Today was my first game to see in person. Some thoughts from a long-time fan:
Was TMG hurt or sick? He struggled today the entire game. He seemed a step slow: had a hard time breaking down the defender or keeping his man in front of him on defense. He played a little better in the second half, but he didn't look right at all. In fairness, he did get roughed up quite a bit at times, with little interference from the referees, and I think that got in his head.
Willie did not seem to want to be out there at all. He seemed PO'd the entire game. When he missed shots, he often didn't get back on defense; He didn't really communicate with any other teammates, and it didn't seem like Capel or his staff tried to talk with him. The way he looked today, he wasn't a COLLEGE STARTER, let alone an NBA lottery pick. At times, he was being picked apart by Northern Colorado guards. He seemed determined at times to hit three pointers, but had no success today, and he let affect other parts of his game. There's no denying his talent; but something appears to be terribly wrong in Norman.
Tiny Gallon has a lot of gifts -- he has soft hands; he makes his free throws; he can even hit some long range shots; he has some nice agility for a big guy. But he doesn't look comfortable in the post yet. He's worked so hard to get his body in shape, but he didn't look today like he knew how to use it to his advantage. He was by far the biggest guy on the court, but he didn't play enough like it. Surprisingly, he got knocked around by smaller guys and lost control of the ball on several occasions. The good news is that he appears to be approachable AND coachable. He'll continue to get better, but I don't seem him as a one and done player at all.
Cade Davis probably saved us with his play in the first half. That may have been the best half of ball he's played in his life. Without his three pointers, we would have been down by double digits in the first half instead of one point.
We're a much better team when Tony Crocker gets more assertive. He's a great talent, but sometimes it's hard for him to find the "on" switch. Until this year, I didn't realize what a good rebounder he is...Tiny needs to watch some tape on Tony on defense. He made some big mistakes in the final two minutes, but he was very hot most of the second half.
We appear to be missing leadership on this year's team. None of the upperclassmen strike me as the type to get in someone's face if they are not performing, or reach out to teammates who are struggling.
No diplomatic way to say this: this year's team is one of OU's worst defensive teams in a long time. The frustrating thing is that the talent is there. Too many times today there were players who simply didn't get back on defense, didn't provide offside help or played wisely against the best shooters. I don't think they can go with just one post in Big 12 play; ironically Tony Crocker is a far better defender inside than Tiny. Pledger is a great offensive talent, but I'm not sure he can guard his position yet. Normally Capel could hide him, but there are too many holes to hide right now. I couldn't believe we were outrebounded by Northern Colorado. In fairness, maybe part of the problem were poor timing with all of the long rebounds by a three point shooting opponent.
I'm sure Ryan Wright is an exceptional young man, but I don't think he brings much to the team on the court. I wonder if OU would be better served with Fitzgerald and Allen getting his minutes. They are going to be on the team next year.
I really worry about the chemistry of this team. There is a lot of talent, but it is not translating into success on the court. It seemed pretty chippy out there on the court at times between our guys. At times there was a lot of attitude with some of our players, but not a lot of effort and fundamentals. Capel looked really exasperated with them and didn't sugarcoat his frustration in the post game. I hope he doesn't have to take drastic actions with some players, but it wouldn't surprise me if he did.
We better play a lot better if we want to beat UTEP on Monday. I bet we do play better, but I don't think that will make all the problems this team has disappear, though. This is going to be a tough year for Capel, but I think he's up to the challenge.
SLEDO
Was TMG hurt or sick? He struggled today the entire game. He seemed a step slow: had a hard time breaking down the defender or keeping his man in front of him on defense. He played a little better in the second half, but he didn't look right at all. In fairness, he did get roughed up quite a bit at times, with little interference from the referees, and I think that got in his head.
Willie did not seem to want to be out there at all. He seemed PO'd the entire game. When he missed shots, he often didn't get back on defense; He didn't really communicate with any other teammates, and it didn't seem like Capel or his staff tried to talk with him. The way he looked today, he wasn't a COLLEGE STARTER, let alone an NBA lottery pick. At times, he was being picked apart by Northern Colorado guards. He seemed determined at times to hit three pointers, but had no success today, and he let affect other parts of his game. There's no denying his talent; but something appears to be terribly wrong in Norman.
Tiny Gallon has a lot of gifts -- he has soft hands; he makes his free throws; he can even hit some long range shots; he has some nice agility for a big guy. But he doesn't look comfortable in the post yet. He's worked so hard to get his body in shape, but he didn't look today like he knew how to use it to his advantage. He was by far the biggest guy on the court, but he didn't play enough like it. Surprisingly, he got knocked around by smaller guys and lost control of the ball on several occasions. The good news is that he appears to be approachable AND coachable. He'll continue to get better, but I don't seem him as a one and done player at all.
Cade Davis probably saved us with his play in the first half. That may have been the best half of ball he's played in his life. Without his three pointers, we would have been down by double digits in the first half instead of one point.
We're a much better team when Tony Crocker gets more assertive. He's a great talent, but sometimes it's hard for him to find the "on" switch. Until this year, I didn't realize what a good rebounder he is...Tiny needs to watch some tape on Tony on defense. He made some big mistakes in the final two minutes, but he was very hot most of the second half.
We appear to be missing leadership on this year's team. None of the upperclassmen strike me as the type to get in someone's face if they are not performing, or reach out to teammates who are struggling.
No diplomatic way to say this: this year's team is one of OU's worst defensive teams in a long time. The frustrating thing is that the talent is there. Too many times today there were players who simply didn't get back on defense, didn't provide offside help or played wisely against the best shooters. I don't think they can go with just one post in Big 12 play; ironically Tony Crocker is a far better defender inside than Tiny. Pledger is a great offensive talent, but I'm not sure he can guard his position yet. Normally Capel could hide him, but there are too many holes to hide right now. I couldn't believe we were outrebounded by Northern Colorado. In fairness, maybe part of the problem were poor timing with all of the long rebounds by a three point shooting opponent.
I'm sure Ryan Wright is an exceptional young man, but I don't think he brings much to the team on the court. I wonder if OU would be better served with Fitzgerald and Allen getting his minutes. They are going to be on the team next year.
I really worry about the chemistry of this team. There is a lot of talent, but it is not translating into success on the court. It seemed pretty chippy out there on the court at times between our guys. At times there was a lot of attitude with some of our players, but not a lot of effort and fundamentals. Capel looked really exasperated with them and didn't sugarcoat his frustration in the post game. I hope he doesn't have to take drastic actions with some players, but it wouldn't surprise me if he did.
We better play a lot better if we want to beat UTEP on Monday. I bet we do play better, but I don't think that will make all the problems this team has disappear, though. This is going to be a tough year for Capel, but I think he's up to the challenge.
SLEDO
