November 29, 2019 Issue, Page 10 of 10

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Page 10 The Elk City News, Elk City, Oklahoma Friday, November 29, 2019 Thunder’s Gilgeous-Alexander adjusts to jump in minutes By Maddie Lee, The Okla- van Mitchell. Even with the 21-year-old Gilgeous-Alex- ment-focused offense relies floor for nine or 10 minutes Lakers guard Kentavious homan, Oklahoma City increased usage, Gilgeous- ander is playing alongside on consistent motion from straight he begins to slow. "I Caldwell-Pope slipped over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Alexander's efficiency this Paul, a two-way guard who players both with and with- can do a better job of maybe the pick as Gilgeous-Alex- looked out over the media season is comparable to last has mastered staying en- out the ball. OKC is also a getting him off a little bit ander accelerated. scrum, considering the ques- year. gaged on both ends of the team without enough lock- sooner," Donovan said be- When he reached the el- tion for a moment. What sur- He enters Monday's game floor for extended minutes. down defenders to hide any fore the Thunder's 130-127 bow, Gilgoeus-Alexander prised him most in the first at Golden State shooting "Those guys understand player on defense. loss to the Lakers on Fri- stopped so suddenly his game of the season? "How 45.7% from the field and how to conserve energy on Not that it would want to day. ".. I think with the way shoes squeaked against the tired I was," Gilgeous-Alex- 40.3% from 3-point range, offense," Thunder coach do so with Gilgeous-Alex- we're trying to play, and him hardwood. Caldwell-Pope ander said before flashing a compared to 47.6% and Billy Donovan said. "They ander, The Thunder sees Gil- being a guard and trying to went sliding toward the rim, smile. "I realized how much 36.7% last season. Gilgeous- understand that on defense, geous-Alexander as a player play with pace and run and and Gilgeous-Alexander's I'm not in shape.” Alexander is also expected they're going to have to be who can develop into a real those kinds of things, and stepback jumper cut the He had just finished play- to remain active on defense fully engaged because you two-way threat, so he is you play against teams that Lakers' lead to three points. ing almost 37 minutes at throughout the game. "It never know what's going to highly involved on the other fast break, there's a lot of It didn't show then, but a Utah, well above his average says a lot about him as a happen. side of the court. "Really, it's running and a lot of physi- last season of 26,5 minutes player," veteran point guard You could be involved in just been more fun playing cal fatigue that comes with month after Gilgoeus-Alex- per game. The second-year Chris Paul said. "And he's a lot of different things on more basketball," Gilgeous- that." Against the Lakers ander's Thunder regular sea- guard's time on the court going to continue to grow. a possession. Offensively, Alexander said. "I try not to Friday, Gilgeous-Alexander son debut, one thing hadn't has remained just as high We talk a lot, and it doesn't you want to be able to move look at it as more minutes, played eight minutes in the changed. through the Thunder's first seem like much going from and play efficiently. I think It just feels like I'm playing fourth quarter, and he looked "Tm definitely exhausted 15 games of the season. Log- playing 20, 20-something those are things that Shai basketball and doing what I sharp to the end. by the end of the game," ging 35 minutes per game, minutes a game, to playing is going to have to learn." love." Donovan is trying to With just under two min- Gilgeous-Alexander said. Gilgeous-Alexander's aver- 35, 36, that's an adjustment. The Thunder's playing style help —_ Gilgeous-Alexander utes left in the game, Gil- "There is no trick (to avoid age playing time is among He's doing great with it and doesn't naturally build in stay fresh, too. geous-Alexander dribbled that). Every time I step out the top 15 in the NBA this will continue." many breaks for Gilgeous- He's noticed that when the up the court and around a there I just try to give it my year, tied with Utah's Dono- In his first year with OKC, Alexander. Its _ball-move- young guard has been on the screen set by Steven Adams. all." OSU defense showing signs of health, improvement at right time By Jason Elmquist, Still- boy defense lined up in its stop. and pulling guys back. That winning streak, the Cow- three games. water NewsPress, Okla. own end zone, Oklahoma With the defensive line happened twice, then we boy defense has held op- But for the third time in the STILLWATER - There State stuffed two quarter- creating a wall along the were able to get the penalty posing offenses to under 28 past four games, the defense was still nearly three quar- back sneaks by Jarret Doege goal line, linebacker Amen and Trace Ford was able to points - the most being a pair held the opposing offense to ters left in the game when and affected a pass attempt Ogbongbemiga came around get pressure on the quarter- of 27-point outputs by the fewer than 100 yards rush- Oklahoma State had what on a third-and-6 - following the end each time and back, knock his arm down Cyclones and TCU. It’s the Cowboy coach Mike Gundy a false start penalty - to limit dragged Doege back - pre- and held them to a field goal. first time Oklahoma State ing, The Mountaineers man- said was the game-winning WVU to just a field goal. venting the WVU QB from That’s where the game was has held its opponents to aged just 26 yards on the moment. “Last night, I told the getting much momentum. won and it was very well less than 28 points in a four- ground with an average of Early in the second quar- team that was what won the “T don’t ever remember done.” game stretch in Big 12 Con- 1.2 yards per carry - with ter, with the Cowboys up game,” Gundy said Mon- seeing the ball that close to That’s become a bit of ference play - and the first the longest run going for 14 7-0, West Virginia was day. “Very seldom do we the goal line,” Gundy said. staple for the Cowboys dur- time since 1985 in the Big 8 yards, looking to tie the game and ever talk about situations ing their four-game winning Conference. “When both teams lined