OU a half court team?

[Seymore Cox]

I don't think there is any way around it. OU doesn't have the athleticism and speed to run like they did last year. On top of that, they don't have the same rebounding ability like last year to trigger a fastbreak. TMG and Willie may be adept at pushing the ball, but OU has no one that's going to be a high level finisher outside of maybe Willie. It's going to be tough for our fastbreak to depend on one or two guys.

 

[thebigabd]

I don't think there is any way around it. OU doesn't have the athleticism and speed to run like they did last year. On top of that, they don't have the same rebounding ability like last year to trigger a fastbreak. TMG and Willie may be adept at pushing the ball, but OU has no one that's going to be a high level finisher outside of maybe Willie. It's going to be tough for our fastbreak to depend on one or two guys.

Oh yes, OU is a half court team. We have the slowest big guys this side of the Mississippi. Fitzgerald, Gallon, Allen, and Wright are not known for their ability to run the floor. In fact, that is a weakness in all of them.

 

[Seymore Cox]

This is the biggest thing you miss when a guy like Juan Patillo leaves or you're not able to get guys like Williams and Johnson to take the last scholly. Also, OU lost a guy in BG, who was maybe one of the greatest post players ever at getting out on the break. Austin Johnson also was a very underated guy as far as pushing the break.

 

[sanguinetti]

we were better last year pushing the ball. we got a lot of easy baskets on the break when we were peaking as a team. before Blake got hurt, etc. i don't think we were as aggressive in that spell afterwords.

 

[Krugerfan52]

I TOTALLY disagree about being a half court team next year.

1. Our strength will be our guards and we have a PG that can push the ball.

2. Tiny can rebound and outlet to the guards.

3. I think Capel will put 4 guards out there with Tiny at times. We will have to run with them.

With Blake and Taylor gone I think we move more towards an up and down game with less focus on getting the ball inside like we did with Blake.

 

[thebigabd]

I TOTALLY disagree about being a half court team next year.

1. Our strength will be our guards and we have a PG that can push the ball.

2. Tiny can rebound and outlet to the guards.

3. I think Capel will put 4 guards out there with Tiny at times. We will have to run with them.

With Blake and Taylor gone I think we move more towards an up and down game with less focus on getting the ball inside like we did with Blake.

The big men cant get up the floor though...

 

[mardaddy51]

The big men cant get up the floor though...

Lets wait until after the conditioning that Fitzgerald and Gallon will go through before making this kind of statement.

 

[Seymore Cox]

I TOTALLY disagree about being a half court team next year.

1. Our strength will be our guards and we have a PG that can push the ball.

2. Tiny can rebound and outlet to the guards.

3. I think Capel will put 4 guards out there with Tiny at times. We will have to run with them.

With Blake and Taylor gone I think we move more towards an up and down game with less focus on getting the ball inside like we did with Blake.

A couple of things. Guards can push the break, but alot of guards don't generally finish that well. TMG often is compared to Byron Eaton. Byron Eaton was a great finisher in high school and aau ball and would routinely dunk on people. In college, he was still solid at pushing the break, but absolutely horrible at finishing, especially when you have to finish against 6'6 plus players.

Your point about Tiny was well taken. Tiny is very similar to Kevin Love in aspects of him outleting. My concern with Tiny is if he's going to be a high level rebounder on the college level, and will he continue to give up offensive rebounds like he did in high school.

Your point about running because Blake and Taylor are gone totally missed me. No one finished on the break more than Blake Griffin. A distant second to him was Taylor. Taylor and Blake finished more breaks than the combination of the remaining team. Even a great athlete like WW very seldom got runout opportunities. Also, who do you feel is going to step up and be a transition force. Tony Crocker has never filled that void and neither has Cade. All that we have seen from Willis is a two dribble and shoot game. I don't see anything on the roster that screams to me a fastbreak team outside of Warren, TMG, and like you mentioned, Tiny's outlets. I recognize your point about a 4 guard lineup. I am the biggest advocate of using a 4 guard lineup or recruiting hybrid 4s. However, Tony and Willis get tossed around by guards, far less playing against a forward. Tony got thrown to the ground by AJ Abrams. I think OU plays some 4 guard play, but it won't be beneficial like what OSU and even Baylor did with a 4 guard lineup.

