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View Full Version : 04's Attempt: OU vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore Recap



Sooner04
1/6/2009, 10:16 AM
As an extremely biased fan of up-tempo basketball, I loved what I saw last night. Going in, we knew that we'd play lots of guys so fatigue wouldn't be a problem. We had the full-court press, we had traps at half court, we had overplaying of the passes. It was a lot of fun to watch, even if it wasn't the most asthetically pleasing game at times. Coach Mark Cline, substituting for Coach Capel due to a vicious strain of plague, or maybe it was a stomach virus, I don't know, did a fine job in getting as many guys as many minutes as he could. My group was chapped that Ray Willis didn't get as many minutes as we thought he deserved, but Cline admitted after the game that he flat forgot all about "Gamma" Ray in the first half, and ended up playing him for 15 of the second half's 20 minutes.

The game was a bit of a snoozer competitively, but you really got to see what the second brigade has to offer. I learned a few things last night. One, Orlando Allen has a semi-competent hook shot. It's awful flat, but it's a real, in-the-flesh, hook shot. Kyle Cannon and "Gamma" Ray both have pretty polished offensive games. Once things click defensively, or once Kyle quits getting into trouble, they'll both be strong contributors. Beau Gerber might have the most horrid jumper I've seen since I quit playing, but he scored.

The second half me and my quasi-math club were obsessed with our pursuit of the 100-point barrier. Straining our mental calculators to the limit, we constantly checked and re-checked our pace. With 73 points scored and 13:52 to play, we appeared to be in fine shape. But we became spurty, and we'd fall below only to catch back up. With 95 points scored and only 60 seconds to go, things looked bleak. But there was a dunk from Orlando Allen (his 10th points of the night), and MDES responded with a quick shot.

WE HAD A CHANCE!

Down the floor we came. Don't run out the clock! SHOOT! Here's Kyle Cannon, he doesn't play often so you know he's going to fire. From the wing............for three.......SWISH! 100! The 800 people left in the arena went bananas. Strangers are making out in the upper level. Old ladies are disrobing and waving their bras above their heads. Pandemonium at the Lloyd Noble Center not seen since the fall of Saigon.


SCORING BREAKDOWN:
1st - 21 [Eastbound and down....]
2nd - 27 [Loaded up and truckin'!]
3rd - 27 [90 days, Jerry!]
4th - 25 [When you hot, you hot!]
Total - 100 http://thetwinzone.com/forum/images/smilies/shocked/thud.gif


LEADING SCORERS:
20 - Blake Griffin: On one dunk he was forehead level with the rim. And he took off a LONG way away.
15 - Tony Crocker: 15 a night. Keep it up.
15 - Willie Warren: 10-10 from the line. THAT was nice.
10 - Orlando Allen: Most of it on hook shots. Little flat, but those were hook shots, by God.


LEADING REBOUNDERS:
16 - Blake Griffin: He would've given Alvan's 34 and 28 a run for its money.
5 - Orlando Allen
5 - Taylor Griffin


PLUSES:
1. Orlando Allen: I like seeing guys get rewarded for playing hard, and it was obvious Orlando's minutes went up after his play against Coppin State. He still needs a ton of work on defense, because it's Oden-esque down there with the fouls. He was moving bodies around down low, and really attacking the glass. His hands need work, but he's playing hard. FIVE blocks.

2. Kyle Cannon: This guy needs to get his act together because he's got a lot of offensive game, much more than I anticipated. He's got a smooth stroke from the outside, and he'll hold a place in my heart for hitting that trey to get us 100.

3. Blake Griffin: If he had a point guard who truly pushed the tempo there's no telling what kind of numbers he could put up. 20 and 16 in 22 minutes was pretty wild.

4. Jeff Capel: Get well soon.

5. Scoring: Our last three games we've scored 88, 93 and 100. It was our first time to hit 100 since February of 2005. The last time we scored 88 or more in three straight games was in December of 2001. That team was pretty good too.


MINUSES:
1. Ryan Wright: No mas! The Longar Longar/Roberto Duran "Hands of Stone" award is sewn up before conference play. Balloting is in, and it's unanimous.

2. Austin Johnson: Did he play? Yes, but when he did he slowed us to a crawl.

3. Rebounding: We gave up 26 offensive boards. Most of the time it was due to our reserves going up with one hand and either smacking it out of bounds or drilling it back to the floor for MDES to catch the carom. Twice in a row Omar Leary had to come in and clean up the mess. It was doing big damage to our pursuit of 100 too, which had me quite aggravated.


It was a nice win. Everyone's healthy as far as I know, and now the fun begins with conference play. At 14-1, we're off to our best start in 20 years. Do the math, if we go 13-3 or 12-4 in conference then we'll have a pretty gaudy record to present the committee and some nice wins to go with it too. They mentioned on the radio last night that Capel has yet to go on the road in the North and win a game. First step to changing that hideousness begins Saturday in Manhattan. It should be fun.


Thank you for your time.

NormanPride
1/6/2009, 12:56 PM
Are you finally on the "Austin Johnson, What the Hell?" bandwagon?

Sooner04
1/6/2009, 02:32 PM
More and more each day, NP.

What haunts the few Oklahoma BBall fans out there is the missed opportunities that have prevented this program from winning it all. We had two golden opportunities in '88 and '02, but one was derailed by a road game and the other by a shredded ankle. We were really good in '85, '89 and '03, but those teams were derailed by youth ('85) and a scorer at the "4" ('89 and '03).

We never can quite get the personnel together. We lack a primo point guard this year, a guy who can push the tempo and create opportunities on the offensive end. AJ's a really good defender, but we've got a lot of gazelles running around out there and AJ is playing like a clydesdale.

