Newell

[SoonerBounce13]

I love his hustle and heart but man I hope blair stays out of foul trouble. He shouldn't be handling the ball I think i would rather see pledge run the point with newell at the 2.

This place just didn't seem right without a negative post. its dead here

 

[MsProudSooner]

I love his hustle and heart but man I hope blair stays out of foul trouble. He shouldn't be handling the ball I think i would rather see pledge run the point with newell at the 2.

This place just didn't seem right without a negative post. its dead here

He plays like........a normal freshman. When the game slows down for him. he'll be very good. Right now, what his mind wants to do isn't in synch with what his arms and legs want to do.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

what his mind wants to do isn't in synch with what his arms and legs want to do.

thats a good way to put it. thats exactly what it looks like

 

[AdaSooner]

He plays like........a normal freshman. When the game slows down for him. he'll be very good. Right now, what his mind wants to do isn't in synch with what his arms and legs want to do.

Well said!

A friend I used to play hoops with had a saying he used when he threw up a wild shot or dribbled out of control: He would say, "My heart was making dates my body couldn't keep!"

When you think about it, it fits your description of Newell perfectly.

 

[lk2183]

It's gotta be tough for Newell. You can see his mind is racing when he is out there and that he's more comfortable playing off the ball. I think he has a lot of promise, more so as SG with spot minutes at PG. It will just take some time until the game slows down for him. It appears to me that he really wants to contribute to the team, but until now, his biggest contribution has been scoring which is much tougher for him at this point. I just hope he is able to fight through the wall and doesn't jump ship due to the adversity.

 

[Sooner23]

It's gotta be tough for Newell. You can see his mind is racing when he is out there and that he's more comfortable playing off the ball. I think he has a lot of promise, more so as SG with spot minutes at PG. It will just take some time until the game slows down for him. It appears to me that he really wants to contribute to the team, but until now, his biggest contribution has been scoring which is much tougher for him at this point. I just hope he is able to fight through the wall and doesn't jump ship due to the adversity.

Yeah, I watched him tonight when he was on the bench. He was extremely frustrated. Looking down, staring into the crowd across the end of the court he was sitting on while the action was on the other end.

He is really struggling. Got several pep talks from the assistants at different stages of the game. And it wasn't the tongue-lashing type pep talk. It was the coaches putting their arms around him type deal. Kid is a competitor and you can really tell he's frustrated and starting to get really down on himself. Really feel bad for him, especially knowing he's still dealing with the loss of his mother this summer.

Romero Osby was also encouraging him a lot. Don't know how good Osby will be on the floor next year, but he seems like a great teammate on the bench doing stuff like that, motioning for the crowd to make noise etc.

 

[SoonerDan74012]

Yeah, I watched him tonight when he was on the bench. He was extremely frustrated. Looking down, staring into the crowd across the end of the court he was sitting on while the action was on the other end.

He is really struggling. Got several pep talks from the assistants at different stages of the game. And it wasn't the tongue-lashing type pep talk. It was the coaches putting their arms around him type deal. Kid is a competitor and you can really tell he's frustrated and starting to get really down on himself. Really feel bad for him, especially knowing he's still dealing with the loss of his mother this summer.

Romero Osby was also encouraging him a lot. Don't know how good Osby will be on the floor next year, but he seems like a great teammate on the bench doing stuff like that, motioning for the crowd to make noise etc.

Calvin lost his mom???? I didn't know that.

 

[Sooner23]

Calvin lost his mom???? I didn't know that.

Yes. Right before he was supposed to come to Norman this summer I believe...

Q: Has the passing of your mother affected your desire to succeed on the court?

A: "She was really all I had. So I just want to work hard and make her proud. I want to succeed for myself and for the people in my hometown cheering for me, but her passing has motivated me to work hard and it brought a new character out of me. I've just got to put everything aside and just play."

 

[SoonerDan74012]

Yes. Right before he was supposed to come to Norman this summer I believe...

 

[okcsooner83]

I would be frustrated too if I was Newell because he deserves more playing time. When OU is getting blown out, he still doesn't get much playing time.

 

[lk2183]

Whether or not he deserves more playing time or not could be debated, but he definitely NEEDS more playing time if for no other reason than to help him acclimate to the game and become a bit more comfortable. Don't get me wrong here, Blair has been the steadier force and is our best option at the 1 right now, but until Newell can develop some confidence we will have a hard time in situations where Blair has off the court.

Both players make some mind boggling mistakes, but the difference is that Blair generally does it with less reckless abandon. Because of this, Blair's leash is a bit longer than Newell's. Tonight you could see how frustrated Capel got when Newell would take off on a break without really thinking what he was going to do other than go fast. That would certainly frustrate me if I was a coach, but I would be equally upset by some of the lazy, non-chalant things Blair does. This team needs both players to continue to grow to have success down the line.

In my opinion, Newell has the higher celing of the two. With time he could develop into a scoring guard who is able to spend time at the point for different looks and to spell whoever the starting PG is. Hopefully he is able to harness some of the nerves, get himself under control and use some of his speed to his advantage. But, until he gets a little more time and confidence, he will have a hard time fulfilling his potential.

 

[Boomer]

I thought the same thing last night. He tries to force things and is out of control at times. I feel much better with Blair running the point.