Weird freshman numbers (Pledger and Fitz)

[thebigabd]

Against Houston (a team with a talented backcourt) Pledger got 38 minutes and scored 23 points and grabbed 3 rebounds... He is averaging 3 points per game since Alaska.... The very next game he played 37 minutes and had 14 points.

Andrew Fitzgerald got 14 points and 5 rebounds in the opener and has barely been seen or heard from since...

Playmakr made a good point the other day that Fitzgerald just fell off a cliff. How do you get 14 and 5 (something Orlando and Wright arent even capable of in a D-1 game) and then do nothing from that point on?

How does Pledger play 38 minutes against Houston and score 23 points, play 37 minutes and score 14, and then average 3 a game and play spot minutes from that point on? He had 15 minutes against Arizona, 22 minutes against Arkansas, 17 minutes against Centenary, 7 minutes at Utah, 18 minutes against Northern Colorado, and 22 minutes against UTEP. That is ALL OVER THE PLACE. Don't coaches generally have some sort of set rotation? I don't know that i have ever seen a player get 38 minutes one game and then 7 the next.

Discuss...

 

[Sam]

Pledger shot has been in a funk every since we got back from Alaska, only thing I can think of.

 

[j2d2]

Practice?

 

[playmakr]

How do you get 14 and 5 (something Orlando and Wright arent even capable of in a D-1 game) and then do nothing from that point on?

One way is your coach isn't playing you. Instead he throws out a Senior who doesn't play any better in any category of the game. So instead of putting in a guy much younger that can develop, while not losing anything for this year, we have to watch Ryan Wright bring the ball down every time he touches it. All you can do from there is piss on it or turn it over.


Note: Yes, it's not just Ryan Wright playing over him, since we play 4 guards a lot, but in no way shape or form should Ryan Wright sniff the court over Drew.

 

[NickZepp]

You can't really rely on freshmen to put up consistent numbers. That's why they are freshmen.

 

[JBaker]

You can't really rely on freshmen to put up consistent numbers. That's why they are freshmen.

You can rely on Ryan Wright to put up consistent numbers, though:
Right about 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 TOs in 30 minutes.


There's no reason Fitz shouldn't be playing over Wright. Like Play said, he can't be any worse, and he's 4 years younger.

 

[seniorsooner]

At this point Fitzgerald needs to play, period. We'reobviously not a tournament team unless things drastically change, and he's not learning anything sitting on the bench. He is the guy that will be here 3 more years, not Ryan Wright.

 

[AdaSooner]

Note: Yes, it's not just Ryan Wright playing over him, since we play 4 guards a lot, but in no way shape or form should Ryan Wright sniff the court over Drew.

I don't get it either, unless looking good in your uniform counts for something.

How do you justify keeping a kid like Drew on the bench when the guy he should be replacing is only averaging 3.3 ppg and 3.7 rpg? Nothing I've seen out of RW to this point in the season, , except for a few highlight put backs or dunks, has made me feel he should be the seventh man in our rotation.

Giving Fitz more minutes now and allowing him to work through his freshman mistakes will only make him better, and at the same time prepare him for a bigger role next season. Ryan has had three years to get better and he has not done that.

 

[AdaSooner]

You can't really rely on freshmen to put up consistent numbers. That's why they are freshmen.

Nick, I would normally agree if the numbers Drew would have to match (3.3 points and 3.7 rebs per game) were that big of a hill to climb. Heck, give Beau Gerber nearly 18 minutes per game and I'll bet my last dollar he could do that and more. Fans are confused by Ryan's minutes, because he has not done much to impress anyone to this point.

 

[NickZepp]

I think Ryan Wright is pretty much a stiff. He can rebound okay, that's really about it. But I haven't seen Fitzgerald do anything that good either. I wouldn't mind seeing Allen or Gerber more. But I guess Capel has determined that isn't going to help.

 

[goodolesooner]

Practice?

We over here talkin' bout practice.

 

[MO]

Have you ever watched Fitzgerald run down the court? He's not the most athletic guy in the world. Wright isn't very skilled but he can run up and down the court and defend.

 

[playmakr]

Have you ever watched Fitzgerald run down the court? He's not the most athletic guy in the world. Wright isn't very skilled but he can run up and down the court and defend.

So you want to play him because he can run up and down the court? Has he ever done anything in transition of note? I actually recall Drew getting a couple buckets in transition when he got time.

And to the point of him defending. I simply disagree that he is a good defender. He gets into the air too much, doesn't move his feet very well, doesn't beat his guy to the spot very often, doesn't defend the post early, and gives the man he's guarding angles by shading too heavily.

Now, I won't argue that Drew is Wilt Chamberlain back there, but if you have two guys with nearly the exact same ability, and one is 23 while the other is 18, you play the guy that is 18 unless there is something very wrong behind the scenes. And there doesn't appear to be anything wrong.

 

[MO]

Hey, I was just trying to say something positive about Wright. He frustrates me more than any other player. I also agree with your reasoning on why Fitzgerald should be playing ahead of him. Unfortunately, Fitzgerald doesn't look any more like a player than some of our other questionable D-1 recruits. He runs awkwardly. If he was 7 foot maybe it wouldn't matter. At his in between height, maybe it does matter.

There I go being negative about a college guy that is probably doing the best he can. That doesn't seem fair and certainly not very nice. Maybe I will quit posting.

 

[soonerprices]

Practice?

Bingo!