This familiar tale will play out again next year when we bring in the stud point guard, Tommy Mason-Griffin, but lose Blake and, by my account, Willie Warren. It's a maddening cycle.

NormanPride
1/6/2009, 03:45 PM
You think Warren is gone? Wait until conference play kicks in to really fall in love. I think he'll hit the wall soon, and will need another year. He's amazing, though...

Speaking of Warren, why doesn't he push the ball down the court? He doesn't have to run the point when he gets there, but at least drive the tempo...

Sooner04
1/6/2009, 03:57 PM
You think Warren is gone? Wait until conference play kicks in to really fall in love. I think he'll hit the wall soon, and will need another year. He's amazing, though.
True, but he's putting up numbers as a true freshman that haven't been seen since Tisdale. Seriously.


Speaking of Warren, why doesn't he push the ball down the court? He doesn't have to run the point when he gets there, but at least drive the tempo...That I do not know. It just seems to me like Leary is much more interested in getting the ball down the floor that Johnson is and it drives me NUTS.

skycat
1/6/2009, 04:10 PM
Much shallower draft this year when compared to last year. If he keeps it up, I can easily see Warren leaving. In fact, you don't have to look around very hard to find mock drafts with him in the first round right now.

the_ouskull
1/6/2009, 05:02 PM
Warren has a better shot to go high in this year's draft, as much as I hate to say that...

As for Austin Johnson, he's the new Longar Longar. I think that we'll be better next year, even without Blake, if Warren stays, simply because Johnson is (FINALLY) leaving to "graduation." He's a truly horrible point guard. Note to AJ: If your minutes get cut, that doesn't mean shoot more while you're in there, it means be a f*cking point guard; take care of the ball, play solid D, and don't hurt us with dumb-*ssed shots and passes. Has it really taken him four/five (honestly, I've blocked as much of his "era" out as I could..) years to NOT learn that...?

the_ouskull

Judye
1/6/2009, 07:54 PM
These facts might not mean anything to you guys because seems you have to find a sooner to hammer on and Austin seems to be your target. But if you have a clue here are some facts.
1. Leading team in free throw percentage - 80%
2. 1st in steals on team (10 th conference) 24
3. 3rd in blocks on team (10 conference) 14
4. 1st in assists (Leads conference in assists - turnover ratio)
5. Least turnovers among starters
6. Shooting 417 from the field

Really think if you would look at the overall game that you might cut the kid some slack.

OUSKINS
1/6/2009, 08:48 PM
1. Definitley being a bit harsh on AJ... good find on those numbers Judye. He has turned into a very good defensive player, and even though he may not be a "true PG" on offense, he generally does no harm. Yes, you'd always prefer to have a playmaker out there, but with WW on the floor, it's not as necessary-- I can handle a "mistake free" PG with this roster.

2. There's a difference between "would WW go high in the draft," and "SHOULD" he come out. No doubt, if he threw his name into the hat, he'd get selected...probably somewhere in the lottery. But that doesn't always mean it would be the very best thing for his career. Blake would have gone in the top 5 last year, but chose to develop a bit more.

WW is NOT a prototypical NBA 2 Guard-- not even close. He is way undersized to play that position. I'm sure NBA teams will fall in love with his skill set and envision him as a PG....but I'm not sure he'll be ready to run the show for an NBA team NEXT year. He might be better served growing into the position a bit more at OU. Maybe it's wishful thinking from an OU fan, but WW could find himself a bit "buried" on a NBA roster if he comes out too soon.

8timechamps
1/9/2009, 09:36 AM
These facts might not mean anything to you guys because seems you have to find a sooner to hammer on and Austin seems to be your target. But if you have a clue here are some facts.
1. Leading team in free throw percentage - 80%
2. 1st in steals on team (10 th conference) 24
3. 3rd in blocks on team (10 conference) 14
4. 1st in assists (Leads conference in assists - turnover ratio)
5. Least turnovers among starters
6. Shooting 417 from the field

Really think if you would look at the overall game that you might cut the kid some slack.

Judye,
Some of what is said on the basketball board is tounge in cheek, and some is serious opinion. Either way, you'll find that the few folks that post on the basketball board DO actually watch the game and follow the team.

Nobody (to my knowledge) that posts regularly on this board (basketball) has "hammered" a Sooner. Maybe you know AJ, or maybe you're just a big fan of his. Either way, try not to take the things said here so personal. Sooner04 is a long time Sooner hoops fan (possibly more than a football fan), his game reviews aren't always warm and fuzzy, but they do, for the most part, paint a pretty clear picture of the game's events.

Hope that didn't come across as rude, just trying to give you some perspective.

8timechamps
1/9/2009, 09:51 AM
2. There's a difference between "would WW go high in the draft," and "SHOULD" he come out.

I always lean to the "stay at least 2 years" side. However, I think he has the talent to be productive in the NBA next year. Although, I can't imagine it being more than a role player.



WW is NOT a prototypical NBA 2 Guard-- not even close. He is way undersized to play that position. I'm sure NBA teams will fall in love with his skill set and envision him as a PG....but I'm not sure he'll be ready to run the show for an NBA team NEXT year. He might be better served growing into the position a bit more at OU. Maybe it's wishful thinking from an OU fan, but WW could find himself a bit "buried" on a NBA roster if he comes out too soon.


I don't think WW will ever be anything near a prototypical 2 gaurd in the NBA. The more I watch him, the more I think he should be at the point. I also think for him to be productive in the NBA, he'll have to move to the point.