Sam
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Not a game, we taking practice. And at that, practice in October.
That's why I haven't felt the need to rush home after every practice and give a detailed report complete with what color socks Amath M'Baye is wearing, that Buddy Hield wears cool looking low top silver shoes or which players are wearing the foam shin guards that I have no clue what purpose they serve on the basketball court.
From an outside looking in, there's a finite amount of information you can correctly glean from each practice. There's no way I can know what the specific goals are that Lon Kruger set for a certain drill, the team or individual players for each practice.
When you add in that most practices are similar with only small changes, they aren't built for breaking news or even in depth news. To be frankly honest, much of the practice is “boring” to an outsider (this is coming from someone who loves basketball). There's only so much that can be seen or learned from the conditioning, warm ups or even a defensive shell drill day after day. I would describe what can be learned from practices as more of a slow gradually burn.
Players are going to be up and down, because they're humans.
Some are going to play in practice exactly like they do in games, while others will rise and shine when the lights turn on.
Those reasons and others makes the already inexact science of evaluating talent, individual and team, that much harder when watching practice.
Another reason I'm hesitant to make any guesses is I think the coaching side of it hasn't fully been implemented. From an outside perspective it looks like OU is focusing on fundamentals and not a lot of emphasis has yet been placed on the X's and O's, attacking a certain team's weakness, or covering up one of OU's weak points.
From what I watched last year and talking to some people, Kruger is one of the elite X's and O's coaches in the Big 12. He knows the game exceptionally well and notices the little things that make his adjustments so successful. Look at how OU swept KSU last year, or hung with Mizzou. I bet a lot of that was on Kruger on knowing how to attack a team's weakness while doing his best to cover his own. The “Kruger Factor” has yet to be implemented onto this team.
Along those lines, I'd hazard a guess that Kruger is still toying with his roster, still mixing up that formula to find the best product. If you want a pop culture comparison, it's like Breaking Bad. Practices in October and even November are like Walter White in the RV, but once things get rolling it will look more like Walter in the Super Lab.
Because of those factors, I'm doing my best to do one of the most difficult things in today's “we want everything five seconds ago” internet culture.
Not to overreact.
I'm not sure where to begin with this. I'm just going to slap down some observations and hope when I'm done there's some rhyme and reason (hopefully at least some reason).
- I guess I should lead off with what could be the current elephant in this message board.
Steven Pledger.
I'm a believer in his offensive talent and I expect him to be the leading scorer again, while being even more efficient in his scoring. If OU doesn't reach it's ceiling I don't think any of Pledger's defensive limitations will be the culprit. He's an offensive weapon on a team that lacks other proven consistent scorers. If he produces like he has and should continue to on offense, it's crazy to think anyone could take his minutes yet alone starting spot.
- Something about Tyler Neal seems different and in a good way. He looks more comfortable, composed, maybe sure of himself, I don't know as I can't put a finger exactly on it. I guess the cliché would be to say the light is coming on him. Neal's doing a better job of being a big and his three seems about the same. His handles seem improved as well.
- Similar to Neal, Cameron Clark also looks more refined. He's added some good weight, looks more comfortable handling the ball. I'd guess Cameron Clark will play similar to how he ended the season.
- Osby and Fitzgerald have been two steady and solid players most practices. Which is somewhat boring to write so I don't have anything that particular or ground breaking to report. Both are vocal on defense, they play hard, are efficient around the hoop, etc. Roe and Fitz come across as two constants on this team.
- Maybe I overrate the jump from high school to D 1, but I view it as a difficult one. I've watched a lot of high school and AAU basketball over the past year and the collegiate game is just so much bigger, faster, and cerebral than your average high school contest. It takes a special talent to let alone be a Low D-1 player, and when you talk about any player at a high major schools, that's exceptional talent.
Because of those factors, I don't think it will be a cakewalk for the freshman and it seems unlikely for them to steal a veteran’s spot in the starting line up.
With that disclaimer, or perhaps rant here's my take on the freshman backcourt.
- Buddy Hield – He plays bigger than his listed height due to his athleticism, length and a good motor. He has an impressive scorer's DNA as you can tell that's his first thought when he's on the court is to "get buckets".
- Issiah Cousins – Of the freshman, I probably have the worst feel for his game. I can only say “generic” things like he comes across as a smooth ballhandler with good ballhandler. His shooting looks ok. He also likes to throw oops, which makes me think he has good vision with a bit of flair to his game.
- Jelon Hornbeak – I've said it before, I like him the most of the freshman. He seems to “get it” in all aspects in the game, and its hard to find any holes in his game. Good shooter, good ball handler, smart decision maker, good athlete and comes across as a smart defender. To borrow a soccer term, I think his “form” will be the most consistent of the freshman.
- Last but not least, Amath M'Baye. I stand by my opinions on him. First of all, he's a special talent and I don't think that can be stressed enough. His jumper hasn't been falling so far in practice, this time last year he was the best shooter outside of Pledger in my eyes. Maybe that will come around and even if it doesn't, OU is adding a 6 foot 9, top tier Big 12 athlete that plays will a motor that's "Blake Griffin like".
