Got our Center

[Lightning Rod]

https://x.com/mzenitz/status/1908995302 ... 1g7TMslxuA

[edwin drood]

Seems like a project, although I've never seen him play. The big advantage of going to the portal is getting players who've shown production at the college level.

[TheMajicMan]

I keep saying that they have little NIL money and this proves it. This is the kid that the boosters tried to force on Gates when he first came here, because this kid was the Missouri player of the year that no big schools wanted but Okie. I guess the boosters finally got what they wanted. ....Another Josh Gray who can shoot 3's. Dude averaged 3 points a game the last 2 years. (He might fool me and give us a little something) We could have done better, but give kids a chance. There were some nice centers out there in the portal this year and still some out there. All the nice players keep coming off the board and we aren't getting any of them even though there are still a few left and a few more coming on. If they are saving money to try to bid for Jayden Quaintance that would be a big mistake with nothing around him if they get him.

Luke Northweather (I like him better than Josh Gray)

The Jefferson City, Mo. native was a three-star recruit out of Blair Oaks High School. Northweather made 55 appearances for the Sooners over the past two seasons, averaging 2.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 0.2 blocks per game for his career. He played in all but four of OU's outings this season, averaging 11.3 minutes per game, helping the team reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.

Video:
https://youtu.be/EmP6Fsw8l88?si=-_RAJo32vC0BJBe1


The basement teams in the SEC like LSU and S. Carolina are killing it in the portal, because they said that they were inspired by the uptick by Mizzou and Vandy coming from the bottom of the league the previous year to tournament teams. Next year can be ugly for Mizzou. (I hope they can kill it with the final 3 pickups.

[MIDMOBIRDTWO]

Oh my goodness. This team could be taking the Tigers back to the days when Ron Coleman was our "star". Coach Vanatta. Ouch.

[rezero]

I still think the job is Trent Burns to lose.

[winonsports]

https://x.com/mzenitz/status/1908995302 ... 1g7TMslxuA

Glad to see you happy Rod.

He was one of those players who signed elsewhere, and it gave you the opportunity to bash the program multiple times about it.

Now you'll have to find your opportunities elsewhere.

[hdhntr148]

Gates was great in constructing roster last year but these two? uh NO. javon could be last guy in your rotation but this one will rarely step foot on the court in meaningful minutes.

Really LIKED Gates but when the AD fires him for being in bottom of SEC, again, this roster will be the reason why. other bottom feeders are feeding High on the hog while Gates is wallowing in the mud and MU BB will be lost and not worth watching like it was last year and IGNORED to death. He needs to be checked for Mental Health wellness as he has lost his mind.

Only good thing? many of us worried mid season that a big brand would come calling with huge contract. That thought is over forever after choking over last few weeks and then these decisions.

[Sweet Jones]

I keep saying that they have little NIL money and this proves it. This is the kid that the boosters tried to force on Gates when he first came here, because this kid was the Missouri player of the year that no big schools wanted but Okie. I guess the boosters finally got what they wanted. ....Another Josh Gray who can shoot 3's. Dude averaged 3 points a game the last 2 years. (He might fool me and give us a little something) We could have done better, but give kids a chance. There were some nice centers out there in the portal this year and still some out there. All the nice players keep coming off the board and we aren't getting any of them even though there are still a few left and a few more coming on. If they are saving money to try to bid for Jayden Quaintance that would be a big mistake with nothing around him if they get him.

Luke Northweather (I like him better than Josh Gray)

The Jefferson City, Mo. native was a three-star recruit out of Blair Oaks High School. Northweather made 55 appearances for the Sooners over the past two seasons, averaging 2.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 0.2 blocks per game for his career. He played in all but four of OU's outings this season, averaging 11.3 minutes per game, helping the team reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.

Video:
https://youtu.be/EmP6Fsw8l88?si=-_RAJo32vC0BJBe1


The basement teams in the SEC like LSU and S. Carolina are killing it in the portal, because they said that they were inspired by the uptick by Mizzou and Vandy coming from the bottom of the league the previous year to tournament teams. Next year can be ugly for Mizzou. (I hope they can kill it with the final 3 pickups.

IIRC, it wasn't just boosters. I remember a loud contingent of folks in this forum bellyaching over 'losing' that kid.

Good luck to him.

[11WSChamps]

I keep saying that they have little NIL money and this proves it. This is the kid that the boosters tried to force on Gates when he first came here, because this kid was the Missouri player of the year that no big schools wanted but Okie. I guess the boosters finally got what they wanted. ....Another Josh Gray who can shoot 3's. Dude averaged 3 points a game the last 2 years. (He might fool me and give us a little something) We could have done better, but give kids a chance. There were some nice centers out there in the portal this year and still some out there. All the nice players keep coming off the board and we aren't getting any of them even though there are still a few left and a few more coming on. If they are saving money to try to bid for Jayden Quaintance that would be a big mistake with nothing around him if they get him.

