Steven Pledger = Mike Neal?

[thebigabd]

Should we expect the same kind of play (probably not right away) from Pledger that we got from Mike Neal? Will his role ever be different than three point shooter? Note that I am referring to Mike Neal prior to his hand injury.

 

[FaithfulSooner]

This is a very good question. However, I think Steven brings a little bit more to the game than just shooting. Over the last two years Steven has improved his overall game by doing the little things. He will not make his living off of driving to the basket, but that aspect of his game has improved. Don't be surprised when you see him go underneath the basket and get a gritty rebound amongst the trees for his team. His body allows for him to get about four to five rebounds a game. His ball handling is also better. I'm really anxious to see how he fits. He does have the potential to be all big 12 by the time he leaves. BOOMER SOONER BABY!!!:clap

 

[OULad]

I am not getting my hopes up until i see him play. A lot of guys tear it up in HS and dont really excel in college. Its a different game.

 

[mizzOUstu702]

I'd have to agree with Faithful. However...

I would like to hear DannyB's opinion on the subject. :ez-laugh:

 

[AdaSooner]

This is a very good question. However, I think Steven brings a little bit more to the game than just shooting. Over the last two years Steven has improved his overall game by doing the little things. He will not make his living off of driving to the basket, but that aspect of his game has improved. Don't be surprised when you see him go underneath the basket and get a gritty rebound amongst the trees for his team. His body allows for him to get about four to five rebounds a game. His ball handling is also better. I'm really anxious to see how he fits. He does have the potential to be all big 12 by the time he leaves. BOOMER SOONER BABY!!!:clap

Faithful is spot on about Pledger. He may be known as a shooter, but he can drive and score inside, pull up for short range jumpers and create his own shot off the dribble. Steven is listed at 6' 4" 190, but I believe he is around 205 now. He will have the advantage of arriving on campus with a D-1 ready body, that will only get bigger and stronger before the season starts next year.

I've said this before and I'll say it again. I believe Pledge has a chance to be the best three point shooter in OU history. This kid was a great shooter even before he reached his teens. Sharp1 told me he saw Steven hit 11 of 14 shots from three in the AAU nationals as a 13 year old. Keep in mind that he has shot a high percentage from behind the arc his entire career. He knocked down better than 50% from three as a junior and over 48% last season. He has a sweet stroke. There are no unusual hitches or flaws in his shooting motion that will have to be corrected to prevent him from excelling as a shooter in college.

With all due respect to Mike Neal, I don't believe he is a good comparison to what I expect to see from Steven Pledger. Think J. J. Reddick who will not have to rely on screens to get his shot off until his senior year.

 

[sheepdogs]

Neal, while a good outside shooter was fairly one dimensional. If OU wants to continue to elevate its program it needs to get away from that mode and I think they are bringing in fresh faces which will allow them to do just that.

 

[Seymore Cox]

Neal, while a good outside shooter was fairly one dimensional. If OU wants to continue to elevate its program it needs to get away from that mode and I think they are bringing in fresh faces which will allow them to do just that.

Sheepdog??? An OSU fan??? I get what your saying about multidimensional players, but almost everybody has a guy who is a specialist. If Pledger comes in and is solely a three pt. shooting specialist, I'm OK with that. The 3pt shot is very critical in college basketball and influences the way defenses play players. I think Pledger will play some backup pg.

 

[Tony]

Faithful is spot on about Pledger. He may be known as a shooter, but he can drive and score inside, pull up for short range jumpers and create his own shot off the dribble. Steven is listed at 6' 4" 190, but I believe he is around 205 now. He will have the advantage of arriving on campus with a D-1 ready body, that will only get bigger and stronger before the season starts next year.

I've said this before and I'll say it again. I believe Pledge has a chance to be the best three point shooter in OU history. This kid was a great shooter even before he reached his teens. Sharp1 told me he saw Steven hit 11 of 14 shots from three in the AAU nationals as a 13 year old. Keep in mind that he has shot a high percentage from behind the arc his entire career. He knocked down better than 50% from three as a junior and over 48% last season. He has a sweet stroke. There are no unusual hitches or flaws in his shooting motion that will have to be corrected to prevent him from excelling as a shooter in college.

