22 replies to this topic

[ORUalum]

@Sam_Duren: Just been told that 6'6 Corbin Byford (2012 Combo Forward) out of little (Class A) Velma-Alma has committed to Oral Roberts

Byford is an athletic and skilled tweener, here is a highlight video from July

Byford is currently ranekd 4th in the Class of 2012 in @OKHoops state of Oklahoma rankings.

LINK

[ORUalum]

(excerpt)
ORU will get one of the top athletes in the state in Byford, who is versatile enough to play multiple positions on the next level depending on his development.

“They see me as a combo forward that can play the small forward position offensively, but good enough to defend the power forwards defensively,” said the Velma-Alma product about his future role in college.

ORU’s coaching tradition and Christian based education also played a strong factor in the decision.

“The coaching staff being in the Eddie Sutton family tree with coach Scott Sutton as the head coach and Sean as an assistant was big. Also the fact that it is a Christian school with good academics was also big.”

The fourth ranked player in Oklahoma’s class of 2012 is also happy that he will be playing in the state of Oklahoma

“A chance to play close to home was a major plus.”

...

ORU’s in state focus.
For the the Golden Eagles, Byford is the first Oklahoman to commit in the Class of 2012, but he may not be the last. They are also recruiting three more in 6 foot 3 Edmond Santa Fe guard Aaron Anderson, 6 foot 1 combo guard Garrett Butler out of Burlington and 6 foot 6 power forward Phabian Glasco of Tulsa Washington.

Speaking of Anderson, news on the 6th ranked player according to OKHoops.com could be coming soon. Anderson already visited two of his top three schools, Nevada and Oral Roberts, now he is on a visit with his third school in his top three, Fresno St.
FULL ARTICLE

[theeagleman5]

Sounds like this Byford kid could be a nice replacement for DoMo......ORU is going to have a lot of new faces in 2012-13......

[Bogus Smith]

Anderson would be a nice "get" if he can see his way to staying closer to home for his college playing days.

[Old Titan]

For those wondering if having Sean Sutton would help with recruiting, this is a pretty good indication.

I think a mid- or low-major school such as ORU is the perfect place for "tweeners" such as Corbin: he can play multiple positions here (ala Kyron Stokes or Larry Owens playing the 2, 3 and 4), whereas at a high-major school, he might have trouble getting consistent playing time at just one.

[ORUTerry]

It will be nice to be able to watch the progress of both Corbin Byford and Jordan Kaufman during their senior years. I think Dominique Morrison is the last high school player we signed in the early signing period.

We lose the following players after this year:

Rod Pearson - pg
Ken Holdman - pg
Michael Craion - pf
Dominique Morrison - wing

and add:

Corbin Byford - wing/pf
Jordan Kaufman - center/pf

[ORUalum]

it would be great to see ORU round out the class w/combo guard Aaron Anderson and a JUCO PG that could start immediately.

[Old Titan]

ORUTerry, on 24 October 2011 - 02:57 PM, said:

It will be nice to be able to watch the progress of both Corbin Byford and Jordan Kaufman during their senior years. I think Dominique Morrison is the last high school player we signed in the early signing period.

We lose the following players after this year:

Rod Pearson - pg
Ken Holdman - pg
Michael Craion - pf
Dominique Morrison - wing

and add:

Corbin Byford - wing/pf
Jordan Kaufman - center/pf

Don't forget we also "add" Utah-transfer Shawn Glover, who could step right into DoMo's starting slot at the "3".

Here's our starting line-up next year, pending any juco additions this fall or in the spring:

PG: Mikey Manghum -OR- D.J. Jackson -OR- Korey Bilbury
SG: Warren Niles
SF: Shawn Glover -OR- Jake Lliteras
PF: Steven Roundtree
C: Damen Bell-Holter

I think this accentuates where we are most hurt by Jackson and Bilbury being "completely ineligible" this year: next season will be their first college action ever.

[ORUTerry]

I stopped in at practice this weekend and the two most pleasant surprises were:

1. Shawn Glover - he is an athletic, talented wing. Looks to be around 6'7" and can shoot the ball. He will be a nice player for us next year.
2. Michael Obesaki - very skilled post player; he needs to red shirt because he is so skinny, but he can play facing the basket (nice jumper) or with his back to the basket. Better than I thought.

[SOLO_Gold]

ORUTerry, on 24 October 2011 - 03:37 PM, said:

I stopped in at practice this weekend and the two most pleasant surprises were:

1. Shawn Glover - he is an athletic, talented wing. Looks to be around 6'7" and can shoot the ball. He will be a nice player for us next year.
2. Michael Obesaki - very skilled post player; he needs to red shirt because he is so skinny, but he can play facing the basket (nice jumper) or with his back to the basket. Better than I thought.

*Kris Obaseki

[ORUTerry]

Sorry about that.... I think his father (who played for ORU) is named Michael.

[SOLO_Gold]

According to OK Hoops, Aaron Anderson has committed to Fresno State.

[Old Titan]

SOLO_Gold, on 04 November 2011 - 12:14 PM, said:

According to OK Hoops, Aaron Anderson has committed to Fresno State.

I saw that "tweet", also.

Can't sign them all. Though, based on how many guys we offer each year, it appears we try!

And, based on a lot of the stuff I saw him post on "Twitter", it appears AA might be a little more comfortable living the California lifestyle than becoming a "Whole Man" at ORU, if ya know what I mean...

[TrueBlue82]

I've spent a lot of time on business in Fresno... and anyone who has other choices... and selects Fresno State... isn't a guy we want to have anyway! He may qualify academically... but he definitely lacks intelligence!

[SOLO_Gold]

TrueBlue82, on 04 November 2011 - 01:24 PM, said:

I've spent a lot of time on business in Fresno... and anyone who has other choices... and selects Fresno State... isn't a guy we want to have anyway! He may qualify academically... but he definitely lacks intelligence!

Haha. We should probably stop short of making a character assessment based mostly on a high school kid's decision on where to attend university.

Aaron probably saw the writing on the wall and knew he would be battling with 2 talented point guards (Billbury & Jackson) for his entire ORU career. The honest truth is, California is a long way away... who's to say the kid from Edmond might not get home sick after a year there? You just never know what might happen!

[OKC Eagle]

Tulsa World had this snippet. Pretty encouraging numbers.

Quote

How are ORU's November signees doing in their final high school seasons?
Corbin Byford, a 6-foot-6 forward, averages 23.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and four blocked shots for Class A No. 3 Velma-Alma (26-0). Jorden Kaufman, a 6-foot-11 center for Kansas' 5A No. 1 Andover Central (20-0), averages 15.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Kaufman and his parents attended Saturday's game.

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworl...B5_CUTLIN230470

[ORUTerry]

Byford is an interesting recruit. He plays for a small school where he dominates. Corbin is a state champion in track (400 meters?), so he is an athlete. The recruiting sites say he is the 3rd best senior basketball player in Oklahoma . I am interested to see this kid play.

I saw Kaufman at the game and he is at least 7 feet tall. One of the coaches said he is taller now than when he signed in November. The kid is big.

[OKC Eagle]

Of course, DBH just proved Saturday that height is not enough.

[ORUTerry]

It doesn't hurt though....

[naumann28]

OKC Eagle, on 20 February 2012 - 03:47 PM, said:

Of course, DBH just proved Saturday that height is not enough.

true but like the old saying goes, u cant coach height, u either got it or u dont