ORUTerry Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 Wins could have helped By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer 3/19/2006 More victories may have meant a higher seed for the Eagles. One way the Oral Roberts basketball team might have dealt with top-seeded Memphis is not to play the Tigers. The Golden Eagles played well in their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 22 years, but the Tigers played better Friday and rolled to a 94-78 first-round win. Afterward, head coach Scott Sutton gently reminded his players what an extra regular-season win or two might have meant. "Those games in November and December, and even when you get into the conference season, mean more than trying to win a conference title. When you get to this point, it can really help your seeding," Sutton said Saturday by cell phone as the Eagles traveled home from Dallas. "Take away one of our losses, or probably any of them, and give us a win, I almost assure you we wouldn't have been a 16 seed. There's a chance we could have been a 13 or a 14, and as we saw (Friday), it would have been a lot easier to beat a third- or fourth-seed than one of the nation's top teams." ORU had chances to win both Utah State games and had one of its worst outings in a loss at Western Illinois, the Mid-Continent Conference's eighth-place team. "Hopefully we'll get back in this same position next year and we'll have a better seed," Sutton said. He expects the Eagles to be good again, even though they played their last game with seniors Larry Owens, Jonathan Bluitt, Mickey Michalec, Chris Riouse, Eric Fowlkes and Andrew Meloy. ORU has a solid returning nucleus with Caleb Green and Ken Tutt back for another year, and Sutton is encouraged by the team's recruiting. The Eagles signed three players in November and will probably add two more this spring. Perhaps the most promising newcomer is already on campus. Adam Liberty sat out the 2005-06 season after transferring from Wichita State. The 6-foot-2 junior will take over at point guard for Bluitt, who finished as the second-leading assist man in school history. "I think (Liberty) will be a different kind of point guard. He's a kid who could have really helped us in that (Memphis) game because he is similar to the type of athlete Memphis throws out there. I like the way he plays." Sutton said. "With Caleb and Ken, you have a chance to win a bunch of games right there. I think Moses Ehambe is going to elevate his game in the offseason and Yemi Ogunoye is going to continue to improve. I was really pleased with how (Marchello Vealy) played for being a freshman. I thought he really battled (in Friday's game). I think Marchello would have to play a big role for us next year." Owens will probably be the hardest senior to replace because he is 6-7, athletic and versatile. Much of what he did for the Eagles couldn't be measured statistically, although Owens ranked among the Mid-Con leaders in several categories. "It's like when we lost (Luke Spencer-Gardner) from last year's team. We couldn't replace the toughness he brought to the team, but we got better in other areas. Larry stepped up his game and our bench got better. Larry will be hard to replace, so we'll have to get better in other areas." Shawn King, a 6-10 shot-blocking center, arrives from Carl Albert State College to replace the 6-10 Michalec. Sutton said 6-4 freshman Jeremy Hazell, from the Bronx, N.Y., has athletic ability similar to Owens, although he is not as big, and is probably a better offensive threat. The Eagles also signed high-scoring Muskogee High guard Dominic Gaines. All three could contribute next season. The Eagles will have the same advantage next March that they had the last two, with the Mid-Con Tournament being played in Tulsa the next two years. Sutton wants his players to remember the experience of playing in the NCAA Tournament. "I think it will motivate them to work harder because once you get a taste of it, you want to get back every year." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praetorfenix86 Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 Winning is good??? That never occured to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawaee1 Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 I wonder if Adam Liberty is thinking "mn maybay I should have stuck it out over there in withcita st." They're in the sweet 16! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted March 19, 2006 Author Share Posted March 19, 2006 From what I understand, Adam Liberty has absolutely no regrets about leaving Wichita State..... BTW, did anyone catch the typo/random sentence inbedded in the Tulsa World article today? I edited it out of the article; it was in both the on-line version as well as the paper version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasgrip Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 From what I understand, Adam Liberty has absolutely no regrets about leaving Wichita State..... BTW, did anyone catch the typo/random sentence inbedded in the Tulsa World article today? I edited it out of the article; it was in both the on-line version as well as the paper version. No. Fill us out-of-towners in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadAdder Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 Didn't have anything to do with shin splints did it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orumom Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 The mistake in today's paper just shows the carelessness of the Tulsa World the past season. The coverage this season was good, but errors in ORU related stories could be found almost daily. That is not all Mike Brown's fault either. If it wasn't an error in the article, it was an error in the photo caption, or the media information/starting line-up graphic, etc. They even made some mistakes during the Mid-Con Tournament with the game schedule. I love the layout of the Tulsa World, but it just seems like a very careless sports section. It's not a secret, we've all talked about this before. I wonder if OU, OSU and TU fans think the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasgrip Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 Didn't have anything to do with shin splints did it? A steel trap, MadAdder...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasgrip Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 The mistake in today's paper... What was it?! (...or insignificant?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU Eli Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 I talked to 'Huge' last night on the phone and he told me something I somewhat had suspected this season but never could exactly put my finger on - the guys were still so bothered by that Oakland loss from last year that their eyes were on the mid-con tourney all season. There were times when they brought it, but games like the WIU contest that they just lacked focus and intensity, probably because they were looking too far ahead too soon. So while the article makes an obvious point, I think its a very valid one - the guys should use this 16 seed experience to realize they have to bring it every night next year. Just one or two more wins could have made a huge difference. Hopefully Caleb and Ken will utilize their senior leadership opportunities and experience next year and keep the team focused on the task at hand, which will make for a better overall result. Like my dad always says, you can eat an elephant but it's best if you take it a bite at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 What was it?! (...or insignificant?) It was insignificant. When talking about Larry Owens one paragraph starts with the following sentence: "6-7, athletic and versatile." ORUTerry edited it by combining sentences to say: "Owens will probably be the hardest senior to replace because he is 6-7, athletic and versatile" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oru86alum Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 Another example of the poor editing in the Tulsa World today...they had a story about TO signing with the Cowboys. In that article they repeated 4-5 paragraphs. That seems like a huge mistake - how can you overlook that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted March 19, 2006 Author Share Posted March 19, 2006 Here is the mistake: "Owens will probably be the hardest senior to replace because he is This was just an old-fashioned romp. 6-7, athletic and versatile. Much of what he did for the Eagles couldn't be measured statistically, although Owens ranked among the Mid-Con leaders in several categories. " The sentence was deleted in my edited version above. It was in both the electronic and paper version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richieoru Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 Here is the mistake: "Owens will probably be the hardest senior to replace because he is This was just an old-fashioned romp. 6-7, athletic and versatile. Much of what he did for the Eagles couldn't be measured statistically, although Owens ranked among the Mid-Con leaders in several categories. " The sentence was deleted in my edited version above. It was in both the electronic and paper version. Wow that is terrible!!! People on this board don't even make mistakes like that when writing a post. Do they have someone actually read the articles to see if their right. When ESPN screws up, like after we beat Arkansas in mid 90's and called our star shooting guard Tom Gill you can understand that, because they are national. For a local paper to not get facts straight and make writing errors, its just sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orumom Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 I wonder if Adam Liberty is thinking "mn maybay I should have stuck it out over there in withcita st." They're in the sweet 16! Blue & I had the pleasure of visiting with Adam's dad at the NCAA Tournament. Adam & his family are thrilled with his move to ORU and are anxiously awaiting next season, they feel like ORU has more promise than Wichita State. We saw his younger (& larger) brother who will be playing juco ball next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsSmith Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 I also heard that Adam is JB's cousin. Is that true? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orumom Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 Not to our knowledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted March 20, 2006 Author Share Posted March 20, 2006 I have heard that Liberty is Bluitt's cousin too..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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