With all due respect to Mike Neal, I don't believe he is a good comparison to what I expect to see from Steven Pledger. Think J. J. Reddick who will not have to rely on screens to get his shot off until his senior year.

No pressure, kid.

Question: Why is he ranked so (relatively) low in recruiting rankings? Unless I am mistaken, he is not listed among the top 100 players in the country according to both rivals.com and scout.com. What are his weaknesses? What is everyone else missing? It is amazing to me that the player described here could be graded so low by so many people.

 

[sheepdogs]

Sheepdog??? An OSU fan??? I get what your saying about multidimensional players, but almost everybody has a guy who is a specialist. If Pledger comes in and is solely a three pt. shooting specialist, I'm OK with that. The 3pt shot is very critical in college basketball and influences the way defenses play players. I think Pledger will play some backup pg.

Sorry, that's one too many letters for me thank you, always has been and always will be. I thought Cade Davis and Crocker were our new Michael Neals and the thought of another on the team makes me cringe. If anyone should be a specialist it should be the point guard. If not, you need to learn to create shots.

 

[AdaSooner]

No pressure, kid.

Question: Why is he ranked so (relatively) low in recruiting rankings? Unless I am mistaken, he is not listed among the top 100 players in the country according to both rivals.com and scout.com. What are his weaknesses? What is everyone else missing? It is amazing to me that the player described here could be graded so low by so many people.

Do you really believe anything I say will put pressure on the kid, Tony? lol

As for your question, I have wondered about that myself. ESPN has Pledger in their top 100 at the #84 spot. He didn't make Rivals and Scout's top 100 list.

Recruiting rankings aside though, it's hard not to like what you'll see in this highlight video:


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw78xuf4lY8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw78xuf4lY8[/ame]

 

[SBP]

The guy looks pretty good and I know he can shoot lights out, but the competition in that video looks horrible.

 

[mattham4]

The guy looks pretty good and I know he can shoot lights out, but the competition in that video looks horrible.

Ditto that. Was there a rule that he had to be guarded by the smaller, slower, white kid? That's who was on him in every single highlight!:ez-roll:

 

[Seymore Cox]

The guy looks pretty good and I know he can shoot lights out, but the competition in that video looks horrible.

LOL!!! Almost worse than the clip Abd had of the kid going to Tulsa. He's definetely not going to get the lane floater or weave through traffic like that in College. I think he's a sound ballhandler though. Good enough to get OU in some sets.

 

[SoonerfanTU]

Hopefully the first couple of years he can focus on shooting the rock. Maybe by his jr/sr years he can become a more complete player. I just really hope the kid can come in and shoot and defend immediately. That would be a BIG help for next year.

 

[AdaSooner]

Sorry, I was so focused on the positives in that clip, I failed to notice the guy guarding him. Silly me.

 

[Seymore Cox]

Hopefully the first couple of years he can focus on shooting the rock. Maybe by his jr/sr years he can become a more complete player. I just really hope the kid can come in and shoot and defend immediately. That would be a BIG help for next year.

I really want him to come in and push Cade and Tony. If he comes in and is able to knock down shots, those guys will have to step their game up. Tony has solidified his spot through defense, but I do think Capel is going to look for more leadership and scoring.

 

[DSMok1]

I think Pledger = David Godbold.

A better shooter, though (eventually, maybe not freshman year). A jack-of-all-trades that just helps the team out.

 

[AdaSooner]

I really want him to come in and push Cade and Tony. If he comes in and is able to knock down shots, those guys will have to step their game up. Tony has solidified his spot through defense, but I do think Capel is going to look for more leadership and scoring.

I fully expect Steven to push those two on the offensive end, especially because I believe he will be a consistent shooter from the perimeter. The one question I have is can he defend well enough to take quality minutes from Tony, or Cade for that matter? Cade struggled as a freshman on defense (and still does to some extent), because the speed and physical nature of the game in college is nothing like what kids experienced in high school. If Steven can use his size and strength to an advantage and he has the foot speed to be a good defender, there is no question he will compete for playing time.

 

[thebigabd]

I think Pledger = David Godbold.

A better shooter, though (eventually, maybe not freshman year). A jack-of-all-trades that just helps the team out.

From what I have read and seen, Pledger is going to at the very least be a more consistent shooter and more of a specialist than Godbold.

 

[playmakr]

If he contributes much next year, I'll consider it a big bonus.