Essentially, transition basketball is triggered by defensive stops, rebounds, and turnovers. The greatness of Blake Griffin was that he could get the rebound, hit the outlet, and beat everyone down court. For OU to replace this, they'll have to be a better defensive team, be a better rebounding team, and create more turnovers. That is a tall task.

 

[BigTime]

I think we will run more than last year. Just because your bigs don't get up the floor well doesn't mean you can't push it with your guards after a missed shot and try for an easy bucket.

Tiny is really known for finding a man downcourt quickly after a defensive rebound. I also think that Willie has a chance to be the best finishing guard in the country next season....

 

[thebigabd]

I also think that Willie has a chance to be the best finishing guard in the country next season....

I agree..

I think we will run more than last year.

I disagree..

 

[FaithfulSooner]

To the posters that think that we won't be able to push the ball and run more. Please go back and watch video of the aau teams that Tiny and Fitz played for. Also keep in mind that we really haven't seen enough of Orlando and Ryan on the break to see how they respond to an up tempo type of situation. It seems like at the preseason scrimmage before one of the football games last year that Ryan finished pretty good on fast break opportunities. No doubt Tiny and Fitz are young men with some girth, but they are very used to running and playing up tempo. I'm glad that someone chose to bring up this topic on what our style of play will be because I think that this aspect of our big men being able to run will surprise some people around the league. I also think that some are selling TMG and Willie a little short on their ability to push the basketball and get the team into an up tempo mode. I don't think these two young men will have a problem with this at all. This is going to be very exciting to watch. BOOMER SOONER BABY!!!:clap

 

[SoonerNorm]

I think we will push the ball more than last year because we will have a PG who is more inclined to do so. I thought a lot of AJ but hurrying was not his cup of tea.

 

[FaithfulSooner]

Sooner Norm that's exactly what I'm talking about. TMG and Willie will push the ball. No doubt. The big men will get up the floor because they want to and the coaches will urge them to. BOOMER SOONER BABY!!!

 

[Krugerfan52]

This will also be a young team. Young teams often need to run to score. Last year you had veteran guys that were experienced in the halfcourt offense. This year, you've got a freshman PG and a bunch of guys that have barely sniffed Big 12 competition, if at all. Capel will have to get them out and running to get some easy baskets.

Also, after watching Tiny in the MAA and Jordan game I was impressed at his dribbling ability every bit as much as Blakes. Blake was obviously faster, but Tiny should be able to be apart of the fast break with an outlet or even taking it coast to coast from time to time like he did in the MAA game.

There will always be one guy on the floor that is not great in the open court. Taylor was that guy last year. Longar this year before. This year it will be either Allen or Wright, but they won't be on the floor together that much, I don't think.

 

[Krugerfan52]

A good example of this is Texas.

When they had Lamarcus Adridge inside and Daniel Gibson outside they played an inside/outside half-court game. Then they left.

The next year they had DJ Augustine and Kevin Durant and Barnes turned them into a fast paced up and down team because they had little post game and a freshman PG.

Then after Augustine left they went back to a slow it down, defensive minded team with James/Pittman inside and Abrams outside.

You have to fit your offense to what you have and this year we have young guards and no proven inside pressence.

