Which Freshman impressed you the most last Tuesday?
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Krugerfan52
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By far it was Fitzgerald for me. Not because he was the best of the 4, but because of my expectations. I knew Tiny and TMG would be good and they were. I thought Pledger would be a good shooter and he was.
But I had no idea how good Fitzgerald was and he far exceded my expectations, even knowing he was a 4-star kid. He had good hands and feet and played strong. He played smart. He seemed to have nice touch. He missed a few FT's but his stroke looked good. I could see him having a great 4-year career at OU, but I could also see him helping us a bunch inside this year and that was something that I didn't know would be possible.
But I had no idea how good Fitzgerald was and he far exceded my expectations, even knowing he was a 4-star kid. He had good hands and feet and played strong. He played smart. He seemed to have nice touch. He missed a few FT's but his stroke looked good. I could see him having a great 4-year career at OU, but I could also see him helping us a bunch inside this year and that was something that I didn't know would be possible.
I've already mentioned a preference for players with the ability to score. It's only one game, but Pledger sure looks like he can shoot the ball. He also looks to be a better athlete than I was expecting.
Actually, I was impressed with all of them. Capel seems to be comfortable with and maybe even enjoy sending players early to the NBA. Watch what that does for recruiting.
Actually, I was impressed with all of them. Capel seems to be comfortable with and maybe even enjoy sending players early to the NBA. Watch what that does for recruiting.
Expectation...Pledger came in ranked outside the top 100, and showed everyone why the rankings are suspect at best...What did Fran Feshallai say..."i have to talk to Dave Telep about this one" From what i could see they weren't small, slow guys like he played against in highschool...It was Pledger by far...They saw the same thing everyone else saw...Smart kid, solid "D", great shooter...The sky's the limit for "BIRD"
Krugerfan52
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I liked what Pledger did too. But making open 3's against a weak opponent was no surprise to me. Fitz really impressed with with his footwork, ability to catch the ball in traffic, post moves and his motor.
If Pledger had been flying through the lane dunking the ball or something that would have really surprised me. But making open shots did not. And Pledger was a 4-star guy on scout.com, so I didn't expect him to be chopped liver.
If Pledger had been flying through the lane dunking the ball or something that would have really surprised me. But making open shots did not. And Pledger was a 4-star guy on scout.com, so I didn't expect him to be chopped liver.
jmill1200
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Pledger, by far. I didn't expect that sweet of a stroke. He has one of the best jump shots I've seen. It was so smooth and quick. I wasn't suprised with TMG and Tiny, they played up to expectations. I was impressed with Drew, he ran the floor well and put himself in a good position to get easy shots. I would like to see him improve his strength and conditioning, BG would have went up strong and got the foul. I would like to see Drew and Tiny, train with that guy in Cali over the offseason.
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I knew what everyone else would bring to the table except for Fitz. He was tough, used his body to get in good position, and showed he can come off the bench and add offense. He also fought for rebounds which will earn him a lot of minutes on this team.
AdaSooner
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Pledger got my vote. Not because I was surprised by his shooting touch from deep, but because he played with such poise and shot the ball well right out of the gate.
Fitz came in a close second for me. I have felt for sometime that he would win the post spot opposite Tiny at some point during the season, and he did nothing but reinforce those feelings with his performance.
It's not that I wasn't impressed with Tiny and TMG. I had already seen enough of them on television and videos to know what they could do, and they didn't disappoint.
Fitz came in a close second for me. I have felt for sometime that he would win the post spot opposite Tiny at some point during the season, and he did nothing but reinforce those feelings with his performance.
It's not that I wasn't impressed with Tiny and TMG. I had already seen enough of them on television and videos to know what they could do, and they didn't disappoint.
FaithfulSooner
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I voted for Fitz not because I didn't know that he was capable of the result that we saw, but because of him doing this in the first game. This means that his upper classmen teamates had better get it together because there's alot more to Fitz game than what he revealed on tuesday night. Someone said that Pledger would have been their guy if he was going through the lane dunking on people. Just give it time. Bird has some more tricks in his bag as well. I agree with Ada. We know what TMG and Tiny can do, but if the performance of our other two freshman is any indication then look out guys. BOOMER SOOMER BABY!!!:clap
Edmond_Sooner
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Fitz for me...i already knew Tiny and TMG were going to be D1 ready and have gotten to see them play, Pledger was another guy that even though i had never seen him play i knew he had a stroke and a good sized body for this level...
Fitz didnt wow me athletically but i loved his energy and he just looked like he fit in...he honestly looked like he has been in the system a couple of years...
Fitz didnt wow me athletically but i loved his energy and he just looked like he fit in...he honestly looked like he has been in the system a couple of years...
NickZepp
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All they early hype on Fitz was that he was kinda out of shape and that he might even redshirt because he's behind the other guys. Looked to me like he's ready to play and will at least be a good body that that will make some plays.
BoulderSooner
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pledger is in the top 100 in espn.com rankings ..
he impressed me the most .. because what he did translates regardless of matchup .. he has a very quick catch and shoot off of screens .. and he moved very well with out the ball ... but his best "move" was the dribble to the lane and the fade away from 12 ... beautiful shot
Yes, he really did a nice job in how quickly he could catch and shoot. I knew he had the reputation as a shooter, but if he can catch and shoot, drive and fade away, then he becomes more of a complete player. He just looked further along than most freshmen.
Fitzgerald played well, but I wonder if his size doesn't negate some of his contribution against better teams. He looks to be a true 4 and he looks like maybe 6' 6" - 6' 7". Am I wrong on that?
Fitzgerald played well, but I wonder if his size doesn't negate some of his contribution against better teams. He looks to be a true 4 and he looks like maybe 6' 6" - 6' 7". Am I wrong on that?
tomkar98
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Fitz. I saw what I expected from TMG and Tiny. Steve did surprise me a little bit, but he is my favorite from this class, so I was expecting good things already. I also expected good things from Fitz, but not this soon. So thats why Fitz gets my vote.
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SilliSooner
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TMG -
I didn't take the poll as being "Who surprised you the most?" but rather as "Who did you think was the best player?"
With that as criteria, TMG was head and shoulders above the rest (even though, in physical terms, he's head and shoulders below the others). He was more poised (although Pledger was pretty poised), had a lot more skills than I remember from his few minutes in the McD game and looks nothing like a freshman.
I was most impressed with M-G's court vision. All those long range shots we were hitting happened for a reason. TMG was spotting the open man before he became open. Then he would direct the pass into the shooter's hands at precisely the point where the spot-up had the most time to launch his shot. That's LeBron James type court vision except Griffin is doing it without James's added advantage of height.
Also, Griffin's strenght, as in the ability to keep a defender off his side as he's driving to the basket, was impressive.
I didn't take the poll as being "Who surprised you the most?" but rather as "Who did you think was the best player?"
With that as criteria, TMG was head and shoulders above the rest (even though, in physical terms, he's head and shoulders below the others). He was more poised (although Pledger was pretty poised), had a lot more skills than I remember from his few minutes in the McD game and looks nothing like a freshman.
I was most impressed with M-G's court vision. All those long range shots we were hitting happened for a reason. TMG was spotting the open man before he became open. Then he would direct the pass into the shooter's hands at precisely the point where the spot-up had the most time to launch his shot. That's LeBron James type court vision except Griffin is doing it without James's added advantage of height.
Also, Griffin's strenght, as in the ability to keep a defender off his side as he's driving to the basket, was impressive.
McJacknife
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If I remember correctly, he measured at a hair short of 6'8". However, his wingspan is ridiculous. Something like 7'2". I'm not worried about his size one bit.
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