What is Wrong with this Team

[cowboysooner]

Answer: We don't have Whitney, Drob and/or leah rush, or anyone like them for that matter. At least to me, we seem "rudderless". Our parts are OK, but the sum of them is not very good right now. The importance of Field leadership in sports is underestimated. In addition, we don't have Maddie Manning.

I thought we would be the bomb all year, however, it looks like it is going to take us a while to get going. I think we will be alright by years end.

Hard to point a finger at any one thing, except we have a glaring problem with rebounding when KK is not in the game. And, when she is in the game, we only have one kid that can or will rebound. Teams are just killing us on the glass. Not sure what can be done about that.

The fix: Like I said above, I'm not sure. I'm sure Sherri will just put the kids back to work and take it day by day.

 

[sybarite]

Answer: We don't have Whitney, Drob and/or leah rush, or anyone like them for that matter. At least to me, we seem "rudderless". Our parts are OK, but the sum of them is not very good right now. The importance of Field leadership in sports is underestimated. In addition, we don't have Maddie Manning.

I thought we would be the bomb all year, however, it looks like it is going to take us a while to get going. I think we will be alright by years end.

Hard to point a finger at any one thing, except we have a glaring problem with rebounding when KK is not in the game. And, when she is in the game, we only have one kid that can or will rebound. Teams are just killing us on the glass. Not sure what can be done about that.

The fix: Like I said above, I'm not sure. I'm sure Sherri will just put the kids back to work and take it day by day.

Yes and no. 81OU Alum makes a valid point that this team is and has been rudderless without Morgan. Morgan has made some uncharacteristic mistakes this year, some of which seems to have been an attempt to do too much or to make it happen when it isn't really there. But, she is the only rudder we have.

Kay Kay has about 17 rebounds in the six games that we have lost. That's not even three per game. I think she has about 29 points. In regulation against Texas, I think she had neither a rebound nor a point. At this time, she is more potential than substance.

 

[Mac]

I wasn't sure how good OU would be this year after we let Louisville back in the game and win. Not sure what OU needs, a better post? Griffin has been the same player since shes gotten to OU.

 

[MsProudSooner]

I wasn't sure how good OU would be this year after we let Louisville back in the game and win. Not sure what OU needs, a better post? Griffin has been the same player since shes gotten to OU.

Does that mean you don't think she has improved? I disagree. But, I would agree that she's not playing as well right now as she did last year.

 

[sybarite]

I wasn't sure how good OU would be this year after we let Louisville back in the game and win. Not sure what OU needs, a better post? Griffin has been the same player since shes gotten to OU.

Griffin is doing better than she is given credit for on this board. She is still just as valuable inside as Morgan is outside.

What does this team need? Right now, it is a head case. They aren't responding. They will play brilliantly for a stretch. Then, they look like they have no idea where they are. During those times, it seems that they just forget what they are doing, lost in space. Vegas just flat fell down trying to dribble around someone late in the Texas game resulting in a turnover----twice. Just fell down. She seems to lose her footing a lot this year. Why? It's like she's already getting ready to shoot before she gets to where she will shoot. There were times that I have no idea where Sharane was. She was not even in the flow of the game. Carter gets the ball where she is open and looks to pass inside. Unfortunately, when she dribbles inside, she only wants to pass further inside, resulting in turnovers. If she would just toss the ball back out, she would find open shooters. We have such a shooter in Derica, but she is guarded. Nobody drives the middle and tosses it back out to her.

Very simply, they don't do what they can do to make their situation better. They focus on an idea and can't adjust it.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Griffin is doing better than she is given credit for on this board. She is still just as valuable inside as Morgan is outside.

What does this team need? Right now, it is a head case. They aren't responding. They will play brilliantly for a stretch. Then, they look like they have no idea where they are. During those times, it seems that they just forget what they are doing, lost in space. Vegas just flat fell down trying to dribble around someone late in the Texas game resulting in a turnover----twice. Just fell down. She seems to lose her footing a lot this year. Why? It's like she's already getting ready to shoot before she gets to where she will shoot. There were times that I have no idea where Sharane was. She was not even in the flow of the game. Carter gets the ball where she is open and looks to pass inside. Unfortunately, when she dribbles inside, she only wants to pass further inside, resulting in turnovers. If she would just toss the ball back out, she would find open shooters. We have such a shooter in Derica, but she is guarded. Nobody drives the middle and tosses it back out to her.

