Update: Frank Booker announcing on March 21

[WTSooner]

It could be argued that Pledger is the least respected quality OU player since I started watching OU hoops in '82 if this board is any indication of the OU fandom.

He and Austin Johnson are battling it out. lol

 

[garyeb2]

He and Austin Johnson are battling it out. lol

Really? It was a good thing that I wasn't participating on this message board back then. I would have irratated just as many people then as I do now by defending Austin relentlesly.

 

[Stikboy]

Huh?
You're right that it was no contest... In Pledger's favor. He was a top 150 recruit with offers from BC, Wake Forest, UVA, Clemson, Va Tech...

Huh? HAHA

Well, at the risk of getting involved in the insane back and forth game with the Pledger sack-riders crowd and the supposed Pledger haters, I state my opinion just like everyone else. All I was wanting to know was why an earlier poster thought Pledger was better than Booker coming out of high school, and like clockwork it brought down the thunder from all the to the death Pledger defenders. Geez people lighten up will you? Your fascination/defending of Pledger reached epic proportions long ago, but now it's just gotten annoying.

Most of us don't hate Pledger ok? We just see him for what he is, a streaky, one trick pony who can shoot but not much else. Has he been clutch in spots? Oh yeah. Does he disappear in many big games? Heck yeah. If he's not hitting, he's of next to no value. Yeah, he'll have high rebound games and for that I applaud the effort. So, let me summarize... Great shot when he's on, nothing, I mean nothing when he's not... No handles, bad defense, average at best athleticism(I doubt at 6-4 that he can dunk with both hands, I've never seen it)... And finally sometimes a bad attitude. But, I appreciate what he has done for OU during the worst era of losing in these modern times, and again, I don't hate him so save it.

As far as comparing him to Booker, how does anyone even know? Taking shooting out of the equation(Booker apparently is very good if not great at that) is he better athletically than Booker? Is he better defensively? Does he have better handles? Can he create his own shot better?

As far as offers, are you on drugs? I just looked at Pledger's offer list and yes, it's better than i thought. If I remember he was headed to VCU with Capel which is not exactly a high major. And that was before Shaka Smart made them relevant. And if you call VCU, VTech, Boston College, Clemson, and Wake Forest better offers than Booker's OU, Miami, Tennessee, Texas A&M etc etc then more power to ya there bud!

 

[bballfan2012]

As far as offers, are you on drugs? I just looked at Pledger's offer list and yes, it's better than i thought. If I remember he was headed to VCU with Capel which is not exactly a high major. And that was before Shaka Smart made them relevant. And if you call VCU, VTech, Boston College, Clemson, and Wake Forest better offers than Booker's OU, Miami, Tennessee, Texas A&M etc etc then more power to ya there bud!

Pledger was a Top 150 player coming out of HS and was a high level recruit.

Booker isn't even ranked on most sites and is nowhere close to being a top 150 recruit.

He is a hot commodity in the late recruiting period because he is high scoring guy from a good level of HS basketball in Georgia. But that's because the demand in late signing period for scoring guys increases tremendously and there is less recruits available.

Most likely, Booker was a 2nd or 3rd option for most of these D1 programs. It's not like he just came on scoring in bunches or went huge on the AAU circuit - he has performed well in HS hoops for awhile now.

The Pledger offers came during his JR year in HS! And he had many more quality offers than what Booker has now. Pledger committed in May at the end of his Junior year in High school.

College coaches get desperate to add a scorer or post guy in the late signing period because of fear of thin roster due to injuries or guys leaving or someone not panning out. You don't want to leave schollys open in college bball. Kruger knows that and Booker will add a scoring option but I wouldn't expect him to ever be as good as Pledger to be honest

 

[JBaker]

Huh? HAHA

Well, at the risk of getting involved in the insane back and forth game with the Pledger sack-riders crowd and the supposed Pledger haters, I state my opinion just like everyone else. All I was wanting to know was why an earlier poster thought Pledger was better than Booker coming out of high school, and like clockwork it brought down the thunder from all the to the death Pledger defenders. Geez people lighten up will you? Your fascination/defending of Pledger reached epic proportions long ago, but now it's just gotten annoying.

