The 4 Freshmen / First Game / @ Memphis

[SoonerTraveler]

The four OU freshmen contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench in their first college basketball game. They totaled 48 minutes in the game. By comparison, Memphis had 17 points off the bench.

The distribution of minutes played among the freshmen is interesting.

Minutes .. Player
.. 23 ... Dante Buford (5 points; 8 rebounds; 2 blocks)
.. 13 ... Christian James (7 points; 2 rebounds)
.... 9 ... Jamuni McNeace (3 points; 2 rebounds; 3 turnovers)
.... 3 ... Rashard Odomes

Box Score / pdf file:
https://admin.xosn.com/pdf9/4127407.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=31000&

 

[sooner 1234]

Maybe I'm the minority but I'm completely floored by the play of James . I haven't seen this polished of a freshman in years at Oklahoma . He doesn't play like a freshman , never seems rattled and even played some great defense tonight .
If he wasn't on veteran team the kid would be putting averaging 12 -14 points a game .
He just everything well at a young age .

 

[MsProudSooner]

Maybe I'm the minority but I'm completely floored by the play of James . I haven't seen this polished of a freshman in years at Oklahoma . He doesn't play like a freshman , never seems rattled and even played some great defense tonight .
If he wasn't on veteran team the kid would be putting averaging 12 -14 points a game .
He just everything well at a young age .

Wasn't his first shot in a regular season game a 3 and he nailed it? I was impressed.

 

[MNsooner]

James looks good. After tonight's game and the exhibitions my expectations for him this season are growing.

I will say, though, that you don't have to look back far for a freshman who looked this polished. Jordan Woodard was also an instant impact type of player.

 

[usedtobe1]

Christian James would have been a big time recruit if he hadn't broken his leg in the summer before his senior year. He was rated the #1 shooting guard in Texas after his junior season. I honestly think he could run the point, too. I think OU sticking with him after his injury is a major reason why we signed him. He can score in a lot of ways and make us quickly forget about Frank Booker.

Buford showed why they have run him with the 1st team in a lot of the practices. He was solid on the boards and played good defense. He set some good screens, too. I know some were disappointed in him in the 2 exhibition games, but 5 points and 8 rebounds was a solid start for Dante. He will do more as he grows more comfortable with his role.

Jumani had a rough game, but not as rough as Khadeem had. They both need to be more physical and better fundamentally. Hopefully, they learn from it.

Odomes not playing more surprised me. Maybe he needs to play better fundamentally. He will get his chances in the next couple of games.

James and Buford were obviously the best of the newcomers tonight. I think both of them will be really on another level a month from now.

 

[BigTime]

By comparison, I wonder how beak, buddy and cousins did in thier first road game?

 

[okienole3]

Buddy was 6/10 for 17 in his first game.

 

[skyvue]

Buddy was 6/10 for 17 in his first game.

In a 34-point home win against a La-Monroe team that went 4-23 on the season.

 

[usedtobe1]

Buddy was 6/10 for 17 in his first game.

In a 34-point home win against a La-Monroe team that went 4-23 on the season.

There you go trying to put things in perspective....... Spoil sport!! Also, Buddy didn't have to sit out his HS senior year with an injury.

I was really impressed by both James and Buford in their first college game tonight, and can't wait to see more. That was a decent team on the road. They had some athletes.

 

[AdaSooner]

In a 34-point home win against a La-Monroe team that went 4-23 on the season.

Not to take away anything from Buddy, but Memphis on the road in front of a big crowd was a much tougher environment for this group of freshmen. Like usedtobe1 said, Jamuni and Khadeem had a tough night. But in view of the extreme venue and the pressure they must have felt, I think they deserve a pass. Dante and Christian performed admirably throughout the game. If they continue to progress at the current rate, they will not be "freshmen" much longer.

 

[SoonerinNC]

We need more minutes and more points from the newcomers. I expect them to adjust to the Div I game pretty quick and they will have the most to do with how much the team improves.

 

[MercedeSooner]

James is a baller, not often you see a freshman like that take it to the rim strong.

 

[Laxtothemax12]

As I normally do after games I look at what people are tweeting about the team/players, and I saw that Buddy and the #1 player in the nation for 2017 (DeAndre Ayton) are recently following each other on twitter

Probably a pretty stupid correlation but one can dream, right?

 

[TheMont]

I'm very excited about all of the newcomers! Some of Buford's rebounds were so huge and at a time when we desperately needed big defensive boards.

I agree with MsProud. I would love to see stats of how many college greats came into their first game and almost immediately attempted and made their first 3 point basket. Probably not many. James is already a great addition.

I'm anxious to see everyone get more minutes! Lon was substituting freely in the first half and got all these guys in the game, but most of their minutes diminished a bit in the second half when we needed our best, most proven players on the floor.

 

[TINY]

I'm of the opinion that people may really be underestimating how difficult of a task it was to go to Memphis to begin the season. A Memphis team ou was 0-6 all time against with some major talent, albeit young, especially in the front court. It's hard to gauge this early, but they have the look of a tournament team to me.

As others have mentioned, this was a game we probably lose last season. If you remember, Woodard (and others) had several opportunities to win games last season with open looks late but seemed to barely rattle out every time.

Talk about incredible experience early on in the season for the freshmen players, too. They all had some positive moments and fr moments, but Buford's rebounding was one of the key stats of the game. James looked like he is ready to contribute early.

Pumped to get this one! Boomer!

 

[j2d2]

Much impressed with James. This was a good start for Buford whom I expect to make an important contribution this year.

 

[scrybe]

Odomes has had a rough start (in the two exhibition games and the season opener). But I still have high hopes for the kid. He was a big-time scorer in high school and I'm confident the game will start slowing down for him soon.

If we can get all our talented freshmen (true and redshirt) going by the time conference play begins, we will be in really good shape.

 

[BigTime]

Odomes has had a rough start (in the two exhibition games and the season opener). But I still have high hopes for the kid. He was a big-time scorer in high school and I'm confident the game will start slowing down for him soon.

If we can get all our talented freshmen (true and redshirt) going by the time conference play begins, we will be in really good shape.

I think Odomes will be fine. The next two games will be great opportunities to get him some meaningful minutes. Go point on the game going to fast for him right now.

 

[DenverSooner]

Jumani had a rough game, but not as rough as Khadeem had. They both need to be more physical and better fundamentally. Hopefully, they learn from it.

I thought Jumani had some moments. I agree that Buford was much better but I like what I am seeing from Jumani so far. I think he has a chance to be really good.

 

[AdaSooner]

Much impressed with James. This was a good start for Buford whom I expect to make an important contribution this year.

Agreed. James doesn't play like a freshman. He is aggressive and fearless, sometimes to a fault. I would like to see him stay on the floor and go up strong when he takes the ball inside. He wouldn't get as many tries for a goal blocked or swatted out of bounds if he did. But, on the whole, I love how he plays! I think he has a chance to be really good in the not too distant future.

Buford was a little tentative in the early part of the first half, especially on defense. But you could just see his confidence grow as he got more comfortable with his role on both ends of the floor. If he continues to get better, I wouldn't be surprised to see him move into the starting lineup. WTSooner has said all along he would start at the four, and I can see that happening unless Lattin and/or McNeace are able to elevate their game. For my part, I would rather see one of our true post players in that spot, due to their size.