Very simply, they don't do what they can do to make their situation better. They focus on an idea and can't adjust it.

You are blaming everyone except Griffin. If you notice, she only grabbed 1 rebound and had 8 points against Texas. That is not what one should expect from a 6'6" starting center.

Aaryn scored 37 points. I don't think I would bring her into this conversation.

 

[sybarite]

You are blaming everyone except Griffin. If you notice, she only grabbed 1 rebound and had 8 points against Texas. That is not what one should expect from a 6'6" starting center.

Aaryn scored 37 points. I don't think I would bring her into this conversation.

I notice everything, Norm. I also notice that some have been anti-Griffin for two years. She is outscoring and outrebounding your favorite right now.

And, yes, Vegas scored. But, she has been erratic in her shooting, and she continues to make mistakes that hurt. Those mistakes were critical.

 

[jerry]

Talent level is very suspect with the exception of Ellenburg.

 

[Mac]

Does that mean you don't think she has improved? I disagree. But, I would agree that she's not playing as well right now as she did last year.

Well I don't know, last season she had her best scoring wise 12ppg but she only grabbed 4rpg and she had more turn overs then blocks.

 

[Soonerbay]

I don't think anything is "wrong with this team". They are playing the way one would expect considering their experience at the high school level. They've had several OT games. Actually, I believe they are over achieving at this point. We can't expect for a team such as we have to play like they have 2-3 that have been to a FF, were AA in high school and listed in the top 25 in the country. It takes time, experience, exposure, athleticism, fundamentals, accountability, responsibility, character and a winning attitude to be very successful in the a major DI conference. Then all of those attributes need the support of team chemistry.

Now for my regular sarcasm...why all the complaints? You get what you recruit and sign. And shouldn't we be happy that the team will maybe make it to the tournament for 1-2 games...maybe? Heck, they're predecessors have been to the FF three times, won Big 12 tournaments, won the conference over and over again. Look at the big picture! :woot

 

[Mac]

when was the last time OU defeated an elite team outside of the big 12 conference?

 

[soonerstar]

It has been a long time, Mac. We beat Tennessee at the Ford Center on February 2, 2009. Tennesee was in a down year for them. They were ranked 12th in one ppoll and 15th in the other at the time. We beat Notre Dame in the KC Regional on March 28, 2010 in OT. They were ranked 7th at the time. Our record ahgainst elite teams out of the conference is not good at all.

 

[SoonerinNC]

I think the biggest thing is inconsistency. we have raised our level of play to be competitive with some very good teams.

I looked at our 10 most competitive games, leaving out the cupcakes.

Griffin is averaging 12 points and 5 rebounds per game in those 10. But her low is 3 points and 1 rebound and the high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Between she and Williams they have only 13 assists. Obviously we don't have an inside-outside game. They also have 30 turnovers. KayKay doesn't look like the same player one game to another.

Ellenberg is averaging almost 20 points a game with a range of 10-37. She also has 51 rebounds compared to 53 for Griffin and 56 for Campbell. She has had double figure rebounds twice and a few as 1 and 2 per game. She also has way too many turnovers, many of them on drives into traffic.

Hook has 131 points in the 10 games but it ranges from 6 to 24. She has 51 assists compared to 33 by Vegas and 23 by Carter. She has 36 turnovers with 4 or more in 7 of the 10 games. She has the most turnovers (53) on the team in these 10 games. She is definitely a little off her game.

Campbell is probably the most consistent player. She has 167 points and at least 12 in every one of the 10 games. She is the rebounding leader with 56 and at least five in 8 of the 10 games. She had two bad turnover games where she had 14 of the 20 that she had in the 10 games.

You just don't know what to expect. Other than Campbell and Carter players seem to emerge and put in some good minutes and then disappear. Carter obviously is having too many turnovers (23 in the 10 games) and I think the word is around that you don't have to guard her at the 3 point line. But you know what you are going to get from her game after game.

