Potential Next Season

[Big Old Booger]

Reaves is the most "iffy" to me... 5ppg against good opponents last year on 26% 3pt shooting. I don't want to require him to be good at all if you can avoid it. If he is, fantastic, but he seems like shooter off the bench to me.

After the stats you posted the other day I'm feeling the same way.

I hope he's better than those stats, and maybe he will be, but I've heard before how great X is going to be and then they end up being mediocre at best. We have a few on this team who fit into that role.

I'm cautiously optimistic about both Reaves and Harmon. That way I'm not disappointed if they aren't what everybody tells me they will be.

 

[thebigabd]

I'd still love to have you take me up on the bet I proposed a few weeks back about Reaves. He is the least iffy of all the new guys. Not sure how a bunch of kids who have never played above high school or junior college could be more certain than a kid who played a key role, and proved himself to be a great (not good) three-point shooter, on a top 25 team for two years.

What was the bet? Specific numbers?

 

[AdaSooner]

You not worried about an adjustment period, and developing chemistry, with so many new players? A lot will be true freshman or essentially true freshman. A couple won't have played in actual games in 18 months or so.

Are you predicting an improvement of more than a handful of wins? You think we get to 25? 27?

I’m no more worried about the new players on next year’s team than the four new faces we had last year. Kauth didn’t play much, but the other three had key roles this season. In other words, I think the returning players and the newcomers we’ve got coming in will be an improvement over the players on their way out. In view of your thoughts on Calixte, Reynolds, Freeman and Polla, I’m surprised you don’t agree with me.

If Freeman and Polla come back, that will only add to our depth. For my part, I would rather see us bring in a grad transfer or two, but there are no guarantees that’s what our coaches will do. If they do, that will only increase my confidence that next year’s team will be better.

I didn’t predict the number of wins this season, so I’m not going to put a number on next season. Better to me is improved play offensively and good defense. Sure, team chemistry will play a role, as it always does. But, in learning as much as I could about the newcomers on next year’s team, nothing I have seen leads me to believe even that wiil not be better. We will see.

 

[thebigabd]

Who is the backup PG for Harmon? Is that a need that needs to be address this offseason?

Does OU need to bring in some combo guard kind of person to run the team when Harmon isn't in the game?

 

[SoonerTraveler]

Don't shoot the messenger.

I have the radio on in the next room, and I think James Hale just said that Ty Lazenby could be back on the team next season.

Did I hear that right?

 

[Ghost of Gar Heard]

Reaves is the most "iffy" to me... 5ppg against good opponents last year on 26% 3pt shooting. I don't want to require him to be good at all if you can avoid it. If he is, fantastic, but he seems like shooter off the bench to me.

Well, no one's expecting him to be Devonte Bandoo!

Reaves shot 42.5% last year on 3 pointers and 83% at the line. He averaged 8 ppg backing up NBA guard Landry Shamet and 3 point specialist Conner Frankamp. By contrast, James shot 34% from 3 as a sophomore and scored less than 8 ppg. Reaves will be a 4th year junior next year. Please stop telling people his shooting percentage was very low. It wasn't. Buddy Hield shot the ball better than Reaves only during his senior year, and Reaves has 2 years left.

He'll be fine. Feel free to expect him to be nothing more than a shooter off the bench but he did that last year with an offensive efficiency rating of 120. He'll probably be OU's best player next season.

 

[WichitaSooner]

What was the bet? Specific numbers?

IIRC,it was whether he will be a starter from day one. I remember saying that if he doesn't start, I will be stunned, but that I would also be incredibly pumped that we have so many good guards that he couldn't crack the starting lineup. (Paraphrasing because I was too lazy to go back and find the exact post.)

I don't think you are crazy for pointing out his numbers against what you consider to be good competition, but I saw him play enough to know that he is a much better shooter than anyone we had on this year's team. And our system is a better fit for him than WSU, where Marshall is quick to sit a guy after a couple misses.

 

[WTSooner]

I’m no more worried about the new players on next year’s team than the four new faces we had last year. Kauth didn’t play much, but the other three had key roles this season. In other words, I think the returning players and the newcomers we’ve got coming in will be an improvement over the players on their way out. In view of your thoughts on Calixte, Reynolds, Freeman and Polla, I’m surprised you don’t agree with me.

If Freeman and Polla come back, that will only add to our depth. For my part, I would rather see us bring in a grad transfer or two, but there are no guarantees that’s what our coaches will do. If they do, that will only increase my confidence that next year’s team will be better.

I didn’t predict the number of wins this season, so I’m not going to put a number on next season. Better to me is improved play offensively and good defense. Sure, team chemistry will play a role, as it always does. But, in learning as much as I could about the newcomers on next year’s team, nothing I have seen leads me to believe even that wiil not be better. We will see.

I have no doubt next year's group will be better than this year's in time, I'm just not sure when that time comes. Experience and chemistry means a lot in college hoops. Maybe they'll bond and have that chemistry early on, maybe it'll take a few months, or maybe it'll take longer. Nobody really knows.