 

[Seymore Cox]

To the posters that think that we won't be able to push the ball and run more. Please go back and watch video of the aau teams that Tiny and Fitz played for. Also keep in mind that we really haven't seen enough of Orlando and Ryan on the break to see how they respond to an up tempo type of situation. It seems like at the preseason scrimmage before one of the football games last year that Ryan finished pretty good on fast break opportunities. No doubt Tiny and Fitz are young men with some girth, but they are very used to running and playing up tempo. I'm glad that someone chose to bring up this topic on what our style of play will be because I think that this aspect of our big men being able to run will surprise some people around the league. I also think that some are selling TMG and Willie a little short on their ability to push the basketball and get the team into an up tempo mode. I don't think these two young men will have a problem with this at all. This is going to be very exciting to watch. BOOMER SOONER BABY!!!:clap

AAU basketball is a pickup game. It's all fast break. I guarantee you that Tiny and Andrew won't be beating any of their opponents down the floor. At best, Tiny will be an option for the trail. At worst, Singletary, Johnson, Moses, Muenelo, Udoh, Brackins and Jones are going to beat these guys up and down the court religiously. As for selling TMG and Willie short, I'm not doing that, but their has to be someone finishing a break if someone is pushing the break. Willie Warren is the only guy that I think will be able to beat someone down the court or be able to finish against the back one or two defenders in a break. Tony has had some leak out dunks in his career, but has been horrible at getting out in transition. I had great expectations for Cade Davis, but he has had some disasterous break opportunities the last two year. I have no Idea about Willis, but he doesn't look like he can punch himself out of a wet paper bag, far less finish against a defender weighing more than 195lbs.

Again OU is missing out on a major shot blocker. This is the type of player that can be the epicenter of transition basketball. Cole Aldrich and Kevin Love singlehandedly triggered fastbreaks with the way they blocked shots and also altered them. I think if I gave Jeff a glass of truth serum he would have been more aggressive with recruiting Udoh.

 

[BigTime]

AAU basketball is a pickup game. It's all fast break. I guarantee you that Tiny and Andrew won't be beating any of their opponents down the floor. At best, Tiny will be an option for the trail. At worst, Singletary, Johnson, Moses, Muenelo, Udoh, Brackins and Jones are going to beat these guys up and down the court religiously. As for selling TMG and Willie short, I'm not doing that, but their has to be someone finishing a break if someone is pushing the break. Willie Warren is the only guy that I think will be able to beat someone down the court or be able to finish against the back one or two defenders in a break. Tony has had some leak out dunks in his career, but has been horrible at getting out in transition. I had great expectations for Cade Davis, but he has had some disasterous break opportunities the last two year. I have no Idea about Willis, but he doesn't look like he can punch himself out of a wet paper bag, far less finish against a defender weighing more than 195lbs.

Again OU is missing out on a major shot blocker. This is the type of player that can be the epicenter of transition basketball. Cole Aldrich and Kevin Love singlehandedly triggered fastbreaks with the way they blocked shots and also altered them. I think if I gave Jeff a glass of truth serum he would have been more aggressive with recruiting Udoh.

OU wanted Udoh bad. We just got Drewed on that deal.

 

[Seymore Cox]

Yeah, that was strange. The Oklahoman put out an article with Udoh quotes saying how much he wanted to go OU and then he commits to Baylor the next day. At that time I think OU was out of scholarship.

 

[BigTime]

Yeah, that was strange. The Oklahoman put out an article with Udoh quotes saying how much he wanted to go OU and then he commits to Baylor the next day. At that time I think OU was out of scholarship.

Naw, we had room. In talking to someone close to the situation, Udoh really clicked when he went down to Waco (surprise, surprise) and he went from being a probable Sooner to a Bear overnight.

Udoh is going to be quite a force next year imo.

 

[FaithfulSooner]

I expected that answer about aau basketball which is true. However, my point was that running and getting up the floor is not new to these guys. I still think they will be able to do this. As far as beating their man up the floor. Let's wait and see on that issue. When a big man gets rewarded on the break after bringing down the rebound that can get his emotions up pretty high (i.e. Orlando, Ryan, Tiny, and Fitz). Let's just see what happens. BOOMER SOONER BABY!!!