ORUJason Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I can tell already that McClintock is going to be a lightning rod, "love him/hate him" kind of player, ala Luke Spencer-Gardner, Rotnei Clarke, Keiton Paige, Ben Woodside, etc. I wouldn't include Luke-Spencer Gardner in the "love him/hate him" grouping. He was a solid contributor in scoring, 3-point shooting and led the conference in assists per game if I remember correctly. He was the glue that held our team together. The guy played through a very painful deep thigh bruise. The only haters were the opponents who had to go against him. Now Robert Jarvis as last year's point guard I would include in that group. But he probably would have preferred to play the 2-guard anyway and was just trying to do what the coaches asked him to do. I expect that we will love having Hunter on the team and will probably be clamoring for more playing time for Hunter once the season gets here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I wouldn't include Luke-Spencer Gardner in the "love him/hate him" grouping. He was a solid contributor in scoring, 3-point shooting and led the conference in assists per game if I remember correctly. He was the glue that held our team together. The guy played through a very painful deep thigh bruise. The only haters were the opponents who had to go against him. Now Robert Jarvis as last year's point guard I would include in that group. But he probably would have preferred to play the 2-guard anyway and was just trying to do what the coaches asked him to do. I expect that we will love having Hunter on the team and will probably be clamoring for more playing time for Hunter once the season gets here. Sometimes, Jason, you've got to consider the source . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I wouldn't include Luke-Spencer Gardner in the "love him/hate him" grouping. He was a solid contributor in scoring, 3-point shooting and led the conference in assists per game if I remember correctly. He was the glue that held our team together. The guy played through a very painful deep thigh bruise. The only haters were the opponents who had to go against him. Now Robert Jarvis as last year's point guard I would include in that group. But he probably would have preferred to play the 2-guard anyway and was just trying to do what the coaches asked him to do. I expect that we will love having Hunter on the team and will probably be clamoring for more playing time for Hunter once the season gets here. Well, see, you HAVE to include LSG on the list, because I for one disagree with you! You're right about one thing: "love/hate" is a bit harsh when it comes to Luke, because he was (and remains) hard not to like, but I always thought he was a natural #2 guard, playing out of position at the point. The vast majority of his assists came in the normal flow of the perimeter offense, and had little or nothing to do with breaking down the defense with penetration (which I consider a prerequisite for a great point guard). Nothing but love for LSG's toughness and leadership skills, but I think he's one of many point guards during the Scott Sutton era who was actually more suited to play shooting guard (Tyrone Tiggs, Jonathan Bluitt*, and Robert Jarvis just to name a couple). *Jonathan Bluitt?? Yep - loved the guy, and he had a great handle, but I can count the number of alley-oop passes he actually completed in his career on one hand. Simply not a great passer or shut-down defender, two other requirements of a great all-around point guard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlue82 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 I wouldn't include Luke-Spencer Gardner in the "love him/hate him" grouping. He was a solid contributor in scoring, 3-point shooting and led the conference in assists per game if I remember correctly. He was the glue that held our team together. The guy played through a very painful deep thigh bruise. The only haters were the opponents who had to go against him. LSG was (and is) one of my all-time favorite ORU players - and his story of attending ORU and finding Christ in college is a great testimony to the value of ORU athletics. Still, as much as he is revered, I can certainly remember discussions on this board (with many contributors) that went something like this - "Why does Luke always feel compelled to drive in to the lane amongst the "bigs" and get stripped/blocked, etc.???" I think the "love him/hate him" dialogue among fans happens for almost any player on the team - but the "floor general" (point guard) falls under MUCH more scrutiny, simply because of the amount of time they control the ball - and their responsibility to drive the offense. Certainly, for LSG's tenure as PG, the amount of cheering FAR exceeded the critique. I think we will all wildly cheer Hunter - and we will certainly have some moments where we just shake our heads in frustration. So goes the life of a point guard. The great thing about this season is that we have TWO guys that appear very capable of running the offense. I believe that this component alone will be worth 3-4 additional wins this season. November can't come soon enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogus Smith Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 I believe that, like many combo guards, we will see ill-advised drives to the baskets when Hunter is not familiar enough with the "bigs in the middle". We'll also see some 3-point shots that just don't seem to fall some nights (ala Robert Jarvis, Moses Ehambe, Kyron Stokes, Chris Rouse, etc.). When the shots fall, they will be celebrated. Like many perimeter shooters, we should expect some shooting nights to be streaky - either he's on or he's not. All-in-all, I think that we'll see four years of spectacular ball from Hunter McClintock (and others from this year's recruiting class). In the meantime, we'll have some "learning curve" to go through and some discussions on this board