McNeace, Buford growing in redshirt year

Good read.

There are certainly benefits from redshirting, adding to the long term strength and maturity of the OU basketball roster. With all the "newcomers" being added to the team next season, I would not be surprised to see someone else on the following list redshirt next season.

Freshmen - Redshirting (2)
> Dante Buford … 6-7, 208, F … Arlington County Day School, Florida
> Jamuni McNeace … 6-10, 196, C … Allen, Texas

Walk-on Freshman Redshirting (1)
> Bola Alade … Freshman, 6-4, 184, SG … Murphy, TX (John Paul II HS)

2015 Recruiting Class (3)
> Akolda Manyang … 7-0, 235, C … Indian Hills CC
> Rashard Odomes … 6-6, 195, SG … Copperas Cove, TX
> Christian James … 6-4, 205, SG … Bellaire, TX
 
While redshirting Buford wasn't part of the original plan, it's good to be in a position where we can use a RS to give a player more time to develop their game and get stronger, free of the pressure of being tossed into the fray before they're ready. That is not a luxury we have had too often the past few years.

I'm not sure what will happen next year? I have a feeling that with Manyang's size and the ultra-athleticism and skills Odomes and James will bring to the court, they'll be too valuable to let them watch the games from the bench. One thing is certain, we'll have more depth next season than at any time in my recent memory. Trav's list of redshirts and the newbies coming in reminded me of an almost forgotten player who I think has the potential to be a factor in our rotation in the not too distant future: Bola Alade. If you watch his highlight video, you'll see that he is a tremendous athlete with skills we don't usually see in a walk-on.

Bola is #11:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3XC6m7gfGA
 
Redshirting is way underutilized in CBB. Kids who transfer are forced to redshirt, and it usually works out extremely well for them. If you're not a future NBA player, spending a year getting physically ready will help on the front end, and you get an extra free year of school on the back end. And you'll probably be able to contribute much more. If you're ready to leave after 4, there's no reason you can't, but having that 5th year as an option is a big deal.
 
WTSooner said:
While I agree, I hope nobody really thinks he'll play any more than Cole or Mankin have.
Click to expand...

That may be true, due to our depth. But I would pick him over Cole and Mankin in a pick up game and never think twice about it. He's an exceptional athlete for a walk on. And, I don't rule out the possibility that he'll play a role in more than mop up duty before he's through. It wouldn't be the first time a walk on has made that kind of leap.
 
jaymOU said:
Could he be the next David Godbold?
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Could be. They were both recruited walk-ons. David was bigger at around 6' 5" 220. Judging by what I have seen of Alade on video, I think he might be a little quicker and more athletic than Godbold.

Bola didn't play much as a junior in high school due to an injury. That may have been why he was not heavily recruited. Soonerscoop wrote a nice article about him when he committed to OU that will give you some insight into why he wanted to be a Sooner.

https://oklahoma.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1616424

It's hard not to pull for a kid who wanted to be a Sooner, even if he had to walk on to the team. He's also a great student, which will help our team GPA. He had a 3.86 GPA in high school.
 
Bola doesn't have near the basketball skills Godbold had.
 
BoulderSooner said:
godbold was on scholarship from his frosh year on
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Yes, but he arrived at OU as a walk on. There were a number of threads criticizing the move to use a ship on him back then. That wasn't the case when he was a junior and senior.
 
Pretty sure Godbold received a scholarship from OU before he ever enrolled in school. Not your typical walk-on at all. He was only going to walk-on, if I remember right, b/c there wasn't a scholarship available that first year. But the NCAA changed some rule, and his scholarship opened up.
 
WTSooner said:
Pretty sure Godbold received a scholarship from OU before he ever enrolled in school. Not your typical walk-on at all. He was only going to walk-on, if I remember right, b/c there wasn't a scholarship available that first year. But the NCAA changed some rule, and his scholarship opened up.
Click to expand...


WT, I don't remember there being a rule change of any sort. If I remember correctly, he wasn't in their original plans and they hoped he would walk-on. A scholarship was open and Sampson decided to pull the trigger on David. From what I remember, he was boarding a plane for a recruiting trip and Sampson called prior to him taking off.


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campbest said:
Bola doesn't have near the basketball skills Godbold had.
Click to expand...


I don't think this is true. Godbold was a reach as a scholarship player and he developed into a wonderful role player. Bola, IMO, is a better athlete but just not as skilled as David was. I would argue Bola's ceiling might be a bit higher than David's. If David was to come through Douglas nowadays, he wouldn't get an offer from this coaching staff.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
KBaden145 said:
WT, I don't remember there being a rule change of any sort. If I remember correctly, he wasn't in their original plans and they hoped he would walk-on. A scholarship was open and Sampson decided to pull the trigger on David. From what I remember, he was boarding a plane for a recruiting trip and Sampson called prior to him taking off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I don't make this stuff up.....

http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=208395476
 
WTSooner said:
Pretty sure Godbold received a scholarship from OU before he ever enrolled in school. Not your typical walk-on at all. He was only going to walk-on, if I remember right, b/c there wasn't a scholarship available that first year. But the NCAA changed some rule, and his scholarship opened up.
Click to expand...

You are correct. David agreed to walk on initially, but Sampson used a scholarship on him. That set off a firestorm of protects on the Insider board. I'm sure you recall the number of posts back then questioning the wisdom of giving a valuable scholarship to a borderline recruit who would have walked on to the team anyway. That's what I remember the most.

I defended Kelvin's decision, and I'm betting you did too. DG was a solid role player and sometimes starter, so I don't recall anyone questioning the decision by about midway through his sophomore season.
 
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