Keenan Henderson Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 Hey everyone! Hard to believe but ORU is already half way through their season (12 out of 24 games played). What are your thoughts/grades on the team, players, or coaches as we have reached the middle of the schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlue82 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 OT, I think that the Most Interesting Man clap is the most positive statement you've had for this program in a long time! At least we seem to be headed in the right direction... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 1 hour ago, TrueBlue82 said: OT, I think that the Most Interesting Man clap is the most positive statement you've had for this program in a long time! At least we seem to be headed in the right direction... LOL - even with the less-than-excited look on his face? I would gauge my approval level at somewhere between “Begrudging” and “Credit Where Credit Is Due”. But, that’s about it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Henderson Posted January 12, 2021 Author Share Posted January 12, 2021 Max and K.O. have really lifted their games and played at a high level, so they would grade out as an A. The rest of the team has been a work in progress. We had a high level of incoming class of new players that have been average at best (C). Look at Jamie B, Clover, and Stevens (all rated high in high school or juco rankings) and none of them have really showed much or even had a chance to. You would think at least one of these high profile players would be a main contributor to this team, which is why this team is average (6-6) and maybe still a year away. I like Coach Mills and want the best for him. He needs to finish this season strong because next year is the last year on his contract. Still waiting for him to turn the Golden Eagles into a contender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oru77777777 Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 Hey I’m new to the form but I haven’t seen you guys grading orus offense or defense so I thought I would do so. First I’m going to talk offense which I give a B+. Obviously this team can score the ball especially with the elite 3 point shooters on this team and when you can shoot like oru can it opens up cutting lanes which we see max use a lot. But in the games oru have lost you can see oru shooting way to many 3s and missing them which is wasted possessions .I think they need to hit KO in the paint more. But I think this is a great offensive team. Defense I give a c because I think there is a lot of potential for this team to be good on d. Number one thing there missing is a true paint protector. I don’t think KO should be guard the center because you can tell in game against Ohama and North Dakota he struggled at guarding there physical bigs. I hope coach can work his recruiting magic and get a grad transfer rim protector or a commit at 6’10. But I know as soon as Lufile is back I think the paint d will get better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUJason Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 I agree Oru77777777. DJ Weaver had a nice block down low against UND, although I see him as more of a wing defender. Since we are half of the way through the season and still have not seen Elijah Lufile, it makes me wonder about whether he will play at all this year. I think there are some different rules about red-shirting players due to the coronavirus situation. Is it possible that Elijah could play something like 25-30% of the games this year and not lose a year of eligibility? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlue82 Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 14 minutes ago, ORUJason said: I agree Oru77777777. DJ Weaver had a nice block down low against UND, although I see him as more of a wing defender. Since we are half of the way through the season and still have not seen Elijah Lufile, it makes me wonder about whether he will play at all this year. I think there are some different rules about red-shirting players due to the coronavirus situation. Is it possible that Elijah could play something like 25-30% of the games this year and not lose a year of eligibility? This year is FREE for all who participate, so Lufile could play five minutes or five hundred minutes during the season with no loss of eligibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleManiac Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Abmas - A+ He's an incredibly intelligent player, and can shoot better than any college player I've seen. Obanor - A+ An absolute beast. After a somewhat underwhelming sophomore season, he's back to being my favorite player to watch. He gets the most out of the talent he's got every night, and his numbers this season have been pretty impressive. Kareem Thompson - B+ He's been a pleasant surprise for me. Solid, fundamental player. Bergens - D (I think?) Obviously this guy was over advertised (credit where credit is due OT). I'm sure he'll turn into a good player. Not his fault. Coaching Staff - B The offense has been fun to watch. There's a lot of creativity and guys are constantly looking to get into the lane and then kick out. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I love the number of threes we're putting up. Defensively, we've made HUGE strides this season. Nobody is going to be using our film as teaching material, but we're head and shoulders above where we have been the last couple of years. Nobody else sticks out enough to get a grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 On 1/13/2021 at 6:51 PM, EagleManiac said: Abmas - A+ He's an incredibly intelligent player, and can shoot better than any college player I've seen. Obanor - A+ An absolute beast. After a somewhat underwhelming sophomore season, he's back to being my favorite player to watch. He gets the most out of the talent he's got every night, and his numbers this season have been pretty impressive. Kareem Thompson - B+ He's been a pleasant surprise for me. Solid, fundamental player. Bergens - D (I think?) Obviously this guy was over advertised (credit where credit is due OT). I'm sure he'll turn into a good player. Not his fault. Coaching Staff - B The offense has been fun to watch. There's a lot of creativity and guys are constantly looking to get into the lane and then kick out. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I love the number of threes we're putting up. Defensively, we've made HUGE strides this season. Nobody is going to be using our film as teaching material, but we're head and shoulders above where we have been the last couple of years. Nobody else sticks out enough to get a grade. The funny thing about Bergens (and a couple of the other guys way down the bench) is that they haven't looked half-bad when they're out there; but for whatever reason Coach Mills just won't play them. And, as for "huge defensive strides" this season? That must mean it was non-existent last year, because it has simply not been even mediocre so far in conference play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUJason Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 I saw some better defensive play, players sticking on their man, a few blocks in the paint, etc. in last Saturday night's home game vs. UND. I would like to see that type of defensive effort on a consistent basis. It seems that usually 2-3 times a game, ORU gives up an uncontested layup down low when all the defenders mysteriously seem to be almost at the free throw line and a well positioned pass simply sails over the defender's heads, and not just because of a well run pick and roll by the other team. I never quite understand why this occurs, but it seems to be a result of the rotating defensive zone that ORU often plays. I would like to see this team try some straight man to man defense for a half or so and see if it results in better defensive play. I am not in anyway suggesting that the players are not giving their full effort, because I believe they are. ORU also seems well conditioned in most games, even though they are playing with an 8-10 player rotation. It is difficult in today's game to fully defend the 3 point line. There simply are some times when a team's 3-point shooters will be open either from running around screens or from making the extra pass, but I suspect with the athletes and conditioning that ORU has, if they pushed their defense out more toward the perimeter, there do not seem to be that many players in the Summit League that are able to drive right around our starters for an easy layup. NDSU used to have some guards that would kill us on plays like that, and maybe NDSU and SDSU have some players like that, but for the most part the few Summit League teams I have seen so far do not have the players to make us pay for guarding a little bit closer. It just seems like a good ORU team would be able to show up and beat Denver or Western Illinois by 20 points and rest some starters late in the 2nd half. It seems that we have a better roster now, but we are not consistent enough defensively to stretch out a lead like that unless we are shooting 50% plus from 3-point range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Currently watching the Memphis vs TU game & as much as we as ORU fans complain about defense... basketball where teams struggled to score 60 is a complete waste of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 TU sucks.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 6 hours ago, Dr. Cornelius said: Currently watching the Memphis vs TU game & as much as we as ORU fans complain about defense... basketball where teams struggled to score 60 is a complete waste of time. ...until you need to beat one of those "ugly" teams. Give me 40 minutes of hard defense with streaks of good offense any day over the opposite. Might not be sexy, but you will win more games, particularly against better competition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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