Next Year's Roster

[cowboysooner]

Thought I would give my thoughts on our current players and next years roster and get you guys opinions:

Want to return: 4 freshman, YaYa, sherfield, hill and godwin

Would be happy to have back: Cortes

Think they would do better elsewhere: Noland, Jacob Groves and Joe-ban

The above being said, I would not be upset by everyone coming back, I just don't see my bottom three getting much playing time next year.

Love to get Godwin back as a walkon, but I am in the camp that he would help next year even as a scholarship player.

Been watching NAIA's videos of Cooper. After last night, I can't wait to see he and Oweh on the court together. They are both crazy athletes. Couldn't believe Oweh last night, he had a couple drives that should have been on Sportscenter. Unreal. Love, love, love Los and Oweh. Man I hope they come back. I think they could be really special.

As far as additions, we need an athletic big addition. And a pure shooter on the wing would be nice as well.

[WichitaSooner]

Originally Posted by cowboysooner

Thought I would give my thoughts on our current players and next years roster and get you guys opinions:

Want to return: 4 freshman, YaYa, sherfield, hill and godwin

Would be happy to have back: Cortes

Think they would do better elsewhere: Noland, Jacob Groves and Joe-ban

The above being said, I would not be upset by everyone coming back, I just don't see my bottom three getting much playing time next year.

Love to get Godwin back as a walkon, but I am in the camp that he would help next year even as a scholarship player.

Been watching NAIA's videos of Cooper. After last night, I can't wait to see he and Oweh on the court together. They are both crazy athletes. Couldn't believe Oweh last night, he had a couple drives that should have been on Sportscenter. Unreal. Love, love, love Los and Oweh. Man I hope they come back. I think they could be really special.

As far as additions, we need an athletic big addition. And a pure shooter on the wing would be nice as well.

I'd disagree with that part. We are far and away the worst team in the league. If we return the same roster, we would have to hope both freshmen are absolute studs from day one in order for that to change, especially since we are also at a coaching disadvantage pretty much every night in conference play. We need to move on from Noland and Jacob, and I assume we will. We need two big upgrades for those roster spots. Bam is an interesting case because we are already his third school -- he would almost certainly have to sit a year if he leaves, but that may not be a choice that is in his hands. And I'm sure there will be other defections.

I will be sweating out the fate of Los and Oweh all spring and summer. If they leave, we may as well get rid of Moser immediately, because his high school recruiting is about the only thing that even his biggest defenders can point to when arguing in support of him.

[BoulderSooner]

Originally Posted by WichitaSooner

I'd disagree with that part. We are far and away the worst team in the league.

this is not accurate

[tmeyer3307]

Agree with you on all of that. I really think we can build around our guards even without GS. We would be young there, but super talented. Cortes and Los have played and have good experience with Oweh getting more and more comfortable.

My top 3 most important things going into next season.
Get Hill to come back and play!
Get a legit Starting Center
Get the two Fr and our guards that should come back to come back. (Cortes, Oweh, Los) if we can add one transfer guard it would be nice.

Los and Oweh need to develop a consistent jump shot. Think that should be priority number #1 for those guys.

[WichitaSooner]

Originally Posted by BoulderSooner

this is not accurate

Sole possession of last place. Been blown out repeatedly. The team closest to us in the standings was decimated by injuries early in the season or else they would be well ahead of us. Our NET is 18 spots lower than anyone else in the league. We are the only team in the league below .500 overall. And we are the only team in the conference not in the mix for the tournament.

Seriously, man, can you just admit the obvious? You apparently are viewing it as little league and treating the handful of close losses as moral victories and as proof we aren't clearly the worst team. You know what close losses are? Losses.

[WTSooner]

Originally Posted by WichitaSooner

Sole possession of last place. Been blown out repeatedly. The team closest to us in the standings was decimated by injuries early in the season or else they would be well ahead of us. Our NET is 18 spots lower than anyone else in the league. We are the only team in the league below .500 overall. And we are the only team in the conference not in the mix for the tournament.