Most of us don't hate Pledger ok? We just see him for what he is, a streaky, one trick pony who can shoot but not much else. Has he been clutch in spots? Oh yeah. Does he disappear in many big games? Heck yeah. If he's not hitting, he's of next to no value. Yeah, he'll have high rebound games and for that I applaud the effort. So, let me summarize... Great shot when he's on, nothing, I mean nothing when he's not... No handles, bad defense, average at best athleticism(I doubt at 6-4 that he can dunk with both hands, I've never seen it)... And finally sometimes a bad attitude. But, I appreciate what he has done for OU during the worst era of losing in these modern times, and again, I don't hate him so save it.

As far as comparing him to Booker, how does anyone even know? Taking shooting out of the equation(Booker apparently is very good if not great at that) is he better athletically than Booker? Is he better defensively? Does he have better handles? Can he create his own shot better?

As far as offers, are you on drugs? I just looked at Pledger's offer list and yes, it's better than i thought. If I remember he was headed to VCU with Capel which is not exactly a high major. And that was before Shaka Smart made them relevant. And if you call VCU, VTech, Boston College, Clemson, and Wake Forest better offers than Booker's OU, Miami, Tennessee, Texas A&M etc etc then more power to ya there bud!

OU, Wake Forest, BC, Clemson, Va Tech, VCU is absolutely an equal of better offer list in basketball than OU, Tennessee, Auburn, A&M, Georgia State. And Pledger wasnt going to VCU with Capel... He was in his fourth recruiting class at OU.

I'm not a Pledger apologist. Like you said, he disappears for some games, and if he's not hitting shots, we have players that can be better contributors on the floor than him in other aspects of the game.

But he often is hitting shots, helps us stretch defenses, has been a good team player as far as I know, and has hit some very clutch shots for us.

It just appears that you're letting your dislike of Pledger cloud your judgment of both Pledger and Booker. As I said earlier, I just hope Booker can come in and help fill Pledger's role of stretching the defense, with maybe a little better ability to get to the bucket.

Booker may come in and be awesome, or he may end up being equal or better than Pledger by the end of his career. That would be awesome. I hope he does. But Pledger was absolutely a bigger national recruit and higher rated player out of high school. Plus, Pledger was an early signee. Booker didn't have any of those high-major offers during the early signing period.

Again, none of that is to say Booker won't be a four-year contributor for us. I'll be pumped if (or when) he makes it official to us next week.

 

[garyeb2]

OU, Wake Forest, BC, Clemson, Va Tech, VCU is absolutely an equal of better offer list in basketball than OU, Tennessee, Auburn, A&M, Georgia State. And Pledger wasnt going to VCU with Capel... He was in his fourth recruiting class at OU.

I'm not a Pledger apologist. Like you said, he disappears for some games, and if he's not hitting shots, we have players that can be better contributors on the floor than him in other aspects of the game.

But he often is hitting shots, helps us stretch defenses, has been a good team player as far as I know, and has hit some very clutch shots for us.

It just appears that you're letting your dislike of Pledger cloud your judgment of both Pledger and Booker. As I said earlier, I just hope Booker can come in and help fill Pledger's role of stretching the defense, with maybe a little better ability to get to the bucket.

Booker may come in and be awesome, or he may end up being equal or better than Pledger by the end of his career. That would be awesome. I hope he does. But Pledger was absolutely a bigger national recruit and higher rated player out of high school. Plus, Pledger was an early signee. Booker didn't have any of those high-major offers during the early signing period.

Again, none of that is to say Booker won't be a four-year contributor for us. I'll be pumped if (or when) he makes it official to us next week.

Don't forget Pledger's offer from Hampton College. That glosses up the resume pretty good.

 

[Max Power]

OU, Wake Forest, BC, Clemson, Va Tech, VCU is absolutely an equal of better offer list in basketball than OU, Tennessee, Auburn, A&M, Georgia State. And Pledger wasnt going to VCU with Capel... He was in his fourth recruiting class at OU.

I'm not a Pledger apologist. Like you said, he disappears for some games, and if he's not hitting shots, we have players that can be better contributors on the floor than him in other aspects of the game.

