Nancy Mulkey

[SoonerinNC]

The big question is how good is she. She only made honorable mention all-american. She has not filled the stat sheet this year as expected.

I saw a couple of her games on the net last year and thought she was a real talent but I may have been looking through crimson colored glasses.

The question is whether she is for real or just a taller version of Nicole Griffin.

It is hard to judge. I haven't seen any of her games this year. I have seen a number of Choctaw games and the state quarterfinal game with Westmore and Midwest City. I can't believe the use of their obvious stars Ana Llanusa and Jessie Murray.

They both get their points but I see little if any effort to get them open for shots. Same with Dungee at Sapulpa. It is basically what they can get one on one.

When I coached at Star-Spencer I had a player who could hit a 15 foot jumper as often as most players could hit a layup. You can believe that we ran offenses to get him as many 15 foot jumpers as possible. It was not an equal opportunity offense. Other players were allowed to shoot but only if they were open for shots that they could hit. If they couldn't hit 2 of 3 20 foot jumpers in practice with no defense it was frowned on if they launched one in a game. The key to shooting is always shooting the shots you can hit in good rythm. They need to know where they can score from and look to be open in those spots and be ready to shoot when they get the ball.

So the question is whether Nancy is a legitimate hope for a strong inside game at OU or just someone who gets what she gets by being much taller than the players around her and sadly not as much taller than the players she will face in Div I.

 

[bluesooner17]

I believe this is a question everyone has. I watched last years Championship game which she was in foul trouble most of the game, but really didn't play with her back to the basket. Have seen a couple of games this year and except for the foul trouble pretty much the same didn't play with her back to the basket, but more of a high post with Reese doing the damage underneath. I don't know if their coach knows she can not play with her back to the basket or what, but that is the way she was played. Can't say I have seen any quotes from her coach (which to me is VERY strange) how good she is suppose to be, but found the following:

ESPN Player Evaluation:

UIL Texas State Tourney-March 2015: Continues to develop and evolve into an elite center with superior size, length, shot blocking skills; equipped with soft touch and interior footwork with consistent finishing skills on the block; physical development is the key to impact on the collegiate level. (Olson)

USA Trials-May 2014: Agile low-post prospect with superb shot-blocking skills, timing, presence; mobility in uptempo; zone defender in the key, alters shots; emerging offensive game utilizes either hand to finish in traffic; among the elite true centers in the 2016 class. (Olson)

Nike Nationals-July 2013: Emerging low-post presence impacts on defensive end; shot blocker, alters shots; soft touch in key, rebounds and putbacks; mobile in transition with superior size. (Olson)

Notes

1st-team TABC 6A All-State in 2015.

Prospect Nation.com

Given Mulkey’'s elite size and upside, her decision to pick Oklahoma as her school of choice gives her the potential to be one of the next great post players to play under coach Sherri Coale and her staff. With her size and the rapid rate in which she has developed as a prep prospect, Coale and her staff have the potential to build both offensive and defensive philosophies centered around having an elite big to roam the paint for four years in Norman.

Without a doubt Mulkey’'s size and length is a major asset. She has proven to be a game changer on the defensive side of the floor as she can both block and challenge shots in the paint. In addition to her length, for a player her size, Mulkey has good mobility which allows her to be capable of both running the floor and moving to rotating to help on the defensive side of the ball. The physical aspect of the game is where she will need to develop in college. Currently Mulkey has a very thin frame and at times can be knocked off balance by contact. As she gets stronger and learns to use her body more effectively she could ultimately be an impactful rebounder because of her size and length.

For Oklahoma, landing Mulkey, the No. 9 ranked player in the ELITE 60 for the class of 2016 and the No. 3 ranked post player in the country, provides a major addition to their roster. At the time of her decision, Mulkey projects to be the highest rated high school prospect on Oklahoma's 2016-2017 roster. With two FIBA gold medals under her belt with USA Basketball national teams, Mulkey could prove to be as valuable off the floor as she could be on the floor. As far as recruiting goes, Mulley's decision will give the Big 12 school an abundance of momentum as the Sooners look to continue to add to their 2016 recruiting class.

Cypress Creek Mirror


Cy Woods junior post Nancy Mulkey thought she had a clear picture of her top schools in September.

Then, an unexpected twist. Oklahoma swooped in and stole the prized recruit.

Mulkey verbally committed to Oklahoma on Wednesday, giving the Sooners a huge recruiting win. The 6-foot-9 Mulkey is ranked as the No. 2 center in the country by ESPNW and the junior is No. 21 overall in the 2016 class.

