Official Practice Starts Today

[sooner333]

Open practice. 10am Saturday. Enter thru south side

Anyone go?

 

[Abe]

Anyone go?

Was out of town. Hope they have another.

 

[stevent11]

I took my son. We really enjoyed it. Fears is gonna be really good.
Really liked Jadon Jones. Can really shoot it. Duke Miles didn’t practice much, he’s got a hurt hand.
Jacolb Cole had a really good practice. Looks like he’s really improved during his redshirt year.

Jalon Moore is the guy though. Best player, best leader. He’s gonna have a monster season.

 

[TEvans4Three]

I took my son. We really enjoyed it. Fears is gonna be really good.
Really liked Jadon Jones. Can really shoot it. Duke Miles didn’t practice much, he’s got a hurt hand.
Jacolb Cole had a really good practice. Looks like he’s really improved during his redshirt year.

Jalon Moore is the guy though. Best player, best leader. He’s gonna have a monster season.

Love this, thanks for going and bringing your son! I am sure that was a pretty cool experience. I can't wait to take my kid to some games when he is older.

Seems to be tracking with reports.

 

[cowboysooner]

Coash, thanks for the head's up on the open practice. But, I missed your post and didn't make the practice. My bust. I would really appreciate your giving us a head's up on future open practices. This board is about the only place I get info on the team.

Also, I appreciate the practice observations of those that went to the practice. From the little film I have seen on the new kids, I think Fears might be a game changer. I also think Wague will be better than most think. The team is so new, or in some cases like Cole, players we haven't seen play at this level, it will likely be a few games in before we can really assess the team.

 

[stevent11]

Love this, thanks for going and bringing your son! I am sure that was a pretty cool experience. I can't wait to take my kid to some games when he is older.

Seems to be tracking with reports.

We had a blast. He has a Jalon Moore jersey that he got signed after practice. Jalon, the coaches and the rest of the team couldn’t have been nicer to him. Was a special day for me and my son.

 

[Stikboy]

We had a blast. He has a Jalon Moore jersey that he got signed after practice. Jalon, the coaches and the rest of the team couldn’t have been nicer to him. Was a special day for me and my son.

Thanks for the report. I've been away from the board for awhile, Moser has put me to sleep. Do you think Fears is good enough to bring any excitement back to LNC. Gamechanger? Give me something!

 

[stevent11]

I think he starts. Very smooth, he had a couple of turnovers that Moser wasn’t too happy about, but he can really shoot it for a bigger point guard

If I had to guess who starts from what I watched, I’d say

Fears
Goodine
Jones
Moore
Godwin

 

[bearcreekfan]

Thanks for the report. I've been away from the board for awhile, Moser has put me to sleep. Do you think Fears is good enough to bring any excitement back to LNC. Gamechanger? Give me something!

Lusk answered with the following in his (free) Hoops mailbag from today:
"--Is Jeremiah Fears gonna be a factor this year??

The short answer? Absolutely. Jeremiah Fears has been stellar in practice so far, to the point where many have regarded him as the best player on the court. He can shoot it from range, and while he’s certainly capable of heating up from deep, what really sets him apart is his ability to impact the game even if he’s having an off night.

Now, some might think it’ll take time for him to fully acclimate, given that he’s just 17 until October 14th. But honestly, put the age aside. Fears has already shown enough for everyone I’ve talked to to pencil him into their starting five. He’s different—different from Javian McCollum, Milos Uzan, Grant Sherfield, Jordan Goldwire, or any guard Oklahoma has had in the Porter Moser era.

So yeah, he’s going to be a big factor. I’d expect him to be the guy the Sooners go to late in the shot clock, much like how McCollum was in key moments last season."

He also had some other good nuggets of info in there, like his projected starting 5:
"--If you had to blindly guess the starting five right now… who ya got?

Jeremiah Fears, Kobe Elvis, Brycen Goodine, Jalon Moore, and Sam Godwin. That seems to be the consensus starting five among the people I’ve talked to. I’d say Fears, Moore, and Godwin are pretty much locked in. Elvis has been one of the best players in practice, so I’m confident he’ll start. As for Goodine, I’d expect him to get the nod as well.