Seriously, man, can you just admit the obvious? You apparently are viewing it as little league and treating the handful of close losses as moral victories and as proof we aren't clearly the worst team. You know what close losses are? Losses.

The only team anyone could really argue is in the running with us is TT, and they've had a lot of good players miss a lot of games this season. We're 2-4 against the 3 teams directly above us in the standings, and TT just beat us by double digit points in Norman less than two weeks ago.

We're bad.

[WichitaSooner]

Originally Posted by WTSooner

The only team anyone could really argue is in the running with us is TT, and they've had a lot of good players miss a lot of games this season. We're 2-4 against the 3 teams directly above us in the standings, and TT just beat us by double digit points in Norman less than two weeks ago.

We're bad.

Yeah, I just don't see how anyone can dispute this. We are 18 spots behind them in the NET, behind them in the standings, behind them in overall record, just got whipped by them, our win against them came when they weren't healthy . . . there isn't a Big 12 coach around who would rather face Tech than us.

[cowboysooner]

I agree with TMeyer.

I have always respected your opinions Wichita, and I can see where someone might have your opinions on Moser. But, I just disagree. I don''t agree with all of Moser's philosophies or decisions, but we have never had a coach that I completely agreed with. I have been going to OU games since they played in the fieldhouse. I think Moser has done a good job, considering he is clearly taking the long approach and not the quick fix approach. I think you have to give a coach at least four years to build something and to be fairly evaluated.

Seeing Oweh and Los gives me hope that Benny and Luke are also going to be good players when we finally get to see them. The Cooper kid really looks like the real deal. I don't know anything about Cole, but Moser seems to be doing a good job of talent evaluation at least with regard to high school kids.

I would prefer we move on from CJ, Jacob and jB, but don't like the idea of running kids off just to win games. If they buy in and work hard, the program should bear responsibility for doing the best they can with them and not just look to its own interest, even if it costs us some games. Of course, I just don't know how the kids feel about things and what type of kids they are.

In short, unlike some, I still am of the opinion we are going in the right direction even if it is at a slower pace than we wanted.

[BoulderSooner]

Originally Posted by WichitaSooner

Sole possession of last place. Been blown out repeatedly. The team closest to us in the standings was decimated by injuries early in the season or else they would be well ahead of us. Our NET is 18 spots lower than anyone else in the league. We are the only team in the league below .500 overall. And we are the only team in the conference not in the mix for the tournament.

Seriously, man, can you just admit the obvious? You apparently are viewing it as little league and treating the handful of close losses as moral victories and as proof we aren't clearly the worst team. You know what close losses are? Losses.

i think they are the worst team in the league .. but not far and away the worst team ...

OU also is in the top 20 in Q1 wins in the entire country

[WichitaSooner]

Originally Posted by cowboysooner

I agree with TMeyer.

I have always respected your opinions Wichita, and I can see where someone might have your opinions on Moser. But, I just disagree. I don''t agree with all of Moser's philosophies or decisions, but we have never had a coach that I completely agreed with. I have been going to OU games since they played in the fieldhouse. I think Moser has done a good job, considering he is clearly taking the long approach and not the quick fix approach. I think you have to give a coach at least four years to build something and to be fairly evaluated.

Seeing Oweh and Los gives me hope that Benny and Luke are also going to be good players when we finally get to see them. The Cooper kid really looks like the real deal. I don't know anything about Cole, but Moser seems to be doing a good job of talent evaluation at least with regard to high school kids.

I would prefer we move on from CJ, Jacob and jB, but don't like the idea of running kids off just to win games. If they buy in and work hard, the program should bear responsibility for doing the best they can with them and not just look to its own interest, even if it costs us some games. Of course, I just don't know how the kids feel about things and what type of kids they are.

In short, unlike some, I still am of the opinion we are going in the right direction even if it is at a slower pace than we wanted.

