Tomorrow

[sybarite]

4 6-6 SR Nicole Griffin
42 6-3 SOPH Kaylon Williams
23 6-2 FR Maddie Manning
3 5-7 SR Aaryn Ellenberg
10 5-10 SR Morgan Hook

1 6-1 SOPH Nicole Kornet
24 5-10 JR Sharane Campbell
31 6-1 SR Portia Durrett

XX 6-2 FR Shaya Kellogg
XX 5-10 FR Derica Wyatt
XX 5-9 FR Gioya Carter
add: T'Ona Edwards?

I like the looks of that team. We have seven who should be pretty solid. I think we are adding something of underrated value in Derica, having watched her championship game. I know what I have seen of Shaya when she played against Kai James. She out-performed James at every aspect of the game and would have won if they had not had an Iowa State super-recruit at point for Iowa who was not in the same league as Moncrief of the Florida stars. I don't know what is coming with Carter.

 

[SoonerNorm]

I look for Sharane to start. She will likely be the second leading scorer behind Aaryn. She is also one of our better defenders.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

Are the Sooners the pre-season favorite to win the Big-12 next year? If not, who is better?

Iowa State loses Chelsea Poppens and Anna Prins. That is 2 of their top 3 scorers.

Besides Griner, Baylor loses Brooklyn Pope and Destiny Williams. That is 3 of their top 4 scorers.

 

[sybarite]

Are the Sooners the pre-season favorite to win the Big-12 next year? If not, who is better?

Iowa State loses Chelsea Poppens and Anna Prins. That is 2 of their top 3 scorers.

Besides Griner, Baylor loses Brooklyn Pope and Destiny Williams. That is 3 of their top 4 scorers.

The next seven months will be spent trying to determine who the favorite (s) are in the Big Twelve next year. I think OU has a seven-person core that may be the best seven. But, I was impressed with the Martin, Suttles, Bias, Donohoe group in Stillwater as well. Baylor has a lot of talent, although a lot of it is untested at this level. I don't think we can forget West Virginia, especially if their center is as good as advertised. Iowa State does have that one forward who drove us nuts, Hallie Christofferson. Could be interesting.

 

[BlackwellSooner]

Are the Sooners the pre-season favorite to win the Big-12 next year? If not, who is better?

Iowa State loses Chelsea Poppens and Anna Prins. That is 2 of their top 3 scorers.

Besides Griner, Baylor loses Brooklyn Pope and Destiny Williams. That is 3 of their top 4 scorers.

Besides the ones you mentioned, Baylor also loses two 6-0 seniors, Kimetria Hayden, and Jordan Madden; all told, Baylor loses 5 seniors.

They have one really good player returning, Odyssey Sims. I know that they have some young talent, but it is just that - YOUNG and untested.

I like our chances.

 

[atlantasooner]

Manning is coming back from a knee injury. So I think putting her in the starting lineup is pretty premature.
Campbell seems far more likely.

There's no depth at 5 unless you move Kaylon over.
The depth at 4 is really suspect.
Durrett was a non factor year one. I don't think Sherri's had a real impact JUCO
since Maria. Orehkova at USF would have looked damn good in a Sooner jersey
this year. Another recruiting miss
Not sure what OU can really expect from Kellogg. She's not that highly rated.

But the starting five is probably the best in league right now.

 

[Mutron76]

I have to agree that Sharane belongs in the starting lineup. Maddie would make an excellent six man although I believe she will be one of our three most productive players. Sherri almost certainly will not move any of the senior starters out of the lineup which leaves us with Sharane, Maddie, and Kay. Assuming everyone is 100% rehabbed (and I choose to) Kay really fills a need underneath. Sharane and Maddie both would and will offer an exciting option off the bench. My eyes were a bit Misty watching Jo and Sharane at the last press conference and I walked away from it just feeling that our girl from Spencer has grown up and is ready to take over this team. I do not mean to leave Kornet or the other ladies out because I believe N.K has 3 more years to become a special or at least good player but I was limiting my thoughts to who starts.

 

[Mac]

I see Morgan Aaryn Manning Campbell and Griffin starting next year, Kay Kay could push Griffin by the time conference starts. I think we can be an Elite 8 team next year.

 

[Stringmusic]

Elite 8 as a minimum - possible Final Four.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Our biggest concern this fall will be, where will the rebounding come from?

 

[sybarite]

I hadn't really thought of naming starters. But, if Maddie does come back healthy, I think she will be a definite starter, probably the number two scorer, third at worst. For the reason, watch the videos of the three games that she started.

