Do you guys realize just how devout a Christian KO is? LeBron talks about it. I heard Kevin Durant's testimony re KO while in Tulsa Ok last Thanksgiving. Do you guys want me to "enlighten"you?
KO is a fanatically devout Christian. The entire NBA knows it. And you can not find anyone in the NBA that doesn't respect him and think that he is one of the most special people they have ever met. Most teams wanted him to help lift their locker room and players with a real role model. It was as important to the coaches/mgmt as was his ability on the court. Cleaved and Oklahoma acquired him to mentor LeBron and Durant. I have more if u want it.
He's not doubting KO's devoutness. Just doubting that KO is targeting only devout recruits, which was the original question. Let's steer this thread back in the right direction.
Sorry- what I think may be happening is that a lot of players of faith may start targeting UC& KO! I didn't know if u guys really knew much about KO and his faith.
um yes. I brought it up
Maybe he's pulling a Princess Bridge move. "I am not left-handed"
Since the team's strength lies in the slew of combo guards (Boat, Purvis, Hamilton, Calhoun, TSam and Cassell), many of them with good size, there's a good chance that there will be a lot of 3 or even 4 guard line-ups. I think some of the bigs will come along slowly, but will hopefully hit their stride come March.
I'm not surprised by this. I think although most who frequent the Yard have heard in some way or another that KO is person of faith, I don't think many realize how powerful that draw is for both recruits and their parents. Coaches have to walk a fine line when it comes to their influencing their players spiritually, but there are a lot of devote Christian kids and parents who place high marks for a coach that can mentor them or their child spiritually as well as athletically. I don't know how many successful coaches fall into that category, but KO has a lot going for him right now. He's such a role model on so many levels. He's proved he's a great coach. He relates to players and parent quite well. He's subtle with his Christianity publicly...though I'm sure not subtle enough for some fans. He always talks up the academic aspect of the student athlete, stressing how important most get their degree. I'm beginning to be sold on the fact that even though we're stuck in the AAC for now, KO is going to kill it on the recruiting trail. Can you imagine if we were in one of the big-5?
Strummer said:
I don't know Montrezl Harrell ate more than our lunch. The SMU big men also played well against our bigs. They just both happen to have good enough guards to neutralize our strength.
I think in some way, it is strategic, in that if you can get a kid who buys into religion/believing in something greater/bigger than himself, well that type of kid might buy into the team concept, i.e, the team is greater than the individual, IMO.
I'm going to try and find the first thread I posted recently on the Men's blog about the story that I witnessed live. If I can't find it, I will tell it again shortly! Thks!
I can't speak for @ColoradoUCFan, but it seems like he was saying "yes, I know KO is a devout Christian" instead of "yes, tell me more".
This. Ollie's going after high character kids. A good proportion of those are going have a strong faith background. I suspect that it is less a matter of targeting kids of faith as they are a significant portion of target pool.
For what it's worth, I posted on 3-27, Kevin Ollie & Kevin Durant Connection. It was quite a chance experience to be at a church service and to hear a live interview simulcast to my daughters church from Oklahoma City and Kevin Durant giving a testimony to how Kevin Ollie totally changed his life, others in the locker rm, and the culture of the entire Thunder team. Between the program built by Jim C, and the experience KO has gained from Playing for and coaching with JC, playing for 11-12 different NBA coaches, and the KO's character and belief system that everyone in the NBA is very aware of- this guy was definitely a gift for our program, which he has obviously already proven. But his intangibles will help lure all types of different young men whether of deep faith, or young men that may be looking for discipline or direction in their life. And there may be a lot of parents that would encourage this also. Between the two coasts, there are a lot of people who enjoy living their faith out loud. KO's appeal is so broad- it's almost frightening. I hope his contract is increased enough to keep him away from the NBA for a long long time.
Yes, Montrez Harrell should have been banned from the tournament for violating NCAA rules regarding meals and snacks!
I am not left handed either!