But he often is hitting shots, helps us stretch defenses, has been a good team player as far as I know, and has hit some very clutch shots for us.

It just appears that you're letting your dislike of Pledger cloud your judgment of both Pledger and Booker. As I said earlier, I just hope Booker can come in and help fill Pledger's role of stretching the defense, with maybe a little better ability to get to the bucket.

Booker may come in and be awesome, or he may end up being equal or better than Pledger by the end of his career. That would be awesome. I hope he does. But Pledger was absolutely a bigger national recruit and higher rated player out of high school. Plus, Pledger was an early signee. Booker didn't have any of those high-major offers during the early signing period.

Again, none of that is to say Booker won't be a four-year contributor for us. I'll be pumped if (or when) he makes it official to us next week.

I think we can agree that booker will have a better coach in years 1& 2 than pledger did

 

[BCSooners]

Interesting. What about Pledger's game coming out of high school do you think is better than Booker? Booker's offer list compared to Pledger's is basically no contest..

More if a pure stroke, not that I don't like booker's form jmo. Also I thought pledger had a better body that I thought would of given him more potential to improve athletically.

 

[CompOUnder]

What did I say that was incorrect? Lon's recruiting so far is sad. We can't hope to have 4 terrible teams in the conference every season and need to upgrade our talent level. At this rate 4th or 5th will be our ceiling with lots of 6th or 7th place finishes mixed in.

I get that we need a shooter, but a class headlined by guys like Booker and Woodard is below average for the Big 12.

 

[Big Old Booger]

OU, Wake Forest, BC, Clemson, Va Tech, VCU is absolutely an equal of better offer list in basketball than OU, Tennessee, Auburn, A&M, Georgia State. And Pledger wasnt going to VCU with Capel... He was in his fourth recruiting class at OU.

I'm not a Pledger apologist. Like you said, he disappears for some games, and if he's not hitting shots, we have players that can be better contributors on the floor than him in other aspects of the game.

But he often is hitting shots, helps us stretch defenses, has been a good team player as far as I know, and has hit some very clutch shots for us.

It just appears that you're letting your dislike of Pledger cloud your judgment of both Pledger and Booker. As I said earlier, I just hope Booker can come in and help fill Pledger's role of stretching the defense, with maybe a little better ability to get to the bucket.

Booker may come in and be awesome, or he may end up being equal or better than Pledger by the end of his career. That would be awesome. I hope he does. But Pledger was absolutely a bigger national recruit and higher rated player out of high school. Plus, Pledger was an early signee. Booker didn't have any of those high-major offers during the early signing period.

Again, none of that is to say Booker won't be a four-year contributor for us. I'll be pumped if (or when) he makes it official to us next week.

I've read somewhere that Pledger was already being recruited by Capel when he was at VCU. I'm guessing he attended camps there? I even think I read he had decided he would go to VCU to play with Capel, but as most OU football fans know, kids recruited early (like junior high) have a tendency to be starstruck by the first offer but quickly evaluate other options as they grow older (as in the safety we recruited as a 9th grader who chose FSU and was a Rhodes Scholar).

 

[WTSooner]

I get that we need a shooter, but a class headlined by guys like Booker and Woodard is below average for the Big 12.

A year after landing Hield and Hornbeak?

No, it isn't.

LK is building a TEAM. Not a roster full of names that don't fit well together at all.

 

[Escape Goat]

What did I say that was incorrect? Lon's recruiting so far is sad. We can't hope to have 4 terrible teams in the conference every season and need to upgrade our talent level. At this rate 4th or 5th will be our ceiling with lots of 6th or 7th place finishes mixed in.

I get that we need a shooter, but a class headlined by guys like Booker and Woodard is below average for the Big 12.

Wow, this is just . . . wow.

 

[Big Old Booger]

Huh? HAHA

Well, at the risk of getting involved in the insane back and forth game with the Pledger sack-riders crowd and the supposed Pledger haters, I state my opinion just like everyone else. All I was wanting to know was why an earlier poster thought Pledger was better than Booker coming out of high school, and like clockwork it brought down the thunder from all the to the death Pledger defenders. Geez people lighten up will you? Your fascination/defending of Pledger reached epic proportions long ago, but now it's just gotten annoying.

