New Guys

[DenverSooner]

Are four of OU's top five players the new guys? If so what does that mean? Does it mean OU is going to be pretty good because they are a deep team or does it mean OU was simply brutally bad with no talent?


Notwithstanding that comment, I particularly want to praise Andrew Fitzgerald for his rebounding last night. He only played 16 minutes and had 8 rebounds and 5 points. Those are great numbers and I suspect Andrew is going to play a lot more minutes once the real season starts. It is good to see Casey Arent get an opportunity but those minutes will clearly belong to Andrew come conference play if he continues to produce like he did last night. (His shot wasn't falling, he could have easily had 7 (40%) or 9 (60%) (versus the 20% he shot form the field) points with a normal shooting night in his 16 minutes). Fitzgerald should possibly be starting over Osby based on what I saw last night.

 

[luckyc1423]

Are four of OU's top five players the new guys? If so what does that mean? Does it mean OU is going to be pretty good because they are a deep team or does it mean OU was simply brutally bad with no talent?

Notwithstanding that comment, I particularly want to praise Andrew Fitzgerald for his rebounding last night. He only played 16 minutes and had 8 rebounds and 5 points. Those are great numbers and I suspect Andrew is going to play a lot more minutes once the real season starts. It is good to see Casey Arent get an opportunity but those minutes will clearly belong to Andrew come conference play if he continues to produce like he did last night. (His shot wasn't falling, he could have easily had 7 (40%) or 9 (60%) (versus the 20% he shot form the field) points with a normal shooting night in his 16 minutes). Fitzgerald should possibly be starting over Osby based on what I saw last night.

We were pretty lacking in the talent department. It shows in our wins and losses the last few seasons.

However, thats not to say the new guys arent that good. It seems the new guys are legit.

Kruger is fully aware, if you keep bringing the same product to the floor that has loosing seasons we will keep getting loosing seasons.

So he is doing a good job getting the new guys involved early and often. If we plan to win they are the key.

 

[25mob]

I liked what I saw from the second unit yesterday from Tyler, Fitz and Cam. I know Fitz and Cam didn't shoot it well but they hit the boards, I thought Cam played really good defense,Tyler played really well and with some confidence and aggressiveness.

 

[luckyc1423]

We were pretty lacking in the talent department. It shows in our wins and losses the last few seasons.

However, thats not to say the new guys arent that good. It seems the new guys are legit.

Kruger is fully aware, if you keep bringing the same product to the floor that has loosing seasons we will keep getting loosing seasons.

So he is doing a good job getting the new guys involved early and often. If we plan to win they are the key.

Brutal bad is probably a wrong thing to say. But I would say our talent was low when compared to big 12 teams that make the tournament.

 

[garyeb2]

Are four of OU's top five players the new guys? If so what does that mean? Does it mean OU is going to be pretty good because they are a deep team or does it mean OU was simply brutally bad with no talent?


Notwithstanding that comment, I particularly want to praise Andrew Fitzgerald for his rebounding last night. He only played 16 minutes and had 8 rebounds and 5 points. Those are great numbers and I suspect Andrew is going to play a lot more minutes once the real season starts. It is good to see Casey Arent get an opportunity but those minutes will clearly belong to Andrew come conference play if he continues to produce like he did last night. (His shot wasn't falling, he could have easily had 7 (40%) or 9 (60%) (versus the 20% he shot form the field) points with a normal shooting night in his 16 minutes). Fitzgerald should possibly be starting over Osby based on what I saw last night.

1. Yes
2. It means that Kruger has done a good job of upgrading the talent in only one year.
3. No, they won't be brutally bad because of no talent. For the most part, and with limited exception, last years starters would be valuable off the bench role players on a good team. If that is what they end up being this year, that is a good sign. The bad news is, starting two or three freshmen creates it's own set of problems.

 

[AdaSooner]

1. Yes
2. It means that Kruger has done a good job of upgrading the talent in only one year.
3. No, they won't be brutally bad because of no talent. For the most part, and with limited exception, last years starters would be valuable off the bench role players on a good team. If that is what they end up being this year, that is a good sign. The bad news is, starting two or three freshmen creates it's own set of problems.

