skyvue
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On Sunday, I got to watch the Sooner men practice, and what fun I had. I also had the pleasure of meeting our own Gary (and Paul, who lurks but doesn't post) -- both of them fine gentlemen who sort of showed me the ropes.
I was very impressed that virtually everyone in the gym made it a point to come over and greet the fans who were in attendance -- not only Coach Kruger, but his assistants and grad assistants and I don't know who all else.
Things started in the practice gym with some warmup shooting and then the active players went off to watch film for a half-hour while a couple of the assistant coaches ran the redshirts and some of the walk-ons through some drills.
When Coach Kruger and the active players returned, we moved into the arena where the rest of the practice took place. They went for more than two hours after watching film, and I thought it was cool that they had printed out a stack of rosters for fans to refer to and a full practice schedule that listed each drill they'd be running and how many minutes would be devoted to each (the drills were described in a lingo and abbreviations the meaning of which eluded me, but I'll bet Gary knew what each of them were).
I was impressed, as always, with Spangler's work ethic -- he went hard at all times and hit shots from all over the court. It was interesting to see the assistants really riding Buddy at times -- not in the sense that he was dogging it or anything, but they were really getting after him during a defensive drill. He kept thinking he'd completed it and several times they made him go at it again. He was slightly exasperated, it seemed, but good-natured about it and kept at it till the coaches were satisfied.
I was also impressed by McNeese. He's raw, as others have said, but very athletic and when he delivers a solid play, it's very impressive indeed. During one stretch of scrimmaging, he had four or five good plays in a row, and they were impressive enough to make one almost wish he were playing this season. I will watch his growth and progress with great interest over the coming months and years. He seemed like a good kid too -- positive and fun and friendly.
Buford was hitting threes with regularity, but was having more trouble, on this day anyway, with his midrange shots. But I liked what I saw from him overall.
Many of the fans had left by practice's end (as I said it was a long one -- nearly three hours counting the film session), but as soon as it was over, several of the players hurried right over to those of us who were still on hand to thank us for coming. This caught me by surprise, I have to say, but what a treat to have the players come over and say hello. I'm still something of a kid when it comes to meeting my Sooner heroes (it's probably a little ridiculous for a man in his fifties to get excited about meeting college students, but I can't pretend that I don't).
As you'll see in the attached pictures, I got to meet DJ, Buddy, and Ryan and I spoke briefly to two or three others. And as I was leaving through the exit at one end of the court, I tried to catch Coach Kruger's eye -- he was standing near the top of the key at that end -- just to offer a wave of thanks for his hospitality. He saw me, interrupted his conversation with one of the coaches and hurried over to thank me for coming. I told him that while we fans certainly appreciate the wins, we are also grateful for the way he's running the program -- that he lets fans attend practices, that he recruits young men who are good players but also solid citizens.
All in all, it really was a great time, and I encourage any of you who have never attended a practice to do so at your earliest opportunity. I had a great time (and thanks again to Gary for being so welcoming and helpful).
I was very impressed that virtually everyone in the gym made it a point to come over and greet the fans who were in attendance -- not only Coach Kruger, but his assistants and grad assistants and I don't know who all else.
Things started in the practice gym with some warmup shooting and then the active players went off to watch film for a half-hour while a couple of the assistant coaches ran the redshirts and some of the walk-ons through some drills.
When Coach Kruger and the active players returned, we moved into the arena where the rest of the practice took place. They went for more than two hours after watching film, and I thought it was cool that they had printed out a stack of rosters for fans to refer to and a full practice schedule that listed each drill they'd be running and how many minutes would be devoted to each (the drills were described in a lingo and abbreviations the meaning of which eluded me, but I'll bet Gary knew what each of them were).
I was impressed, as always, with Spangler's work ethic -- he went hard at all times and hit shots from all over the court. It was interesting to see the assistants really riding Buddy at times -- not in the sense that he was dogging it or anything, but they were really getting after him during a defensive drill. He kept thinking he'd completed it and several times they made him go at it again. He was slightly exasperated, it seemed, but good-natured about it and kept at it till the coaches were satisfied.
I was also impressed by McNeese. He's raw, as others have said, but very athletic and when he delivers a solid play, it's very impressive indeed. During one stretch of scrimmaging, he had four or five good plays in a row, and they were impressive enough to make one almost wish he were playing this season. I will watch his growth and progress with great interest over the coming months and years. He seemed like a good kid too -- positive and fun and friendly.
Buford was hitting threes with regularity, but was having more trouble, on this day anyway, with his midrange shots. But I liked what I saw from him overall.
Many of the fans had left by practice's end (as I said it was a long one -- nearly three hours counting the film session), but as soon as it was over, several of the players hurried right over to those of us who were still on hand to thank us for coming. This caught me by surprise, I have to say, but what a treat to have the players come over and say hello. I'm still something of a kid when it comes to meeting my Sooner heroes (it's probably a little ridiculous for a man in his fifties to get excited about meeting college students, but I can't pretend that I don't).
As you'll see in the attached pictures, I got to meet DJ, Buddy, and Ryan and I spoke briefly to two or three others. And as I was leaving through the exit at one end of the court, I tried to catch Coach Kruger's eye -- he was standing near the top of the key at that end -- just to offer a wave of thanks for his hospitality. He saw me, interrupted his conversation with one of the coaches and hurried over to thank me for coming. I told him that while we fans certainly appreciate the wins, we are also grateful for the way he's running the program -- that he lets fans attend practices, that he recruits young men who are good players but also solid citizens.
All in all, it really was a great time, and I encourage any of you who have never attended a practice to do so at your earliest opportunity. I had a great time (and thanks again to Gary for being so welcoming and helpful).
