Why do you heap all the failures of the team on WW. This team is bad mostly because it is missing a few upperclassmen and using too many freshman. WW was not ready for the load that was placed on him and the supporting cast made the load heavier. WW is not Superman, he went in last years draft #1. He never proved that he was a POY type guy yet that is what we expected but you can't just wish it and then expect it to be true.
What do you want me to do, make you a highlight video from the last two games of Warren dogging it on defense? I will if that is what you want. I don't profess to be an expert on the game, but it is clear as a bell that he is putting out the least amount of effort on defense.
I also highly doubt that Coach Capel is telling him to force it through three guys when he has the two best shooters on the team this year (TMG and Crock) sitting wide open ready for the kick-out. He did that three times against Gonzaga, and it resulted in two TOs and a badly missed lay-up. It wouldn't hurt to see him hit a wide open teammate.
Is Warren the only reason that this team is 8-5? Far from it. But what he is doing is flat out poor, and seems ridiculous for a guy that wants to be a lotto pick.
At some point, the blame is going to shift from Willie to the coaching staff because they need to bench him if he doesn't play with effort on defense. It baffles me that nothing changed between the UTEP game and the Gonzaga game.
I will be the first to recognize it if/when he starts playing hard on both ends. I have seen flashes of it this year from him (the Utah second half/OT comes to mind).
Why do you heap all the failures of the team on WW. This team is bad mostly because it is missing a few upperclassmen and using too many freshman. WW was not ready for the load that was placed on him and the supporting cast made the load heavier. WW is not Superman, he went in last years draft #1. He never proved that he was a POY type guy yet that is what we expected but you can't just wish it and then expect it to be true.
No WW can't improve the skill of players around him but he can improve their effort by leadership.
I agree with that but I want to add that he clearly is not ready to be that leader even though we all wish it to be. WW is far from the 1st kid that didn't have it early in his career. Some never got it and most needed 3 , 4 or 5 years.
I have no problems with WW not being the kind of leader that Blake, or Eduardo, or somebody more vocal and team-oriented may be. Fine, that isn't WW. Not everybody can lead that way.
But what WW CAN do, and should do as OU's most skilled player, is to lead by example. That means setting the tone on defense. That means hustling back. That means not pouting. That means playing hard all the time. That means taking over games early, instead of waiting until we're down 15 before he starts being aggressive.
That is my biggest problem with WW right now. He isn't leading by example, and when your best player doesn't do that, and you have a young team, especially, you struggle.
I have no problems with WW not being the kind of leader that Blake, or Eduardo, or somebody more vocal and team-oriented may be. Fine, that isn't WW. Not everybody can lead that way.
But what WW CAN do, and should do as OU's most skilled player, is to lead by example. That means setting the tone on defense. That means hustling back. That means not pouting. That means playing hard all the time. That means taking over games early, instead of waiting until we're down 15 before he starts being aggressive.
That is my biggest problem with WW right now. He isn't leading by example, and when your best player doesn't do that, and you have a young team, especially, you struggle.
Wasn't Warren already benched for one game?