Tyler Neal

[hoopsaustin]

he's a coach on the floor!

 

[DenverSooner]

I will just say this, Neal is in over is head.........Agreed, but if the truth be told Texas just has better athletes then OU does right now. JMO! This being said, I think OU has a much better coach than Texas (Heck Kruger may be the BEST coach in the League). OU will catch up with the athletes in due time.

Really? Osby was the best player last night. Hield and M'Baye were probably 3 and 4 behing McClendon. I don't agree with your assessment at all.

 

[StatGeek]

You're comparing academics to athletics?

It's not a choice between either "slacker" or "hard worker." There is a lot of room in between. Some guys are just going to be run of the mill workers, do what's required to get by. But showing up on time and caring enough to even put the prerequisite work at a high major D1 basketball program in, is more than "slacking." I was responding to the notion that he was one of those above and beyond hard working guys.

But I have no idea whatsoever what the connection between getting an A and developing your game/being a gym rat is. Those are two completely different motivations/goals. Obviously the metrics of grades show he is a bright guy/hard working student. The metrics of basketball don't support him working hard, and what I've heard backs that up. He's just one of the guys.

Oh, I see the only work that counts is the work in the gym. So much for the student athlete moniker. Ask TMG what the correlation between grades and basketball is at the collegiate level, or you could ask Jarion Henry for that matter. As for his on the court effort he is obviously putting forth enough effort on the hardwood to continue getting minutes despite being far from one of our best or most productive players, I think that says a lot more than what some 30 year old man "heard". I find it hard to believe that a player performing at Neal's level would continue to get playing time if he was remotely close to failing to meet Kruger's expectations, or his obligations.

It is really disheartening that a respected poster such as yourself would throw out such a vague and (from my vantage point)baseless rumor about one of our student athletes.

 

[scrybe]

Really? Osby was the best player last night. Hield and M'Baye were probably 3 and 4 behing McClendon. I don't agree with your assessment at all.

Bingo! Can't understand why anyone would think Texas has better athletes. Some of their players are better athletes than some of our players. Most of them, however, could not hold (much less fill) Osby's, M'Baye's or Hield's jocks (athletically speaking, of course).

 

[StatGeek]

Maybe it is in poor taste, but I am currently watching the Replay (because I don't have ESPN, and had to listen to the game), and those minutes were crucial to our struggles at the beginning of the game. I just want to know what he brings to the table? It seems like every time he steps on the floor we go down and we are playing like 4 1/2 on 5. We just lose a step. And I am sure Kruger is not trying to "decrease our chances of winning games"... And I will also say this, if this is all I have to complain about, then we are having a pretty good year. It is just something that has bothered me throughout the season and tonight I just felt like sharing it. I appreciate your opinion and comments.

Honestly I don't understand why he continues to get minutes either. I assume it must be to help get more productive players a little extra rest and/or because of some team chemistry theory.

 

[SoonerinNC]

I suspect that Neal is playing to give players a breather but also because Kruger probably thinks he can contribute somewhere down the line.

His shooting has been bad so far but we know he can hit the jump shot.

Last night he had two turnovers but was clearly fouled on one and possibly on the other as it appeared he was kneed out of bounds. He also was guarding McClellan and in the 5 or 6 possessions by Texas he allowed one contested shot on a drive which McClellan hit. His production against the other Sooners was well in excess of that. Neal is also getting a fair number of rebounds for the minutes he is playing.

Kruger is clearly a long range thinker and he has shown that with his constant effort to build depth and his giving the freshmen a lot of minutes. I think he has a good feel for what he is trying to develop and seems willing to take a risk to get there. Possibly that is why we have been as good in the second half as we have been.

Clearly he trusts Neal less than the other guys he is playing and that is why you only see Neal in the first half.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

His shooting has been bad so far but we know he can hit the jump shot.

Do we? Why does everyone say this??

 

[playmakr]

Oh, I see the only work that counts is the work in the gym.

Who the heck said that? The most important thing all these guys can do is get a degree and perform well in the classroom. Nowhere in any post I have made or will ever make even comes close to suggesting or implying otherwise. Very odd it is even possible to take that from anything I said. Where that interpretation came from is vexing, at best. I've dealt with the time constraints Tyler has dealt with as well as a player in college, I'm glad he's doing well academically, he has a bright future in whatever he wants to do. I remember Pharmacy School at OU being easier than my undergrad because of basketball. It's not easy. Academic all americans and all conference guys should be held with as high esteem as the players who reach those levels as an athlete. Doesn't mean they are going to be the leaders in hard working prowess in the offseason.

