Yes, that was really impressive because he had previously racked up fouls pretty quickly. I thought Okpara played very well and makes me optimistic that he is going to be an big contributor to the team. Bucks still need another big man, two is just not enough.
Parks comes in next year. Parks will have a full season to learn from Zed and Felix. Who knows maybe he will still grow a inch or two in the next get up to 6’10-6’11. Need to land another big man in the next class as well!! Go Bucks!!
I love that he did this well while not being "fully developed yet". I want more players that will stay awhile before going to NBA. I love Sensabaugh, but not likely he'll be here past this season. An aside... It looked like Key's injury likely a bruise to deltoid... I'd be surprised if there's any long term issue.
If Felix gets on that Giannis workout plan in the off-season he's gonna be a force. All he needs is weight, strength, and touch and the sky is the limit!
Between goals and achievement is discipline and consistency. That fire you have inside to do whatever you love is placed there by God. Now go claim it. ~ Denzel Washington
Agree on adding a little weight and definitely play strength. He has a good stroke and outside shot already. It was visible in HS tape and from what we've seen so far. Just needs more confidence and experience to utilize that in-game.
I predict next year he will be a pick and pop 3 pt threat.
When I look at all the things that would make Okapa’s game better, I also look at the things he already has that cannot be coached. He has height (6ft 11”) and Heart. He is not scared to bang and contest and he even tried to dunk on Edey and drew a foul. I like what I’m seeing out of this kid.
"Life is not about how hard you can hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. THATS HOW WINNING IS DONE!!" - Rocky Ballboa
Personally I think our head coach in hoops is the best we've had in years! Coaching didn't lose the game, .young players shot wildly after making poor shot selsctions in crunch time against PU. Why? We are a young talented team team and will be better.
I will say that adding to the team with transfers who have only 1 yr. eligibility left isn't going to win many championships.Hopefully in the future we get transfers with at least 2 yrs to play. It takes time to mesh and Coach is and has done many good things and is class all the way. What a great example to represent TOSU!
They have to show significant improvement in late game execution, I'll chalk that up to coaching, lack of experience in playing together and in those type of situations. We'll never know if what is being diagrammed is being actually run, ie ( poor design or poor execution) . This one reason why I have never been in favor of loading the schedule with so many mismatches. Far too many games are basically 15-20 minutes long with few in game situations exist to test a team. I'm not advocating playing only a top 25-50 schedule but they need more games where the first 35 minutes are in doubt,
We also had some major changes within the coaching staff as well, new guys on the staff and some guys in new roles.
They are 1-2 in games determined by 5 points or less and that one win was due to a missed out of bounds call on Holden, in reality they should be 0-3. They needed more games that were on the line in the last 5 minutes instead of 30 point blowouts against bad teams that just fill up the stat sheets, those types of games don't put fans in the seats either.
They took a trip to the Bahamas prior to the regular season and got in extra games and practices they also played a scrimmage game as well. When you look at the schedule after the first four cupcake games at home, they go to Hawaii, they play a competitive set of teams there ( UC is having a down year). You come back and play two very good ACC and a conference game. There was no need for St. Francis, Maine or Alabama A& M on the schedule except to pad the win total. Take those three games out and play better mid major teams and maybe they have to play at least 35 minutes of basketball with some pressure on the outcome, and learn what works and what doesn't work under pressure. Those three games were a complete waste and the players got very little from them.
I'm really happy with Okpara, I assumed he was a project that may only turn out to be a shot blocker, but he's much better now, and he's getting even better. I think he has the most upside of any big man we've had in a long time.
“I thought he did some good things,” Holtmann said of Okpara's performance against Purdue. “He obviously got moved off his spot a lot but I thought Felix really competed, as I expected he would.”
All of us know Okpara needs more playing time. I would think Chris would have been more complimentary, and not as critical (he got moved off his spot a lot) during interviews. I hope coach doesn't send him back to 10 minutes a game. Holtmann has small ball mentality.
Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect - Woody Hayes
He was stating the obvious, while probably thinking of how the game played out, without zed, who wouldn't have gotten moved off his spot nearly as much. And that would have changed how they played the 3 point line, since he wouldn't have needed as much help against 7.4
So in a 1 possession game, it wasn't as much of what okpara did or didn't do, as it was how much the game changed when the guy they wouldn't have to help as much became unavailable. Defensively it changed the game immensely. Okie is a good defender, but they had to help him so often, it left the 3 pt. line wide open. That wouldn't have been the case with zed in the game, they would have rarely doubled.
Think of how many times okie got pushed under the basket by edey. In the first half alone they got 10 offensive boards, you can't rebound if you are standing under the basket.
Maybe he was just saying damn, if we could have stuck to our game plan, we could have knocked no. 1 off and stayed undefeated in big play. While stating one of the reasons, that didn't happen.
He already is ten times the defender and rebounder than Zed. He’s also got more stamina and quickness. Wish we had depth at center so we could play them side by side.
we don’t and holtman needs to figure out how to recruit big men. Should talk to Purdue’s hc as they absolutely year after year do get them.
Holtmann's style of play is not friendly to a traditional big man, especially on the offensive end. He wants a tall player who can shoot all the way out to the three point line. His offense is not predicated through running the ball through the post, Zed gets very few plays a night in the post yes they do run some but the offense is built around the post player away from the rim, often setting high screens.
Zed was encouraged to expand his range and takes a three pointer or two per game this year.
Problem is that in the B1G most teams have multiple tall players to defend and you need someone on the roster to defend them, expecting Likekele or Eugene Brown to be successful long term is not the answer.
Purdue has true big man but Edey is not that aggressive attacking the basket, he is very effective with that jump hook in the paint that is nearly unstoppable. Dickinson at UM is a bad match up, he can be a head case but is also take over a game at times in the post. At one point in the game Purdue had 10 offense rebounds before OSU had one. Maryland is not a big team and OSU should not have many issues defending the paint area.
We saw what a team like UNC, Duke with multiple bigs did to OSU. I have always contended that if you are going to play a small lineup then you need to use your lack of size to an advantage, pressure defense, faster tempo but things Holtmann does not try. He has no issue rotating players but he does try to wear an opponent out. He is content with a slow tempo on both ends.
When Zed went down I feared the worst but Felix really stepped up. Was really impressed that he avoided foul trouble. He's probably going to have to play more for a while with Zeds injury and hopefully can grow quickly.
Felix played some good minutes in the Carolina game. Without going back and looking I think it was the most he had played up to that point. He's going to get knocked around in the B1G and he will foul out of a couple games if he's needed 25-30 minutes—despite a couple of shitty calls the refs did a pretty good job of letting them play Thursday. With that said he's yet another guy I really like.
It drives me bananas that this team isn't 12-2 right now.
Felix should hold his head high. Great effort against the most physical presence he’ll encounter. Keep working hard young man. Hit your strength and conditioning heavily and put more muscle mass/weight on while developing your offensive game. You’ll be a force.
Okpara leaned on this guy all night. Proud of his effort. Edey sucked in the first half. He couldn’t throw one in the ocean if he was standing at the end of the pier. Okpara made him work for everything he got.
Surprising hustle and movement for someone his size. Don't be shocked if he turns into one of those third year Big Ten stars after getting more experience and weight room growth.
Comments Show All Comments
human cheat "chode"? Maybe that's not quite what Holtman said.
I like it this way better!
On top of this the kid stayed out of foul trouble. He is coming along faster than I thought he would. great to see.
Yes, that was really impressive because he had previously racked up fouls pretty quickly. I thought Okpara played very well and makes me optimistic that he is going to be an big contributor to the team. Bucks still need another big man, two is just not enough.
Yes - I was amazed Okpara was able to stay out of foul trouble. He played aggressive and really played well....he exceeded my expectations.
He has a long way to go, but he showed up...
Parks comes in next year. Parks will have a full season to learn from Zed and Felix. Who knows maybe he will still grow a inch or two in the next get up to 6’10-6’11. Need to land another big man in the next class as well!! Go Bucks!!
I expected him to be way more raw, like most big men we get. He’s got athleticism and ability around the rim. Is Greg Oden still on staff?
Oden is with Matta at Butler,I believe Dials works with the bigs at OSU.