I respect your opinion, too. And in the pre-portal days, I think four years (or at least three) was generally fair. But I think every situation is different. A coach inheriting a terrible program certainly needs more time than a coach stepping into a good situation. And now, with the ability to remake your roster instantly through effective use of the roster, I think any coach should be able to make an imprint within three years. And since Moser stepped into a much better situation than most coaches taking over new jobs, I think that if he gets a third year and doesn't get much better results in the win-loss department, he would deserve a pink slip.

[steverocks35]

Originally Posted by WichitaSooner

I respect your opinion, too. And in the pre-portal days, I think four years (or at least three) was generally fair. But I think every situation is different. A coach inheriting a terrible program certainly needs more time than a coach stepping into a good situation. And now, with the ability to remake your roster instantly through effective use of the roster, I think any coach should be able to make an imprint within three years. And since Moser stepped into a much better situation than most coaches taking over new jobs, I think that if he gets a third year and doesn't get much better results in the win-loss department, he would deserve a pink slip.

It's pretty simple, if we don't make the NCAA tournament next year, Moser is toast

[AdaSooner]

Is Luke Northweather not around anymore, or did I miss his name on one of these lists?

I thought it was a mistake to redshirt him in the first place! I have never been convinced that a a 6’ 11” 232 guy with his credentials coming out of high school was not good enough to help us this season! Given a chance, I think it’s possible Luke and Benny might have been better than a couple of players Porter trotted out on the floor this season! It’s also possible I could have been wrong.

HIGH SCHOOL/PREP: Three-star prospect by 247Sports and the No. 6 rated player from Missouri … Attended Blair Oaks High School in Jefferson, City, Mo. … 2021-22 Gatorade Missouri Boys Basketball Player of the Year … Averaged 29.2 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.4 blocks and 2.0 steals per contest … Shot 71.6 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from three …Led Blair Oaks to a 29-2 record and the Missouri Class 4, District 9 Championship game … Concluded his high school career with a school record 2,018 points … Named Tri-Country Conference Player of the Year twice … Scored a Blair Oaks single-game high 51 points as a senior.

[steverocks35]

Originally Posted by AdaSooner

Is Luke Northweather not around anymore, or did I miss his name on one of these lists?

I thought it was a mistake to redshirt him in the first place! I have never been convinced that a a 6’ 11” 232 guy with his credentials coming out of high school was not good enough to help us this season! Given a chance, I think it’s possible Luke and Benny might have been better than a couple of players Porter trotted out on the floor this season! It’s also possible I could have been wrong.

It's a good thing we redshirted him. Arizona or North Carolina might need a big man when he's a 5th year senior.

[AdaSooner]

Originally Posted by steverocks35

It's a good thing we redshirted him. Arizona or North Carolina might need a big man when he's a 5th year senior.

Moser said he likes to create a culture. I didn’t realize he was doing it for other schools!

[Eielson]

Originally Posted by WichitaSooner

If we return the same roster, we would have to hope both freshmen are absolute studs from day one in order for that to change

If our goal is simply to not be last, we don't need that much. If we brought back a guy like Gibson, who I don't consider a stud, I think that alone could have moved us into one of Lon's post-Hield classic "not last-place finishes." With progression of Uzan and Oweh, that could easily push us to 8th or 9th place with an identical roster.

I don't expect Sherfield back, but if he did return, there are innumerable paths to a quality team next year. Add contributions from Cooper and a league-average big in the portal, and this could quickly turn into the most wins we've had in a season since Hield graduated. Which depressingly only requires 20 wins.

[Eielson]

Uzan and Oweh are the only soul-crushing losses.
Sherfield is expected to leave, but would be huge if he stayed.
Would like Hill back.
Beyond that, I don't really care what anybody else does. Just need a couple spots to open up.

[steverocks35]

Originally Posted by Eielson

Uzan and Oweh are the only soul-crushing losses.
Sherfield is expected to leave, but would be huge if he stayed.
Would like Hill back.
Beyond that, I don't really care what anybody else does. Just need a couple spots to open up.

