Observations

[DFWHoopster]

Since I know you all really care what I think :ez-roll:

Good

Outside shooting- Pledger, TMG, Davis, Crocker and Warren all have quick releases. You all may be one of the best outside shooting teams in the country. And when you are hitting, you can blow some good teams out of the gym.

Fitzgerald- mentioned by many other posters. He is impressive for a freshman. Strong post moves. Able to draw fouls. I'm going to go on record and say he will have a better freshman year than Gallon.

Pledger- great composure for a freshman. Solid on the ball defense and quick, good decisions on offense.

Cade Davis- he looked really solid in every area- defensively; ability to make quick decisions; court awareness.

Gallon showed some offensive ability. If the first game is any indication, he won't be shooting many 3's which is good for OU because he is more valuable on the post with his size.

Penetration of Warren- able to get to the rim whenever he wants to and he finishes through lots of contact. This ability reminds me of Dwayne Wade.

Ugly

Interior defense- Gallon played very poor defense. That is going to have to improve in a hurry or he will be spending long stretches on the bench due to foul trouble or just being a liability defensively.

Rebounding- way too many offensive rebounds for an undersized and undermanned opponent. Fitzgerald seem to do a good job securing rebounds. Statistically Gallon had a lot of rebounds, but a few times he didn't box out and allowed his man to have easy put backs. Wright surprisingly had a few balls knocked out of his hands. He needs to play with more strength like his physique would indicate.

Explosiveness/ability to penetrate- Warren is the only guy that seems to provide elite athleticism. Obviously the players aren't in mid-season form and it is hard to judge from an exhibition game... But I think the athleticism is a potential issue- TMG and Gallon do lots of good things on the court but athletically I don't think you can put them in the category of some of the great freshmen the conference has seen- Durant, Griffin, Warren, Brackins, Tyshawn Taylor, Beasley, Walker.

Every team on OU's schedule is obviously going to game-plan to stop or limit Warren. If he is patient and unselfish, you should get lots of open jumpers from teams doubling/trapping him. If the jumpers are falling, you will be tough to beat. But rebounding, defense, inside play and cold shooting could be your achilles heal.

I'll stick by my prediction that you all will finish anywhere from 3-9 this year in conference.

 

[pnkranger]

LOL...I predict we'll finish anywhere between 6 and 253 in the final NCAA standings.

 

[Soonerspiff]

I'll stick by my prediction that you all will finish anywhere from 3-9 this year in conference.

I wouldn't want you to go out on a limb or anything...


So you're saying we could either be really good or really terrible? Brilliant!

 

[DFWHoopster]

I wouldn't want you to go out on a limb or anything...

So you're saying we could either be really good or really terrible? Brilliant!

I'm not saying that at all. The #9 team in the big 12 is probably a good team. NIT bound but a good team.

I just think there are three classes of teams:

Tier 1: KU, UT
Tier 2: OU, KSU, Mizzou, Iowa St, Baylor, OSU, A&M
Tier 3: Tech, Col, Neb

 

[coacht]

I'm not saying that at all. The #9 team in the big 12 is probably a good team. NIT bound but a good team.

I just think there are three classes of teams:

Tier 1: KU, UT
Tier 2: OU, KSU, Mizzou, Iowa St, Baylor, OSU, A&M
Tier 3: Tech, Col, Neb

No Baylor in tier 1?

 

[MNsooner]

No Baylor in tier 1?

Good point don't they have Tim Duncan, now?

 

[BoulderSooner]

you don't have a clue tmg is an elite level athlete ....

and he will average more ppg that t taylor did for kansas last season mark that down ..

 

[DFWHoopster]

you don't have a clue tmg is an elite level athlete ....

and he will average more ppg that t taylor did for kansas last season mark that down ..

I've seen TMG play a bunch of times in high school/AAU. He's a very good player. He's tough. He has a quick release. But I would never put him in the category of an elite athlete. That is looking through some serious OU kool-aid glasses. I don't think he has the ability to blow by people and get to the rim at will like a Downey at South Carolina. I would put him slightly behind a DJ Augustine in terms of athleticism. Above average? Yes. Elite? No.