^
This

I'm going to create a stir when I say that our three freshmen guards are better right now than any backcourt player on our roster, and that includes Steven Pledger. Doesn't mean that won't change if the veterans decide to assert themselves, but that's my take after watching last night's game in person.

You have to be in a position to see the entire floor to appreciate how hard Hornbeak, Hield and Cousins play on both ends of the court. They are aggressive, in-your-face ball hawks on defense with good hands and quick feet. It's easy to see why two of them are in the starting lineup, and the third (Hield) may be if he continues to stand out as the best scorer on the team. I like the spark he brings to our offense off of the bench. But he may be too good to keep him there.

Cousins is our starting point guard. Period. It's nice to have a PG like Grooms who does a good job of taking care of the ball as our back up. But that's where he'll stay as long as Cousins' efficiency at running the offense continues. Isiah didn't shoot well or provide a lot of offense in last night's game, but neither did Sam. Cousins did a good job of distributing the ball. He had 4 assists and an important 0 turnovers. He's also one heck of a defender. The difference is that one CAN score and the other has yet to prove that he can make shots.

 

[BoulderSooner]

Cousins played the point 100% better than ex #1 (part of that has to be the drop in talent he was playing against) he was much more under control ..

all he has to do is get close to under control and be almost as good as grooms at running the O ... because his shooting and athleticism are already much better ..

after last night i give him a much better shot of being the starting PG all year long

 

[cfin5256]

^
This

I'm going to create a stir when I say that our three freshmen guards are better right now than any backcourt player on our roster, and that includes Steven Pledger. Doesn't mean that won't change if the veterans decide to assert themselves, but that's my take after watching last night's game in person.

You have to be in a position to see the entire floor to appreciate how hard Hornbeak, Hield and Cousins play on both ends of the court. They are aggressive, in-your-face ball hawks on defense with good hands and quick feet. It's easy to see why two of them are in the starting lineup, and the third (Hield) may be if he continues to stand out as the best scorer on the team. I like the spark he brings to our offense off of the bench. But he may be too good to keep him there.

Cousins is our starting point guard. Period. It's nice to have a PG like Grooms who does a good job of taking care of the ball as our back up. But that's where he'll stay as long as Cousins' efficiency at running the offense continues. Isiah didn't shoot well or provide a lot of offense in last night's game, but neither did Sam. Cousins did a good job of distributing the ball. He had 4 assists and an important 0 turnovers. He's also one heck of a defender. The difference is that one CAN score and the other has yet to prove that he can make shots.

When he hit those 3's against Washburn, I knew that was our PG. I like Grooms, but his lack of scoring ability lets the D play 5 on 4 against us for the most part. Just the threat of scoring for our PG can make things easier for our main scorers. I am so excited about the young guys. The biggest thing that impresses me about Hield is that he hasn't limited himself to BTA; he's not afraid to drive and score or draw the foul.

 

[BoulderSooner]

When he hit those 3's against Washburn, I knew that was our PG. I like Grooms, but his lack of scoring ability lets the D play 5 on 4 against us for the most part. Just the threat of scoring for our PG can make things easier for our main scorers. I am so excited about the young guys. The biggest thing that impresses me about Hield is that he hasn't limited himself to BTA; he's not afraid to drive and score or draw the foul.

cousins shooting will have little to do with him winning the PG job

 

[cfin5256]

cousins shooting will have little to do with him winning the PG job

Might have phrased it wrong; I know that he won't get the job because of scoring obviously. Mainly just an observation that a scoring threat from the PG position has been something this team needed IMO.

 

[AdaSooner]

cousins shooting will have little to do with him winning the PG job

True, but the fact that he can shoot and score in a variety of ways will help.

I agree, though, Cousins brings a lot more to the position than an ability to score. Chief among them is his defense. He is a terrific on-the-ball defender. He has quick hands and he moves his feet so well, I doubt if he'll get beat more than a time or two this season by any point guard OU faces.

