Positive thoughts on the players in tonight's game

[AdaSooner]

Cameron Clark: This was the Cam Clark we have been waiting to see. He was looking for his shot, going after loose balls and rebounds with abandon, and playing with more confidence than at anytime all season. His dunk on the ally-oop pass from Blair was the athletic highlight of OU's season so far.

Steven Pledger: This was his best game of the season. Funny what not feeling the pressure of running the offense will do for a shooting guard. He was fluid in his motion from the catch to the release, and it paid dividends. His 20 points on 6 of 11 shooting from the field, 4 of 8 from three and 4 for 4 from the free throw line is an outstanding offensive performance.

Drew Fitzgerald: If he had not gotten into foul trouble in the second half, I have little doubt that OU would have had two 20 point performances tonight. The only answer G-W had for the Fitz is to double or triple team him every time he caught the ball inside. And, sometimes even that didn't work. Fitzgerald's improvement from last year is remarkable. More importantly, he continues to get better.

Cade Davis: Another solid performance on both ends of the floor by OU's only senior. Fifteen points on 6 of 10 shooting (3 of 5 from three), plus 5 rebs, 1 steal and 3 assists is a very good game.

Carl Blair: Carl is our best point guard. His passing was impressive tonight. He had 7 assists in only 23 minutes and (are you ready for this?) ZERO turnovers. He also had 1 steal and 5 rebounds. Carl may not be a good defender, but he's head and shoulders above anyone else on the team in running the offense. I say start him at the one and hide his deficiencies on defense by playing a match up zone. We're not a good man to man defensive team anyway.

 

[Soonerman]

Kyle Hardrick played a good minute on the floor. Solid performance tonight.

 

[WaymanFan]

Ada, you summed up my thoughts on the game as well. If Cameron Clark can get untracked and become an "impact" player, this OU team will be competitive in most games, especially at home. While there is no home-court advantage in regards to the fans, the team seems to be more relaxed playing there.

 

[campbest]

Didn't get to see the game tonight, but glad to hear they bucked the losing streak. Really encouraged about Clark, he has to be aggressive, whether he is hitting or not. Not a monumental win, but every little piece of confidence helps.

 

[Tony]

Andrew Fitzgerald is an absolute beast down low on offense, and has an unbelievable knack for being able to make shots that look impossible. It kills me that he doesn't have a little more explosiveness, because he would be almost unstoppable if he did. I thought he looked pretty rough on defense tonight though.

Cam had a stretch late in the first half where he flat-out dominated the game. He needs to realize he can play like that all the time. If he does that, puts on a little weight, and can extend his shot a bit, he's going to be great.

I still want to see more of Neal and Washington.

 

[OUhoops11]

The recipe for tonight's win was perfect. Solid point guard play, decent shooting, and good defense.



Do those things, and we can at least compete with most teams on our schedule.



Still need to find someone who can break down a defense with the dribble as the shot clock is winding down. Can Cam Clark be that guy? I haven't seen him attack the rim much.

 

[TheGimper]

This was easily Nick Thompson's best defensive game of the season.

 

[FaithfulSooner]

Good win tonight. It's time to put together a winning streak. I don't care if our schedule is weak or not. We just need to learn how to win ball games. Tonight was a step in the right direction. BOOMER SOONER BABY!!!

 

[red recluse]

fitz continues to amaze me. don't know how he is getting it done, but he is. especially the last 3 games. people want capel to develop players. well, here's one. just need cade and pledger to keep hitting shots so fitz doesn't get triple-teamed all year.

also, great job by pledger on a fastbreak where he pulled up and scored on a short jumper along the baseline that i thought for sure was going to turn into a charge. way to be in control.

 

[Hollisp]

Kyle Hardrick played a good minute on the floor. Solid performance tonight.

I was actually surprised he went in. Over/Under on the amount of games he plays the rest of the year 1.5.

Ill take the under

 

[Big Old Booger]

Glad to hear Cameron Clark showed some of the promise we were told about him. I can't wait to watch him play this year.