 

[Sam]

But I think the athleticism is a potential issue- TMG and Gallon do lots of good things on the court but athletically I don't think you can put them in the category of some of the great freshmen the conference has seen- Durant, Griffin, Warren, Brackins, Tyshawn Taylor, Beasley, Walker.

They might not be elite athletes but it's not like they're horrible ones. I mean these kids are more than athletic enough to be successful at a high d-1 level. I really don't see it as a big issue as I don't think they're many team (maybe a team like last years Louisville) that can just out athletic us. Maybe I just don't understand where you are going with this angle. We're not a freak athletic team so it won't be a strentgh but I don't see it as a weakness either, guess.

 

[FaithfulSooner]

nm

 

[elmocarp]

DFW,

I'm normally an apologist for the posters who are fans of other teams, but this point about athleticism is a little misguided (I'm guessing it comes from the type of "athlete" that plays for Baylor).

This team doesn't have a lot of explosive athletes, or "long" athletes. That is an accurate and fair point. But they do have a lot of unique athletic ability that will give them advantages. Willie isn't a long or explosive player, but he is very quick with the ball and strong as a bull, which enables him to get his shot off the dribble anywhere from the arc to the rim. TMG isn't waterbug-quick, but he is plenty quick and is gonna be physically stronger than any other point guard in the conference other than Collins, and he's just a freshman. Again, that strength will enable him to get his shot off the dribble very effectively. And to say Tiny isn't a great athlete is just ignorant. He is very light on his feet at 290 and has remarkable hands and feet for any big man, but especially a guy who's 6'9", 290. Hate to use a football comparison, but some of the best athletes in the NFL are linemen, but they aren't going to win any races or high jump contests.

Regardless of how you choose to define athleticism, these guys are athletic in a way that will give OU an advantage over other teams, so I don't see how athleticism can be considered a weakness.

 

[BigTime]

Thanks for your thoughts, DFW. I really enjoyed seeing other fans give an honest recap about our club. I am looking foward to more of this hoop talk with you without the Baylor slobbering. I agree with much of what you said. Keep in mind though, its hard to really establish too many definites after an exhibition game (good and bad).

 

[tomkar98]

DFW,

I'm normally an apologist for the posters who are fans of other teams, but this point about athleticism is a little misguided (I'm guessing it comes from the type of "athlete" that plays for Baylor).

This team doesn't have a lot of explosive athletes, or "long" athletes. That is an accurate and fair point. But they do have a lot of unique athletic ability that will give them advantages. Willie isn't a long or explosive player, but he is very quick with the ball and strong as a bull, which enables him to get his shot off the dribble anywhere from the arc to the rim. TMG isn't waterbug-quick, but he is plenty quick and is gonna be physically stronger than any other point guard in the conference other than Collins, and he's just a freshman. Again, that strength will enable him to get his shot off the dribble very effectively. And to say Tiny isn't a great athlete is just ignorant. He is very light on his feet at 290 and has remarkable hands and feet for any big man, but especially a guy who's 6'9", 290. Hate to use a football comparison, but some of the best athletes in the NFL are linemen, but they aren't going to win any races or high jump contests.

Regardless of how you choose to define athleticism, these guys are athletic in a way that will give OU an advantage over other teams, so I don't see how athleticism can be considered a weakness.

Wow... what you said! I'm not sure I could ever say it better than you did, just now.

 

[MNsooner]

Every team on OU's schedule is obviously going to game-plan to stop or limit Warren. If he is patient and unselfish, you should get lots of open jumpers from teams doubling/trapping him. If the jumpers are falling, you will be tough to beat. But rebounding, defense, inside play and cold shooting could be your achilles heal.

This is probably fairly accurate. We will have to shot well to win games. Luckily, I think we have a pretty darn good group of guards who can all shot the ball. If our bigs develop we could be really good by the time conference play starts.

 

[DFWHoopster]

DFW,

I'm normally an apologist for the posters who are fans of other teams, but this point about athleticism is a little misguided (I'm guessing it comes from the type of "athlete" that plays for Baylor).

