Sooners Sign Anyang Garang

6-8 190 is not the type of body we need, unless he's KD type of player. Outside of that it sounds like a wasted scholarship.
 
oufanfrmks said:
6-8 190 is not the type of body we need, unless he's KD type of player. Outside of that it sounds like a wasted scholarship.
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You never know if he is going to be 6'9'' 230 in 2 years... But thats the point of a project. Seems like a likely redshirt.
 
All of them played basketball in the states. Buddy certainly wasn’t a project but he wasn’t a finished product. Eduardo was very raw.
 
Maybe Garang will prove wrong, but I still question the staff recruiting certain players... They don't seem to ask the question, "can this guy help the team next year"... if they asked that question of Freeman, Lazenby, Polla, and many others I think we know what the answer would be.

Someone on the board tried to throw Austin Trice in my face... He didn't have a good year, by any stretch. He is playing behind two very good players at KSU. We will see how he develops next year..

But he had a game against OU with 6 points and 7 rebounds. He had a game against Oklahoma State with 12 points and 5 rebounds.. He had a game against Vanderbilt with 7 points and 3 rebounds.. 6 points and 10 rebounds against Eastern Kentucky... 6 points and 12 rebounds in 12 minutes against Kennessaw State.

He just didn't get many minutes... but he still HELPED THEM in his first year... He can play. He got on the floor for a good KSU team with a loaded front-court. If Polla came in and had a game with 6 points and 12 rebounds in 12 minutes, the board would go crazy. Hyping his potential. Saying he needs to play, etc. But I guess he literally can't do that.

I have absolutely no doubt Trice would have been a regular rotation at OU this year.... Zero doubt, whatsoever. So maybe he isn't some stud, but he would have helped OU immediately. Defense, rebounding, athletic ability, etc. He would have helped. Even if its 4 points and 4 rebounds per game behind Manek and Doolittle, he would have helped in the regular rotation.
 
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No matter where they were born, Buddy and Eduardo are great examples of players that were self-motivated to get better and to excel. It takes a lot of hard work to get better, and those fellows put in the work. Looking back, it is amazing how much they both improved during their 4 years at OU.

When you are recruiting "raw" players or "projects" .. I am not sure how a coach effectively evaluates the "drive to get better" (determination) that a potential recruit has. Like the old saying goes, in recruiting projects or players with raw talent, it is better to be lucky than good.
 
"Anyang is a terrific young guy with huge upside," said Kruger.

of course
 
thebigabd said:
Maybe Garang will prove wrong, but I still question the staff recruiting certain players... They don't seem to ask the question, "can this guy help the team next year"... if they asked that question of Freeman, Lazenby, Polla, and many others I think we know what the answer would be.
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It's ALMOST like...hey he's a great kid...plays some ball...he'll be here 4 years, we can work with that...

as I said it ALMOST seems that way...

Everyone is really high on next yrs class...3 are Fr, so I'm not expecting anything but maybe in 3 yrs we'll be "good" again...

** please remind me next yr when conf play starts! LOL

Seems to be kruger's deal...build for 3 yrs for a final great yr...
 
Garang made an official visit to campus, and the match felt right. Kevin Kruger saw a young man who was engaging and respectful and genuine – someone who could be a good teammate and a hard worker. The coaching staff is talking with Garang about redshirting him for a year so he can work on skill development and adding muscle.
 
The biggest problem with guys like this is they don't know how to play basketball within the confines of a team structure. He may look like one of the Gods of Olympus running at the Huff, but can he set a screen? Can he cut through the lane?

Generally, guys like this also don't have the first clue how to play defense. And that's the fact that moors them to the bench.

Somewhere, there's a fantastic basketball player who might be a touch undersized. But he can shoot and he can box out and he can move the ball around the floor and he can help and he can switch.

I'd take 100 of him before I wasted a scholarship on somebody with "terrific upside".
 
Was Victor Avila a serviceable backup during his years at OU?
Didn't he come straight out of Mexico?
 
