BigTime
The Red Wig
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Well, a new week equals a new update on the progress of the Oklahoma Sooner basketball team. As always, this information is complied from several different sources, and player omissions do not indicate that a player is doing poorly.
Tiny Gallon: There is a really good interview up with Tiny if you didn't get a chance to read it (Click Here). This past week's play of Mr. Gallon has once again drawn rave reviews from those watching. Tiny has been running the floor with no problems during pick-up. He is starting to show off his outlet passing skills, which will hopefully allow Willie and the boys to get some easy transition buckets off of missed shots. And while he hasn't shown many post moves yet (the style of play of the pick-up games hasn't really given him much of a chance) he has shown a mean baseline spin move (very much like Blake). The guy has incredible footwork for a man his size.
His go-to move right now involves him facing up, breaking his man down with a few dribbles, and hitting the mid-range jumper. When I asked about his defense, I was told that he has shown some good flashes, but has a tendency to foul a lot. Foul trouble could be an issue with Tiny, and that is frightening considering how little post depth that the Sooners will have next season.
Steven Pledger: Is in the best physical shape of any of the incoming freshmen. One source had this to say about Pledger: "He is really going to surprise some people. I didn't know that his complete game was going to be so good." That is certainly good news for Sooner fans. The question is still out there regarding Pledger's defense, but we will learn more once the fall practices begin. He seems to have the drive and work ethic to make a difference as a young player. He will have a chance to push Cade Davis and Ray Willis for minutes off the bench.
Tommy Mason-Griffin: As reported before, the back is no longer a big issue. However, as a precaution, TMG hasn't been doing much pick-up,and instead is shooting off to the side. Was told that his three ball has been pretty consistent. One guy marveled at the amount of elevation that Mason-Griffin gets on his jumpers. He can still stand to lose a little weight at this point.
Orlando Allen: Another week, another strong showing by Orlando. His teammates call him the most improved player from last year. He is really developing a softer touch on jumpers eight feet and in. The guy has a great attitude and is well liked by the team.
Again, Orlando appears to be leading Ryan Wright at this time. His size and improved fitness have allowed him to pull down more boards and block more shots. I have been asked about Big O's hands, and in short, they are better but still not good. The bottom line is that Willie and TMG are going to have know who they are passing to as they drive the lane. If it is to Ryan or Orlando, then they can't get too fancy and must throw a really easy ball for a big to catch. If it is to Tiny, they can give him some globetrotter junk, and he will still corral it with his mitts. Dude has great hands.
Ryan Wright: Got told that he is not hesitating as much on shooting his jumpers, which is usually a good thing if a player wants to make more shots. Ryan has the potential to be a really good rebounder and shows flashes of this nearly every day. The problem is that he hasn't been able to sustain his aggresiveness for a prolonged period of time. It seems he has it least one monster put-back jam every day, which reminds some of former Sooner fan favorite Johnnie Gilbert. Also, props to Ryan for being an influence in OU's newest commit, 2011 C Rich Peters' choosing to be a Sooner. Ryan really is a good kid, and it's hard not to pull for him.
Andrew Fitzgerald: Well, it has been said on the last two reports that Fitz needs to bulk up, and he does, but just by adding muscle, not fat. He actually showed up to OU in the worst shape of any of the guys. One source joked that, "If you spotted him on campus, you wouldn't know he was an athlete." Looks can be deceiving though. Andrew has the best mid-range jumpshot (most consistent) out to 15-18 feet. Tiny obviously shoots it better from deep, but it was a pleasant surprise to hear how good Drew's mid-range jumper looks. Was told that he has a chance to be a really good pick and pop power forward.
As for his post moves, he is really undersized but combats that with a motor that many of us heard about during his recruitment. Even if he misses a shot, he is right there to gather the miss and lay it back in. IF he can get into shape, he has a chance to challenge Ryan and Orlando for that starting spot next to Tiny. The good news is that he plays bigger than he is, and is tough for any of our guys to handle when he gets in good position down low.
Notes:
- New strength and training coach Joseph Szendrei is wasting no time making his mark on the program. "YoYo" has the team doing everything from swimming to pilates in an attempt to increase team fitness.
- Ryan Randolph, a freshman walk-on from Bishop McGinness high school, reportedly bench pressed the most weight of anyone of the squad. Randolph, who had football scholarship offers from smaller schools, elected to attend OU and had his pick of either walking on for the football team or the basketball team.
- Follow Head Coach Jeff Capel on Twitter by clicking here. He has had some pretty cool updates over the past month. The 2009 NBA Draft's top pick, Blake Griffin, can also be found on the social network (Blake's Twitter).
- Bob Stoops had some very impressive things to say about the OU basketball program at last Thurday's Tulsa Caravan:
- While the 2009-2010 non-conference schedule has not been released at this time, we have been able to gather the names of some of the opponents including: Arizona (Pac 10/Big 12 challenge), Arkansas, Louisana-Monroe, @Utah, @VCU (Richmond), and @Gonzaga (Seattle). The Sooners are also slated to play in the Great Alaska Shootout, but we don't know the rest of the field. And there is no word at this time as to who will face the Sooners in this year's All-College premier game.