which will eventually result in many wins for the good guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUJason Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 I do remember LSG sometimes driving into the lane when he had no business being in there. He didn't have the first-step speed of a Tim Gill for instance. I do think that some PGs and SGs feel the need to drive to the bucket every once in a while because that will open up their jump shot. Otherwise, they will be guarded too closely. However, against middle of the road Mid-con opponents, LSG could often get his lay-up to fall. I guess the smart player has to judge the skills of his opponent wisely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 From what I have hear, Pearson can make opponents pay if they are guarding him too closely. He has a quick first step and is athletic enough to drive to the basket or dish the ball if someone comes over to double team. We will appreciate his leadership and ball handling/passing skills. We lacked a 'quarterback' on the court last year who could get the ball into the scorers' hands. I expect to see Morrison and Stokes get better looks as a result of Pearson beiing at the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 TheEagleman agrees that Rod Pearson should be a huge upgrade for ORU at the point position this year....and his experience should take the pressure off Hunter to produce early....that would be a bonus....we got killed because of the lack of a true PG last season...no offense to RJ....he was a 2 all the way....I guess Holdman is out of the picture this year?...anybody have a scoop on Ken right now?.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 TheEagleman agrees that Rod Pearson should be a huge upgrade for ORU at the point position this year....and his experience should take the pressure off Hunter to produce early....that would be a bonus....we got killed because of the lack of a true PG last season...no offense to RJ....he was a 2 all the way....I guess Holdman is out of the picture this year?...anybody have a scoop on Ken right now?.... I've heard that he's been working hard in the off-season, is greatly improved over last season. He should be a contributor this year. Maybe some others can add more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Geez....Holdman getting any quality minutes would really throw different spin on things....how about Beloved Rogers?....he was a surprise late recruiting gem last year....anyone know how he is looking and can we expect more from this sharpshooting HS scoring machine?.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryL Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 If he could just drive the lane, pick up fouls, and make 80% or so of his free throws, it would make up for being less than perfect on defense, IMHO - This along with his 3-point shooting and surgical assists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 With all the depth at the guard positions, guys like Holdman and Rogers will need to really step up their level of play to earn any significant minutes this season - or the next - or the next... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 With all the depth at the guard positions, guys like Holdman and Rogers will need to really step up their level of play to earn any significant minutes this season - or the next - or the next... There is no doubt that the proverbial bar for guards has been jacked about about a foot or so for the beginning of the season and the future, but then again, Holdman and Rogers have had a number of months to prepare for the heightened level of competition. I guess we will find out soon how they were able to make use of the time. I wish them and us all the best because if everyone is driving everyone else to become the best they can be, I anticipate the overflow to produce energetic and riveting as well as successful results on the basketball court. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlue82 Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Although I am hopeful that the enhanced competition will challenge each player to improve their game, raising the overall talent level, it will be very difficult to keep all of the backcourt non-starters engaged, focused, and content with their contributions and playing time. Ultimately, the numbers game may put a squeeze on Rogers, Niles, Holdman, but it will be interesting to see how they play come November. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Although I am hopeful that the enhanced competition will challenge each player to improve their game, raising the overall talent level, it will be very difficult to keep all of the backcourt non-starters engaged, focused, and content with their contributions and playing time. Ultimately, the numbers game may put a squeeze on Rogers, Niles, Holdman, but it will be interesting to see how they play come November. Niles is 6' 4", averaged 20+ points, & 39% from 3 .... If he can defend he might be the smart pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Niles is 6' 4", averaged 20+ points, & 39% from 3 .... If he can defend he might be the smart pick. Honestly, I forgot all about Niles... Geez, we have a lot of guards!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogus Smith Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Two things that play into the guard scenario - injuries and redshirting...and that's all I have to say about that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Ex-Williams standout could make college debut at Wake Forest September 22, 2009 12:31 AM Times-News The college basketball career of former Williams High School boys’ standout Hunter McClintock could begin at Wake Forest. McClintock, who completed his high school career for Northern Durham, is on the Oral Roberts roster under coach Scott Sutton. (link) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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