BigTime
The Red Wig
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Coach Capel and Coach Cline have been making themselves seen at several of the big July tournaments including: Las Vegas, Kansas City, and Milwaukee. The Sooners are still waiting on #2 for the 2010 class, but by all indications, they are close with several big names.
The following are eye witness accounts from several sources on the progress of the team. As always, players not mentioned are not indicative of poor play or failing to make an impact.
This one is going to be short but sweet guys and gals. Just not a whole lot of new info to report at this time....
**********
Tommy Mason-Griffin - The word from the practice court is that TMG may not have that starting job locked up at the point guard position just yet. It's not so much what TMG isn't doing well, but what Willie Warren is doing right. More on that in a moment. Mason-Griffin is still adjusting to high level D1 basketball players and the speed of the game. There is obviously still time for him to earn a starting spot, but don't be surprised if he comes off the bench to start the season. The Sooners would be lucky to have such a talent coming off of the bench.
**********
Willie Warren - While Tiny Gallon stole the show for the first couple of practice reports, it has been all Willie as of late. Multiple folks keep raving about his change in attitude, and how he is making good decisions with the basketball this summer. He has been shooting lights out from deep, and has shown marked improvement with his ball control. He may be the best guard in college basketball at taking contact and still finishing. What will take him from very good to great is his ability to defend out on the perimeter. If he continues to improve on that, he could go down as the greatest guard in OU basketball history. One thing is clear, this is Willie's team.
**********
Andrew Fitzgerald - Still has some work to do in the conditioning department. There is little doubt that he will play major minutes next season. Is starting to click offensively and is adjusting well. Will be able to give a big lift in the rebounding department. He can really knock down free-throws and has a pretty stroke from the midrange.
**********
Raymond Willis - He continues to put on a show offensively during the pick-up games. Ray is a crafty scorer that can get in the lane and hit runners and difficult shots. Watching he and Willie play one on one has been really exciting for those lucky enough to see the pick-up games. It will be interesting to see how he does once the official practices start in the fall.
**********
Orlando Allen - Big O has shown noticable improvement with catching tough entry passes. You can tell that he is working hard to get better in that area. He is in the best shape of any of the post players. He also has shown to be a vocal leader on this team, and being an older guy, is able to have an impact on all the youngsters.
**********
Notes
- The Sooners are playing in Maui next season and will be among monster programs like Kentucky, UCONN, and Michigan State. The Sooners will be competing in the Old Spice Classic (Orlando, Florida) in 2011, and in the 76 Classic (Anaheim, Cali.) the following year.
- Sooner commit, T.J. Taylor (2010), is healing up well from his broken ankle. He will be attending the Sooner's top performers camp in late August, but will not be able to play.
- Buffalo will be joining OU, Houston, Washington State, San Diego, and NW Louisiana in the 2009 Great Alaska Shootout. There are still two teams yet to be named at this point.
- Former Sooner, Blake Griffin, finished up a successful NBA summer league campaign with a stat line of: 19.2 points, 10.8 boards and 3.2 assists. Shot 50% from field, 46% from line. He strained his shoulder after the third game, but continued to play after the injury. He will be out for the next 3-5 weeks.
- A recruit that I failed to mention that caught our eye at the GASO a few weeks ago is Marcus Smart (2012 6'3 SF). He will be a sophomore at Flower Mound High School (Flower Mound, Texas) next season. He is very athletic and has an impressive wingspan. He will need to continue to grow in order to play the forward position, but he showed the explosiveness and skill of a high major recruit. Might be a name that you hear again in a year or two.
That's all for now.
Boomer Sooner!
BT
Old Reports:
#1
#2
#3
#4
The following are eye witness accounts from several sources on the progress of the team. As always, players not mentioned are not indicative of poor play or failing to make an impact.
This one is going to be short but sweet guys and gals. Just not a whole lot of new info to report at this time....
**********
Tommy Mason-Griffin - The word from the practice court is that TMG may not have that starting job locked up at the point guard position just yet. It's not so much what TMG isn't doing well, but what Willie Warren is doing right. More on that in a moment. Mason-Griffin is still adjusting to high level D1 basketball players and the speed of the game. There is obviously still time for him to earn a starting spot, but don't be surprised if he comes off the bench to start the season. The Sooners would be lucky to have such a talent coming off of the bench.
**********
Willie Warren - While Tiny Gallon stole the show for the first couple of practice reports, it has been all Willie as of late. Multiple folks keep raving about his change in attitude, and how he is making good decisions with the basketball this summer. He has been shooting lights out from deep, and has shown marked improvement with his ball control. He may be the best guard in college basketball at taking contact and still finishing. What will take him from very good to great is his ability to defend out on the perimeter. If he continues to improve on that, he could go down as the greatest guard in OU basketball history. One thing is clear, this is Willie's team.
**********
Andrew Fitzgerald - Still has some work to do in the conditioning department. There is little doubt that he will play major minutes next season. Is starting to click offensively and is adjusting well. Will be able to give a big lift in the rebounding department. He can really knock down free-throws and has a pretty stroke from the midrange.
**********
Raymond Willis - He continues to put on a show offensively during the pick-up games. Ray is a crafty scorer that can get in the lane and hit runners and difficult shots. Watching he and Willie play one on one has been really exciting for those lucky enough to see the pick-up games. It will be interesting to see how he does once the official practices start in the fall.
**********
Orlando Allen - Big O has shown noticable improvement with catching tough entry passes. You can tell that he is working hard to get better in that area. He is in the best shape of any of the post players. He also has shown to be a vocal leader on this team, and being an older guy, is able to have an impact on all the youngsters.
**********
Notes
- The Sooners are playing in Maui next season and will be among monster programs like Kentucky, UCONN, and Michigan State. The Sooners will be competing in the Old Spice Classic (Orlando, Florida) in 2011, and in the 76 Classic (Anaheim, Cali.) the following year.
- Sooner commit, T.J. Taylor (2010), is healing up well from his broken ankle. He will be attending the Sooner's top performers camp in late August, but will not be able to play.
- Buffalo will be joining OU, Houston, Washington State, San Diego, and NW Louisiana in the 2009 Great Alaska Shootout. There are still two teams yet to be named at this point.
- Former Sooner, Blake Griffin, finished up a successful NBA summer league campaign with a stat line of: 19.2 points, 10.8 boards and 3.2 assists. Shot 50% from field, 46% from line. He strained his shoulder after the third game, but continued to play after the injury. He will be out for the next 3-5 weeks.
- A recruit that I failed to mention that caught our eye at the GASO a few weeks ago is Marcus Smart (2012 6'3 SF). He will be a sophomore at Flower Mound High School (Flower Mound, Texas) next season. He is very athletic and has an impressive wingspan. He will need to continue to grow in order to play the forward position, but he showed the explosiveness and skill of a high major recruit. Might be a name that you hear again in a year or two.
That's all for now.
Boomer Sooner!
BT
Old Reports:
#1
#2
#3
#4