Now, Duke Miles has been mentioned as a potential starter by a few, but if he’s battling with Elvis, I’d lean toward Elvis—especially with Miles currently banged up. That said, I’d still expect Duke to get starter minutes. Jadon Jones has been one of the best five players in practice so far, but I’d expect Moser to bring him off the bench as a spark, playing starter minutes like Miles."

 

[BCSooners]

Lusk answered with the following in his (free) Hoops mailbag from today:
"--Is Jeremiah Fears gonna be a factor this year??

The short answer? Absolutely. Jeremiah Fears has been stellar in practice so far, to the point where many have regarded him as the best player on the court. He can shoot it from range, and while he’s certainly capable of heating up from deep, what really sets him apart is his ability to impact the game even if he’s having an off night.

Now, some might think it’ll take time for him to fully acclimate, given that he’s just 17 until October 14th. But honestly, put the age aside. Fears has already shown enough for everyone I’ve talked to to pencil him into their starting five. He’s different—different from Javian McCollum, Milos Uzan, Grant Sherfield, Jordan Goldwire, or any guard Oklahoma has had in the Porter Moser era.

So yeah, he’s going to be a big factor. I’d expect him to be the guy the Sooners go to late in the shot clock, much like how McCollum was in key moments last season."

He also had some other good nuggets of info in there, like his projected starting 5:
"--If you had to blindly guess the starting five right now… who ya got?

Jeremiah Fears, Kobe Elvis, Brycen Goodine, Jalon Moore, and Sam Godwin. That seems to be the consensus starting five among the people I’ve talked to. I’d say Fears, Moore, and Godwin are pretty much locked in. Elvis has been one of the best players in practice, so I’m confident he’ll start. As for Goodine, I’d expect him to get the nod as well.

Now, Duke Miles has been mentioned as a potential starter by a few, but if he’s battling with Elvis, I’d lean toward Elvis—especially with Miles currently banged up. That said, I’d still expect Duke to get starter minutes. Jadon Jones has been one of the best five players in practice so far, but I’d expect Moser to bring him off the bench as a spark, playing starter minutes like Miles."

I’d be shocked if Jones isn’t better than Goodine.

 

[Stikboy]

Lusk answered with the following in his (free) Hoops mailbag from today:
"--Is Jeremiah Fears gonna be a factor this year??

The short answer? Absolutely. Jeremiah Fears has been stellar in practice so far, to the point where many have regarded him as the best player on the court. He can shoot it from range, and while he’s certainly capable of heating up from deep, what really sets him apart is his ability to impact the game even if he’s having an off night.

Now, some might think it’ll take time for him to fully acclimate, given that he’s just 17 until October 14th. But honestly, put the age aside. Fears has already shown enough for everyone I’ve talked to to pencil him into their starting five. He’s different—different from Javian McCollum, Milos Uzan, Grant Sherfield, Jordan Goldwire, or any guard Oklahoma has had in the Porter Moser era.

So yeah, he’s going to be a big factor. I’d expect him to be the guy the Sooners go to late in the shot clock, much like how McCollum was in key moments last season."

He also had some other good nuggets of info in there, like his projected starting 5:
"--If you had to blindly guess the starting five right now… who ya got?

Jeremiah Fears, Kobe Elvis, Brycen Goodine, Jalon Moore, and Sam Godwin. That seems to be the consensus starting five among the people I’ve talked to. I’d say Fears, Moore, and Godwin are pretty much locked in. Elvis has been one of the best players in practice, so I’m confident he’ll start. As for Goodine, I’d expect him to get the nod as well.

Now, Duke Miles has been mentioned as a potential starter by a few, but if he’s battling with Elvis, I’d lean toward Elvis—especially with Miles currently banged up. That said, I’d still expect Duke to get starter minutes. Jadon Jones has been one of the best five players in practice so far, but I’d expect Moser to bring him off the bench as a spark, playing starter minutes like Miles."

Thanks for that report!

