Transfer Portal Thread

[colston15]

You've picked Gibson's worst game of the season (and likely one of Walker's best) to compare the two. In Norman, Gibson scored 13 points while being guarded by Walker and others; Walker scored 3.

On the season, Gibson averaged 13 points to Walker's 5.

Personally, I don't want anyone with even a whiff of aggie wearing crimson and cream, but I don't get a vote.

That's an antiquated perspective in the day and age of the transfer portal.

Walker is four years younger than Gibson and has more natural size and athleticism. Is Gibson a better player today? Sure, but let's see in two years.

I see nothing that says Walker can't become a double-digit scorer while also being a very solid defender that doesn't get exploited by every guard taller than 6'1.

 

[Soonerb98]

As someone who appreciated Harkless for his toughness and defense, I think Walker is a great replacement. I see it as a pretty even trade, but I'm also higher on Harkless than most others seem to be. At worst, Walker will be our most athletic guard (not counting other newcomers). Also, having
another player who's been through the meat grinder of the b12 conference schedule will be valuable.

 

[Stikboy]

Are things not looking good for Allick? Is that why we're offering the Russian?

 

[skyvue]

That's an antiquated perspective in the day and age of the transfer portal.

It's a consistent perspective. Transfers are nothing new--only the ease and frequency is--and I wouldn't any more desire an aggie on our team today than I would have 10 years ago. There are surely other players in the portal who are as good as Walker. The guy has been taunting our team while wearing Halloween colors and now we're inviting him to be a Sooner? No, thanks. Once an aggie, always an aggie. He also regressed, statistically, this past season.

 

[AdaSooner]

Upgrade over who?

Mo - Nope. Mo is the better overall player and substantially better on the offensive end.

Goldwire - Goldwire likely wins out b/c he is a true PG. Probably similar players other than that.

Harkless - I'm not a Harkless fan AT ALL. That said, I'd take Harkless over Walker based on what I know today.

Johnson - Tough to gauge. Probably similar impacts, though Johnson had a higher upside on the offensive end IMO. Tough to compare these two players for a lot of reasons.

3 freshman guards - I expect all three to have better college careers than Walker.

Is Walker an upgrade over Cortes and Mason? Sure. So maybe we upgraded the worst guard on the bench (Cortes, currently). Tough to get excited about that IMO.

Did you bother to read the post I responded to? It was about Marvin Johnson. I said Walker would be an upgrade over him because he has two years to play (actually, Walker has three).

 

[colston15]

It's a consistent perspective. Transfers are nothing new--only the ease and frequency is--and I wouldn't any more desire an aggie on our team today than I would have 10 years ago. There are surely other players in the portal who are as good as Walker. The guy has been taunting our team while wearing Halloween colors and now we're inviting him to be a Sooner? No, thanks. Once an aggie, always an aggie. He also regressed, statistically, this past season.

That's sort of adolescent, but to each his own.

 

[TarheelstateSooner]

You've picked Gibson's worst game of the season (and likely one of Walker's best) to compare the two. In Norman, Gibson scored 13 points while being guarded by Walker and others; Walker scored 3.

On the season, Gibson averaged 13 points to Walker's 5.

Personally, I don't want anyone with even a whiff of aggie wearing crimson and cream, but I don't get a vote.

I'm unhappy about losing Gibson to be honest.

 

[NorthCarolinaSooner]

I was hoping Gibson came back....he chose not to.....he isn't on my mind anymore. If Walker WANTS to be here and can contribute in his minutes on the floor then I welcome hiim....at least he WANTS to be here......he was a Top 100 kid out of high school so the ability is there....different system and he brings something to the table......people who can't get over the fact that he played for OSU need to get over themselves.....if they are stuck on him calling us little brother then they should read the stuff we say on the board....some of you say some pretty crude stuff about OSU and people who go there then go to Family Reunions and Thanksgiving Dinners and kiss the same people you bad mouth while you are there.

I just want OU to improve....some of you are not happy no matter who we get

 

[skyvue]

That's sort of adolescent, but to each his own.

It's college sports--it's meaningless in the grand scheme of things. But in the bubble of college sports, rivalries matter. You wanna view it purely analytically and not allow emotions to influence your response, have at it. I've been rooting for OU and against oswho for half a century. Why would I suddenly change just because it's suddenly easier for players to transfer?

And it's not as though we're getting the second coming of Michael Jordan from them--we're getting a guy who scored five points per game last season. If he'd been a Sooner last season, many on this board would be trashing him. I'm supposed to put aside the fact that he's an aggie AND that he contributes very little offensively? If that makes me adolescent, so be it.

