Reflections on ORU's victory over UCO....

[ORUTerry]

UCO is a good Division II team; well disciplined and quick. They do not have good perimeter shooting, but play good defense - mixing full court and half court pressure. They had three good players: #3 - a quick guard who showed some good moves to the basket and #21 & #42. They played hard and never gave up. UCO gave us a good look.

That said, they never had an answer for Caleb Green... but then who does?

We looked good on offense with a lot of ball movement and effort to find the open man. We made too many turnovers, but that is somewhat expected with the changing lineups. UCO had something to do with it too. Tutt shot the ball well - all of his three pointers (3 for 3) were way beyond the 3-point line. He did not take many shots and we really did not run any plays to get him open. JB was solid and made some perimeter shots as well as driving layups.

UCO was all over Green and double teamed him all night. Fowlkes played point guard (subbing for JB) for a good part of the game. He did a nice job. Daren Jordan did not get in the game until about 5 minutes left. He had several tuenovers on succesive trips down the court.... he looked like a freshman. Wonder if he might be a candidate for red-shirt?

Owens looked good and was three for three from the free throw line. His shooting form is much better.... Ogunoye also played a good game; made a jumper, brought the ball down against pressure and played good defense. Michalec made some nice hook shots but had trouble adjusting to a smaller lineup; he fouled out of the game. Vealy continues to impress; he did not shoot the ball as well this game, but had 4 or 5 blocked shots; a couple of them were monster blocks.

Ehambe did not get into the game until late in the 2nd half. Wonder if he is being considered for a red-shirt?. He is an athletic and talented player, but might find it hard to break into the lineup this year. We should not waste his year if he is agreeable.

Spicer, who only played about 4 minutes at the end, is a fun player to watch. I'm pretty sure he will be red-shirted but he is going to make some noise in the future. He reminds me of a Jarius Glenn (former TU player); 6'6" player who is tough and plays taller than he is. He is a tough kid who really got up for some rebounds and blocked a shot.

Meloy did not dress out; his finger is still injured.

[ORUTerry]

Here is the link to the ORU vs. UCO boxscore:

http://http://www.orugoldeneagles.com/doc_lib/ORU%20vs%20UCO%20Box%20Score.pdf

[vcboy2000]

Boy, am I glad that basketball season is finally here. I had a blast at tonight's game. I agree with Terry's assessment for the most part.

Things I liked:

1. The folks I was sitting with found it funny that Caleb spent the majority of the game at the foul line because none of UCO's players could defend him.

2. I was extremely pleased with Ken Tutt's decision making and shot selection (3 for 3 ain't bad).

3. I can tell the coaches are really high on Marchello (I don't blame them) because he got a lot of minutes. I enjoyed watching him play with Caleb down low. He's gotta get a lil stronger cause he was getting pushed around quite a bit, but he is super talented.

4. My favorite was watching him and Spicer take turns swatting UCO's shot attempts out of bounds in the last 5 minutes of the game. There were like 3 blocks in that last 2 minutes of play! Their coach had a look on his face like "Where did this kid come from?! Are these your bench players?!".

5. I thought Yemi looked great also. He showed his jumo shot and He is definitely going to create some mismatches on the wing.

6. Larry's improved shot is a sight for sore eyes.

7. Seeing LSG in the stands as the Maniacs salute him! Awesome!

Things that make me go Hmm:

1: JB didn't look totally like himself. He seemed to have trouble getting into his rythm at the beginning of the game. Seemed he turned the ball over quite a bit. Got better as the game progressed.

2: Folks is not a point guard. I noticed that while playing UCO. Imagine how it will be when it's USC. I hope it was just 'first game kinks', otherwise we could experience some challenges when Bluitt has to sit.

3. Mickey getting stupid fouls called on him. We have got to find a way to protect him from getting those cheap fouls where the other teams guard runs into him and bounces on the floor while Mickey's hands are up.