I find it hard to believe that a player performing at Neal's level would continue to get playing time if he was remotely close to failing to meet Kruger's expectations, or his obligations.

I thought this as already addressed in my previous post? I'll repost it for you:

Some guys are just going to be run of the mill workers, do what's required to get by. But showing up on time and caring enough to even put the prerequisite work at a high major D1 basketball program in, is more than "slacking." I was responding to the notion that he was one of those above and beyond hard working guys.

NM.

As for his on the court effort he is obviously putting forth enough effort on the hardwood to continue getting minutes despite being far from one of our best or most productive players, I think that says a lot more than what some 30 year old man "heard".

That's definitely the attitude you should have. I have the same one. I don't listen to randomness.

It is really disheartening that a respected poster such as yourself would throw out such a vague and (from my vantage point)baseless rumor about one of our student athletes.

Possibly true. It would be easier/safer/more palatable if we all went on assuming everyone on the team was the hardest working players this program has ever seen. I suggest you continue this thinking, as me, personally, aren't disheartened at all by what I've heard. Not everyone can be that guy that does it all.

But perhaps you are right, discretion with something like this is probably a good idea.

 

[OUBig12Champs]

Kool Aid and Crimson Glasses, gotta love it. Texas does have better athletes than OU, sorry but you just do not get it. It is just my thoughts, so I do not get you either. Have a nice day..

 

[Tundrasooner]

Some of y'all complaining about the minutes Neal received the other night didn't watch the game that close. Kruger tried to pull him out pretty quick but there were no whistles to stop the clock.
He had a sub at the score table for about 4:00 minutes. That game was reffed weird in the first half. Hardly any whistles for fouls.

 

[SoonerMatt27]

Kool Aid and Crimson Glasses, gotta love it. Texas does have better athletes than OU, sorry but you just do not get it. It is just my thoughts, so I do not get you either. Have a nice day..

Grooms, Cousins, Hornbeak, Hield, Clark, M'Baye, Osby and yes even Neal all disagree with you. Respect your opinion, but you don't have to wear the Crimson covered shades to know that this team can get up and down the floor athletically.

 

[Chaser728]

Kool Aid and Crimson Glasses, gotta love it. Texas does have better athletes than OU, sorry but you just do not get it. It is just my thoughts, so I do not get you either. Have a nice day..

I will actually agree with you, that they are on paper better "Athletes". But what good is a "Athlete" in basketball, if they can't ball? I'm tired of hearing about UT and how they are the youngest team in BBALL, and they just have had it rough... The bottom line is, they and their coach cannot get it done this year. What a waste!

#JUSTLIKEFOOTBALL

 

[skyvue]

Kool Aid and Crimson Glasses, gotta love it. Texas does have better athletes than OU, sorry but you just do not get it. It is just my thoughts, so I do not get you either. Have a nice day..

So if we disagree with you that texas has better athletes, it's because we were crimson glasses and drink the Sooner Kool-Aid?

It couldn't be that you're just ... wrong?

Me, I judge an athlete by how he (or she) performs on the court or field of play. By that standard, we had three out of the four best athletes on the court on Monday.

I couldn't care less about measurables or recruiting rankings or whichever other standards you might be using to adjudge UT's players to be better athletes. They could all be from the planet Krypton, but if they're not getting it done on the court, it means squat.

 

[SoonerinNC]

Texas is not that good now but I think they will be much improved with Kobongo. We will need contributions from more than Osby, M'Baye and Buddy to beat the better teams.

I think Kansas clearly has better athletes but Texas? I didn't see that they were anymore athletic than Osby, MBaye and the three freshmen.

Neal's 3 point percentage was like .338 last year, 4th best on the team behind Osby, Newell and Pledger.

 

[StatGeek]

Who the heck said that? The most important thing all these guys can do is get a degree and perform well in the classroom. Nowhere in any post I have made or will ever make even comes close to suggesting or implying otherwise. Very odd it is even possible to take that from anything I said. Where that interpretation came from is vexing, at best. I've dealt with the time constraints Tyler has dealt with as well as a player in college, I'm glad he's doing well academically, he has a bright future in whatever he wants to do. I remember Pharmacy School at OU being easier than my undergrad because of basketball. It's not easy. Academic all americans and all conference guys should be held with as high esteem as the players who reach those levels as an athlete. Doesn't mean they are going to be the leaders in hard working prowess in the offseason.


I thought this as already addressed in my previous post? I'll repost it for you:


NM.


That's definitely the attitude you should have. I have the same one. I don't listen to randomness.


