Otule - Before and After

[Murffieus]

Rosiak's blog wasn't too complimentary on either O'Tule or McMorrow.

[HarryBalczak]

Both have a ways to go, but you also have to remember that these pickup games don't favor post play as the top option by any means.  Chris and Liam are also going up against Robert Jackson, Mike Kinsella and Ousmane and they have things to learn compared to these veterans.  We'll know more after both have some time with the coaches from the time school starts until the full practices start in mid October.  I'd like to see Chris get a few minutes this year, but I still expect Dwight and Trevor to see a majority of the time.

[Marquette84]

Rosiak's blog wasn't too complimentary on either O'Tule or McMorrow.

Sometimes it helps to reread what was originally written.

Murff's penchant is to look through and find the negative and dispense with anything positive, thus he reads these articles and can't find anything complementary. 


I've helped him out by highlighting complementary statements.


Chris Otule: It was tough to get a read on Otule both because his team didn't fare too well and he wasn't on the court too much, and also because of the guards' unwillingness to look inside with much frequency. Based on what I did see, Otule is every bit of his listed 6-10 and 245 pounds, and has plenty of athletic ability. He rebounded OK in his area, but matched up against older, more experienced players, Otule definitely had his difficulties. I don't recall him scoring at all (or even attempting a shot), but again, with the exception of Jackson, the big guys weren't getting many offensive opportunities. At this point Otule is definitely a work in progress, but with some solid coaching has the potential to become pretty good down the line.

Liam McMorrow: Like Otule, McMorrow also didn't get a lot of court time. He also appears to be a legit 7-footer. If he actually weighs his listed 260 pounds it didn't seem like it, because he got up and down the court pretty well. You can see the hockey and lacrosse background, as McMorrow can move his feet and change direction pretty deftly for a guy his size. He also rebounded OK in his area, but had a penchant for both bringing the ball down around his waist afterward, and getting it deflected as he threw it out on the break. His lack of experience really showed in the half court, as he struggled running the pick-and-roll with his teammates. He also had a couple of shots blocked in the paint because he didn't go to the rim strong and wasn't overly aggressive. McMorrow definitely looked like a guy who hasn't played the game a lot; he just doesn't have that natural feel for the game that his teammates -- most of whom have been playing the game their entire lives -- have. But, like Otule, there certainly is a lot to work with athletically. The redshirt this year, providing he works hard, will definitely be beneficial for the big Canadian



You can read what you want into the reports.  I thought they were fair, listing both the strengths and weaknesses.  I thought Rosiak was definitely complementary toward both players.

[MUfan12]

Rosiak's blog wasn't too complimentary on either O'Tule or McMorrow.

You know as well as I do that it takes big men longer to develop. Look at your boy Dwight Burke, it took him two years to become a solid contributor. Otule will be fine, he has a lot to get used to.

MU has come a long way, but is still not at the point where we can land an immediate impact big man. They are few and far between, and often gone after a year.

As far as McMorrow goes, I'm looking at his inexperience as a positive, given he gets good instruction. As a coach, I'm sure you saw a lot of players who developed bad habits as they went through each level. There won't be a lot of that with Liam, and the ones that are there should be much easier to break.

[wadesworld]

Marquette84, maybe you should've told Murf you were bolding the positives for him but really have bolded the negatives.  You having told him that you were bolding the positives guarantees that he will read only the non-bolded information, so if you would've bolded the negatives maybe he would've read the positives (thinking they were negatives) and seen there was more written about them then just what fits his agenda...