I'm sure coaches are probably working with guys to continue to get better each practice. Overall a very fun and exciting team to watch.

[Guest Rob Marshall]

We had too many turnovers ... period. I really want to like Bluitt, but I'd prefer he just be solid rather than so animated on the court. He's obviously a "spirited" guy, I'd just rather see more outward control and keep the "attitude" more inward. A good coach once said, "I want you to play with outward control and inward rage."

I really like this team's potential, but MUCH of its significant success (games vs. quality non-conference opponents, conference championship, post-season play) over the course of the season will hinge on two things: staying healthy and point guard play. If Bluitt can show maturity by taking care of the basketball, getting the right guys the ball, and just being solid rather than being flashy, this team will take care of its unfinished business.

[ORUHomer]

Amen Rob Marshall. Amen.

[ORU GRAD]

I really enjoyed the game last night. This is what I saw. The team is maybe 10 times more prepared than last year at the UMAC. They are more focused on team play than individual goals. Tutt could have scored 30 but played team centered. Green is much more physical than last year and seemed more mature. Owens is a much better player and is more in control than last season. Mickey is a good fit but a little too anxious. He will be all right. Yemi is a force and will contribute minutes this season. Our area of concern is at the point. Fowlkes will be the back up and he did a good job and I disagree that he can't play the point. He has been out a whole year. Game time will help his cause and Bluitt did a good job at the point and will have to play in control and take care of the ball. He played solid except for turnovers and can shoot the trey. Marchello is a great addition to Green and plays better than a Freshman. He will help this team over the hump. Three red shirts in my opinion and that is Jordan, Enambe and Spicer. With Meloy we should dress and play 11. I do think we will have to step up for the non con schedule. We will be tested and we will test some teams such as OKlahoma. That is my take!

[ORUTerry]

Bluitt will be okay.... you can't make too much of these exhibition games. It is a chance for players to get back in rythym and possibly do some things they normally would not do in a more competitive situation. I think Fowlkes looked okay given the fact that he has not played in a competitive game under the lights for quite a while. He has a very quick first step when driving to the basket.

[Guest Rob Marshall]

We can't make too much of an exhibition game other than how we play/act in practice and/or an exhibition game WILL BE/IS indicative of how we will play/act when the heat is really on. I'm pretty sure taking better care of the basketball will be a primary point of emphasis for the team this week in practice and I would expect a much improved effort from that regard next Saturday vs. NSU.

One play in particular bothered me from Bluitt last night; he was called for "carrying" the basketball because he was dribbling the ball in a flashy way when he arguably didn't even need to be bouncing the ball. After being whistled for the turnover, he outwardly complained to the referee, showing much poor body language on the court, rather than just giving up the ball, (saying "my bad" to himself) and finding his man to defend. Later JB got into an exchange of words and arms with a couple of the UCO players in front of the visitors' bench.

On a positive note, I used both before mentioned plays to teach my eight year old son how NOT to play the game.

My point is simply this, highly successful teams have point guards who exude maturity and solid leadership on the court like Earl McClellen, Rod Thompson and Tony Heard provided Bill Self's teams at ORU and Tulsa respectively.

There is NO question Bluitt has the physical ability to play the game very well, but does he have the maturity to lead this team and be its coach between the lines?

[Guest EagleBackr]

...don't forget to figure in the fact that UCO may have a bunch of guys on its roster that Bluitt played with or against in Oklahoma City as a prepster. May have been trying a little too hard to impress. Must admit I too have been disappointed in JB's play so far in the scrimmage and exhibition. All he needs to do is be steady - we have plenty of firepower at all the other positions...

[vcboy2000]

Allright, allright I know JB can be a lil eccentric at times, but get all of his back after just one game! Mickey had some bone head plays too the other night, just like i'm sure every player does during their career. I'm gonna give JB the benefit of the doubt and hold my judgement til after they've played one game in the exhibition season.