Possibly true. It would be easier/safer/more palatable if we all went on assuming everyone on the team was the hardest working players this program has ever seen. I suggest you continue this thinking, as me, personally, aren't disheartened at all by what I've heard. Not everyone can be that guy that does it all.

But perhaps you are right, discretion with something like this is probably a good idea.

Your initial involvement in this thread was a pot shot at Neal in response to somebody stating that they felt Neal was/is a hardworking student athlete. Not the hardest worker on the team, not the hardest worker in the classroom, not the hardest worker on or off the court, not the hardest worker during the off season, simply a hard worker. It is curious to me that you would attempt to discredit this opinion based on what appears to be zero evidence.

At no time did I indicate that I felt Neal was/is the hardest worker on the team in any category, so your last paragraph appears to be nothing more than a comedy routine.

 

[SoonerMatt27]

Your initial involvement in this thread was a pot shot at Neal in response to somebody stating that they felt Neal was/is a hardworking student athlete. Not the hardest worker on the team, not the hardest worker in the classroom, not the hardest worker on or off the court, not the hardest worker during the off season, simply a hard worker. It is curious to me that you would attempt to discredit this opinion based on what appears to be zero evidence.

At no time did I indicate that I felt Neal was/is the hardest worker on the team in any category, so your last paragraph appears to be nothing more than a comedy routine.

I didn't see it as a pot shot at Neal at all. Yes he's a hard worker, but if your trying to tell any of us that physical effort and mental effort are synonymous then wheres the evidence in that? Have you ever been a collegiate student athlete? It's not that easy to balance both academic and athletic ability equally, very exhausting.

 

[playmakr]

Your initial involvement in this thread was a pot shot at Neal in response to somebody stating that they felt Neal was/is a hardworking student athlete. Not the hardest worker on the team, not the hardest worker in the classroom, not the hardest worker on or off the court, not the hardest worker during the off season, simply a hard worker. It is curious to me that you would attempt to discredit this opinion based on what appears to be zero evidence.

At no time did I indicate that I felt Neal was/is the hardest worker on the team in any category, so your last paragraph appears to be nothing more than a comedy routine.

I've already said/clarified everything I'm going to say on it. It's time to move on, as I implied in my last post. Refer to previous posts on the matter which also essentially address or answer your concerns in this last post. I'll repost the core of it for easier reference:

Who the heck said that? The most important thing all these guys can do is get a degree and perform well in the classroom. Nowhere in any post I have made or will ever make even comes close to suggesting or implying otherwise. Very odd it is even possible to take that from anything I said. Where that interpretation came from is vexing, at best. I've dealt with the time constraints Tyler has dealt with as well as a player in college, I'm glad he's doing well academically, he has a bright future in whatever he wants to do. I remember Pharmacy School at OU being easier than my undergrad because of basketball. It's not easy. Academic all americans and all conference guys should be held with as high esteem as the players who reach those levels as an athlete. Doesn't mean they are going to be the leaders in hard working prowess in the offseason.

Again, I have nothing to add.

 

[Chaser728]

When I originally said that I think Neal is a hard worker, it was based on the assumption that he has to be working hard, because he was getting playing time. I assumed it was because of his hard work, not how he performed on the court.

 

[CoachTalk]

When I originally said that I think Neal is a hard worker, it was based on the assumption that he has to be working hard, because he was getting playing time. I assumed it was because of his hard work, not how he performed on the court.

smh...! Just because you work hard, doesnt mean you get to play! I have 5 kids that cant play dead in a Western, but work their freaking tail off everyday and NEVER see the floor, unless we are up 20 or down 40!

Our best 5 guys cant play 40 mins! If you can win with RO, Bird, Buddy and the gang playing 25-30. THey will be fresher at the end of the year, when they start playing 32-34 mins a game at times.

LK knows what he is doing!

 

[Chaser728]

smh...! Just because you work hard, doesnt mean you get to play! I have 5 kids that cant play dead in a Western, but work their freaking tail off everyday and NEVER see the floor, unless we are up 20 or down 40!

Our best 5 guys cant play 40 mins! If you can win with RO, Bird, Buddy and the gang playing 25-30. THey will be fresher at the end of the year, when they start playing 32-34 mins a game at times.

LK knows what he is doing!

CoachTalk, I hear you talk about the kids you coach, where is it you coach again? (There is no sarcasm in my voice here, I genuinely don't know, and am curious) In response to your comments, I am sure you are right about being fresher, but I'm not sure his 4 min a game can't be given elsewhere to guys who don't seem to bog us down. That is purely my opinion, and as you said LK knows what he is doing. Also, if this is all I have to complain about then things surely have changed around here.