Raider85
I texted a friend as this game was winding down. I said no matter the outcome, 34’s had a helluva game.
I’m sorry, I can’t hear hippies. - Ron Swanson
I love that he did this well while not being "fully developed yet". I want more players that will stay awhile before going to NBA. I love Sensabaugh, but not likely he'll be here past this season. An aside... It looked like Key's injury likely a bruise to deltoid... I'd be surprised if there's any long term issue.
TampaBayBone Doc
If Felix gets on that Giannis workout plan in the off-season he's gonna be a force. All he needs is weight, strength, and touch and the sky is the limit!
Between goals and achievement is discipline and consistency. That fire you have inside to do whatever you love is placed there by God. Now go claim it. ~ Denzel Washington
He has touch. I called him being a future star after going to an early practice. It’s easy to see his potential.
Baby Olajuwon down to the number
Ronny P Buckeye
Good comparison, but I said baby Mt. Mutombo. Offensive game isn’t on par with Olajuwon. Defense is all the way there for sure
Agree on adding a little weight and definitely play strength. He has a good stroke and outside shot already. It was visible in HS tape and from what we've seen so far. Just needs more confidence and experience to utilize that in-game.
I predict next year he will be a pick and pop 3 pt threat.
He has great feet for a big man. Good quickness and impressive anticipation of where the ball will be.
Our people are everywhere, Esto Dignus.
When I look at all the things that would make Okapa’s game better, I also look at the things he already has that cannot be coached. He has height (6ft 11”) and Heart. He is not scared to bang and contest and he even tried to dunk on Edey and drew a foul. I like what I’m seeing out of this kid.
"Life is not about how hard you can hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. THATS HOW WINNING IS DONE!!" - Rocky Ballboa
Personally I think our head coach in hoops is the best we've had in years! Coaching didn't lose the game, .young players shot wildly after making poor shot selsctions in crunch time against PU. Why? We are a young talented team team and will be better.
I will say that adding to the team with transfers who have only 1 yr. eligibility left isn't going to win many championships.Hopefully in the future we get transfers with at least 2 yrs to play. It takes time to mesh and Coach is and has done many good things and is class all the way. What a great example to represent TOSU!
Just my humble opinion.. HoosierBuck1
They have to show significant improvement in late game execution, I'll chalk that up to coaching, lack of experience in playing together and in those type of situations. We'll never know if what is being diagrammed is being actually run, ie ( poor design or poor execution) . This one reason why I have never been in favor of loading the schedule with so many mismatches. Far too many games are basically 15-20 minutes long with few in game situations exist to test a team. I'm not advocating playing only a top 25-50 schedule but they need more games where the first 35 minutes are in doubt,
We also had some major changes within the coaching staff as well, new guys on the staff and some guys in new roles.
Prior to this game osu had played 6 cupcakes and 7 legit teams. Frankly with 9 new players, to gel this team, this schedule was appropriate.
They are 1-2 in games determined by 5 points or less and that one win was due to a missed out of bounds call on Holden, in reality they should be 0-3. They needed more games that were on the line in the last 5 minutes instead of 30 point blowouts against bad teams that just fill up the stat sheets, those types of games don't put fans in the seats either.
They took a trip to the Bahamas prior to the regular season and got in extra games and practices they also played a scrimmage game as well. When you look at the schedule after the first four cupcake games at home, they go to Hawaii, they play a competitive set of teams there ( UC is having a down year). You come back and play two very good ACC and a conference game. There was no need for St. Francis, Maine or Alabama A& M on the schedule except to pad the win total. Take those three games out and play better mid major teams and maybe they have to play at least 35 minutes of basketball with some pressure on the outcome, and learn what works and what doesn't work under pressure. Those three games were a complete waste and the players got very little from them.
1hb
re 1 year transfers, yeah right, tell that to baylor
For your enjoyment, holden and sueing are 2 year or more players.
Pretty damned impressive for a guy that’s only played for a few years. He was a soccer player.
He us really coming on, and we really need him, especially until Key returns. Any update on Key's injury?
I'm really happy with Okpara, I assumed he was a project that may only turn out to be a shot blocker, but he's much better now, and he's getting even better. I think he has the most upside of any big man we've had in a long time.