up, “We're healthy on defense To couple with the take- needed just one yard to do that happened in the second their helmets were essential- streak. aways of late, has been the so, The Mountaineers had quarter.” ly over the goal line on both The defense has been now for the first time we’ve just marched 65 yards on 11 On both dives by the sides. It looked like a pure making plays - one way or been all year,” Gundy said ability to force a change of plays and was knocking on Doege, it was one of Okla- rugby scrum. another - under second-year Monday. “We started the possession by normal means. the goal line. homa State’s lead tacklers “You had 20 guys in a defensive coordinator Jim season with three or four In the past four games, But with the entire Cow- getting credited with the pile and fighting, scratching Knowles. players injured, and it ran Oklahoma State has forced Whether it’s a goal line all the way up through the 15 three-and-outs. In its five stand like this past weekend, fourth or fifth week of the OU football: Hurts causes conference victories, the or a game-winning pick-six season.” Cowboy defense has forced on the road at Iowa State that Saturday’s game did snap an average of 4.2 three-and- some heartburn locally while wins as the offense. started this run, the defense a streak of three-straight games forcing turnovers for outs per game, while forcing has had a big a hand in the just 2.3 per game in its three the Cowboys, who had 10 =< Peas takeaways in the previous drawing praise nationally During the four-game Big 12 losses. By Jenni Carlson, The nalist for both the Maxwell arm and his feet, but he’s Oklahoman, Oklahoma and Davey O’Brien awards. more likely to get his yards City The O’Brien goes to the best in smaller chunks. On Sat- NORMAN- The grainy quarterback in college foot- urday, OU had 15 offensive video has the feel of a dark ball, and Hurts is a finalist plays of 10 yards or more back room confessional, but along with LSU’s Joe Bur- - TCU, by comparison, had even with the bad lighting row and Ohio State’s Justin six - but only four of those and the constant hum, Chris Fields. That’s some good chunk plays went for 20 Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit company. yards or more. are easily recognizable. Same for the Maxwell, Can that style be effective? Sitting inside a small jet which is given to the best A 10-1 record would indi- plane, the college football player in college football. cate so. commentators are still in Hurts is a finalist along with GRAND OP! ENING Is it different than what suits and ties after calling Burrow and Ohio State de- we’ve seen from Sooner Oklahoma’s_come-from-be- fensive end Chase Young. quarterbacks over the past hind win at Baylor. Don’t be surprised to see few years? “What did we see to- those three in New York night?” Fowler says trying City for the Heisman Trophy Absolutely. to make sense of the mad- ceremony. They might be “There was an adjustment ness on a video later posted joined by one or two more from Baker to Kyler and an to his Instagram account. players, but the finalists for adjustment here,” OU coach Lincoln Riley said. “Who- SATURDAY, 11/30 1OAM Herbstreit pauses a mo- the Maxwell are often iden- ment before saying, “Jalen tical to the Heisman finalists. ever’s the quarterback next Hurts is the baddest ... “ year, there will be an adjust- 7h Needless to say, Hurts is He mouths a four-syllable thought of highly in the col- ment to them, too. You’ve expletive not allowed in a lege football world. got to fit it to what they do family publication. And why wouldn’t he be? well. “... there is.” He’s doing things rarely “7 think we’ve found our By baddest, of course, he seen. He’s thrown for more way in some respects, and means toughest. Strongest. than 3,000 yards and rushed in some respects, we’re still Best. for more than 1,000 this sea- learning.” There were OU fans who son. Only Lamar Jackson It’s easy to forget Hurts SHOP called Hurts bad that night - and this past Saturday night, too - but they didn’t mean it and Johnny Manziel have hasn’t even been on campus ever done that before in the a full calendar year. Riley history of college football has had to implement and OUR GIFTS, DECOR, AND IS in a good way. There’s a fac- - and they both won Heis- teach and scheme with Hurts TOYS FOR tion of Sooner Nation that mans. in a much more condensed is done with Hurts. It’s not Hurts, who also has a time frame. ALL AGES a big contingent calling for backstory that is grand and a 4m The end results have been Spencer Rattler or Tanner backbone that is admirable, largely spectacular. Mordecai, but still, the mal- is having one of the most The warts, though, are evi- contents are out there. They efficient seasons in history, dent if you watch the Soon- think he runs too much. Or too. Not OU history. College ers regularly. Hurts isn’t as doesn’t throw well enough. football history. His passing dynamic as his predecessors, Or turns it over too often. efficiency rating is 203.7, even though few college I’m not here to say who’s second best all-time. It is quarterbacks are. As a result, opinion is more valid, Joe better than Kyler Murray’s Fan’s or Kirk Herbstreit’s. 199.2 a year ago and Baker his turnover problem - three What is _ interesting, Mayfield’s 198.9 two years fumbles lost and two inter- ceptions thrown in the last HOLIDAY though, is the vast difference ago. in how some folks in our And yet, it’s those former two games - is exacerbated. state see Hurts compared to Sooners who color OU fan’s Hurts can’t make up for mis- how most folks around the perceptions of Hurts. May- takes as quickly as Mayfield HOUSE country do. It’s fascinating, field and Murray were home- and Murray could. really. tun hitters, able to change a That has frayed nerves in Look across the college game in a flash. They struck Sooner Nation even as the football landscape, and like a lightning bolt. Shock nation continues to dote on you'll see all sorts of evi- and awe was their way. Hurts. dence of people’s respect Hurts isn’t that kind of So, is he great? 614 FRISCO AVENUE CLINTON, OK 73601 for Hurts. Monday, for ex- quarterback. He’s able to Or is he maddening? ample. he was named a fi- hit big vlavs. both with his I'd sav ves.