Luke Northweather (I like him better than Josh Gray)

The Jefferson City, Mo. native was a three-star recruit out of Blair Oaks High School. Northweather made 55 appearances for the Sooners over the past two seasons, averaging 2.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 0.2 blocks per game for his career. He played in all but four of OU's outings this season, averaging 11.3 minutes per game, helping the team reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.

Video:
https://youtu.be/EmP6Fsw8l88?si=-_RAJo32vC0BJBe1


The basement teams in the SEC like LSU and S. Carolina are killing it in the portal, because they said that they were inspired by the uptick by Mizzou and Vandy coming from the bottom of the league the previous year to tournament teams. Next year can be ugly for Mizzou. (I hope they can kill it with the final 3 pickups.

IIRC, it wasn't just boosters. I remember a loud contingent of folks in this forum bellyaching over 'losing' that kid.

Good luck to him.

I wasn't one of them but if I recall the angst was not giving a local a chance because of his 3pt shooting ability not because of him being some kind big time college inside presence type of player.

[Basil Shabazz]

A non-physical 6'10" to 7'0" player that likes to hang out 20' from the rim?

He'll fit in perfectly.

[boulanger]

Northweather and Mack seem quite a step down from Mitchell and Perkins. and even from Josh Gray.

[woofy25]

Gates was great in constructing roster last year but these two? uh NO. javon could be last guy in your rotation but this one will rarely step foot on the court in meaningful minutes.

Really LIKED Gates but when the AD fires him for being in bottom of SEC, again, this roster will be the reason why. other bottom feeders are feeding High on the hog while Gates is wallowing in the mud and MU BB will be lost and not worth watching like it was last year and IGNORED to death. He needs to be checked for Mental Health wellness as he has lost his mind.

Only good thing? many of us worried mid season that a big brand would come calling with huge contract. That thought is over forever after choking over last few weeks and then these decisions.

Forever, or maybe revisit if they're 15-3 midway through the season? I agree that the portal transfers so far are not exciting. Mack might be a decent player, but he won't replace Grill or Bates.

[Armchair QB]

Folks don’t sleep on Northweather. Is he going to come in and lead us in scoring and rebounding? No, probably not.

But he’s a skilled big who can handle it, pass, and shoot from deep. He’s not particularly physical and always seemed a step slow and tentative at Oklahoma. But to be fair, Oklahoma was not a good fit for a highly unselfish player. Oklahoma was full of “me first” players. Luke’s biggest fault at Oklahoma was he would defer too much. If you saw him play in HS, you’d know what he’s capable of. He can absolutely fill it up.

He might thrive in our system since we will share the ball. Best thing a coach could do for him is say go score for me. Because he can do that. I can see him being a 15-20 minute, 8 pt, 5 board type of role player who can get hot from 3 and score 20 occasionally sparking our offense. A little bigger version of Trent Pierce.

[11WSChamps]

Unfortunately we don't need accessories we need stars.

MU as it sits now doesn't have any.

[Mizzoufan443]

A non-physical center with ball-handling and shooting skills is exactly the type of player Dennis Gates is looking for. Rebounding is overrated, right?

But seriously, hopefully a couple years experience at big time schools and returning to home state will lead to a big step forward for him.

[Rvrartst]

Geez, people, you're all acting like Northweather was a real target or something. The kid is coming to Mizzou because he wanted to play close to home. He's taking a scholarship but no NIL money. He's a bench piece and knows it coming in. Basically, he takes Allen's spot on the bench--and that doesn't mean he replaces Allen, he just takes up the kind of minutes that Allen had the past season. He does have some skills, and if they get ANY more than that from him it's gravy. He projects at the 4 spot as much as the 5. Figure on a 5 minute a game guy, and the way Gates plays his personnel, there will probably be games where he gets 10 minutes and others where he gets zero.

You're also acting like the transfer window is over. It's just starting. Mizzou is still targeting a big who can rebound and score down low (at the least, a Josh Gray that's more of an offensive threat) and a guard who can shoot. They are holding onto NIL money to pay for the players they hope to find, and to insure that Mitchell, Robinson, and a couple other returning guys stay happy. It's still early...they didn't pick up Mitchell last year until late April.

And...the portal market is NOT good so far this year. A lot of role players and players with weaknesses, and all demanding very high prices. Mediocre big men are asking for more than a million, and the few impact guards are asking 1.5 to 4 million. LSU, Oklahoma, and some other SEC teams are snatching players because they had to replace nearly their whole roster, and getting decent pieces because they are desperate enough to pay top dollar for them. All indications are that Mizzou is holding out for better portal entries later in the process instead of spending gobs of money on guys that barely fit what they need now.

And...unless the SEC snatches a whole lot of impact players in the next month or so, it's looking like ALL Mizzou needs to be in the top tier next year is to hit on that shooting guard and get a serviceable big. Believe it or not, Mizzou returns more production from last year than all but one SEC team, unless some more guys leave. Nearly all the other teams are decimated from graduation, guys going pro, and from defections.

In other words, quit whining about these early additions, and wait to see what the roster looks like by June.