I think we'll be better in time, but we likely won't have the same OOC record which will put us behind on having an improved record. We could be 2-3 games worse OOC, which means even getting to 11-7 in conference play (seems a bit optimistic, but I'm not willing to say no shot at this point) would only net us a game or two improvement in our overall record.

 

[Eielson]

Don't shoot the messenger.

I have the radio on in the next room, and I think James Hale just said that Ty Lazenby could be back on the team next season.

Did I hear that right?

I wouldn't put too much stock in it. I view Hale as more of an OU historian than an expert of the game or a well-connected insider. He seems like he should be a well-connected insider, but if he is, he doesn't often release that information. He also seems to think OU is distraught about Freeman leaving and that Polla will be a major contributor next year. I don't see any of that happening.

 

[Eielson]

I can understand uncertainty about our incoming freshmen, but I don't see the uncertainty around Reaves. I'm not saying he's the next Buddy Hield, but he's a proven commodity. He started 11 games for a 4 seed as a sophomore, and his coach admitted this was the hardest transfer of his career to swallow. Numerous reports have stated he has been our best player in practice, which is eerily similar to what we were hearing about Osby. It's also not that much different than what we were hearing about Lawson at KU. Reaves isn't as proven of a player as Lawson, but he's far more proven that Osby was.

 

[Eielson]

Who is the backup PG for Harmon? Is that a need that needs to be address this offseason?

We're fine at PG. Our backup PG next year will be our starter this year. I'd be shocked if we ever sat JB and Harmon at the same time during meaningful minutes. Hopefully they also coexist well and can both be 30 minute contributors.

 

[Big Old Booger]

We're fine at PG. Our backup PG next year will be our starter this year. I'd be shocked if we ever sat JB and Harmon at the same time during meaningful minutes. Hopefully they also coexist well and can both be 30 minute contributors.

Eh, well, I was shocked we sat Manek and Odomes for Freeman and Calixte yesterday. So, I won't be shocked if both are on the bench next year at the same time. In fact, I'm expecting it.

 

[AdaSooner]

I have no doubt next year's group will be better than this year's in time, I'm just not sure when that time comes. Experience and chemistry means a lot in college hoops. Maybe they'll bond and have that chemistry early on, maybe it'll take a few months, or maybe it'll take longer. Nobody really knows.

I think we'll be better in time, but we likely won't have the same OOC record which will put us behind on having an improved record. We could be 2-3 games worse OOC, which means even getting to 11-7 in conference play (seems a bit optimistic, but I'm not willing to say no shot at this point) would only net us a game or two improvement in our overall record.

I think your initial assessment of 2-3 more wins might be more accurate. But, if those wins are in conference play, I would take that over this year’s record. That would also be closer to fitting my definition of better.

Much will depend on how long it takes next year’s newbies to bond with the players coming back. That’s definitely one thing we agree on. It will help that Reaves and Kauth already have a relationship with the other returning players, so I don’t think developing a team chemistry will be as difficult as it may appear at a first glance.

 

[Big Old Booger]

I think your initial assessment of 2-3 more wins might be more accurate. But, if those wins are in conference play, I would take that over this year’s record. That would also be closer to fitting my definition of better.

Much will depend on how long it takes next year’s newbies to bond with the players coming back. That’s definitely one thing we agree on. It will help that Reaves and Kauth already have a relationship with the other returning players, so I don’t think developing a team chemistry will be as difficult as it may appear at a first glance.

Does anyone here think Kuath will really contribute? I don't recall watching him before the injury this season but to anyone that saw him did he look better than McNeace or Polla?

IMO, (and as I mentioned I haven't watched him) but I don't expect him to help. I'm afraid he's yet another reach in Lon's recruiting of bigs.

 

[Zimwillett]

Reaves is the most "iffy" to me... 5ppg against good opponents last year on 26% 3pt shooting. I don't want to require him to be good at all if you can avoid it. If he is, fantastic, but he seems like shooter off the bench to me.

I agree that Reaves is a question mark insofar as we haven't seen him play a minute in an OU uniform. However, I'm a little curious where those specific numbers come from. Not trying to be difficult, but any time I see the the "good competition" qualifier, my cherry picking radar goes off. I'm mainly curious about how you defined and applied the "good competition" standard.

What I see is a guy who will be a 4th year junior who is a career 45.1% shooter from 3 (regardless of competition). Just from a pure percentage standpoint, that's better than anything OU has put on the floor in years. Maybe he can do that in Big 12 play (btw, he's 50% career from 3 vs. Big 12 competition), maybe he can't, but something tells me even the threat of his shooting will be a big benefit for OU.

 

[AdaSooner]

Does anyone here think Kuath will really contribute? I don't recall watching him before the injury this season but to anyone that saw him did he look better than McNeace or Polla?

IMO, (and as I mentioned I haven't watched him) but I don't expect him to help. I'm afraid he's yet another reach in Lon's recruiting of bigs.

My post about Kauth was centered entirely on the fact that his presence on the team this season would make it easier for him to mesh with the other players.