Oklahoma wasn't included when she announced her top 15 in September and the junior wasn't even interested at that point. The Sooners made an appearance in her top 10 earlier this month, though. Once the team made contact and invited her on an unofficial visit last weekend, Mulkey said it was a wrap.

"I was like 'OK, well I didn't give you guys a chance so I'll come up and visit,'" she said. "I went on my first visit there this past weekend. My visit there, I couldn't even describe in words how amazing it was. It was just one of those feelings where I knew I wanted to be there and nowhere else."

In her top 10 aside from Oklahoma is an all-star list of great women's college basketball programs: Baylor, UConn, Duke, Georgia, TCU, North Carolina, Louisville, Notre Dame and USC.

Mulkey said Oklahoma head coach Sherri Coale's reputation with bigs drew her to the program as well.

"Knowing that the coach there worked with other great posts before me made me feel comfortable about going there," she said. "She made good post players great post players."

Mulkey helped spark a run of success for Cy Woods girls' basketball. The Wildcats got to the regional final last season and expect to be competitive again this year.

Mulkey has FIBA gold medals, too. She was an alternate on the 2013 USA Basketball Women's U16 National Team and a member on the U17 team last summer.

There's the fact she's 6-foot-9, too. Along with the height and length advantage, Mulkey is tabbed as a top notch defender in the paint. One area that continuously needs improvement for the junior is her offensive game and being more physical down low.

It's one thing Mulkey said she's worked on as the season approaches.

"Just initiating the contact and finishing," she said. "I don't like contact and I always stayed away from it, so this year I'm really focusing on that. Because I know in the Big 12, I'm going to get hammered."

 

[SoonerNorm]

I think Nancy will be a good player if she spends a great deal of time in the weight room and becomes a lot stronger and more aggressive. She has suggested she may want to redshirt. That is music to my ears.

 

[sybarite]

http://www.premierbasketballreport.com/news/mcdonalds-texas-invitational

Nancy Mulkey showcased her ever-improving skills. On multiple occasions, Mulkey handled the ball up the court and pulled up at the free throw line for a jumper. At 6’9”, Mulkey’s combination of skill and size is impossible to stop at the high school level. Her outstanding touch from the high post is beautiful to watch. Mulkey is also a terrific passer from the high post. She does a terrific job of clogging up the lane on the defensive end and finishing with the defensive rebound.

From Blue Star Media

Like Johnson, we’ve watched 6-9 Nancy Mulkey from way back and have enjoyed seeing the tremendous strides and progress in her game. Bound for Oklahoma and Coach Sherri Coale, Mulkey, from Cypress Woods, has absolutely come into her own over the past two years and improvements at the same pace will have her destined for special things. Because she’s never been considered anything but a low post player, she’s been able to focus and hone the building blocks and skill set that are going to allow her to find out just how far she can take her game. The confidence she plays with now allows her to look for and create her own shots rather than just take the ones that come her way. The jump hook is indefensible and with consistency will be a signature weapon. She shoots with comfort on the perimeter but is judicious in her shot selection. Thursday she appeared to be dealing with back issues and was limited but still offered up some strong moments including some sharp passing from the high post. The defensive end speaks for itself and should showcase her ability to make an impact.

 

[sybarite]

We won't be sure until we see what she does in the Big Twelve. The negativity put forward by some is in contrast to some of the scouts who are writing about her. I saw Nancy in the State Tournament last year against SA Wagner and Dallas Skyline. In both games, it appeared that one official intended to get her off the floor, very ticky-tac fouls in the midst of some rough play.

But, I was not impressed by the Cypress Woods coach. The guards controlled everything, and they had a tendency to shoot from three-point range as opposed to getting the ball down low. When they did feed the post, the lobs were intercepted. They fed it at about face level rather than high to take advantage of her height. The PF for Cypress was active on the offensive boards, about the only way an interior player could get the ball. I think I saw Nancy score on a few offensive boards and a ball from the free throw line when she brought it up court herself. I don't remember her being fed for a shot.

She was extremely disruptive to the other team. I have said several times (disputed by one) that both Wagner and Skyline out-scored Cypress Woods when Nancy was on the bench. She was disruptive enough that Cypress outscored both when she was on the court. It was more than blocked shots. It was intimidation, just as you see it in college when someone goes up against someone 6-6 or greater.

