

Got Worse (two categories)
FG% (47% in 2018, 46% in 2019), 3pt FG% (38%/35%)

And it shouldn't be overlooked that he was asked to play a very different role this season than last. He was brought in as a stretch four but was asked to be a more traditional four this season.

 

[Sooner04]

You are only looking at this from a scoring perspective. Or even moreso, shooting. Defense. Rebounding. Toughness. Leadership. Hustle. Consistency. Those things all matter too. I know it gets tough to quantify and compare some of those things, but it has to be done. I don't really care that Manek is a better three point shooter. I care about the overall player.

I'll stand by my assessments. I'll assume you won't look to Ryan Humphrey for leadership! A malcontent who pouted after our first win in Stillwater since 1993 because he failed to score.

I'll take Jabahri if we're playing Kansas, not the guy who got booted from the team prior to Senior Day for copious amounts of cannabis consumption. And you got no consistency from Selvy either.

 

[NY Soonerfan]

I don't care if Manek gets mad, cusses, and slaps his hands together when he misses a shot or thinks a foul should have been called, but I do get upset when he doesn't hustle back on defense while he is doing those things. I think it is fair to say that he needs to do a better job of using his anger in a positive way -- some guys can do that, others can't.

This would be my biggest criticism too. We see it too many times a game from him. My next would be that there are usually 3-5 possessions a game where he's shooting a 3 or long jumper, no matter what happens. You just know when he's getting the ball, whether he's covered or not, he's shooting. Period. I think sometimes the first criticism can play directly into the second one.

Brady will be a four-year starter for this team, and he will deserve it. He'll leave Norman as one of the more consistent four-year big men we will have had in recent memory. None of that means he can't be criticized and/or get better at things that aren't measure statistically. And what some of us are criticizing isn't too much to ask for. It's as much about growing up (on the court) as anything. It's not about practicing harder, working harder, or any of that, it's about simply playing smarter and with more focus.

One other thing I'll toss in...I see there are some who are asking/hoping he puts on 20 pounds of muscle to develop more into a asset down low. I'm not so sure this would be a good thing, b/c there's no guarantee adding 20 pounds of muscle would mean keeping his decent outside range. I think it took him some time this year to smooth things out a bit, after adding some size from last year, adding even more of it could be at a detriment to his outside game.

 

[thebigabd]

Brady is good.

 

[CoachTalk]

Here are some actual actual facts for you:

Got Better (total of six categories)
Points per game, FTs per game, FT percentage, rebounds, steals, assists

Stayed the Same (four categories)
FGs per game, 3pt FGs per game, turnovers, blocks

Got Worse (two categories)
FG% (47% in 2018, 46% in 2019), 3pt FG% (38%/35%)

And it shouldn't be overlooked that he was asked to play a very different role this season than last. He was brought in as a stretch four but was asked to be a more traditional four this season.

Thanks

 

[skyvue]

Go take a midol.

By the way, your approach to insults needs some work. You seem to think I'd be insulted by being compared to a woman. Midol? Princess? Please join us in the 21st century.

The women I know and love are among the strongest people I know and the one poster on this board that I know is a woman (there may be others) is one of the posters I most respect.

 

[sheepdogs1]

By the way, your approach to insults needs some work. You seem to think I'd be insulted by being compared to a woman. Midol? Princess? Please join us in the 21st century.

The women I know and love are among the strongest people I know and the one poster on this board that I know is a woman (there may be others) is one of the posters I most respect.

Women generally like being compared to men? He wasn't comparing you to any woman or do you believe he was comparing you to the woman you most want to be compared to? Most people would say that was not the case, obviously.

 

[stormspencer]

This would be my biggest criticism too. We see it too many times a game from him. My next would be that there are usually 3-5 possessions a game where he's shooting a 3 or long jumper, no matter what happens. You just know when he's getting the ball, whether he's covered or not, he's shooting. Period. I think sometimes the first criticism can play directly into the second one.

Brady will be a four-year starter for this team, and he will deserve it. He'll leave Norman as one of the more consistent four-year big men we will have had in recent memory. None of that means he can't be criticized and/or get better at things that aren't measure statistically. And what some of us are criticizing isn't too much to ask for. It's as much about growing up (on the court) as anything. It's not about practicing harder, working harder, or any of that, it's about simply playing smarter and with more focus.

Well said.

 

[coolm]

I thought his game has progressed rather well. He seems a little emotionally frail at times ... but he's still a kid. Their minds aren't mature til 26-28 or so. Still all about emotion and hormones right now.

 

[oudna]

Here are some actual actual facts for you:

Got Better (total of six categories)
Points per game, FTs per game, FT percentage, rebounds, steals, assists

Stayed the Same (four categories)
FGs per game, 3pt FGs per game, turnovers, blocks

Got Worse (two categories)
FG% (47% in 2018, 46% in 2019), 3pt FG% (38%/35%)

And it shouldn't be overlooked that he was asked to play a very different role this season than last. He was brought in as a stretch four but was asked to be a more traditional four this season.

Turnovers “stayed the same”? They actually doubled.

He was virtually the same player in the Per 100 stats. Little better rebounder, a little worse with the ball.

Hope he takes a leap in year 3.

 

[oudna]

Yeah, the idea that Manek sucks is ridiculous.

Not only ridiculous but completely made-up.

 

[steverocks35]

I have mixed feelings about Manek. Is he a good Big 12 player and a definite 4 year starter for our team? Yes. Would he be better if he hustled more, fought more for rebounds, dove for loose balls, and pouted less? Absolutely.

He definitely does not suck, and he can certainly work on those weaknesses, they have nothing to do with talent.

 

[sheepdogs1]

I thought his game has progressed rather well. He seems a little emotionally frail at times ... but he's still a kid. Their minds aren't mature til 26-28 or so. Still all about emotion and hormones right now.

Chances are he is being compared to other players on the team, who are basically the same age, as well as having the same team goals.

 

[vbdad]

I personally think Brady has been a better overall player this year. I'm not doing the research but I think he had a much bigger non conference scoring average last year. He was really stroking the ball early that season and of course TY was getting him a bunch of wide open looks.

Brady clearly needs to continue to gain strength. On our team he has to play against physical guys. He wears down from the constant pushing. Sky is correct in that he was sick and lost a bunch of weight. He played through very high temperatures and his stats were bad those two weeks. He lost weight and stamina which has continued to affect him.

He is a good jumper but he isn't a gifted athlete. He is slow.

He is a very good shooter who is to hard on himself but he will hit open shots. He isn't a big creator but I think this will be better if we get more threats around him next year. We didn't have guys who can create their own shot. Doo did it at the end of the year.

He works very hard and is a great kid. He will be more improved next year. I truly believe as he continues to add muscle he will be a very good player maybe even all conference as a senior.

I would vote him the second best player behind Doo. CJ had better numbers but I'm betting they were similar in conference play.