This team could be better than most people think

[daqman]

Exactly. Notice how he can't even bring himself to issue an unqualified compliment? Instead of just acknowledging we were good defensively, "pretty solid" is as far as he'll go. I guess that's better than his feelings about Doo's defense.

You love all the players. You love all the coaches.
So what, in your opinion, will keep us from finishing in the top 3 in the conference?

 

[Eielson]

You love all the players. You love all the coaches.
So what, in your opinion, will keep us from finishing in the top 3 in the conference?

If Doo at 5 is our worst starter? Absolutely nothing.

 

[lexusooner]

6'8, 210 pounds and he can bang with Big 12 post players?

lol, no.

Not yet at least. Dude isn't going to contribute much this year. Mostly b/c Doo and Manek are going to gobble up much of the minutes at the 4/5 spots, but also b/c he is going to need a couple of years, and there are Kua probably will get minutes before him too. But he is going to struggle this year until he puts on some good strength, and learns how to rebound and block shots against true D1 talent.

Rivals has him at 230 pounds right now.
I’ve watched his film and I think you may be underestimating his heart and hustle. He’s very active around the rim, and plays with great strength. He dominated several D1 bigs in HS which lead to his ranking and offer list.

Here’s his scouting report

Evaluation
A strong, tough and physical post player. His biggest value lies in his ability to rebound and protect the rim. Although a little undersized, Iwaukor is a very good athlete that is quick off his feet, which helps negate being slightly undersized. Plays with tremendous energy and competes. Offensively, Iwaukor still has some developing to do. He looks to dunk everything around the rim, but doesn’t have a developed go-to move and has just OK touch. Iwaukor is a four-year college player.

 

[tmeyer3307]

Our guards must rebound well if we play Manek and Doolittle the whole game together. I don't see Harmon or Reeves doing much on that end.. Williams, Hill and Bieniemy maybe can be above average rebounders for guards. Kuath must get 10-14min a game.. defend and rebound is all we need for that time from him.

 

[WichitaSooner]

You love all the players. You love all the coaches.
So what, in your opinion, will keep us from finishing in the top 3 in the conference?

You got me. Especially if you ignore all the times I pointed out critical flaws in players like James, Lattin, Calixte, Reynolds, and others. But I guess since I didn't call for guys to transfer or take personal shots at them, that means I love them all.

 

[thebigabd]

We were 23rd in adjusted defensive efficiency, so let's stop acting like we can't play good defense with Doolittle at the 5.

https://kenpom.com/index.php?s=RankAdjDE

• We were #6 out of 10 in scoring defense in the Big 12
• We are #9 out of 10 in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds given up per game
• #7 out of 10 in rebounding margin
• #8 out of 10 in blocks
• #8 out of 10 in steals
• #2 out of 10 in FG% defense
• #4 out of 10 in 3pt% defense

Looks like they aren't aggressive on defense which is why we don't block shots or get a bunch of steals, and rebounding is clearly a problem... but they do a good job of playing good, steady defense and force misses, etc.

 

[thebigabd]

You got me. Especially if you ignore all the times I pointed out critical flaws in players like James, Lattin, Calixte, Reynolds, and others. But I guess since I didn't call for guys to transfer or take personal shots at them, that means I love them all.

Where do you think OU finishes in the Big 12 this year?

 

[BCSooners]

• We were #6 out of 10 in scoring defense in the Big 12
• We are #9 out of 10 in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds given up per game
• #7 out of 10 in rebounding margin
• #8 out of 10 in blocks
• #8 out of 10 in steals
• #2 out of 10 in FG% defense
• #4 out of 10 in 3pt% defense

Looks like they aren't aggressive on defense which is why we don't block shots or get a bunch of steals, and rebounding is clearly a problem... but they do a good job of playing good, steady defense and force misses, etc.

You can’t be as aggressive when you don’t have a good rim protector.

 

[WichitaSooner]

Where do you think OU finishes in the Big 12 this year?

As I've said numerous times, I will be happy to make a prediction once rosters are final. Making a prediction now is crazy. We just added a player yesterday, apparently, and KU is likely to add a couple studs within the next couple weeks. Still lots of guys around the league deciding whether to stay in the draft, etc.

