Tidbit from Today's Practice (Monday)

[SoonerTraveler]

Akolda Manyang was back at practice today and looked full speed. He was sick on Saturday due to Strep Throat, but was doing better on Sunday.

At practice, if Buddy obtains an open look from 3-point range, he just does not miss. When a longtime athletic department staffer was asked if there has ever been anyone at OU shoot the ball like that in practice, he said yes; Brent Price.

Isaiah may be breaking out of his slump. He hit some nice 3-pointers during competitive team drills (i.e., focused scrimmages).

Classic comment by Lon Kruger: When asked how he and the coaches are reacting to the high rankings and national attention, Lon said "I am not sleeping any better or any worse." He said they are focused on getting better, and the topic of rankings does not really come up.

BEAT OSU!!

 

[BigTime]

Good stuff. Thanks Trav

 

[Delta Sooner]

I'm glad Alex Brown gave you his opinion on Buddy Hield and Brent Price. Good comparison.

 

[Larry72]

Thanks for the details!!

 

[AdaSooner]

Thanks for the update, Trav! Nice to know AK was able to practice again. We'll need him down the stretch.

 

[AltSooner33]

Thanks Trav! Hopefully what you saw from Cousins in practice will translate to Stillwater. Get his offense going the way we know it can, along with what Jordan and Buddy are doing.

 

[cvangild]

Brent Price had a magic stroke. Never thought I could say anyone could match him...but with the way Buddy is shooting it....hell I don't know!

Brent's shooting % in games wasn't as good as Buddy's this year, but he took more shots in total and he took more deep/difficult 3's as well.

That would be fun to see though...both of them going at it in the gym at their prime.

 

[DenverSooner]

With Grandstaff (about a top 50 recruit) and Freeman (said to have easily been a top 50 recruit if from the US), OU is going to face better competition in practice. That can only help this team.

Is OU starting to practice against better talent than some of the teams in the conference will start? I am only talking about recruiting rankings but I suspect it is getting close.

 

[j2d2]

Better competition in practice offensively but on the defensive side.............? Coach K will have them playing decent defense at some point, but they have been making a living on the offensive end so far.

 

[usedtobe1]

Nice tidbit Traveler. Glad to hear Manyang is back.

Here are some of my musings:
- There have been recent comments about Manyang not appearing happy on the bench.
- Someone (I think it was CoachTalk) mentioned Odomes is having a tough time coping with his limited court time.

I'm sure some of that is natural, but I hope nobody develops an "attitude" about lack of playing time. With all of our depth at the wing, it certainly wouldn't surprise me to get some transfers if we ultimately "recruit over" some player.

Sorry if I'm hijacking the intent of this thread.

I remember refereeing a freshman boys basketball game in Columbus Texas, and I was checking the book before the game. The home team had 17 kids listed on the game roster and I laughed and asked the coach how could he possibly keep 17 kids and their parents all happy. The coach said "I can't" and explained they had a "no cut" rule so he just never played most of them in hopes they would quit on their own. Sometimes coaches want attrition.

 

[IndySooner]

Tim Heskett has held the single season 3-point % record for almost 20 years now. It's going to fall this year - and it might fall to TWO players. Buddy and Jordan are shooting at an incredible pace from beyond the line.

 

[KBaden145]

Nice tidbit Traveler. Glad to hear Manyang is back.

Here are some of my musings:
- There have been recent comments about Manyang not appearing happy on the bench.
- Someone (I think it was CoachTalk) mentioned Odomes is having a tough time coping with his limited court time.

I'm sure some of that is natural, but I hope nobody develops an "attitude" about lack of playing time. With all of our depth at the wing, it certainly wouldn't surprise me to get some transfers if we ultimately "recruit over" some player.

Sorry if I'm hijacking the intent of this thread.

I remember refereeing a freshman boys basketball game in Columbus Texas, and I was checking the book before the game. The home team had 17 kids listed on the game roster and I laughed and asked the coach how could he possibly keep 17 kids and their parents all happy. The coach said "I can't" and explained they had a "no cut" rule so he just never played most of them in hopes they would quit on their own. Sometimes coaches want attrition.

Attitude isn't an issue with either player. Odomes is a little frustrated with himself. I think he understands he is keeping himself from minutes but also understands he has 'dudes' playing in front of him.

Manyang is just in a difficult position overall. Injury and now illness are holding him back. He's getting fair minutes. It's on him to produce.

It's possible someone transfers bc the talent level is SO high. The rotation for next season is so far from settled. Once the 2016-17 rotation develops, then we'll see possible movement.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hoopsaustin]

Odomes has to see all of these seniors and be thinking there's gonna be a ton of minutes to divvy up next year

 

[SoonerTraveler]

Attitude isn't an issue with either player. ...

Agreed. From what I saw in practice, no attitude issues were evident.

In my opinion, these concerns over players' attitudes are way overblown. It looks to me like everyone works very hard in practice with a refreshing camaraderie. They look and act like teammates that like each other. I saw no pouting or long-faces. The guys play hard, work to improve, and compete.