Twisting Knobs and Pulling Levers

[Sooner04]

Overreactions to any loss is a pretty common practice. But anyone with a vested interest in Sooner basketball has to feel pretty queasy after these last two games. A lot of the problems that have plagued us the last three seasons are now re-appearing for a fourth. I don't have any solutions, they don't pay me enough to provide those, but I do have some things I'd like to see tried. What about everyone here? Do you?


1. STRIKE THE SWITCHING

Lon has been enamored with switching screens (1-4 at the least) for ages and I don't believe he's had a team athletic enough to pull it off for a while now. We give up a TON of open shots. Lonely, uncontested looks for deep. I'd love to see us mix in a little zone here and there just to give teams a different look. Few games have made me madder than our loss last year in Austin. Texas can't hit their ass with either hand from distance, but we refuse to go zone even though nobody on the roster can keep their point guard in front of them. The second half was a conga-line of lay-ups and free throws. Enough!

Play a little zone and allow and go with the strengths of your personnel. If you had to steal minutes with Polla and Freeman last year....play ZONE! We are already a pitiful rebounding team THIS year.....how could a zone make it any worse? At least we'd have a guy in the ballpark for the myriad of perimeter shots we're allowing. Throw it out there a few times a game. See if it sticks.


2. THE DOOLITTLE DOCTRINE

Kristian is our best player by a large margin. Everything should run through him offensively. If he's got a big guy on him, bring him out. If his defender is small, bang away. We are nowhere near disciplined enough on offense to get open looks consistently. We take LOTS of bad shots, and I want that to stop. Teams will be ignoring Bieniemy and Harmon from distance which means we'll have a really good look early on each possession as to how each team will attack Doolittle. But if he never gets the ball that is a wasted possession. Be it up top or at the elbow, Kristian has got to be the initiator of the offense. Otherwise it's 4 on 5 at best or 3 on 5 at worst.


3. THE REAVES REBOOT

Austin Reaves is a fantastic basketball player. Might be one of the more cerebral guys I've seen in Norman in quite some time. But he is not good enough yet to handle being on top of an opposing scouting report. He was great as the third or fourth option for Wichita State in the AAC, but he is nowhere close to being Item 1 or 2 for an opposing scout in the Big 12 Conference. We've got to park him on his spot from deep and give him two quick options: shoot or immediately drive. His head is filled right now and it's leading to a torrent of bad, contested shots.


4. INTERIOR PERSONNEL

This has been a disaster since Ryan Spangler fell into our lap. We've got to rework our entire strategy for recruiting front-court talent. If I hear rim-protection one more time I will scream. I want a guy who can rebound the basketball. They are out there. Our 7-foot center, who is redshirting on a team that MIGHT go 8-deep, averaged eight rebounds a game in high school. That's pitiful. We have a 6-10 forward who posted a seven rebounds per game clip in JUCO. There are guys on our football team right now who could walk into that same gym and get that many rebounds. That is NO good.

We need toughness. We need bruisers, and if they're 6'7'' then so be it. God as my witness, they are OUT there and we need to quit bypassing them for "rim-protectors" who try and block every shot while leaving the weak side more bare than a Great Depression cupboard in Shattuck, Oklahoma.


5. RE-CALIBRATE EXPECTATIONS

I worry about these things because I love OU Basketball. But I feel a malaise moving in. I feel like we're leaking quite a bit of oil.

What say you?

 

[Soonerinkc]

Agree 100%

Reaves needs to calm down. Although real good, He is not the main guy.

I’ve watched all but like 2 games and i see our offense is basically 1/1.... either shoot or drive (which doesn’t happen much). It’s Lon’s “pro” offense... unfortunately we don’t have the horses to run it.

I’ve seen HORRIBLE rebounding... from no boxing out, not even going to rim (everyone turns back to go play def), ball hitting ground with 4 Sooners around it but other team gets it, not knowing where anyone is...just absolutely correctable things but just not seeing it.

Love all OU sports... b-ball is getting really hard to watch. Which is sad cause I’ve coached, still play.... love the game.

 

[steverocks35]

Overreactions to any loss is a pretty common practice. But anyone with a vested interest in Sooner basketball has to feel pretty queasy after these last two games. A lot of the problems that have plagued us the last three seasons are now re-appearing for a fourth. I don't have any solutions, they don't pay me enough to provide those, but I do have some things I'd like to see tried. What about everyone here? Do you?