Also, to the poster who claimed I love all the players and wondered why I don't think we finish in the top three -- first off, I have never once thought about finishing in the top three. That is as random a cutoff point as possible. But to the bigger question of why we haven't finished higher in the standings the past three seasons, the answer is easy and obvious -- we haven't had the talent to do so. I have acknowledged that all along, many times over. Finishing top 3 in this league usually means you are one of the 10-15 best teams in America, and we haven't been close to that the past three years. To some, that means we should set the place on fire, get rid of Lon, and overhaul the program. To me, it means we need to get better, back to the level of 2015 and 2016, but also reflects the reality that all but maybe 10 programs in the country go through cycles like this. Sample size matters, so I pay more attention to what Lon's record is in his 265 games at OU, rather than cherry-picking his record in "the past three Big 12 seasons," which represents 20% of his overall games at OU.

That's my very long-winded answer to a short question.

 

[WTSooner]

You can’t be as aggressive when you don’t have a good rim protector.

Exactly why we need one. They also help erase mistakes on D by other players. Doolittle, as a 5, cannot do that.

 

[Eielson]

• We were #6 out of 10 in scoring defense in the Big 12
• We are #9 out of 10 in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds given up per game
• #7 out of 10 in rebounding margin
• #8 out of 10 in blocks
• #8 out of 10 in steals
• #2 out of 10 in FG% defense
• #4 out of 10 in 3pt% defense

Looks like they aren't aggressive on defense which is why we don't block shots or get a bunch of steals, and rebounding is clearly a problem... but they do a good job of playing good, steady defense and force misses, etc.

That's a whole lot of numbers and guesswork. At the end of the day, we played good defense with Doolittle at the 5 -- that's why I think we are capable of playing good defense with Doolittle at the 5. It's pretty simple.

 

[CMSOONER]

That's a whole lot of numbers and guesswork. At the end of the day, we played good defense with Doolittle at the 5 -- that's why I think we are capable of playing good defense with Doolittle at the 5. It's pretty simple.

We played good defense with our best players on the floor. Has nothing to do with Doolittle being at the 5. Doolittle is not a 5 and The University of Oklahoma should not have to rely on him at the 5. He is a SF/PF forced to play out of position.

 

[BCSooners]

Exactly why we need one. They also help erase mistakes on D by other players. Doolittle, as a 5, cannot do that.

I agree. However, even if we get the best shot blocker in OU history people will still complain about him.

 

[BCSooners]

We played good defense with our best players on the floor. Has nothing to do with Doolittle being at the 5. Doolittle is not a % and The University of Oklahoma should not have to rely on him at the 5. He is a SF/PF forced to play out of position.

Doolittle was the best or 2nd best defender on a good defensive team last year.

 

[WTSooner]

Doolittle was the best or 2nd best defender on a good defensive team last year.

Based on what? Your eyes, or something else?

 

[WichitaSooner]

Doolittle was the best or 2nd best defender on a good defensive team last year.

Every coach in the league would agree. He was also the most versatile defender in the league, as he could guard basically every position. Again, anyone would agree except people with an agenda.

 

[CMSOONER]

Doolittle was the best or 2nd best defender on a good defensive team last year.

Agreed, which is why he is on the floor. Some want to keep pigeon holing him as a 5 and he is no way shape or form a 5. We just had no better option this year than to play him in a position that is typically reserved for bigger players. If Manek were stronger it would have been him.

 

[BCSooners]

Based on what? Your eyes, or something else?

A bunch of adjusted defense stats & my eyes. I break down the game & rewatch plays to understand why something happened or worked.

That’s why I could stand the team 2 years ago & respected last years team.

 

[Stikboy]

Every coach in the league would agree. He was also the most versatile defender in the league, as he could guard basically every position. Again, anyone would agree except people with an agenda.

Please, stop. Do you ever get tired?

 

[Eielson]

Agreed, which is why he is on the floor. Some want to keep pigeon holing him as a 5 and he is no way shape or form a 5. We just had no better option this year than to play him in a position that is typically reserved for bigger players. If Manek were stronger it would have been him.

Yeah sure, if Anthony Davis came walking through those doors, Doolittle could easily slide to the 4. But he's not.

We're capable of playing good defense with Doo at the 5. We've done it. It's a fact. There's nothing to argue.