Luke Gray

[Bogus Smith]

I have never seen Luke play, but unless he has the agility and skills of Blake Griffin (OCS graduate), I think that the difference in pace of play and physicality alone will be something to get used to.  Since he wasn't on any P4 radars (or offers), I don't think he is really at that level (yet).

[Dave Connor]

You never know. Max Abmas wasn’t on any P4 radars. Springmann has proven that he can see special characteristics in some players that other recruiters overlook.

[ORUJason]

If Caleb Green had played at a 3A school instead of at Memorial, would he not have been ready to contribute as a freshman at ORU?  A bunch of these players play AAU, summer ball, etc. against a wide variety of other talented players.  

If he has been coached well and has the skills, then I wouldn’t write off his ability to contribute as a freshman just because he didn’t play at the 6A level.

[ORUTerry]

I think that the current recruiting environment results in high school kids being overlooked as the Power 6/8 schools look almost exclusively for portal transfer players. These schools are scouring not just mid/low major schools, but also D2 and D3 schools. (They saw the effect Oakland’s Jack Gohlke had this year.) The unfortunate effect of loosened transfer rules and NIL money is that mid/low major schools have become feeders to the major programs. The irony is that ORU may be able to identity and grab some nice high school players as the major schools look elsewhere.

Luke Gray may be an instant contributor to the team, but if he blossoms there is a good chance he won’t stay at ORU all four years. 

[Old Titan]

14 hours ago, Bogus Smith said:

I have never seen Luke play, but unless he has the agility and skills of Blake Griffin (OCS graduate), I think that the difference in pace of play and physicality alone will be something to get used to.  Since he wasn't on any P4 radars (or offers), I don't think he is really at that level (yet).

For talented players these days, high school basketball virtually falls into the same category as summer camps and personal instructors:  a place to work on your fundamentals.

Truly honing their competitive skills happens during "travel ball" - the so-called "AAU" circuit and other late spring/summer weekend tournaments where they play on all-star teams against other all-star teams.

Hammon's Ryan Minor (OU), Gans' Bryant "Big Country" Reeves (OSU), Broken Bow's Randy Rutherford (OSU), Eufaula's Eric Coley (TU),  Pawnee's Keiton Page (OSU), and of course Verdidris' "He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named" (Arkansas/Butler) are but a few small school Oklahoma prepsters who transitioned quite nicely to D1 basketball as freshmen.

If he does sign, Gray will qualify as ORU's best high school signee in the "Oklahoma small school" category since Tim Gill from Tulsa's Victory Christian.

[Bogus Smith]

You can put Oklahoma Christian Schools' Blake Griffin in that category with Minor, Reeves, Rutherford, et al.  It does happen, but those guys usually go to a P4 school - not a mid-major (again, usually).  I am cautiously optimistic that Luke becomes a diamond-in-the-rough for us - just like Caleb and Max - but we need to ensure that we put Luke in a place where he can be the best version of himself without the pressure and expectations.

For next year, HCRS needs to allow his assistants to develop the troops (under his guidance), while HCRS focuses on the team chemistry and ensuring that when someone gets out of the "team mentality" that he addresses that swiftly and firmly for the sake of the season at hand.  I think that we learned a good (albeit hard) lesson about what "hero ball" does to a team.  Just watch the OKC Thunder to see how a bunch of talented starters and bench players play well together.

[Old Titan]

2 minutes ago, Bogus Smith said:

I am cautiously optimistic that Luke becomes a diamond-in-the-rough for us - just like Caleb and Max - but we need to ensure that we put Luke in a place where he can be the best version of himself without the pressure and expectations.

What pressure? 

Based on what ORU has returning, all he needs to do is the lead the team in rebounding and scoring while playing 38 minutes a game and avoiding foul trouble.

[ORU82]

Thanks as always OT for that insightful analysis. 

[Old Titan]

 

[Idig32]

I’m already loving this guy. He seems all in on ORU. 

[Old Titan]

 

[theeagleman5]

Wow!!....this young man seems like a real GET for a mid major like ORU......looking forward to seeming him in BLUE and WHITE!!  

[eagle88]

Man Luke looks like a college senior! Seems like a great fit for us. Looking forward to news on a couple of really good point guards and shooting guards. While we are at it how about a skilled 7 footer, Am I asking for too much?!

[Cletus]

The young man appears as a significant acquisition for ORU and its philosophy. 

[ORU40]

18 minutes ago, Cletus said:

The young man appears as a significant acquisition for ORU and its philosophy. 

The one thing we will all need to see is how he fits into HCRS's system or will coach change his system.  OT is very high on Luke and the comparison he has used is Caleb Green who was a post player, is coach going to start using a post-up player in his offense or play Luke out at the 3-point line? The question has been asked several times previously- change the system to fit the skills of your players or make the players fit into the coach's system.  

[Old Titan]

2 hours ago, ORU40 said:

The one thing we will all need to see is how he fits into HCRS's system or will coach change his system.  OT is very high on Luke and the comparison he has used is Caleb Green who was a post player, is coach going to start using a post-up player in his offense or play Luke out at the 3-point line? The question has been asked several times previously- change the system to fit the skills of your players or make the players fit into the coach's system.  

To clarify:  my comparison to Caleb was based on Luke's physical maturity, his rebounding prowess, and the hopes that he might become a transformational acquisition along the lines of Caleb so many years ago.

I don't have any idea if he is a back-to-the-basket or face-up player at this level.  I would just be happy if he can grab some rebounds on both ends, make some stick-backs around the basket, and defend bigger opponents without getting into foul trouble.

[Keenan Henderson]

It is a long off season and no one knows who ORU will bring in between now and next season but the power forward spot is open.  Right now it would be between Gray and Moore for playing time.   Ideally you would want to bring Gray off the bench and give him time to adjust to D1 play but I think he will have some opportunities right away to make an impact.  If Luke is half the player that Green was, then the Eagles should be in good hands.

[ORU40]

5 hours ago, Old Titan said:

To clarify:  my comparison to Caleb was based on Luke's physical maturity, his rebounding prowess, and the hopes that he might become a transformational acquisition along the lines of Caleb so many years ago.

I don't have any idea if he is a back-to-the-basket or face-up player at this level.  I would just be happy if he can grab some rebounds on both ends, make some stick-backs around the basket, and defend bigger opponents without getting into foul trouble.

Just so I'm clear OT, my understanding of your impression of Luke's potential as a freshman since I haven't seen him play. He has a Caleb like body type, but not sure if a post or wing and not a 17 point 8 rebound a game freshman like Caleb obviously.  A freshman from a 3A school who will hopefully contribute in some way- is that more accurate?   The reason I'm asking for more clarity is that a lot of the posts in the thread seem to be expecting more Caleb impact than usual freshman results/or lack of results.  I think Bogus's evaluation is more the way I see it, but hopefully he pleasantly surprises us all.