Most of us don't hate Pledger ok? We just see him for what he is, a streaky, one trick pony who can shoot but not much else. Has he been clutch in spots? Oh yeah. Does he disappear in many big games? Heck yeah. If he's not hitting, he's of next to no value. Yeah, he'll have high rebound games and for that I applaud the effort. So, let me summarize... Great shot when he's on, nothing, I mean nothing when he's not... No handles, bad defense, average at best athleticism(I doubt at 6-4 that he can dunk with both hands, I've never seen it)... And finally sometimes a bad attitude. But, I appreciate what he has done for OU during the worst era of losing in these modern times, and again, I don't hate him so save it.

As far as comparing him to Booker, how does anyone even know? Taking shooting out of the equation(Booker apparently is very good if not great at that) is he better athletically than Booker? Is he better defensively? Does he have better handles? Can he create his own shot better?

As far as offers, are you on drugs? I just looked at Pledger's offer list and yes, it's better than i thought. If I remember he was headed to VCU with Capel which is not exactly a high major. And that was before Shaka Smart made them relevant. And if you call VCU, VTech, Boston College, Clemson, and Wake Forest better offers than Booker's OU, Miami, Tennessee, Texas A&M etc etc then more power to ya there bud!

Good post. Summed it up nicely.

 

[KBaden145]

What did I say that was incorrect? Lon's recruiting so far is sad. We can't hope to have 4 terrible teams in the conference every season and need to upgrade our talent level. At this rate 4th or 5th will be our ceiling with lots of 6th or 7th place finishes mixed in.

I get that we need a shooter, but a class headlined by guys like Booker and Woodard is below average for the Big 12.

The fact of the matter is Kruger is going to recruit the level of player we have always had and have had success with at OU. The level of player he recruits is similar to the players Tubbs, Sampson, and the elder Sutton recruited. Some JCs (not as many as Tubbs but more than Sutton), really solid 4 yr HS guys, a real stud HS every 2-3 yrs, and, on occasion, a perfect fit D-1 transfer (much like Sutton but maybe a bit more frequently). He accumulates pieces and is a master at fitting them together. That is his MO and it works. Have some patience.

 

[CompOUnder]

Good post. Summed it up nicely.

Are you typically wowed by basic facts?

 

[Big Old Booger]

Are you typically wowed by basic facts?

No, I'm typically wowed by stupidity. So, you wow me a lot. :clap

 

[DenverSooner]

I don't get why Pledger and Booker even need to be compared. I hope and think Booker is going to be a better player than Pledger. He might not be a better three point shooter than Pledger but I think he will be a better basketball player. I think he will be faster, have a better vertical, be a better defender and handle the ball better.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

Are you typically wowed by basic facts?

Facts are far more interesting than pure BS.

 

[dahldennsull]

I don't get why Pledger and Booker even need to be compared. I hope and think Booker is going to be a better player than Pledger. He might not be a better three point shooter than Pledger but I think he will be a better basketball player. I think he will be faster, have a better vertical, be a better defender and handle the ball better.

Just something I have faith in is Booker getting 4 years under Lon and Pledge only getting a couple. Something I have noticed in Lon's short time is the devotion to ball handling by all players. Some will always be better than others, but I have noticed a serious improvement of the team's skillset and it goes directly with coaching. Booker looks to have the shooting down, but I have faith that Lon and assistants can help round out his game during his years here.

 

[Big Old Booger]

Just something I have faith in is Booker getting 4 years under Lon and Pledge only getting a couple. Something I have noticed in Lon's short time is the devotion to ball handling by all players. Some will always be better than others, but I have noticed a serious improvement of the team's skillset and it goes directly with coaching. Booker looks to have the shooting down, but I have faith that Lon and assistants can help round out his game during his years here.

Yes, and let's be honest, Pledger was done a huge disservice playing for Capel. I mean, he had to play PG some 2 years ago, which he is not in any shape or form a PG. Had he been under Lon all 4 years, I think his game would be light years further along than it is now. He's made huge improvements in 2 years, but the inconsistency in effort still seems to be his biggest bugaboo.