If you are OU, a really good 6-4 player probably won't get you to the Final Four. You need to hit a home run with your better prospects. Some scouts have expressed the idea that Nancy is that home run and question those who think otherwise. At 6-9, there is an opportunity to change the game in more ways than just by scoring. If she were to play for John Wooden, she might never score in double figures. But, she would clog the lane on defense. He loved a shot blocker, and she can be that.

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

I think Nancy will be a good player if she spends a great deal of time in the weight room and becomes a lot stronger and more aggressive. She has suggested she may want to redshirt. That is music to my ears.

Norm,

I am puzzled how you think we will be very good next year without using Nancy. We got very weak play from our guards this year and are losing our best post player. It is reasonable to hope Vivi will play even better next year but she is almost certain to be available for only about 20 minutes per game.

It seems to me we need both Nancy and Chelsea to play (in addition to Rich after mid season) - and be really good - to improve from this year, which has been a disappointment for most of us. I just don't understand being excited about Nancy not playing next year.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Norm,

I am puzzled how you think we will be very good next year without using Nancy. We got very weak play from our guards this year and are losing our best post player. It is reasonable to hope Vivi will play even better next year but she is almost certain to be available for only about 20 minutes per game.

It seems to me we need both Nancy and Chelsea to play (in addition to Rich after mid season) - and be really good - to improve from this year, which has been a disappointment for most of us. I just don't understand being excited about Nancy not playing next year.

I don't think Nancy will contribute much if she plays as a freshman. I believe she will have a chance to be much better if she uses a redshirt year to 1) learn the system 2) practice against D-1 players 3) gets a lot stronger and 4) learns to be tough and aggressive.

Every time I've seen her play she plays a finesse game. That's not what we need. We need a dominating center. On the offensive end, she must go after rebounds like her life depends on it. She doesn't do that in high school so there is a small chance she will do so in college. With her height she should score a lot on offensive put backs. Again, she didn't do so in high school as she allowed a 6'2" Reese to do the dirty work while she avoided getting her hands dirty. People talk about how well she shoots out to 15 feet as well as from the line. The problem is, you can add up all of those 15 footers, interior shots, 3 pointers, and free throws and she still only averaged 11 ppg. That's against much less talent than she will see every game in college.

On the defensive end, we need a rebounder where she doesn't set the world on fire while going against smaller and less athletic players than she will face in college. She doesn't block a lot of shots and I think D-1 players will figure out pretty quick how to score without going directly at her so I'm not convinced her shot blocking/altering ability will win us a lot of games. Our coaches should be able to help her develop considerably as a rebounder as well as an effective defender.

When you watch her play, you see someone that has a great deal of potential. That potential is green and under-developed. I would just hate to see her waste a year and I think that is what will happen if she plays when she isn't physically and mentally ready.

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

You may be right about her lacking any useable skills to help us (although I strongly disagree), but I hate to completely sacrifice next year.

I do not understand how you can write all that without finding anything - even a marginal skill - that she brings to the game. She absolutely was not one of the worst players in the entire country.

I suspect we would be about the only team and coaching staff who decide to not even try to use the top rated player (and very highly rated at that) we recruited. Nor do I expect BU to redshirt Cox by the way.

Even if somehow we decide to redshirt her, I would expect us to at least play her in a few early games to test her readiness.

 

[sybarite]

The usual claim is that I see only the good in OU recruits. Let's make a clear statement, if Nancy Mulkey had signed with Baylor or Texas, some on this board would be crying that Sherri needs to recruit a program-changer like that for OU.

 

[NMSooner'80]

The usual claim is that I see only the good in OU recruits. Let's make a clear statement, if Nancy Mulkey had signed with Baylor or Texas, some on this board would be crying that Sherri needs to recruit a program-changer like that for OU.

:woot :woot

I think some of them are disappointed she didn't sign with Baylor or UT, because that'd give them a reason to "pounce."

 

[mikeareese]

We will know early. I am sure she will get time in non conference. If she can just alter shots and block lay-ups. I think thats worth more than her scoring. Actually, I think OU will be better next year. Just image VPL going against 6-9 in practice everyday. She should get better. Dungee and Rich will push the other players to get better.

 

[Stringmusic]

I hope she plays. Learn a little, play a little, learn a little , get better. I think she improves better, faster playing than practicing and watching.

 

[got mulk??]

At her height alone she will alter so many shots in the lane which is almost even to a block. OU will have to adjust and learn how to feed the ball to her where only she can get it. That is what we had a difficult time doing the first 2 years of the BG era. She will also have to work on getting good position for a rebound to not cause an over the back. I expect her to have a huge learning curve the first year and with a strong attitude to be able to handle the pressure of being a "big" in the conference she can only continue to improve.

