Sunday, July 24, 2016

Oliver Black

To me, this is the most intriguing new player for this upcoming season. He put up nice numbers in high school, but not more than you would expect from a 6-9 kid who is reasonably athletic. He did average 15.8 minutes per game at Mississippi State as a true freshman, and that does tell us something. His numbers were not staggering. He averaged just 1.8 ppg and 2.4 rpg, but shot 48.9% overall. The fact that they kept using him tells us something about the fact that he was producing in the areas they where they required production from him - probably mainly defense. He was fourth on the team in offensive rebounds and blocks.

Black has had a year to learn his teammates and the system. Call it a gut feel, but I think this guy is going to have a sterling career in Little Rock. And the nice thing is that we should have him for three years. If he has any ability and work ethic at all, he ought to leave here as one of the more accomplished big men we have had in recent years.

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