1. STRIKE THE SWITCHING

Lon has been enamored with switching screens (1-4 at the least) for ages and I don't believe he's had a team athletic enough to pull it off for a while now. We give up a TON of open shots. Lonely, uncontested looks for deep. I'd love to see us mix in a little zone here and there just to give teams a different look. Few games have made me madder than our loss last year in Austin. Texas can't hit their ass with either hand from distance, but we refuse to go zone even though nobody on the roster can keep their point guard in front of them. The second half was a conga-line of lay-ups and free throws. Enough!

Play a little zone and allow and go with the strengths of your personnel. If you had to steal minutes with Polla and Freeman last year....play ZONE! We are already a pitiful rebounding team THIS year.....how could a zone make it any worse? At least we'd have a guy in the ballpark for the myriad of perimeter shots we're allowing. Throw it out there a few times a game. See if it sticks.


2. THE DOOLITTLE DOCTRINE

Kristian is our best player by a large margin. Everything should run through him offensively. If he's got a big guy on him, bring him out. If his defender is small, bang away. We are nowhere near disciplined enough on offense to get open looks consistently. We take LOTS of bad shots, and I want that to stop. Teams will be ignoring Bieniemy and Harmon from distance which means we'll have a really good look early on each possession as to how each team will attack Doolittle. But if he never gets the ball that is a wasted possession. Be it up top or at the elbow, Kristian has got to be the initiator of the offense. Otherwise it's 4 on 5 at best or 3 on 5 at worst.


3. THE REAVES REBOOT

Austin Reaves is a fantastic basketball player. Might be one of the more cerebral guys I've seen in Norman in quite some time. But he is not good enough yet to handle being on top of an opposing scouting report. He was great as the third or fourth option for Wichita State in the AAC, but he is nowhere close to being Item 1 or 2 for an opposing scout in the Big 12 Conference. We've got to park him on his spot from deep and give him two quick options: shoot or immediately drive. His head is filled right now and it's leading to a torrent of bad, contested shots.


4. INTERIOR PERSONNEL

This has been a disaster since Ryan Spangler fell into our lap. We've got to rework our entire strategy for recruiting front-court talent. If I hear rim-protection one more time I will scream. I want a guy who can rebound the basketball. They are out there. Our 7-foot center, who is redshirting on a team that MIGHT go 8-deep, averaged eight rebounds a game in high school. That's pitiful. We have a 6-10 forward who posted a seven rebounds per game clip in JUCO. There are guys on our football team right now who could walk into that same gym and get that many rebounds. That is NO good.

We need toughness. We need bruisers, and if they're 6'7'' then so be it. God as my witness, they are OUT there and we need to quit bypassing them for "rim-protectors" who try and block every shot while leaving the weak side more bare than a Great Depression cupboard in Shattuck, Oklahoma.


5. RE-CALIBRATE EXPECTATIONS

I worry about these things because I love OU Basketball. But I feel a malaise moving in. I feel like we're leaking quite a bit of oil.

What say you?

I was one of the people sounding the alarm after terrible games that we won against cupcakes and I got the sunshine pumpers telling me about how good those teams really are and how hard it is to win on the road. I don't know how you could look at the North Texas game in which we got outrebounded and only won because of Doolittle taking over late and not think we were in trouble.

I agree with all your points but would add that we need more ball movement on offense. We have too many guys standing around watching. Also, when was the last time we got a fast break basket? With two point guards on the floor and forwards that can fill the lanes how can we be so bad at running? I guess it would help if we could get rebounds.

The last thing I would add is that the coaching has been abysmal. When the effort is bad, as I've seen it repeatedly this year, as demonstrated by a basketball hitting the floor in the midst of 4 Sooners only to be scooped up by a WSU player, then Kruger needs to do more than stand on the sidelines and clap. I can accept getting beat, it happens, it happens when you're playing well, it happens when you have an off night. What I will never accept is lack of effort.

 

[WTSooner]

I agree with about all of that.

The malaise started with me as far back as Capel. LK's hiring helped that, but going 11-20 in year 6 of his tenure at OU brought it back, and we haven't recovered from that despite sneaking into the Dance the last few years.

 

[stormspencer]

Great thoughts '04. I'm all about the zone....I mean, what would it hurt? Especially against teams that don't shoot the three well.

And can we please recruit a "banger", "garbage man" or whatever we want to call him?! I think this team plays hard, but they simply don't pass the "toughness" test enough in recent seasons. We are seeing the same symptoms manifest again.

 

[steverocks35]

Going after loose balls and rebounding has less to do with toughness than it does effort.

 

[stormspencer]

Going after loose balls and rebounding has less to do with toughness than it does effort.

They go hand-in-hand. Being mentally tough enough to want to give max effort on every rebound/lose ball. But I wouldn't discount getting physcially stronger either. It is a lot easier to move guys and get in better position if you have a strong base.