 

[skilledserv]

If she changes her mind frame she will be tough......but as someone stated earlier she didn't have that mind frame in high school where the talent is less. It will be a lot of teaching and a lot patience. BG went in college with a tough attitude so it was about showing her a skill set which to me is easier to do. Reason I say that is because I have a saying that I go by.....you can teach everything but height and heart.

 

[betterstill]

I am concerned she will be pushed around by the big fOSU girls, particularly the large one.

If she redshirts she might graduate in three years and go somewhere else for the final two. On the other hand if Sherri is convinced that she will have a rough time against the Big 12 biggies it might be a good idea to take a chance on a redshirt.

 

[sybarite]

We still have people who insist that Courtney Paris would have been a lot better if she had just lost some weight. Let's see: records for rebounds, rebounds in a career, rebounds in a season, double doubles in a season and career, consecutive double doubles in a season and career. But, if she had just lost a few pounds, she might have been pretty good.

I don't remember Courtney missing a lot of minutes due to exhaustion.

Now, we want to redshirt Nancy because she is too thin. We thought the same about Maddie, but she somehow managed to be our number two or three rebounder and shot blocker which isn't bad for a transformed point guard. But, let's redshirt Nancy and put some weight on her.

It just won't be good enough. We need to find out what transforms Teen Wolf into a big hairy monster that can dunk with either hand and dribble through a crowd (the men could use one too), or perhaps what transforms a mild-mannered nerd into the Incredible Hulk. Then, we can disguise the monster with a pair of glasses so nobody will recognize him----oh, wait, that's Kim Mulkey.

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

We still have people who insist that Courtney Paris would have been a lot better if she had just lost some weight. Let's see: records for rebounds, rebounds in a career, rebounds in a season, double doubles in a season and career, consecutive double doubles in a season and career. But, if she had just lost a few pounds, she might have been pretty good.

I don't remember Courtney missing a lot of minutes due to exhaustion.

Now, we want to redshirt Nancy because she is too thin. We thought the same about Maddie, but she somehow managed to be our number two or three rebounder and shot blocker which isn't bad for a transformed point guard. But, let's redshirt Nancy and put some weight on her.

It just won't be good enough. We need to find out what transforms Teen Wolf into a big hairy monster that can dunk with either hand and dribble through a crowd (the men could use one too), or perhaps what transforms a mild-mannered nerd into the Incredible Hulk. Then, we can disguise the monster with a pair of glasses so nobody will recognize him----oh, wait, that's Kim Mulkey.

Now that was good. Best post I have seen in a long, long time.

 

[euphguy]

We still have people who insist that Courtney Paris would have been a lot better if she had just lost some weight. Let's see: records for rebounds, rebounds in a career, rebounds in a season, double doubles in a season and career, consecutive double doubles in a season and career. But, if she had just lost a few pounds, she might have been pretty good.

I don't remember Courtney missing a lot of minutes due to exhaustion.

Now, we want to redshirt Nancy because she is too thin. We thought the same about Maddie, but she somehow managed to be our number two or three rebounder and shot blocker which isn't bad for a transformed point guard. But, let's redshirt Nancy and put some weight on her.

It just won't be good enough. We need to find out what transforms Teen Wolf into a big hairy monster that can dunk with either hand and dribble through a crowd (the men could use one too), or perhaps what transforms a mild-mannered nerd into the Incredible Hulk. Then, we can disguise the monster with a pair of glasses so nobody will recognize him----oh, wait, that's Kim Mulkey.

Exactly. I get so frustrated when I hear that. People are stigmatizing her body more than having a sound argument. There isn't much more should could have done to be productive in college! One person will rarely win a TEAM a championship.

Generally, I don't agree with redshirting. I definitely don't feel Nancy should.

 

[j2d2]

If this team improves for next year as much as they should have before this last year, Nancy will have opportunities to play without pressure. We all anticipated vast improvement of a young team going into this year. Didnt happen. In fact, to me they regressed-they were better last year than this year. Maybe next year.........

 

[rocjunkie]

How about this, let Nancy come in this summer, go through work outs with her team mates. Work on her individual skills, and then we can all evaluate her at the Red/White scrimmage and see for ourselves if she can handle Big XII competition. Vivi will work her out just fine this summer to see how tough she is. I have seen her play and I am very encouraged. For pity sakes, she hasn't even hit the OU campus yet and speculation just abounds.

Same goes for Dungee and Rich.