It’s hard to say how much he’ll contribute next season? He didn’t look too bad in the limited action he saw before he was shut down for the season. Some seemed to think he would have helped us if he had been healthy.

Would he have been better than a healthy McNeace? No, not in my opinion. But if I had my choice of the injured McNeace we saw the last half of the season and Kur Kauth, I would have welcomed at least a chance to see what Kauth could have done. Polla and Kauth? I would take Kauth and not think twice about it.

 

[thebigabd]

I agree that Reaves is a question mark insofar as we haven't seen him play a minute in an OU uniform. However, I'm a little curious where those specific numbers come from. Not trying to be difficult, but any time I see the the "good competition" qualifier, my cherry picking radar goes off. I'm mainly curious about how you defined and applied the "good competition" standard.

What I see is a guy who will be a 4th year junior who is a career 45.1% shooter from 3 (regardless of competition). Just from a pure percentage standpoint, that's better than anything OU has put on the floor in years. Maybe he can do that in Big 12 play (btw, he's 50% career from 3 vs. Big 12 competition), maybe he can't, but something tells me even the threat of his shooting will be a big benefit for OU.

Posted from another thread:

Lets take a look at the game log on Reaves... High majors, ranked teams, or the NCAA Tournament.

6'5'' 180.. Averaged 8 points and 3 rebounds per game at WSU.

10 points against Marquette.... 0-1
2 points against Notre Dame..... 0.1
5 points against Baylor.... 1-1
5 points against Oklahoma State.... 1-2
5 points against Oklahoma... 2-5
5 points against Houston.... 1-2
10 points against Houston.... 0-0
2 points against Houston... 0-1
0 points against Cincy... 0-5
12 points against Cincy... 2-5
0 points against Marshall... 0-3

5.0 ppg and 26% 3pt shooting against high majors, ranked opponents, or in the NCAA Tournament in his sophomore year at Wichita State.

He really made his season in that sophomore year starting Tulsa on January 28th... In a 3 game stretch against Tulsa, Temple, and Memphis he scored 23, 20, and 22.... He finished pretty strong after that as well with games of 11, 12, 10, 11, and 13.

 

[Big Old Booger]

My post about Kauth was centered entirely on the fact that his presence on the team this season would make it easier for him to mesh with the other players.

It’s hard to say how much he’ll contribute next season? He didn’t look too bad in the limited action he saw before he was shut down for the season. Some seemed to think he would have helped us if he had been healthy.

Would he have been better than a healthy McNeace? No, not in my opinion. But if I had my choice of the injured McNeace we saw the last half of the season and Kur Kauth, I would have welcomed at least a chance to see what Kauth could have done. Polla and Kauth? I would take Kauth and not think twice about it.

Thank you for the reply. So, maybe we can get some serviceable minutes out of him. That gives me some hope down low to spell Manek or Doolittle (not counting the newcomers of course).

 

[Big Old Booger]

Posted from another thread:

Lets take a look at the game log on Reaves... High majors, ranked teams, or the NCAA Tournament.

6'5'' 180.. Averaged 8 points and 3 rebounds per game at WSU.

10 points against Marquette.... 0-1
2 points against Notre Dame..... 0.1
5 points against Baylor.... 1-1
5 points against Oklahoma State.... 1-2
5 points against Oklahoma... 2-5
5 points against Houston.... 1-2
10 points against Houston.... 0-0
2 points against Houston... 0-1
0 points against Cincy... 0-5
12 points against Cincy... 2-5
0 points against Marshall... 0-3

5.0 ppg and 26% 3pt shooting against high majors, ranked opponents, or in the NCAA Tournament in his sophomore year at Wichita State.

He really made his season in that sophomore year starting Tulsa on January 28th... In a 3 game stretch against Tulsa, Temple, and Memphis he scored 23, 20, and 22.... He finished pretty strong after that as well with games of 11, 12, 10, 11, and 13.

I'm guessing he was behind the Steinkamp kid who transferred from KU? Does that mean Steinkamp was the better shooter or had more seniority and therefore more trust from the WSU HC?

 

[thebigabd]

Does anyone here think Kuath will really contribute? I don't recall watching him before the injury this season but to anyone that saw him did he look better than McNeace or Polla?

IMO, (and as I mentioned I haven't watched him) but I don't expect him to help. I'm afraid he's yet another reach in Lon's recruiting of bigs.

Ya know, if Kuath ends up not working out that is fine.... but if you are going to gamble on a project taking a high-level athlete isn't a total waste.

His back injury only held him out of 6 games and he opted to redshirt to save the season... He was going to be in the regular rotation right off the bat, but instead he has been getting stronger and practicing all year.

He has a 7'5'' wingspan, can jump out of the gym, can run like a gazelle, etc. Redshirting was probably a good thing for him to do.

What doesn't make sense is guys who don't have the athletic ability to play high major basketball, unless they have insane skills to compensate. But Kuath is a guy you can take a chance on because of raw athletic ability.

This was in the news today:

https://newsok.com/article/5626815/ou-basketball-kur-kuath-looks-back-on-redshirt-season