Boomer Sooner
-BT
Tiny Gallon: There is a really good interview up with Tiny if you didn't get a chance to read it (Click Here). This past week's play of Mr. Gallon has once again drawn rave reviews from those watching. Tiny has been running the floor with no problems during pick-up. He is starting to show off his outlet passing skills, which will hopefully allow Willie and the boys to get some easy transition buckets off of missed shots. And while he hasn't shown many post moves yet (the style of play of the pick-up games hasn't really given him much of a chance) he has shown a mean baseline spin move (very much like Blake). The guy has incredible footwork for a man his size.
His go-to move right now involves him facing up, breaking his man down with a few dribbles, and hitting the mid-range jumper. When I asked about his defense, I was told that he has shown some good flashes, but has a tendency to foul a lot. Foul trouble could be an issue with Tiny, and that is frightening considering how little post depth that the Sooners will have next season.
Steven Pledger: Is in the best physical shape of any of the incoming freshmen. One source had this to say about Pledger: "He is really going to surprise some people. I didn't know that his complete game was going to be so good." That is certainly good news for Sooner fans. The question is still out there regarding Pledger's defense, but we will learn more once the fall practices begin. He seems to have the drive and work ethic to make a difference as a young player. He will have a chance to push Cade Davis and Ray Willis for minutes off the bench.
Tommy Mason-Griffin: As reported before, the back is no longer a big issue. However, as a precaution, TMG hasn't been doing much pick-up,and instead is shooting off to the side. Was told that his three ball has been pretty consistent. One guy marveled at the amount of elevation that Mason-Griffin gets on his jumpers. He can still stand to lose a little weight at this point.
Orlando Allen: Another week, another strong showing by Orlando. His teammates call him the most improved player from last year. He is really developing a softer touch on jumpers eight feet and in. The guy has a great attitude and is well liked by the team.
Again, Orlando appears to be leading Ryan Wright at this time. His size and improved fitness have allowed him to pull down more boards and block more shots. I have been asked about Big O's hands, and in short, they are better but still not good. The bottom line is that Willie and TMG are going to have know who they are passing to as they drive the lane. If it is to Ryan or Orlando, then they can't get too fancy and must throw a really easy ball for a big to catch. If it is to Tiny, they can give him some globetrotter junk, and he will still corral it with his mitts. Dude has great hands.
Ryan Wright: Got told that he is not hesitating as much on shooting his jumpers, which is usually a good thing if a player wants to make more shots. Ryan has the potential to be a really good rebounder and shows flashes of this nearly every day. The problem is that he hasn't been able to sustain his aggresiveness for a prolonged period of time. It seems he has it least one monster put-back jam every day, which reminds some of former Sooner fan favorite Johnnie Gilbert. Also, props to Ryan for being an influence in OU's newest commit, 2011 C Rich Peters' choosing to be a Sooner. Ryan really is a good kid, and it's hard not to pull for him.
Andrew Fitzgerald: Well, it has been said on the last two reports that Fitz needs to bulk up, and he does, but just by adding muscle, not fat. He actually showed up to OU in the worst shape of any of the guys. One source joked that, "If you spotted him on campus, you wouldn't know he was an athlete." Looks can be deceiving though. Andrew has the best mid-range jumpshot (most consistent) out to 15-18 feet. Tiny obviously shoots it better from deep, but it was a pleasant surprise to hear how good Drew's mid-range jumper looks. Was told that he has a chance to be a really good pick and pop power forward.
As for his post moves, he is really undersized but combats that with a motor that many of us heard about during his recruitment. Even if he misses a shot, he is right there to gather the miss and lay it back in. IF he can get into shape, he has a chance to challenge Ryan and Orlando for that starting spot next to Tiny. The good news is that he plays bigger than he is, and is tough for any of our guys to handle when he gets in good position down low.
Notes:
- New strength and training coach Joseph Szendrei is wasting no time making his mark on the program. "YoYo" has the team doing everything from swimming to pilates in an attempt to increase team fitness.
- Ryan Randolph, a freshman walk-on from Bishop McGinness high school, reportedly bench pressed the most weight of anyone of the squad. Randolph, who had football scholarship offers from smaller schools, elected to attend OU and had his pick of either walking on for the football team or the basketball team.
- Follow Head Coach Jeff Capel on Twitter by clicking here. He has had some pretty cool updates over the past month. The 2009 NBA Draft's top pick, Blake Griffin, can also be found on the social network (Blake's Twitter).
- Bob Stoops had some very impressive things to say about the OU basketball program at last Thurday's Tulsa Caravan:
- While the 2009-2010 non-conference schedule has not been released at this time, we have been able to gather the names of some of the opponents including: Arizona (Pac 10/Big 12 challenge), Arkansas, Louisana-Monroe, @Utah, @VCU (Richmond), and @Gonzaga (Seattle). The Sooners are also slated to play in the Great Alaska Shootout, but we don't know the rest of the field. And there is no word at this time as to who will face the Sooners in this year's All-College premier game.
Boomer Sooner
-BT