Who is expecting Sherfield to leave? Where did that information come from? Don't we have just as much chance of losing Uzan and Oweh as we do Sherfield?

[WTSooner]

Originally Posted by BoulderSooner

i think they are the worst team in the league .. but not far and away the worst team ...

OU also is in the top 20 in Q1 wins in the entire country

All that means is that we've played a lot of Q1 games.

That's like looking at runs scored in baseball and thinking it means something on an individual player basis.

[WTSooner]

Originally Posted by Eielson

I don't expect Sherfield back, but if he did return, there are innumerable paths to a quality team next year. Add contributions from Cooper and a league-average big in the portal, and this could quickly turn into the most wins we've had in a season since Hield graduated. Which depressingly only requires 20 wins.

Based on what exactly? You'd be counting on Sherfield being better than he was, and a bunch of really young guys, plus Hill and a "league average big man." Hate to break it to you guys, but not lot landing a big in the Portal that is better than T. Groves is, as a complete player. We might get a more athletic, better defender. But he'll be a guy with zero offense.

There is no path to next year's team being any better than a .500 Big 12 type team that gets into the Dance as an 8-12 seed. Not without unexpectedly landing some stud in the Portal.

[TINY]

Originally Posted by WTSooner

Based on what exactly? You'd be counting on Sherfield being better than he was, and a bunch of really young guys, plus Hill and a "league average big man." Hate to break it to you guys, but not lot landing a big in the Portal that is better than T. Groves is, as a complete player. We might get a more athletic, better defender. But he'll be a guy with zero offense.

There is no path to next year's team being any better than a .500 Big 12 type team that gets into the Dance as an 8-12 seed. Not without unexpectedly landing some stud in the Portal.

A .500 big 12 team this year is a 4 seed, at worst. This aint kelvins big12.

[Eielson]

Originally Posted by TINY

A .500 big 12 team this year is a 4 seed, at worst. This aint kelvins big12.

This. There's almost nothing a team could realistically do within the rules to miss the tournament while going .500 in Big XII play, so I wasn't even going to bother responding.

[Eielson]

Originally Posted by steverocks35

Who is expecting Sherfield to leave? Where did that information come from? Don't we have just as much chance of losing Uzan and Oweh as we do Sherfield?

Pretty much everybody -- I haven't spoken to anybody that truly expects him to stay. Uzan and Oweh could leave, but it's much easier to answer the question about what they have to gain. It's not a foregone conclusion.

[MFDChief]

Originally Posted by WichitaSooner

I'd disagree with that part. We are far and away the worst team in the league. If we return the same roster, we would have to hope both freshmen are absolute studs from day one in order for that to change, especially since we are also at a coaching disadvantage pretty much every night in conference play. We need to move on from Noland and Jacob, and I assume we will. We need two big upgrades for those roster spots. Bam is an interesting case because we are already his third school -- he would almost certainly have to sit a year if he leaves, but that may not be a choice that is in his hands. And I'm sure there will be other defections.

I will be sweating out the fate of Los and Oweh all spring and summer. If they leave, we may as well get rid of Moser immediately, because his high school recruiting is about the only thing that even his biggest defenders can point to when arguing in support of him.

I'm with you on this. Los and Oweh and possibly Hill are the only players that got minutes that I would be sick to lose. Did we resolve whether Grant has a year left? If so I would be happy with him coming back but not "sky is falling" if he left.
Its hard to speak on the bench players that got no play because Northweather's film looks very good and he is huge, would like to see him on the court before passing judgement.

[TheMont]

It would be very, very hard for me to get excited about next season if we loose Los and Oweh.

That said, I wouldn't blame them if they left.

[MFDChief]

Originally Posted by steverocks35

it's a good thing we redshirted him. Arizona or north carolina might need a big man when he's a 5th year senior.

Truth!