 

[NorthCarolinaSooner]

It's college sports--it's meaningless in the grand scheme of things. But in the bubble of college sports, rivalries matter. You wanna view it purely analytically and not allow emotions to influence your response, have at it. I've been rooting for OU and against oswho for half a century. Why would I suddenly change just because it's suddenly easier for players to transfer?

And it's not as though we're getting the second coming of Michael Jordan from them--we're getting a guy who scored five points per game last season. If he'd been a Sooner last season, many on this board would be trashing him. I'm supposed to put aside the fact that he's an aggie AND that he contributes very little offensively? If that makes me adolescent, so be it.

you say that but then a bunch of people freak out if we lose a guy who averages like 9 ppg......

 

[colston15]

It's college sports--it's meaningless in the grand scheme of things. But in the bubble of college sports, rivalries matter. You wanna view it purely analytically and not allow emotions to influence your response, have at it. I've been rooting for OU and against oswho for half a century. Why would I suddenly change just because it's suddenly easier for players to transfer?

And it's not as though we're getting the second coming of Michael Jordan from them--we're getting a guy who scored five points per game last season. If he'd been a Sooner last season, many on this board would be trashing him. I'm supposed to put aside the fact that he's an aggie AND that he contributes very little offensively? If that makes me adolescent, so be it.

I also despise OSU, but this guy wants - we think - to be a Sooner now. That's enough for me.

 

[Boom Soon]

College basketball is no longer college basketball. I think there was a time where school loyalty and even an education mattered. That time is long gone. Schools are now simply a vessel for a new age amateur basketball league that is developing.

Even five years ago I would have questioned a kid moving from one rival to another. But now, when kids are making salaries for playing college basketball, what name is on the front of the jersey doesn't matter. It sucks, but there's no reason to get caught up in it. Hell, I almost expect him to transfer out next year and go to Texas Tech.

 

[AdaSooner]

I also despise OSU, but this guy wants - we think - to be a Sooner now. That's enough for me.

Walker was also a player OU recruited out of high school. I’m not going to look for the thread, but I’m fairly sure some OU fans back then wanted to sign him.

Doesn’t matter, really. If he wants to be a Sooner, I say we give him that chance. I would rather use a scholarship on an instate product than someone we know very little about.

 

[WTSooner]

At worst, Walker will be our most athletic guard (not counting other newcomers).

Doesn't that literally mean he is more athletic than Cortes, and Cortes alone?

Ahh, I guess Noland too. But being more athletic than those two isn't saying a whole lot.

 

[WTSooner]

Gibson was held to a whopping TWO points and ZERO made shots at OSU while being guarded by Walker and others. Rondel had 13 points on 3-4 shooting in the same game, btw.

Walker is not a scrub. He needs to improve his outside shot, but he has more potential than Gibson and it isn't close.

I'm not going to argue with that, but that is a garbage take. It's really bad. I'll leave it at that.

 

[WTSooner]

Did you bother to read the post I responded to? It was about Marvin Johnson. I said Walker would be an upgrade over him because he has two years to play (actually, Walker has three).

Not sure why years left to play means anything.

If we don't have Walker, we could go find a better play this year or next that has 4/5 years to play.

And I'm not willing to concede Walker is better than Johnson. He'll probably contribute more than Johnson, but that is b/c Johnson spent 2/3 of the season in the doghouse for off the court stuff. Walker isn't anywhere near the creator on offense that Johnson was.

 

[skyvue]

If he wants to be a Sooner, I say we give him that chance.

Does he want to be a Sooner, or does he just want what we can offer him (NIL, more playing time, who knows what)? If he were any kind of Sooner at heart, he wouldn't have talked the trash he's talked.

I'd rather have a player from just about anywhere else, as long as he has similar skills and talents (shouldn't be very hard to find). Signing a guy who's talked trash about OU for two seasons is frankly kind of embarrassing. It smacks of desperation. Just one more sign that the old ways (and by old, I mean two years ago) are disappearing before our eyes. It's all just hired guns now with no loyalties whatsoever (except to themselves), and in this case, a smack-talking one with limited offensive skills whose first choice was to wear orange and who's been in full-on loudmouth aggie since signing on the dotted line there. If it were up to me, it'd be a hard pass.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

Walker is not a scrub. He needs to improve his outside shot, but he has more potential than Gibson and it isn't close.

Define potential

 

[SoonerBounce13]

T
I see nothing that says Walker can't become a double-digit scorer

I just don't see it. I think he will have to play over 30 mpg to avg double digits. he's a poor man's harkless

 

[SoonerBounce13]

If he were any kind of Sooner at heart, he wouldn't have talked the trash he's talked.

Can you remind me what all he has said about OU?