 

[25mob]

^
This

I'm going to create a stir when I say that our three freshmen guards are better right now than any backcourt player on our roster, and that includes Steven Pledger. Doesn't mean that won't change if the veterans decide to assert themselves, but that's my take after watching last night's game in person.

You have to be in a position to see the entire floor to appreciate how hard Hornbeak, Hield and Cousins play on both ends of the court. They are aggressive, in-your-face ball hawks on defense with good hands and quick feet. It's easy to see why two of them are in the starting lineup, and the third (Hield) may be if he continues to stand out as the best scorer on the team. I like the spark he brings to our offense off of the bench. But he may be too good to keep him there.

Cousins is our starting point guard. Period. It's nice to have a PG like Grooms who does a good job of taking care of the ball as our back up. But that's where he'll stay as long as Cousins' efficiency at running the offense continues. Isiah didn't shoot well or provide a lot of offense in last night's game, but neither did Sam. Cousins did a good job of distributing the ball. He had 4 assists and an important 0 turnovers. He's also one heck of a defender. The difference is that one CAN score and the other has yet to prove that he can make shots.

Ada,

I think by now everyone can see that the three young guards are better overall players than what OU brought back this year. I don't think it is a knock on Sam, Steven or Cam either and I truly believe that all three will have key roles on this team for this team is successful.

 

[AdaSooner]

Ada,

I think by now everyone can see that the three young guards are better overall players than what OU brought back this year. I don't think it is a knock on Sam, Steven or Cam either and I truly believe that all three will have key roles on this team for this team is successful.

No doubt about it, 25mob.

This also proves that, despite the criticism Kruger has received from a few posters on this board, he knows what he's doing when it comes to recruiting. When all four newcomers are arguably better than the returning players on your roster, that's a testament to the coaching staff's ability to evaluate talent.

As you said, that's not a knock on any of the veterans on this team, it's a fact.

 

[garyeb2]

True, but the fact that he can shoot and score in a variety of ways will help.

I agree, though, Cousins brings a lot more to the position than an ability to score. Chief among them is his defense. He is a terrific on-the-ball defender. He has quick hands and he moves his feet so well, I doubt if he'll get beat more than a time or two this season by any point guard OU faces.

Ada, here is the thing that got me on Cousins early. I like Grooms and all the good things he brings to the position. Last season there wasn't but 2/3 point guards in the Big 12 that could impede his progress bringing the ball up. He was virtually a one man press buster.

But, from the the very start, Cousins could get to him sometimes in the open court. Not everytime, but somtimes. And that was a pretty good trick for a freshman.

 

[AdaSooner]

Ada, here is the thing that got me on Cousins early. I like Grooms and all the good things he brings to the position. Last season there wasn't but 2/3 point guards in the Big 12 that could impede his progress bringing the ball up. He was virtually a one man press buster.

But, from the the very start, Cousins could get to him sometimes in the open court. Not everytime, but somtimes. And that was a pretty good trick for a freshman.

Gary, after watching last night's game where I could see the entire floor, I have no doubt that you're right.

Fans are going to be very impressed by what Cousins brings to the point this year. I like Grooms, too, and I'm glad he's still around as a solid back up with experience who will be a big help to a youngster like Isiah. But, Cousins brings so much more to the position than Grooms is capable of doing.

 

[cowboysooner]

Actually, our "5" new players are our best 5 players. Spangler is one of our 5 best players, and I know that probably most wouldn't agree with this opinion, but if eligible, I think he would start ahead of osby (it would be close). Bennett is a good prospect as well. I'm real pleased with the Kruger recruits to this point.

 

[vbdad]

All three of the freshman guards are very good players. They are also all gym rats and love to play the game. This is a quality that was rarely found in recent times at OU.

 

[hoopsaustin]

Pretty telling that our frosh guards are already better as freshman then our sr guards as seniors

 

[TheGimper]

Actually, our "5" new players are our best 5 players. Spangler is one of our 5 best players, and I know that probably most wouldn't agree with this opinion, but if eligible, I think he would start ahead of osby (it would be close).