 

[steverocks35]

Well being strong and being tough aren't the same things either lol

 

[Soonerinkc]

When the effort is bad, as I've seen it repeatedly this year, as demonstrated by a basketball hitting the floor in the midst of 4 Sooners only to be scooped up by a WSU player, then Kruger needs to do more than stand on the sidelines and clap.

Happened at Creighton as well...

 

[Soonerinkc]

Going after loose balls and rebounding has less to do with toughness than it does effort.

Hell, manek can barely make it back down the court.... like the guy but man...he is a slow mo fo....

Then you get Doo playing 36 min and it kicks his butt in the last 8 min.

The only guy that I see looks like the energizer bunny is reaves...but he’s out of control sometimes

 

[Stikboy]

Sooner04, I agree with every word you said. I love OU basketball too. I hate to say it but it’s probably time for a change. Love Lon the man, but he himself would agree this a results based business. He needs to retire after a wonderful career and let new blood take over. And the admin needs to act like they care when making the next hire.

 

[daqman]

Sooner04, I agree with every word you said. I love OU basketball too. I hate to say it but it’s probably time for a change. Love Lon the man, but he himself would agree this a results based business. He needs to retire after a wonderful career and let new blood take over. And the admin needs to act like they care when making the next hire.

I believe Lon is the 11th highest paid coach in division 1. What more does Joe C need to do to show he cares?
Other than that, I agree. Lon needs to call it a career.

 

[WichitaSooner]

Hell, manek can barely make it back down the court.... like the guy but man...he is a slow mo fo....

Then you get Doo playing 36 min and it kicks his butt in the last 8 min.

The only guy that I see looks like the energizer bunny is reaves...but he’s out of control sometimes

Honest question, and not just for you because you are definitely not the only person with this opinion: why do so many people think college kids playing two games a week can't handle 35+ minutes, when plenty of NBA guys who are much older can play those kinds of minutes even though they play 3-4 games a week, with a much more strenuous travel schedule, and are going up against the best players on the planet? I have never understood this but so many people think it that I really would like to hear your reasoning because maybe I'm missing something.

As for Manek, the play where he let their big guy just outrun him for a layup Tuesday was embarrassing. Whether that was conditioning or pure lack of hustle (I'm leaning toward the latter), it is inexcusable.

 

[oudna]

Honest question, and not just for you because you are definitely not the only person with this opinion: why do so many people think college kids playing two games a week can't handle 35+ minutes, when plenty of NBA guys who are much older can play those kinds of minutes even though they play 3-4 games a week, with a much more strenuous travel schedule, and are going up against the best players on the planet? I have never understood this but so many people think it that I really would like to hear your reasoning because maybe I'm missing something.

As for Manek, the play where he let their big guy just outrun him for a layup Tuesday was embarrassing. Whether that was conditioning or pure lack of hustle (I'm leaning toward the latter), it is inexcusable.

Simple eye test showed Doo laboring late in both games last week. It’s possible NBA players are in better shape or at minimum grown accustomed to those minutes. Also NBA minutes might be less strenuous as effort levels vary.

 

[inoref]

Overreactions to any loss is a pretty common practice. But anyone with a vested interest in Sooner basketball has to feel pretty queasy after these last two games. A lot of the problems that have plagued us the last three seasons are now re-appearing for a fourth. I don't have any solutions, they don't pay me enough to provide those, but I do have some things I'd like to see tried. What about everyone here? Do you?


1. STRIKE THE SWITCHING

Lon has been enamored with switching screens (1-4 at the least) for ages and I don't believe he's had a team athletic enough to pull it off for a while now. We give up a TON of open shots. Lonely, uncontested looks for deep. I'd love to see us mix in a little zone here and there just to give teams a different look. Few games have made me madder than our loss last year in Austin. Texas can't hit their ass with either hand from distance, but we refuse to go zone even though nobody on the roster can keep their point guard in front of them. The second half was a conga-line of lay-ups and free throws. Enough!

Play a little zone and allow and go with the strengths of your personnel. If you had to steal minutes with Polla and Freeman last year....play ZONE! We are already a pitiful rebounding team THIS year.....how could a zone make it any worse? At least we'd have a guy in the ballpark for the myriad of perimeter shots we're allowing. Throw it out there a few times a game. See if it sticks.