I just hope he sticks around after Capel is gone so he can have a positive experience in college.

 

[SoonerBabyy]

last night was a good game. they seemed to play real well together. one thing i didnt like was tyler neal not getting enough PT. i think he provides a nice spark off the bench & hes a pretty good shooter IMO. blair was great. fitz was great. glad to see cam getting more agressive! hope we can get a win saturday!

 

[SoonerinNC]

Fitz has always had a knack of getting to an open spot and getting easy baskets. Good to see him hitting the short jumper and getting close in shots under pressure. I questioned his ability to play inside against bigger players but am beginning to believe he will compete well against most if not all teams.

Neal didn't get in the game earlier simply because the guys that were in there were playing well. I think he could have been put in earlier but even a double digit lead isn't same with the advent of the three point shot. A lot of coaches put guys like him in late in the first half when the game is not as critical.

I've been very critical of Blair's defense but he was much better tonight and was also better than Newell.

 

[scrybe]

Glad to hear Cameron Clark showed some of the promise we were told about him. I can't wait to watch him play this year.

I just hope he sticks around after Capel is gone so he can have a positive experience in college.

LOL. Even in what are otherwise positive threads, someone's got to get in a shot at Capel. Guess it's just part of the landscape.

 

[Big Old Booger]

LOL. Even in what are otherwise positive threads, someone's got to get in a shot at Capel. Guess it's just part of the landscape.

Not a shot at Capel, or it wasn't meant to be.

I think we all can agree of the entire roster, besides Cade Davis who graduates after this season, we have 4-5 young players who are a very good base for a new coach to build a team. Of those 4-5, Clark is probably the key player because he has the most potential (upside) from what I have seen. I have not seen TJ Taylor yet, so he may be just as good.

I'd hate to lose any of these players in the event they become frustrated with losing 20 games a season and want to go someplace where they have a chance to win.

PS -- at least I'm not attacking other posters as others do (sound familiar?)

 

[sooner_15]

I know you guys are trying to be positive, but this team is absolutely terrible. It was a close game for most of the game. This OU team is terrible, TERRIBLE. I will be happy to see them win 1 Big 12 game. People don't want to blame Capel, but how can you not? He ran off players and did poor recruiting. I want nothing more than OU basketball to be good, but this team is not good. You cannot be a good team with all role players.

 

[AdaSooner]

I'm perfectly aware that this is not a good team. I've said as much myself, more than once. But there are positives in nearly everything if you look hard enough. When players like Fitz, Cam, Cade, Pledger and Blair work their tail off to win a game, I'm not going to penalize them because I don't think the coach is doing a good job.

Besides, there were also some positive signs that our defense is improving, and I'll give Capel credit for that. If he will swallow his pride and admit that this team cannot hang with most of our opponents in a man to man defense, I can see even more improvements ahead. Our best defensive efforts this season have been when we're in a zone. I would rather give up a rebound here and there than watch nearly every team we play drive the lane for uncontested shots. I'm not saying we should abandon the man to man entirely. But staying in a man to man more than 20% of the game is too much for this team.

 

[j2d2]

I'd be most interested in knowing who Capel ran off. Please enlighten me, 15. Be specific.

 

[Hollisp]

I'm perfectly aware that this is not a good team. I've said as much myself, more than once. But there are positives in nearly everything if you look hard enough. When players like Fitz, Cam, Cade, Pledger and Blair work their tail off to win a game, I'm not going to penalize them because I don't think the coach is doing a good job.

Besides, there were also some positive signs that our defense is improving, and I'll give Capel credit for that. If he will swallow his pride and admit that this team cannot hang with most of our opponents in a man to man defense, I can see even more improvements ahead. Our best defensive efforts this season have been when we're in a zone. I would rather give up a rebound here and there than watch nearly every team we play drive the lane for uncontested shots. I'm not saying we should abandon the man to man entirely. But staying in a man to man more than 20% of the game is too much for this team.

:clap:clap:clap

 

[sooner_15]

Ray Willis and Bobby Maze come to mind first. Juan Patillo...is that specific enough?