I would probably put Kaylon in the starting five for one reason. We do need a rebounder. It will probably end up being Kaylon or Shaya. For those who aren't sure how much Shaya can contribute, the video of the Iowa-Florida AAU game was linked on the recruiting thread. Everyone wanted James because she was big and highly-rated. Shaya and Moncrief were the dominant stars of that game.

I kind of want to see who emerges from this group, who wants to start and play. "Want to" is going to be the factor separating a lot of these.

 

[Mutron76]

I see Morgan Aaryn Manning Campbell and Griffin starting next year, Kay Kay could push Griffin by the time conference starts. I think we can be an Elite 8 team next year.

This is probably right. This was my first thought as well. We have 7 players that will most likely receive most of the minutes and I suppose who starts out of them does not matter as much since they should all see heavy minutes. Kay Kay should push Nicole but she most likely will not replace her as a starter even if KayKay out performs her. Not Sherri's style. So if Kay Kay works herself into the lineup this leaves Maddie or Sharane as first off the bench. Your lineup is my favorite combination though.

 

[sybarite]

We could spend the next seven months debating who will start. I think we can pencil in Griffin, Ellenberg, and Hook. Frankly, I'm not all that certain of them.

At this stage, you begin to look to see who is developing. Who has finally figured it out. I see several players with similar basic talent levels, some with specific advantages. Which ones will emerge this year? Then, there is another question: when will they emerge? A lot of times, there are major differences in the first few games and in the last several conference games. Someone has arrived that was missing earlier in the year.

I see how far we go in the tournament as a function of who emerges and how many. If Maddie and Kaylon are healthy and do what they are capable of doing, I see this as a deep run in the tournament. They fill roles that I see nobody else filling.

I am also very curious to see how far Kornet has come, and I expect at least one of the three freshmen to contribute. I guess that is now four. I would love to see some major development as freshmen from the rebounder that I saw in Shaya and the scorer that I saw in Danica. Those are valuable assets.

 

[soonerstar]

You do not think Sharane should be penciled in with Hook, Ellenburg, and Griffin?

 

[j2d2]

Griffin's limitations will likely put KAYKay at center just because she is athletic and has some awareness of what is happening around her even though she is better suited at forward. Nicole, bless her heart, cannot rebound. We need a big, tough center or forward very badly and the recruiting so far isnt providing one (or two).

 

[SoonerNorm]

Griffin's limitations will likely put KAYKay at center just because she is athletic and has some awareness of what is happening around her even though she is better suited at forward. Nicole, bless her heart, cannot rebound. We need a big, tough center or forward very badly and the recruiting so far isnt providing one (or two).

I like the way you think. I just hope Kaylon will be 100% healthy. She has a chance to be a very good player.

 

[SoonerNorm]

I'm probably in the minority here but, I would like to see the following lineup just to see how they could do:

PG- Morgan
SG- Aaryn
SF- Sharane
PF- Maddie
C- Kaylon

 

[sybarite]

I'm hoping that Kaylon and Maddie have a complete recovery and are at least as far along as they were when injured. Since I don't know how much different players will develop over the summer, I will say only what I hope will be true.

Center: Nicole Griffin--still the best FG% and shot blocker we have
PF: Kaylon Williams---if she can simply rebound, play defense, and hit putbacks, that would be enough
Rover: I don't want to put a title of a position on Maddie. The Maddie who started in Hawaii is the key to how far this team can go. That Maddie can be what we need to give Aaryn some room, help Morgan, and be a terror inside on any poor 5-10 guard who is assigned to her (at 6-2)
Shooting Guard: Aaryn Ellenberg---relax and shoot. Defense is coming around.
Point guard: Morgan---if anyone, I think Morgan will have to step it up. She needs to relax, especially on her shooting.

First off the bench:
Sixth man: I think Sharane is better suited as a high-energy player off the bench than a starter. I also thought Nyesia operated better off the bench. When she brings energy, she becomes a terror. When she is playing moderately, she is not at her best.
The Bomber: I expect Kornet to come off the bench with three-pointers and rebounds. She is too good not to get twenty minutes.

 

[BigDSooner43]

I thought that Portia showed flashes of coming along....probably in the minority but I would not count her out with another summer to work with our guys...

 

[35TangoTango]

I thought that Portia showed flashes of coming along....probably in the minority but I would not count her out with another summer to work with our guys...

Along those lines, look at the successful power forwards in OU's offense: Caton Hill, Leah Rush, Ashley Paris, Amanda Thompson, Joanna McFarland. With the exception of Ashley, and in some degree Leah, these have been face the basket players, not post up players. They can muscle and rebound on the inside, but also move on the perimeter and can the open outside shot. The perfect fit for the 4 out motion we like to run. Now ask yourself what players best fit this mold?