This team doesn't have a lot of explosive athletes, or "long" athletes. That is an accurate and fair point. But they do have a lot of unique athletic ability that will give them advantages. Willie isn't a long or explosive player, but he is very quick with the ball and strong as a bull, which enables him to get his shot off the dribble anywhere from the arc to the rim. TMG isn't waterbug-quick, but he is plenty quick and is gonna be physically stronger than any other point guard in the conference other than Collins, and he's just a freshman. Again, that strength will enable him to get his shot off the dribble very effectively. And to say Tiny isn't a great athlete is just ignorant. He is very light on his feet at 290 and has remarkable hands and feet for any big man, but especially a guy who's 6'9", 290. Hate to use a football comparison, but some of the best athletes in the NFL are linemen, but they aren't going to win any races or high jump contests.

Regardless of how you choose to define athleticism, these guys are athletic in a way that will give OU an advantage over other teams, so I don't see how athleticism can be considered a weakness.

TMElmo- I don't think Baylor has any elite "basketball" athletes on their roster. They have some very good athletes that can do a lot of good things- Udoh, Acy, Jefferson, Jones, Dunn, Dennis- But those guys aren't in the category of a Willie Warren. OU is in the same boat. My point about Tiny and TMG is that they aren't John Wall, Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Willie Warren, etc.. athletic.

Yes Tiny has amazing agility for someone 6'9" 290 lbs. But to be brutally honest what I saw last night was a bigger version of Baylor's Kevin Rogers (Kevin jumped better; Tiny is stronger/bigger). Demeanor, effort and skills looked a lot alike to me. Of course it is way too early to determine Gallon's future, but if I were to bet today I would say Gallon is a 3-4 year player at OU and never makes a 1st team all big 12.

As far as TMG... you can add Tweety Carter, Donald Sloan, JT Tiller, Balbay/Brown, Clemente to your PG list of Sherron Collins of guards that TMG will not be overpowering as a true freshman with his physical strength. His jump shot is impressive. He plays under control as others have said. But I have never seen evidence in high school or last night that he will get to the rim at will against big 12 competition like Warren can or an Eaton/Jerrells.

 

[seniorsooner]

Yawn.

 

[SoonerNorm]

TMElmo- I don't think Baylor has any elite "basketball" athletes on their roster. They have some very good athletes that can do a lot of good things- Udoh, Acy, Jefferson, Jones, Dunn, Dennis- But those guys aren't in the category of a Willie Warren. OU is in the same boat. My point about Tiny and TMG is that they aren't John Wall, Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Willie Warren, etc.. athletic.

Yes Tiny has amazing agility for someone 6'9" 290 lbs. But to be brutally honest what I saw last night was a bigger version of Baylor's Kevin Rogers (Kevin jumped better; Tiny is stronger/bigger). Demeanor, effort and skills looked a lot alike to me. Of course it is way too early to determine Gallon's future, but if I were to bet today I would say Gallon is a 3-4 year player at OU and never makes a 1st team all big 12.

As far as TMG... you can add Tweety Carter, Donald Sloan, JT Tiller, Balbay/Brown, Clemente to your PG list of Sherron Collins of guards that TMG will not be overpowering as a true freshman with his physical strength. His jump shot is impressive. He plays under control as others have said. But I have never seen evidence in high school or last night that he will get to the rim at will against big 12 competition like Warren can or an Eaton/Jerrells.

To me, TMG and Tiny looked like basketball players, nothing more and nothing less. For freshmen, they were plenty impressive in their first game. Personally, I don't care if TMG ever gets to the rim if he can hit 3 pointers at the rate of 67% like he did last night.

 

[SilliSooner]

DFW,

I'm normally an apologist for the posters who are fans of other teams, but this point about athleticism is a little misguided (I'm guessing it comes from the type of "athlete" that plays for Baylor).

This team doesn't have a lot of explosive athletes, or "long" athletes. That is an accurate and fair point. But they do have a lot of unique athletic ability that will give them advantages. Willie isn't a long or explosive player, but he is very quick with the ball and strong as a bull, which enables him to get his shot off the dribble anywhere from the arc to the rim. TMG isn't waterbug-quick, but he is plenty quick and is gonna be physically stronger than any other point guard in the conference other than Collins, and he's just a freshman. Again, that strength will enable him to get his shot off the dribble very effectively. And to say Tiny isn't a great athlete is just ignorant. He is very light on his feet at 290 and has remarkable hands and feet for any big man, but especially a guy who's 6'9", 290. Hate to use a football comparison, but some of the best athletes in the NFL are linemen, but they aren't going to win any races or high jump contests.

