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william_brasky
11/7/2006, 07:59 AM
O'Neal?



O'Neal is a marked man for Sooners
COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW: OKLAHOMA MEN
Capel's offense should get rest of team involved

By Scott Wright
Staff Writer

NORMAN — Last year, Michael Neal was anywhere between the first and fourth offensive option on the Oklahoma basketball team.

This year, until the Sooners develop another consistent scoring threat, Neal will be the only option in the eyes of opposing defenses.

"He's a marked man," first-year OU coach Jeff Capel said. "It will be more difficult for him.

"Everything's harder, because you're not an afterthought on a scouting report. You are one of the main guys."

That's Neal's challenge this season — being the main guy on a team made up mostly of unproven, untested players.

That wasn't the case a year ago, when Taj Gray, Terrell Everett and Kevin Bookout were seniors.

And Neal knows it.

"We ran a lot of things through the post, which left me open, because Taj and Kevin were so good," Neal said. "This year, we're running this offense where we have to share the ball and set screens for each other.

"Obviously, the attention is gonna be focused on me, and I think that's where other people are going to step up and surprise a lot of people."

No matter who does the scoring behind Neal, it will be a surprise.

Neal and the three seniors combined for 71 percent of the Sooners' points last season.

Neal has been fairly ineffective in the Sooners' two exhibitions this season, scoring a combined nine points.

The list of players to fill the vacant spot of No. 2 scorer starts with Nate Carter and David Godbold, two experienced players who averaged 5-6 points per game last season.

Taylor Griffin's offensive skills will be tested more in his sophomore season, and the 6-foot-7 forward has shown the ability to hit outside shots.

And freshmen Tony Crocker and Keith Clark have shown promise at times.

But if the Sooners' two exhibition games are any sign, the scoring will come from several places.

Carter and Clark each had 18-point games. Longar Longar scored 15 in one game, and Crocker had 14 in the next.

In the two exhibitions, seven different players reached double figures once, and only Longar did it twice.

Therein lies Neal's plan. Get the rest of the team involved.

Capel's motion offense — predicated around passing, setting screens and moving without the ball — is ideal for that.

"Anybody can be in position to where they score," Neal said.

"If they're so focused on me, worried about me, it's gonna benefit my teammates. That's what I'm looking forward to. I'm looking forward to my teammates stepping up and making plays."

For advice on how to handle the extra load, Neal possibly could learn from one of his counterparts — Oklahoma State's JamesOn Curry.

After a standout freshman season on a senior-heavy team, Curry struggled in his sophomore campaign when he became the Cowboys' primary offensive focus.

But Curry says his biggest obstacle wasn't the crowd of defenders he often faced, it was himself.

"It was as tough as I made it," Curry said. "It didn't really have to be that tough.

"All my life, every defense has tried to take me out of the game. This is the college level, but it's the same thing. I still missed open shots, still missed free throws, still turned the ball over. It was my fault."

Capel feels the first step for Neal is to expand his game, become more than a great shooter.

"He's putting the ball on the floor a little bit better," Capel said of Neal.

"He's being a playmaker. Sometimes, being a playmakers means to shoot the shot, but it also may be to create something for someone else."

Neal displayed that ability in a small dose during the exhibition season. He had four assists in 21 minutes against Oklahoma Christian. An ankle injury limited his action against Central Missouri.

And Neal says he has prepared himself mentally for what lies ahead and he knows his biggest mistake would be to try to get through it alone.

"It's gonna be hard (for opponents) to stop everybody," Neal said. "I think that works in our favor."

Ash
11/7/2006, 10:16 AM
The motion offense should get Neal freed up for shots when his number's called. I think experience and getting the offensive system down will improve Neal's production.

BTW, welcome to Duke basketball everyone. I've already seen complaints about the offense Capel's running. It's the Dukey motion O.

the_ouskull
11/7/2006, 05:19 PM
Exactly. People will complain about the offense, win or lose, unless there are three digits on our scoreboard at the end of every game. Then, whether the team wins or loses becomes secondary. That's crap.

All I want is a solid offense that gets a patient team high percentage shots. Then I want US, as fans, to be patient and let Capel get "his guys" in said system. Then we start winning, and the Cleti (plural of Cletus) will still complain that we're not scoring 100/game, but that's fine. When we're winning, f those Cleti.

the_ouskull