theeagleman5 Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 This is not unexpected news and it makes sense for Max and his family to go to the NBA while he's HOT and get some cash $$$.....all good for ORU....besides....we still have McBride coming aboard......life goes on my friends..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 I would think this is exactly why McBride was brought in. If Max goes McBride is projected as the starting pg. if he returns, McBride becomes the #2 guard and still has 2 years to build his resume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Henderson Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 Good for Max! That means he should be able to go to the NBA combine in June and have his skills tested agaisnt the best. Hoping that Max finds the right team and has a blessed career in the NBA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 Sixers badly need a shooting guard and will be drafting near the end of Round One... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 I’m disappointed that a lot of basketball fans in the Tulsa area (and further?) who fell in love with Max and his game during the postseason run, but who have never been to an ORU game, would now lose the chance to see him play in the refurbished Mabee Center next year. He would have been a fascinating draw next season, even on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Henderson Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 48 minutes ago, theeagleman5 said: Sixers badly need a shooting guard and will be drafting near the end of Round One... Good call Eagleman! That would be interesting to see Max with all that talent on the 76ers. Imagine that Ben Simmions could find Max for a few of those midcourt shots! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 I think Max will be back unless he gets a first round promise. I hope he gets one! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUJason Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 I do not understand the 1st round promise comment. Teams say all kinds of things prior to the draft. Once the draft starts, can he withdraw between the 1st and 2nd round? I highly doubt it. If he stays declared for the draft, isn't drafted and then wants to return to ORU, could he if he did not sign with an agent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cletus Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 It will be interesting to see how this all turns out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU40 Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 We all wish Max the best as it's almost certain he will not be back, a 1st round pick gets guaranteed money and a 2nd pick has a good chance of making a roster, but also has much more earning potential overseas then a non-drafted player. The overseas money available is considerable so its very unlikely Max will be back in an ORU uniform. My concern at this point is managing expectations! The team is adding good players, but will not be nearly as good without Max! I have the utmost respect and confidence is Coach Mills, but my concern now is that the program starts to dance on the fine line of actions that do not meet the universities mission because it is chasing recent success. They program now has the Mabee renovations, the new facility, increased ticket sales, fan and media expectations to live up to. Unfortunately, in the past following good years and teams sometimes the highest standards haven't always been met. Next season and the year or 2 after could be difficult; relative to this years success and next years expectations, but lets just hope the program under Coach Mills continues to grow like it has up to this point and the integrity of the big picture doesn't get lost trying to live up to the hype! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 12 hours ago, ORUJason said: I do not understand the 1st round promise comment. Teams say all kinds of things prior to the draft. Once the draft starts, can he withdraw between the 1st and 2nd round? I highly doubt it. If he stays declared for the draft, isn't drafted and then wants to return to ORU, could he if he did not sign with an agent? Of course there's no way to tell if a front office is being 100% truthful as to when and if they will take a particular player. My thoughts are IF Max chooses to leave for the NBA it's with guaranteed money and 1st round pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 32 minutes ago, ORU40 said: The team is adding good players, but will not be nearly as good without Max! I have the utmost respect and confidence is Coach Mills, but my concern now is that the program starts to dance on the fine line of actions that do not meet the universities mission because it is chasing recent success. They program now has the Mabee renovations, the new facility, increased ticket sales, fan and media expectations to live up to. Unfortunately, in the past following good years and teams sometimes the highest standards haven't always been met. I don't think that will be a problem with Mills and the rest of this coaching staff. Mills addressed welcoming the added expectations in this podcast interview: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Henderson Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 With or without Max, ORU will have high expectations next year. As usual you still have to beat the really tough Dakota schools to win the regular season or conference tournament. We know those teams will want to get some revenge on ORU next year. It just comes with the territory of being a Sweet 16 team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 3 hours ago, ORU40 said: The team is adding good players, but will not be nearly as good without Max! How do we know that?? I mean, define "good": A high-scoring but defensively-porous squad that goes winless vs. D-1 non-conference competition and finishes 4th in the league, only to go on a miraculous 6-game postseason run, OR A solid team that's perhaps not as flashy on offense but plays better defense, while winning 20 games and finishing 1st or 2nd in league play, before losing a heartbreaker in the conference tournament? Would you be willing to bet against that second-scenario team if theoretically playing the first bunch and their household-names? Just sayin'..."good" is a pretty subjective term. While Max is certainly unique, and I doubt anyone will ever replace him on the scoring sheet (and in a lot of hearts and minds), there's still more than one way to skin the proverbial cat... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU40 Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 You're absolutely right Old Titan, I don't know for certain that next years team will not be as good without Max as it would be with him. I'm just saying that its probably unlikely. What happened this year was lightning in a bottle and history shows it will be very unlikely to duplicate. I hope we're better next year then we were this year, but odds are we may not be. We have been to the NCAA tourney 6 times total; and as a proud member of the 84' tourney team and 85' team that didn't make it back, I know first hand that a prior years success is extremely difficult to repeat and all I'm say is doing it without; most would agree, your best player just makes it that much harder. You know what you get with Max, your recruits and new comers are hopefully as good as advertised, but who knows. I'm absolutely hoping we can skin that proverbial cat next year and if anybody can its Coach Mills!! This year was amazing and I hope we can keep the success going, just being cautious regarding expectations is all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oruvoice Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 Not to nitpick, but everyone keeps saying we "had a great year", when that's just not true. We were one game above .500 against division 1 opponents and fourth place in the conference, at the end of the regular season. By any measure, that is not a "great year". That said, the conference and NCAA tourney was a magical 3 weeks and should be celebrated. But, let's not go get all starry eyed and think we're on the cusp on being a top-25 or even a top-40 team...yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Henderson Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 Anyway we look at it, ORU is back on the college basketball map and that is what we all have been dreaming about. Today on ESPN's college basketball webpage the top story is ORU's Abmas enters NBA draft! So 21-22 is huge for ORU to keep that momentum going. If they have an average season then once again who cares about the Golden Eagles outside of us die hard fans. It is just the nature of the beast for mid majors in college sports. Even if Max goes to the NBA draft, ORU has a solid core group of veterans (K.O., Kareem, DJ, Carlos, Francis, and Lufile) to go with the young talent (McBride, Phillips, Bergens, Sir Isaac, Nate Clover, and Plet). So it is a lot to look forward to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUJason Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 It says a lot about our coaching staff that Max was able to develop as much as he did (and Kevin, Francis, and Carlos have too) over just 2 years enough to be expected to be drafted in the 1st round. Max came to ORU as a good shooter, but he has definitely responded well to coaching and developed a lot over the last 2 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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