Sooner04
11/16/2008, 12:13 AM
To borrow a theme from that old song from Aretha, the moment I wake up, before I put on my makeup, I think of OU Basketball. I'm thrilled when football starts, because it means OU BBall is getting close. The '09 Sooners are the most anticipated squad we've put on the floor since 2003. Familiar themes like heart, hustle and hardwood have gone the way of the dodo; replaced by more fan-friendly terms like studs, shooters and students. More on that in a moment.
What we've got this year, sports fans, is a fine basketball team. Right now, I don't know how good they will be, but they're a fine brigade at the moment. We all know about Blake Griffin. For those who have not seen him, this season is your last shot. He'll be a lottery pick next year. Contributions from whomever and wherever, elsewhere, will determine what kind of team this will be when the big games are played in 2009.
As I see it right now, we've got one guy who could go off for 20 every night. That's Blake. That's fine, but the great teams have two or three guys who could do that. This team might have that, but it's going to have to develop that type of mentality. Two guys can turn the key that opens the door to the big time: Willie Warren and Tony Crocker.
We haven't had a guard like Warren in Norman since Billy left. Well, hold on, Corey Brewer might be a good comparison. The point is, Willie's one of those guys who, once he figures out the speed of this level, will be able to get to the rim at will. That ability cannot be taught, it is a mindset. Get to the rim and either make the shot or get to the line. He's a scorer, plain and simple.
Tony Crocker has all the talent in the world, but he is prone to vanish. That's epidemic with underclassmen, but those days are done. 15 every night from Tony Crocker, and we'll be dynamite. No 28 one game and two the next. 15, every night, and we'll be very hard to beat.
As for the game, it was about what I expected. Look, American may sound like Cupcake Central in name, but this team gave the #1 RPI team in the country a pretty solid game in the 1st round of last year's NCAA Tournament. Tennessee won that game 72-57, but it was not easy. We stomped a mudhole through those guys Friday night. It was never, ever close. There's something to be said for that.
SCORING BREAKDOWN:
1st - 16
2nd - 31 [stop.........hammer time!]
3rd - 19 [eh]
4th - 17 [spit]
As many bodies as we have, we ought to run people to death. I know the game isn't played like it was in the late 80s, but that doesn't mean we can't just overwhelm teams with defensive pressure. We go a legitimate 8-deep, possibly nine, so get after it out there.
[b]LEADING SCORERS:
24 - Blake Griffin
11 - Cade Davis
10 - Willie Warren
I think the team is guilty sometimes of watching Blake in awe. Well, we are too, but we're not on scholarship. Go ahead and get yours, team, and I think they will as the season goes on. Willie asserted himself in the second half, and that was nice to see. He's got a bit of a hitch in his shot, and that worries me a tad. Cade's treys bring rain, and that warms my heart.
LEADING REBOUNDERS:
18 - Blake Griffin <---- absurd how good this guy is.
5 - Taylor Griffin
5 - Ryan Wright <---- four of these were offensive. Heard him interviewed on the way home. Very articulate. So shocked I nearly swerved off the road.
PLUSES:
1. The Student Section - Your correspondent was amongst the laziest, most inept batch of college students to ever drunkinly stumble to class. My freshman year, the student section returned tickets for the football game against Nebraska. That was 2000! 8,000 volts and 15 minutes alone with Charlize Theron could not arouse my fellow male students to get off their rumps and do something.
NO MORE! I stroll into the LNC and nearly have a stroke at the sight of the student section. It's packed, it's loud, and the suckers are unruly! Mrs. 04 splashes me with cold water and brings over the smelling salts. After a few minutes I was fine, but I've yet to recover from the shock. To all the young Capelables, and to all who took up the AD on their offer of free tickets based on attendance, I say thank you. You are in the process of righting one of the more embarrassing wrongs, and I applaud you for it.
2. Blake Griffin - That one-footed twirling dunk underneath the south goal was NAST-EE. That the ball went through the net and hit that big galoot from American right in the forehead was bliss.
3. Cade Davis - Nothing like popping a trey when trailing on the break. Yours truly made a 6th grade career out of that very art, but mine never had the crowd-pleasing arc of young Cade's. His third one of the first half wiped the Lord's nose before it came down. SWISH!
MINUSES:
1. Blake's free throw shooting: 5 of 14. FIVE of FOURTEEN! I promise you this, people: I could stroll out there tonight in nothing but stilettos and a garter belt and make more than 5 out of 14. That's HORRIBLE! The fact that he made that trey late infuriated me because it shows he's practiced that shot. The free throw line is all about dedication. You can make yourself a better free throw shooter if you put in the time. Blake, obviously, has not, and it will bite us before this season is done.
2. Juan Patillo: Is this guy the chupacabra? Where was he?
3. Ray Willis: A bit harsh to put him here, but he was pressing. It's a maddening cliche, but let the game come to you. Take it easy, youngin. You'll be fine.
Well, me and 6,000 of my closest friends (hopefully) will be there Monday night. Unless Jerry Rice is suiting up, I don't expect much of a quarrel with Mississippi Valley State.......but you never know. I saw Stephen F. Austin beat us last year. Sooner24 saw us fall to the Ohio Northen Polar Bears. Weird things happen. That being said, I'm impressed with our team. Athletically, we're light years of any team we've had in the last 15 years. BBall wise, we shall see.