I think the key is to cut down the dry spells by reducing the really bad unforced turnovers and better shot selection and better decisions on taking the ball to the hoop. We don't have much of a game to hit the 3 point shooters from the inside by the bigs or by the penetrators. When we go to the hoop the only dump offs are close to the hoop and if that is not there we force it at times but mostly we are going to shoot in spite of hell or high water.

Wyatt has only 13 points and 5 rebounds in the 10 games. She only has significant minutes in 2 of them.

 

[sybarite]

That's pretty much it. You would think that seasoned veterans would be a bit more consistent. I simply don't remember Vegas having off shooting nights often in earlier years.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

Syb, she had that horrible slump last year where she couldn't hit a barn with a nuclear bomb and sherri finally benched her for a game or two to help her get her head straight.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

Syb, she had that horrible slump last year where she couldn't hit a barn with a nuclear bomb and sherri finally benched her for a game or two to help her get her head straight.

 

[Stringmusic]

The team is too tight - everyone needs to loosen up, lose themselves in the game and completely trust each other. Most are over thinking and too hesitant to shoot when they are open, too late to pass or don't pass at all. It's all in their head. When they're thinking too much they are going to screw up - like the tripping, etc. I think they will get it straightened out in time and play like they are capable.

When you are driving down the interstate at 75 mph in traffic you need to be thinking about driving and not the conversation you had yesterday or detailing in your mind what you're going to do when you get there.

 

[SoonerNorm]

I think the coaching staff has to share at least 50% of the responsibility. They recruited everyone on the roster. They decide who plays. They see too much dribbling, very little movement without the ball, silly turnivers, Griffin and Kaylon being lazy on the boards, allowing waaaaay too many turnovers without being benched, etc. Those problems are correctable. It is up to Sherri and her staff to get them corrected but, if anything, they are getting worse.

 

[badger]

If I go just off the box score, I'd say we don't make enough free throws (even if we make most of them), we rely too much on the three (which kills us when they're not falling), we turn over the ball too much and we don't have a reliable rebounder.

From actually watching them, however, I don't think they're any better or any worse than recent teams, we just have a worse record and are no longer in the top 25. I think you could argue that the 2000 National Championship football team is not necessarily Bob's best OU team (2008 with four first round draft picks, anyone? The once-invincible 2003 team?), it's just the one that won the crystal football.

If we miss anything from past Sherri's teams, it's:
1- D-Rob's ability to just run at the basket and get a quick two, rather than rely on three-three-three.
2-CP3's ability to rebound anything anytime anywhere... mostly right next to the basket, but still
3- A clutch free throw/shot maker like Whitney Hand, Stacey Dales, etc.

it was CP3's job to get rebounds and she did it well. It was D-Rob's job to be a speedy scorer and she did it well, it was Whitney's job to be a team leader and clutch shooter and she did it well.

What are our current players' jobs? Is it to everything at all times? If so, uggggh that's what's wrong with this team

 

[jerry]

If I go just off the box score, I'd say we don't make enough free throws (even if we make most of them), we rely too much on the three (which kills us when they're not falling), we turn over the ball too much and we don't have a reliable rebounder.

From actually watching them, however, I don't think they're any better or any worse than recent teams, we just have a worse record and are no longer in the top 25. I think you could argue that the 2000 National Championship football team is not necessarily Bob's best OU team (2008 with four first round draft picks, anyone? The once-invincible 2003 team?), it's just the one that won the crystal football.

If we miss anything from past Sherri's teams, it's:
1- D-Rob's ability to just run at the basket and get a quick two, rather than rely on three-three-three.
2-CP3's ability to rebound anything anytime anywhere... mostly right next to the basket, but still
3- A clutch free throw/shot maker like Whitney Hand, Stacey Dales, etc.

it was CP3's job to get rebounds and she did it well. It was D-Rob's job to be a speedy scorer and she did it well, it was Whitney's job to be a team leader and clutch shooter and she did it well.

What are our current players' jobs? Is it to everything at all times? If so, uggggh that's what's wrong with this team

And 4's like Amanda Thompson and Jo Mcfarland got big rebounds and loose balls.