 

[cowboysooner]

Went to practice today. Lots of fun. They basically scrimmaged the entire practice. Outside of sam and jalon it was my first time seeing everyone live. Liked what i saw. I think moser will have trouble picking his starters. You could make a case for 8-9 guys based upon today. Kid i was most surprised by was dayton. He is a lot more than i and most on here have guessed. If my count was correct he his his first 6 threes. Handled the ball well and was good defensively. Don’t know why but i had low expectations for miles, cole, Taylor and goodine. They all looked like good players. Biggest takeaway : I think we will shoot the ball really well this year. Really enjoyed it

 

[dahlly]

Thanks for the updates fellas, had to believe it's almost here.

Late to the party, but wanted to offer a different perspective on the redshirting topic: if you KNOW you are redshirting, your training and practice regiment can look completely different, and not just for the 5th year at a different school, but even for next year on campus.

For a guy specifically like Atak, that needs a body transformation, you can go much harder in the gym and nutrition room all season instead of holding back around gamedays in the off chance we need you for 5-10 minutes. Same thing happens in football, your redshirting players are going much harder in the gym during game weeks, so you aren't wasting 4 months during season when you can be building for next year.

If Atak and coaches are in agreement, there is no reason to think he can't pack on 10+ lbs of muscle onto his frame and be more ready for an impact next year with lots of guys graduating. The sooner he gets to the 210+ range the better.

 

[WichitaSooner]

Thanks for the updates fellas, had to believe it's almost here.

Late to the party, but wanted to offer a different perspective on the redshirting topic: if you KNOW you are redshirting, your training and practice regiment can look completely different, and not just for the 5th year at a different school, but even for next year on campus.

For a guy specifically like Atak, that needs a body transformation, you can go much harder in the gym and nutrition room all season instead of holding back around gamedays in the off chance we need you for 5-10 minutes. Same thing happens in football, your redshirting players are going much harder in the gym during game weeks, so you aren't wasting 4 months during season when you can be building for next year.

If Atak and coaches are in agreement, there is no reason to think he can't pack on 10+ lbs of muscle onto his frame and be more ready for an impact next year with lots of guys graduating. The sooner he gets to the 210+ range the better.

That's a good perspective. I still don't think it's something I would opt to do as a coach -- I guess if I felt like a recruit was almost certain to need a year or more to develop into someone who could play, I would probably look for a portal player who could contribute right away. But you definitely bring up something that I hadn't considered.

 

[dahlly]

That's a good perspective. I still don't think it's something I would opt to do as a coach -- I guess if I felt like a recruit was almost certain to need a year or more to develop into someone who could play, I would probably look for a portal player who could contribute right away. But you definitely bring up something that I hadn't considered.

we did that. We have 8 seniors (6 transfers) and only 4 freshman, including one RS FR and one HS-SR*. You have to continue to space out your roster and develop youth while supplementing from the portal. He was a highly recruited kid for a reason, because of his ceiling, not because of what he would contribute anywhere in year 1. At 6'9 190 lbs, he was going to struggle in any P5 conference.

 

[WichitaSooner]

we did that. We have 8 seniors (6 transfers) and only 4 freshman, including one RS FR and one HS-SR*. You have to continue to space out your roster and develop youth while supplementing from the portal. He was a highly recruited kid for a reason, because of his ceiling, not because of what he would contribute anywhere in year 1. At 6'9 190 lbs, he was going to struggle in any P5 conference.

That's what you'd like to do, but it doesn't work with Moser because no one sticks around. Los and Oweh would have helped space out the roster. Ditto Cooper.

 

[dahlly]

That's what you'd like to do, but it doesn't work with Moser because no one sticks around. Los and Oweh would have helped space out the roster. Ditto Cooper.

ha, that doesn't mean you stop signing freshman.

 

[cowboysooner]

It is virtually impossible to know why a kid is leaving a team anymore. Schools/coaches won't discuss the reasons schools won't pay kids what they think they can get on the open market. Kids don't usually want everyone to think the only reason they are leaving is money. So, Wichita you might be right, or you might not know what you are talking about. What if McCollum, Los and Oweh wanted more money than OU was willing to pay. What can Moser do about that except find other guys -- nothing. Or, maybe they really don't like playing for him. Lots of kids act like they like him, i.e. Soares, Moore, Sam etc. So, I don't know how any of us can know what, if any, blame should be put on Moser.

