Oklahoma's MacDonald's AA and 5* Players

otis

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For those that believe that for a team to be successful in the NCAA it must have a roster filled with MickyD AA's and 5***** players should take a glance at the Oklahoma Final Four team which has no MacD AAs nor 5 stars that start and in fact 6 of its first 7 players were 3* out of high school:

Held......... 4*
Woodard...3*
Cousins ....3*
Spangler ...3*
Latin ..........3*
Buford ......3*
Walker ......Juco
 
For those that believe that for a team to be successful in the NCAA it must have a roster filled with MickyD AA's and 5***** players should take a glance at the Oklahoma Final Four team which has no MacD AAs nor 5 stars that start and in fact 6 of its first 7 players were 3* out of high school

Is MacDonald's similar to McDowell's?

Nevertheless, you do make good points, but that isn't typically the norm when one is vying for titles. If one wants to consistently be in place to play for titles, then it's also not the usual route. I agree with JSJ's assessment, as well. But there is a point that you've forgotten (actually, two points, IMO). One point is Oklahoma's vital players are experienced. Hield, Cousins, and Spangler are seniors. Woodard is a junior, while Lattin is a sophomore. The last point will be Hield is, in many ways, carrying the team. If a team has a sound cast, and that one transcendent player, then getting to the Promised Land can be made a bit easier.

Remember, only two teams has won a national title without a McDonald's AA on their roster (the first game was played in 1978).... 2002 Maryland Terrapins and 2014 UConn Huskies (DeAndre Daniels was a 5-star recruit, who didn't get an invitation due to some eligibility rule, if I'm not mistaken).

Both teams were experienced, and had guards who could make plays. Not to mention, Maryland and UConn had good talent. Maryland had a plethora of 4 star kids, and not only their guards, but their bigs were more than solid, as well. UConn was mainly carried by Napier, Boatright, and Daniels. But they also Niels Giffey coming up big for 'em during their run. Lots of experience and solid guard play can take you a long way. Frankly, I'd take my chances on loading up on a bunch of talent ala your typical blue blood (and, a few others a tier below) and go from there. If they happen to stay in school (similarly, to this current UNC team or any, other Roy Williams' UNC team that has advanced to the Final Four and beyond), then that'll suffice, too.
 
Don't disagree with the thought.

However, after watching Buddy Hield me thinks he may have been a tad bit underrated at 4*. He is a tremendous talent. I can only hope we find something like him in the future. :whistle:
 
I agree that its difficult to win it all without a 5 star but many teams have gotten to the Elite Eight and even the Final Four without them. That sounds like a nice place for St. John's to get back to as they only made two Elite Eights since the Final Four.
 
Nova just seems like they have their act together on all fronts.

It's nice to see guys stick around a program for a full four years... would love to see us get there at perform respectably
 
I prefer Nova's model of recruiting for consistency and hope SJU follows suit. I definitely like 5* guys, but as the article said, they have to be the right fit. I'm ok with not landing Rawle because I'm not sure that was a fit either. He seems like "me" guy, but I could be wrong. Let's just get consistently good again with 3-4 star guys and then success will start bringing in top kids.
 
I prefer Nova's model of recruiting for consistency and hope SJU follows suit. I definitely like 5* guys, but as the article said, they have to be the right fit. I'm ok with not landing Rawle because I'm not sure that was a fit either. He seems like "me" guy, but I could be wrong. Let's just get consistently good again with 3-4 star guys and then success will start bringing in top kids.

And even when Nova brings in 5 star kids (Jalen Brunson), they seem to be kids who are about the team first. They are at a point where they can recruit a select group of kids and land some of those kids every year. That should be the goal for Mullin and Co.
 
Agreed with you guys. And I personally think Yakwe, Sima, Ponds, and LoVett is a hell of a start. Love all of these guys
 
As we all know Nova also has a stellar academic reputation, something that factors in to the equation for kids (and thier parents) who are looking at college as something more than just a temporary stop on their way to collecting a paycheck.
 
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