Tom
All of us know Okpara needs more playing time. I would think Chris would have been more complimentary, and not as critical (he got moved off his spot a lot) during interviews. I hope coach doesn't send him back to 10 minutes a game. Holtmann has small ball mentality.
Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect - Woody Hayes
Who wouldn't be moved off the spot against the largest human that they will play.
Nice comment coach but think praising Felix would been batter after the game he played.
He was stating the obvious, while probably thinking of how the game played out, without zed, who wouldn't have gotten moved off his spot nearly as much. And that would have changed how they played the 3 point line, since he wouldn't have needed as much help against 7.4
So in a 1 possession game, it wasn't as much of what okpara did or didn't do, as it was how much the game changed when the guy they wouldn't have to help as much became unavailable. Defensively it changed the game immensely. Okie is a good defender, but they had to help him so often, it left the 3 pt. line wide open. That wouldn't have been the case with zed in the game, they would have rarely doubled.
Think of how many times okie got pushed under the basket by edey. In the first half alone they got 10 offensive boards, you can't rebound if you are standing under the basket.
Maybe he was just saying damn, if we could have stuck to our game plan, we could have knocked no. 1 off and stayed undefeated in big play. While stating one of the reasons, that didn't happen.
He already is ten times the defender and rebounder than Zed. He’s also got more stamina and quickness. Wish we had depth at center so we could play them side by side.
we don’t and holtman needs to figure out how to recruit big men. Should talk to Purdue’s hc as they absolutely year after year do get them.
Holtmann's style of play is not friendly to a traditional big man, especially on the offensive end. He wants a tall player who can shoot all the way out to the three point line. His offense is not predicated through running the ball through the post, Zed gets very few plays a night in the post yes they do run some but the offense is built around the post player away from the rim, often setting high screens.
Zed was encouraged to expand his range and takes a three pointer or two per game this year.
Problem is that in the B1G most teams have multiple tall players to defend and you need someone on the roster to defend them, expecting Likekele or Eugene Brown to be successful long term is not the answer.
You are saying h. wants to run a modern offense since he doesn't have a true 5 on the team.
Strange that
I wonder if bigs on other teams shoot the 3
Who on this team is it that you think defends the opponents tall players
Purdue has true big man but Edey is not that aggressive attacking the basket, he is very effective with that jump hook in the paint that is nearly unstoppable. Dickinson at UM is a bad match up, he can be a head case but is also take over a game at times in the post. At one point in the game Purdue had 10 offense rebounds before OSU had one. Maryland is not a big team and OSU should not have many issues defending the paint area.
We saw what a team like UNC, Duke with multiple bigs did to OSU. I have always contended that if you are going to play a small lineup then you need to use your lack of size to an advantage, pressure defense, faster tempo but things Holtmann does not try. He has no issue rotating players but he does try to wear an opponent out. He is content with a slow tempo on both ends.
When Zed went down I feared the worst but Felix really stepped up. Was really impressed that he avoided foul trouble. He's probably going to have to play more for a while with Zeds injury and hopefully can grow quickly.
JWilly3
He needs to give Rodney Gale more playing the kid is going to be a Star
HB
Roddy Gayle
Felix played some good minutes in the Carolina game. Without going back and looking I think it was the most he had played up to that point. He's going to get knocked around in the B1G and he will foul out of a couple games if he's needed 25-30 minutes—despite a couple of shitty calls the refs did a pretty good job of letting them play Thursday. With that said he's yet another guy I really like.
It drives me bananas that this team isn't 12-2 right now.
Felix should hold his head high. Great effort against the most physical presence he’ll encounter. Keep working hard young man. Hit your strength and conditioning heavily and put more muscle mass/weight on while developing your offensive game. You’ll be a force.
Kieren
Felix needs to play more he will only get better on both ends, he has a nice shot he isn't confident to shot it.
Okpara leaned on this guy all night. Proud of his effort. Edey sucked in the first half. He couldn’t throw one in the ocean if he was standing at the end of the pier. Okpara made him work for everything he got.
Surprising hustle and movement for someone his size. Don't be shocked if he turns into one of those third year Big Ten stars after getting more experience and weight room growth.