I really hoped McCollum, Los and, to a lesser degree, Oweh, would stay. Would have been happy to have all of them stay. But, unless more reliable information becomes available, I think the only reasonable approach is to strike it up to the state of the game and money. Of course, if there is more to it, then so be it and perhaps more blame should be laid at Moser's feet.

I don't view myself as having any acumen in assessing basketball talent. I am just a lifelong fan and have never played organized basketball. But, the new portal wings/guards (elvis, miles, goodine, jones and taylor) looked pretty good to me and not much if any different than the kids that left. And again, just a lay opinion, but I really liked how all the freshman looked and the Fears kid looks like a completely different level player to me than what we have had recently. Not that I expect him or anyone else to ever perform like a fully mature player their freshman year.

Notwithstanding the above, I agree with the proposition that for the development of the program using freshman (then supplementing with the portal) necessarily requires our being able to keep kids in the program to develop. That just makes sense. So, was Moser losing Los and Oweh just unique to their situation or suggest a pattern, I think we will have to wait and see. You might be right, but I hope you are wrong, because I like Moser as a coach.

 

[WichitaSooner]

It is virtually impossible to know why a kid is leaving a team anymore. Schools/coaches won't discuss the reasons schools won't pay kids what they think they can get on the open market. Kids don't usually want everyone to think the only reason they are leaving is money. So, Wichita you might be right, or you might not know what you are talking about. What if McCollum, Los and Oweh wanted more money than OU was willing to pay. What can Moser do about that except find other guys -- nothing. Or, maybe they really don't like playing for him. Lots of kids act like they like him, i.e. Soares, Moore, Sam etc. So, I don't know how any of us can know what, if any, blame should be put on Moser.

I really hoped McCollum, Los and, to a lesser degree, Oweh, would stay. Would have been happy to have all of them stay. But, unless more reliable information becomes available, I think the only reasonable approach is to strike it up to the state of the game and money. Of course, if there is more to it, then so be it and perhaps more blame should be laid at Moser's feet.

I don't view myself as having any acumen in assessing basketball talent. I am just a lifelong fan and have never played organized basketball. But, the new portal wings/guards (elvis, miles, goodine, jones and taylor) looked pretty good to me and not much if any different than the kids that left. And again, just a lay opinion, but I really liked how all the freshman looked and the Fears kid looks like a completely different level player to me than what we have had recently. Not that I expect him or anyone else to ever perform like a fully mature player their freshman year.

Notwithstanding the above, I agree with the proposition that for the development of the program using freshman (then supplementing with the portal) necessarily requires our being able to keep kids in the program to develop. That just makes sense. So, was Moser losing Los and Oweh just unique to their situation or suggest a pattern, I think we will have to wait and see. You might be right, but I hope you are wrong, because I like Moser as a coach.

Oh I don’t claim to know exactly why any particular player leaves. But I just look at overall numbers and see that we are losing them at a much higher rate than most programs.

And you’re certainly entitled to your own opinion on him as a coach. Out of curiosity, I’d be interested in knowing what, specifically, you like about him. Meaning, what have you seen on the court that makes you like what he’s done in Norman? Contrary to what my views on Moser and Brent would suggest, I’m generally very slow to blame/criticize coaches or managers. I think a lot of the pro and college teams I cheer for have been very well coached more often than not. I was excited when we hired Moser, so I was predisposed to like him. But after a while, it became pretty clear to me that he isn’t doing a good job keeping our program where it was for nearly four decades, let alone leading us to greater heights. I genuinely am interested in hearing what you like about what he has done through his first 100 or so games.

 

[One More Rebound]

Went to practice today. Lots of fun. They basically scrimmaged the entire practice. Outside of sam and jalon it was my first time seeing everyone live. Liked what i saw. I think moser will have trouble picking his starters. You could make a case for 8-9 guys based upon today. Kid i was most surprised by was dayton. He is a lot more than i and most on here have guessed. If my count was correct he his his first 6 threes. Handled the ball well and was good defensively. Don’t know why but i had low expectations for miles, cole, Taylor and goodine. They all looked like good players. Biggest takeaway : I think we will shoot the ball really well this year. Really enjoyed it

The key is whether Dayton can play well defensively. Porter will not play him if he believes he is a defensive liability.