2. THE DOOLITTLE DOCTRINE

Kristian is our best player by a large margin. Everything should run through him offensively. If he's got a big guy on him, bring him out. If his defender is small, bang away. We are nowhere near disciplined enough on offense to get open looks consistently. We take LOTS of bad shots, and I want that to stop. Teams will be ignoring Bieniemy and Harmon from distance which means we'll have a really good look early on each possession as to how each team will attack Doolittle. But if he never gets the ball that is a wasted possession. Be it up top or at the elbow, Kristian has got to be the initiator of the offense. Otherwise it's 4 on 5 at best or 3 on 5 at worst.


3. THE REAVES REBOOT

Austin Reaves is a fantastic basketball player. Might be one of the more cerebral guys I've seen in Norman in quite some time. But he is not good enough yet to handle being on top of an opposing scouting report. He was great as the third or fourth option for Wichita State in the AAC, but he is nowhere close to being Item 1 or 2 for an opposing scout in the Big 12 Conference. We've got to park him on his spot from deep and give him two quick options: shoot or immediately drive. His head is filled right now and it's leading to a torrent of bad, contested shots.


4. INTERIOR PERSONNEL

This has been a disaster since Ryan Spangler fell into our lap. We've got to rework our entire strategy for recruiting front-court talent. If I hear rim-protection one more time I will scream. I want a guy who can rebound the basketball. They are out there. Our 7-foot center, who is redshirting on a team that MIGHT go 8-deep, averaged eight rebounds a game in high school. That's pitiful. We have a 6-10 forward who posted a seven rebounds per game clip in JUCO. There are guys on our football team right now who could walk into that same gym and get that many rebounds. That is NO good.

We need toughness. We need bruisers, and if they're 6'7'' then so be it. God as my witness, they are OUT there and we need to quit bypassing them for "rim-protectors" who try and block every shot while leaving the weak side more bare than a Great Depression cupboard in Shattuck, Oklahoma.


5. RE-CALIBRATE EXPECTATIONS

I worry about these things because I love OU Basketball. But I feel a malaise moving in. I feel like we're leaking quite a bit of oil.

What say you?

I agree with most of this, I see it as trying to put a puzzle together with couple of wrong pieces. Maybe as the season moves on Lon and the team will
find those missing pieces. Players playing without giving effort is a easy fix..put them on the bench for a while.

 

[thebigabd]

As always from Sooner04, well said... Agree with some things, not with others, but Sooner04 always takes a clear and articulate position.

 

[thebigabd]

Overreactions to any loss is a pretty common practice. But anyone with a vested interest in Sooner basketball has to feel pretty queasy after these last two games. A lot of the problems that have plagued us the last three seasons are now re-appearing for a fourth. I don't have any solutions, they don't pay me enough to provide those, but I do have some things I'd like to see tried. What about everyone here? Do you?

Honestly... I think the change required for OU basketball is as follows.

1.) Bring in a new coaching staff.

2.) That coach needs to have a deep understanding of what it takes to win at OU. Capel learned the hard way he wasn't coaching at Duke... He can't just go and out-talent everyone. It takes a complete team to win at OU.

3.) Implement an entire new recruiting strategy. OU is lucky that significant local talent came through after Sampson, because, if you remember, we did an assessment that showed something like 70% Kruger and Capels recruits either didn't pan out, transferred, or didn't contribute. It was a very high number. They did get a few gems outside of the local area, like Buddy (Wichita, KS) and Cousins, but overall, recruiting is a serious problem.

 

[daqman]

Honestly... I think the change required for OU basketball is as follows.

1.) Bring in a new coaching staff.

2.) That coach needs to have a deep understanding of what it takes to win at OU. Capel learned the hard way he wasn't coaching at Duke... He can't just go and out-talent everyone. It takes a complete team to win at OU.

3.) Implement an entire new recruiting strategy. OU is lucky that significant local talent came through after Sampson, because, if you remember, we did an assessment that showed something like 70% Kruger and Capels recruits either didn't pan out, transferred, or didn't contribute. It was a very high number. They did get a few gems outside of the local area, like Buddy (Wichita, KS) and Cousins, but overall, recruiting is a serious problem.

I do not believe talent is the problem.
I believe Kelvin would take this team and win every home game and finish in the top 3 in the conference.

 

[WTSooner]

I do not believe talent is the problem.
I believe Kelvin would take this team and win every home game and finish in the top 3 in the conference.

I think I agree with you.

The talent is there for a coach like Kelvin. For a coach like LK, he needs more talent than this to win playing the style he coaches.

I'd like to see OU with a coach like Kelvin, b/c it's hard to consistently get top talent here. We need a system and a program that our based on toughness, defense, and consistency. LK coaches like he's still coaching the Hawks.

 

[hoopsaustin]

I do not believe talent is the problem.
I believe Kelvin would take this team and win every home game and finish in the top 3 in the conference.

Prolly