Regardless of how you choose to define athleticism, these guys are athletic in a way that will give OU an advantage over other teams, so I don't see how athleticism can be considered a weakness.

I question that remark. This year's Willie seems 10-15 pounds lighter and Dwayne Wade comparison flys out the window. He got a lot of trips to the free throw line but he got knocked to the floor or got knocked off balance way too many times. Last year's Willie, when he got bumped on a drive, stayed vertical... and finished, many times above the rim. I didn't see that in last night's game.

Your comments on TMG and Tiny were spot on. I'd give TMG even more credit. He can do anything he wants on the court. He can penetrate with more control and strength that Q. If our guys could handle the ball his assists numbers would be astronomical.

 

[campbest]

Since I know you all really care what I think :ez-roll:

Good

Outside shooting- Pledger, TMG, Davis, Crocker and Warren all have quick releases. You all may be one of the best outside shooting teams in the country. And when you are hitting, you can blow some good teams out of the gym.

Fitzgerald- mentioned by many other posters. He is impressive for a freshman. Strong post moves. Able to draw fouls. I'm going to go on record and say he will have a better freshman year than Gallon.

Pledger- great composure for a freshman. Solid on the ball defense and quick, good decisions on offense.

Cade Davis- he looked really solid in every area- defensively; ability to make quick decisions; court awareness.

Gallon showed some offensive ability. If the first game is any indication, he won't be shooting many 3's which is good for OU because he is more valuable on the post with his size.

Penetration of Warren- able to get to the rim whenever he wants to and he finishes through lots of contact. This ability reminds me of Dwayne Wade.

Ugly

Interior defense- Gallon played very poor defense. That is going to have to improve in a hurry or he will be spending long stretches on the bench due to foul trouble or just being a liability defensively.

Rebounding- way too many offensive rebounds for an undersized and undermanned opponent. Fitzgerald seem to do a good job securing rebounds. Statistically Gallon had a lot of rebounds, but a few times he didn't box out and allowed his man to have easy put backs. Wright surprisingly had a few balls knocked out of his hands. He needs to play with more strength like his physique would indicate.

Explosiveness/ability to penetrate- Warren is the only guy that seems to provide elite athleticism. Obviously the players aren't in mid-season form and it is hard to judge from an exhibition game... But I think the athleticism is a potential issue- TMG and Gallon do lots of good things on the court but athletically I don't think you can put them in the category of some of the great freshmen the conference has seen- Durant, Griffin, Warren, Brackins, Tyshawn Taylor, Beasley, Walker.

Every team on OU's schedule is obviously going to game-plan to stop or limit Warren. If he is patient and unselfish, you should get lots of open jumpers from teams doubling/trapping him. If the jumpers are falling, you will be tough to beat. But rebounding, defense, inside play and cold shooting could be your achilles heal.

I'll stick by my prediction that you all will finish anywhere from 3-9 this year in conference.

Really can't argue with any of this...besides Willie, who can put it on the deck on a consistent basis and attack the rim? We're going to be a jump-shooting team this year, what a difference a year makes.

 

[w0lfe]

Fitzgerald- mentioned by many other posters. He is impressive for a freshman. Strong post moves. Able to draw fouls. I'm going to go on record and say he will have a better freshman year than Gallon.

No way.. His offensive moves are okay, but i like fitz ability to go up strong with the ball. His defense really lacks. He has the ability to let most defenders to go around him and he has a bad tendency to reach and not try to step in front of the defender. This was the case for a lot of our players last night (reaching) . The team is young and is very streaky, which you would expect. Our guards are the strong point no doubt, but when we play a team that has a known big man, like Cole from Kansas or Dexter from Texas, we could get in foul trouble down low or just flat get killed in the rebounding. Our offensive talent will give us the ability to really do some damage, especially if they get hot with the outside shooting. This team is young, and could really develop into a very good team. Just a few things they need to work on, which you would expect with the youth. Overall, im very excited for this team. Willy has the ability to penetrate the lane nearly every time, TMG as well. One of the worries that i do have is if we arent hitting the outside shot, we could possibly lose some games we shouldnt.