Sooner04 said:
The biggest problem with guys like this is they don't know how to play basketball within the confines of a team structure. He may look like one of the Gods of Olympus running at the Huff, but can he set a screen? Can he cut through the lane?

Generally, guys like this also don't have the first clue how to play defense. And that's the fact that moors them to the bench.

Somewhere, there's a fantastic basketball player who might be a touch undersized. But he can shoot and he can box out and he can move the ball around the floor and he can help and he can switch.

I'd take 100 of him before I wasted a scholarship on somebody with "terrific upside".
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He has been playing at the nba academy so I think he has learned a lot of fundamentals that most foreign born players do not receive. Also, I don’t think it is fair to write this dude off just because we have not had a ton of success with some other raw big athletes. This kid can apparently shoot which puts him ahead of all the big athletes we have recruited save manyang.
 
61sooner said:
Was Victor Avila a serviceable backup during his years at OU?
Didn't he come straight out of Mexico?
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Good catch. He went to the same high school in San Antonio as did Eduardo Nejera. Victor Avila came to OU from JUCO. He averaged 3.3 ppg and 3.0 rpg, as a junior at OU; and then 5.2 ppg and 4.4 rpg as a senior.

http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=208793208

High School - Averaged 16.0 points, 14.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game as a senior at Cornerstone Christian High School in San Antonio, Texas ... Helped team to a 25-4 record in 1995-96 ... Coached by Chuck Skarshaug.

Personal - Full name is Victor Manuel Avila Haro ... Born March 23, 1977, in Sinaloaleyva, Mexico ... Parents are Victor and Elia Avila ... Major is sociology ... Roommate of Eduardo Najera ... Played at Cornerstone Christian HS a year after Najera ... Also recruited by Arizona, New Mexico, UCLA and Wake Forest ... Wears size 16 shoe ... Claims soccer is his favorite sport other than basketball ... Interests include listening to music and swing ... Says his mother and Najera are the two people who have most influenced his career.
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why don't we look for the positives of the signing instead of railing on him before he's ever even had a chance to step on the floor in C&C? It's rather troubling to see people saddened by a new Sooner.
 
coolm said:
why don't we look for the positives of the signing instead of railing on him before he's ever even had a chance to step on the floor in C&C? It's rather troubling to see people saddened by a new Sooner.
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My somewhat frivolous reply is that many of us have been giddy with high expectations for incoming recruits in the past, only to experience severe disappointment when we actually see the player inside the LNC. So, let's try the reverse, and be pessimistic about the player now, and hope he exceeds expectations when he gets to Norman.

:dance005:
 
Sooner04 said:
The biggest problem with guys like this is they don't know how to play basketball within the confines of a team structure. He may look like one of the Gods of Olympus running at the Huff, but can he set a screen? Can he cut through the lane?

Generally, guys like this also don't have the first clue how to play defense. And that's the fact that moors them to the bench.

Somewhere, there's a fantastic basketball player who might be a touch undersized. But he can shoot and he can box out and he can move the ball around the floor and he can help and he can switch.

I'd take 100 of him before I wasted a scholarship on somebody with "terrific upside".
Click to expand...

This times 1000. I'm okay spending a scholarship every now and again on a raw project, but for the most part, OU should be going after more developed players. You look at these guards on these good teams, and they are super skilled. Not always the biggest. Or the fastest. Or the highest jumping. But they can flat out play. They are basketball players. Same with the bigs on these teams. Not always crazy good athletes, but they are tough and dependable, and know their roles.
 
Wish we had gotten to see a healthy Victor Avila at OU. Dude was supremely skilled, but never could get over that foot injury.
 
SoonerTraveler said:
My somewhat frivolous reply is that many of us have been giddy with high expectations for incoming recruits in the past, only to experience severe disappointment when we actually see the player inside the LNC. So, let's try the reverse, and be pessimistic about the player now, and hope he exceeds expectations when he gets to Norman.

:dance005:
Click to expand...

pessimism isnt exactly the engine that drives the welcome wagon there trav!
 
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