I thought it this time last year and I still believe it, he's a NBA talent.
That's why I haven't felt the need to rush home after every practice and give a detailed report complete with what color socks Amath M'Baye is wearing, that Buddy Hield wears cool looking low top silver shoes or which players are wearing the foam shin guards that I have no clue what purpose they serve on the basketball court.
From an outside looking in, there's a finite amount of information you can correctly glean from each practice. There's no way I can know what the specific goals are that Lon Kruger set for a certain drill, the team or individual players for each practice.
When you add in that most practices are similar with only small changes, they aren't built for breaking news or even in depth news. To be frankly honest, much of the practice is “boring” to an outsider (this is coming from someone who loves basketball). There's only so much that can be seen or learned from the conditioning, warm ups or even a defensive shell drill day after day. I would describe what can be learned from practices as more of a slow gradually burn.
Players are going to be up and down, because they're humans.
Some are going to play in practice exactly like they do in games, while others will rise and shine when the lights turn on.
Those reasons and others makes the already inexact science of evaluating talent, individual and team, that much harder when watching practice.
Another reason I'm hesitant to make any guesses is I think the coaching side of it hasn't fully been implemented. From an outside perspective it looks like OU is focusing on fundamentals and not a lot of emphasis has yet been placed on the X's and O's, attacking a certain team's weakness, or covering up one of OU's weak points.
From what I watched last year and talking to some people, Kruger is one of the elite X's and O's coaches in the Big 12. He knows the game exceptionally well and notices the little things that make his adjustments so successful. Look at how OU swept KSU last year, or hung with Mizzou. I bet a lot of that was on Kruger on knowing how to attack a team's weakness while doing his best to cover his own. The “Kruger Factor” has yet to be implemented onto this team.
Along those lines, I'd hazard a guess that Kruger is still toying with his roster, still mixing up that formula to find the best product. If you want a pop culture comparison, it's like Breaking Bad. Practices in October and even November are like Walter White in the RV, but once things get rolling it will look more like Walter in the Super Lab.
Because of those factors, I'm doing my best to do one of the most difficult things in today's “we want everything five seconds ago” internet culture.
Not to overreact.
I'm not sure where to begin with this. I'm just going to slap down some observations and hope when I'm done there's some rhyme and reason (hopefully at least some reason).
- I guess I should lead off with what could be the current elephant in this message board.
Steven Pledger.
I'm a believer in his offensive talent and I expect him to be the leading scorer again, while being even more efficient in his scoring. If OU doesn't reach it's ceiling I don't think any of Pledger's defensive limitations will be the culprit. He's an offensive weapon on a team that lacks other proven consistent scorers. If he produces like he has and should continue to on offense, it's crazy to think anyone could take his minutes yet alone starting spot.
- Something about Tyler Neal seems different and in a good way. He looks more comfortable, composed, maybe sure of himself, I don't know as I can't put a finger exactly on it. I guess the cliché would be to say the light is coming on him. Neal's doing a better job of being a big and his three seems about the same. His handles seem improved as well.
- Similar to Neal, Cameron Clark also looks more refined. He's added some good weight, looks more comfortable handling the ball. I'd guess Cameron Clark will play similar to how he ended the season.
- Osby and Fitzgerald have been two steady and solid players most practices. Which is somewhat boring to write so I don't have anything that particular or ground breaking to report. Both are vocal on defense, they play hard, are efficient around the hoop, etc. Roe and Fitz come across as two constants on this team.
- Maybe I overrate the jump from high school to D 1, but I view it as a difficult one. I've watched a lot of high school and AAU basketball over the past year and the collegiate game is just so much bigger, faster, and cerebral than your average high school contest. It takes a special talent to let alone be a Low D-1 player, and when you talk about any player at a high major schools, that's exceptional talent.
Because of those factors, I don't think it will be a cakewalk for the freshman and it seems unlikely for them to steal a veteran’s spot in the starting line up.
With that disclaimer, or perhaps rant here's my take on the freshman backcourt.
- Buddy Hield – He plays bigger than his listed height due to his athleticism, length and a good motor. He has an impressive scorer's DNA as you can tell that's his first thought when he's on the court is to "get buckets".
- Issiah Cousins – Of the freshman, I probably have the worst feel for his game. I can only say “generic” things like he comes across as a smooth ballhandler with good ballhandler. His shooting looks ok. He also likes to throw oops, which makes me think he has good vision with a bit of flair to his game.
- Jelon Hornbeak – I've said it before, I like him the most of the freshman. He seems to “get it” in all aspects in the game, and its hard to find any holes in his game. Good shooter, good ball handler, smart decision maker, good athlete and comes across as a smart defender. To borrow a soccer term, I think his “form” will be the most consistent of the freshman.
- Last but not least, Amath M'Baye. I stand by my opinions on him. First of all, he's a special talent and I don't think that can be stressed enough. His jumper hasn't been falling so far in practice, this time last year he was the best shooter outside of Pledger in my eyes. Maybe that will come around and even if it doesn't, OU is adding a 6 foot 9, top tier Big 12 athlete that plays will a motor that's "Blake Griffin like".
I thought it this time last year and I still believe it, he's a NBA talent.
