(03-11-2009 04:13 PM)THE BearcatBrent Wrote:  I wonder why Mike Thomas is leaving mick to hang in the wind. At least a vote of confidence....................................

I really don't think Mick needs a vote of confidence. All that is, is the "Kiss of Death" anyway.

(03-11-2009 12:29 PM)50Cent Wrote:  Noticed no mention of Mike Williams. Im telling you, the program lost a lot of respect for Mike when he didnt compete recently. I think its no coincidence that he is not on Hoard's list for next year. Interesting that Biggie is mentioned, since many have written him off.

So Hoard mentions 9 player by name. Add Wright and Thomas. Thats 11. Recruiting for PG and SF. Thats 13 next year. Will be an interesting offseason thats for sure.

Oh and every shooter....absolutely every player needs to be in gym on their own working on shooting.

I like Hoard's take on things because he is so close to the inner workings of the program. But when it comes to Mick....Hoard is a "Mick guy" so too speak, so I hope his somewhat bias doesn't come into play when explaining the problems within the program. I know he said there at the beginning that Mick will look hard at himself etc. But still, maybe make a mental note of that when reading Hoard's take when it comes to the program and Mick. Just my 2cents, BTW - W.Va. looks real good early against the Dame. One of the announcers literally said "this is BEARCAT defense." Uh....used to be pal.

gregg

Tip....the dreaded vote of confidence is, indeed, the beginning of the end.

(03-11-2009 06:44 PM)beck Wrote:  Tip....the dreaded vote of confidence is, indeed, the beginning of the end.

I agree with you Beck. Mark me down as "UC won't be dancing next year".

Ibrahima Thomas started as a sophomore for a team that is more than likely heading to the big boys tournament. He averaged about 8 a game, which is much more production that Mike Williams ever gave at Texas. With that said, I haven't seen much of him at Ok state. But I did see him in high school. And to tell you the truth, he looked like a straight three to me. He has the body to play in the paint. But he loved chucking jumpers and playing on the perimeter. He does have a really nice jumper and moves extremely well for his size, but his physicality in the post won't come close to what Mike gave us this year. Who knows though, maybe he has changed.

Thomas started close to 30 games his frosh season as well (37 overall). What I saw of him earlier this year was a freak of an athlete. Fast and can get up in the air quickly. Good thing cause this team needs an upgrade in terms of athleticism.

(03-11-2009 07:26 PM)JFlight21 Wrote:  Ibrahima Thomas started as a sophomore for a team that is more than likely heading to the big boys tournament. He averaged about 8 a game, which is much more production that Mike Williams ever gave at Texas. With that said, I haven't seen much of him at Ok state. But I did see him in high school. And to tell you the truth, he looked like a straight three to me. He has the body to play in the paint. But he loved chucking jumpers and playing on the perimeter. He does have a really nice jumper and moves extremely well for his size, but his physicality in the post won't come close to what Mike gave us this year. Who knows though, maybe he has changed.

Wasn't the reason he left OSU because they wanted him to spend more time on the interior and less time on the perimeter?

(03-11-2009 08:21 PM)Coopdaddy67 Wrote:  

(03-11-2009 07:26 PM)JFlight21 Wrote:  Ibrahima Thomas started as a sophomore for a team that is more than likely heading to the big boys tournament. He averaged about 8 a game, which is much more production that Mike Williams ever gave at Texas. With that said, I haven't seen much of him at Ok state. But I did see him in high school. And to tell you the truth, he looked like a straight three to me. He has the body to play in the paint. But he loved chucking jumpers and playing on the perimeter. He does have a really nice jumper and moves extremely well for his size, but his physicality in the post won't come close to what Mike gave us this year. Who knows though, maybe he has changed.

Wasn't the reason he left OSU because they wanted him to spend more time on the interior and less time on the perimeter?

i think that was the problem as well as the fact him and ford didn't meet eye to eye. its more important that he can defend people at 6'11 that are back-to-basket type players, if he can do this then gates, thomas, and williams could all be on the floor at once

Yes, that is correct.

They wanted him to play the 5. That and from several reports, that guy is tough to play for.

(03-11-2009 08:27 PM)JFlight21 Wrote:  Yes, that is correct.

I'm not a huge fan of big men playing on the wings. It's about as bad as a tall boxer with a long reach fighting on the inside. I believe I read recently on a blog (Lance's?) that he had some work ethic issues too. Hopefully he's no longer a problem in that manner.

(03-11-2009 08:31 PM)Coopdaddy67 Wrote:  

(03-11-2009 08:27 PM)JFlight21 Wrote:  Yes, that is correct.

I'm not a huge fan of big men playing on the wings. It's about as bad as a tall boxer with a long reach fighting on the inside. I believe I read recently on a blog (Lance's?) that he had some work ethic issues too. Hopefully he's no longer a problem in that manner.

Never heard a mention about work ethic from anyone that covers Oklahoma State. If Lance had that on his site, consider the source.

From the guys who covered the Cowboys every day:

http://blog.newsok.com/osu/2008/12/03/th...on-thomas/

Quote:I got a phone call early Tuesday evening, someone asking me what I knew about a player leaving the basketball team. I didn’t know much, so I started making phone calls. My assumption was that one of the guys who wasn’t getting much/any playing time had hit the road, and that wouldn’t have been a huge shock. Travis Ford is sticking pretty seriously to a 6-7 guy rotation, which is leaving Marshall Moses, Malcoln Kirkland and Nick Sidorakis with very, very minimal playing time.

About three calls in, I heard something that made my jaw drop: It was Ibrahima Thomas.

Here’s why it was stunning:

-The center has started every game for OSU. He’s playing 20.5 minutes, and a lot of the bench time is self-imposed because of foul trouble.

-He’s 6-foot-11 on a team that lacks size. One would think the coaching staff would do everything in its power to keep him.

-He’s told people that he doesn’t like playing the 5, and that he wants to play the 3 or 4. On Monday OSU got 5 Teeng Akol eligible, and Ford said he was looking at moving Thomas out of the post....

He’s one of the most likable kids on the planet. Big smile, sweet nature, friendly, stays out of trouble...

Last week I was writing a story about how the players are adjusting to Ford’s in-your-face style, and how he was adjusting to them. I happened to talk to Thomas for the story, because I’ve noticed that Ford is really hard on Thomas. Keep in mind that Thomas has only been playing basketball for five years, and it shows in some of the basics.