It's going to be fun watching them grow.
Thank you for your time.
What we've got this year, sports fans, is a fine basketball team. Right now, I don't know how good they will be, but they're a fine brigade at the moment. We all know about Blake Griffin. For those who have not seen him, this season is your last shot. He'll be a lottery pick next year. Contributions from whomever and wherever, elsewhere, will determine what kind of team this will be when the big games are played in 2009.
As I see it right now, we've got one guy who could go off for 20 every night. That's Blake. That's fine, but the great teams have two or three guys who could do that. This team might have that, but it's going to have to develop that type of mentality. Two guys can turn the key that opens the door to the big time: Willie Warren and Tony Crocker.
We haven't had a guard like Warren in Norman since Billy left. Well, hold on, Corey Brewer might be a good comparison. The point is, Willie's one of those guys who, once he figures out the speed of this level, will be able to get to the rim at will. That ability cannot be taught, it is a mindset. Get to the rim and either make the shot or get to the line. He's a scorer, plain and simple.
Tony Crocker has all the talent in the world, but he is prone to vanish. That's epidemic with underclassmen, but those days are done. 15 every night from Tony Crocker, and we'll be dynamite. No 28 one game and two the next. 15, every night, and we'll be very hard to beat.
As for the game, it was about what I expected. Look, American may sound like Cupcake Central in name, but this team gave the #1 RPI team in the country a pretty solid game in the 1st round of last year's NCAA Tournament. Tennessee won that game 72-57, but it was not easy. We stomped a mudhole through those guys Friday night. It was never, ever close. There's something to be said for that.
SCORING BREAKDOWN:
1st - 16
2nd - 31 [stop.........hammer time!]
3rd - 19 [eh]
4th - 17 [spit]
As many bodies as we have, we ought to run people to death. I know the game isn't played like it was in the late 80s, but that doesn't mean we can't just overwhelm teams with defensive pressure. We go a legitimate 8-deep, possibly nine, so get after it out there.
[b]LEADING SCORERS:
24 - Blake Griffin
11 - Cade Davis
10 - Willie Warren
I think the team is guilty sometimes of watching Blake in awe. Well, we are too, but we're not on scholarship. Go ahead and get yours, team, and I think they will as the season goes on. Willie asserted himself in the second half, and that was nice to see. He's got a bit of a hitch in his shot, and that worries me a tad. Cade's treys bring rain, and that warms my heart.
LEADING REBOUNDERS:
18 - Blake Griffin <---- absurd how good this guy is.
5 - Taylor Griffin
5 - Ryan Wright <---- four of these were offensive. Heard him interviewed on the way home. Very articulate. So shocked I nearly swerved off the road.
PLUSES:
1. The Student Section - Your correspondent was amongst the laziest, most inept batch of college students to ever drunkinly stumble to class. My freshman year, the student section returned tickets for the football game against Nebraska. That was 2000! 8,000 volts and 15 minutes alone with Charlize Theron could not arouse my fellow male students to get off their rumps and do something.
NO MORE! I stroll into the LNC and nearly have a stroke at the sight of the student section. It's packed, it's loud, and the suckers are unruly! Mrs. 04 splashes me with cold water and brings over the smelling salts. After a few minutes I was fine, but I've yet to recover from the shock. To all the young Capelables, and to all who took up the AD on their offer of free tickets based on attendance, I say thank you. You are in the process of righting one of the more embarrassing wrongs, and I applaud you for it.
2. Blake Griffin - That one-footed twirling dunk underneath the south goal was NAST-EE. That the ball went through the net and hit that big galoot from American right in the forehead was bliss.
3. Cade Davis - Nothing like popping a trey when trailing on the break. Yours truly made a 6th grade career out of that very art, but mine never had the crowd-pleasing arc of young Cade's. His third one of the first half wiped the Lord's nose before it came down. SWISH!
MINUSES:
1. Blake's free throw shooting: 5 of 14. FIVE of FOURTEEN! I promise you this, people: I could stroll out there tonight in nothing but stilettos and a garter belt and make more than 5 out of 14. That's HORRIBLE! The fact that he made that trey late infuriated me because it shows he's practiced that shot. The free throw line is all about dedication. You can make yourself a better free throw shooter if you put in the time. Blake, obviously, has not, and it will bite us before this season is done.
2. Juan Patillo: Is this guy the chupacabra? Where was he?
3. Ray Willis: A bit harsh to put him here, but he was pressing. It's a maddening cliche, but let the game come to you. Take it easy, youngin. You'll be fine.
Well, me and 6,000 of my closest friends (hopefully) will be there Monday night. Unless Jerry Rice is suiting up, I don't expect much of a quarrel with Mississippi Valley State.......but you never know. I saw Stephen F. Austin beat us last year. Sooner24 saw us fall to the Ohio Northen Polar Bears. Weird things happen. That being said, I'm impressed with our team. Athletically, we're light years of any team we've had in the last 15 years. BBall wise, we shall see.
It's going to be fun watching them grow.
Thank you for your time.