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'20 CO SG Luke O'Brien (SIGNED to COLORADO)
- Thread starter Goose
- Start date
Lightning
Well-Known Member
Colorado Class 5A:
[TBODY]
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Admittedly Colorado is not a hotbed of BB talent, but I don't think he will be a stiff.
| FIRST TEAM | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | SCHOOL | YEAR | POS. |
| Kenny Foster | Smoky Hill | Senior | G |
| Quincey Jewett | Rangeview | Senior | P |
| Luke O'Brien | Columbine | Junior | SG |
| Dayne Prim | Grandview | Senior | C/F |
| Kobe Sanders | Chaparral | Junior | PG/SG |
Admittedly Colorado is not a hotbed of BB talent, but I don't think he will be a stiff.
It's not like the in-state players Tad has recruited have flamed out at CU without making significant contributions.
J40, XT, Chen, White, Dom, Schwartz, Wes and Kountz have all been fine. I see a range from "positive contributor" to "all-time CU player" on that list.
I would take Dom off that list. He was a net negative who never really figured it out.
Wasn't he the 6th Man of the Year in the Pac-12?
Uh, as Buffnik already mentioned, 6th man of the year. Also, if we’re taking anyone off the list, it’s oviously the mole, XT.
Basically a 7 & 7 guy for 4 years who protected the rim. Definitely a net positive player who was an effective starting player here even if he never took his game much above what he gave as a freshman.
Somehow he was, yes. But he averaged a career high 7.5pts per game that year and still managed to average a turnover for every assist he dished out. Not exactly impressive stats .
I guess my issue is that positive contribution is the wrong way to look at it. If they’re playing, they will contribute, right? I’d prefer opportunity cost analysis. Would someone else have been better? The best way to measure this would be W-L, being named to 1st, 2nd, 3rd team all conference, winning games in the NCAA tourney.
OK. But with Wes we are talking about the the 2nd leading shot blocker in CU history & #8 all time in the Pac. He was also voted "Best Defender" by his teammates 4 years and is 6th on CU's all-time rebounding list. https://cubuffs.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10867
I highly doubt that CU missed out on better recruiting options the year Tad signed him.
Not everyone becomes an all conference player. That is an entirely unreasonable expectation. Dom and Wes were absolutely positive contributors. Calling Dom a net negative is just wrong. In the grand scheme of things, Dom underperformed what most everyone hoped he’d become, but he still was a positive contributor.
Lightning
Well-Known Member
This article from Nov 2018 is from Luke's AAU coach Randy Perkins (father of the Zags Josh Perkins). As he mentions he has time to improve his skills and athleticism.
To get more insight into O'Brien, we tracked down his club coach with the Colorado Miners, Randy Perkins.
What can you tell us about Luke O'Brien as a basketball player?
Coach Randy Perkins: "Well, he is 6-foot-6 and can flat out shoot the basketball. He has added the dribble drive piece to his game and has tightened up his handles. Luke is going to grow some more. I always give him a hard time because he doesn't have any arm pit hair yet. To me that is an indication he is probably going to get about two more inches. I have known the kid forever. I was real close with his parents before they even decided to have kids. So I have watched this kid go from playing multiple sports - baseball, basketball and football - to starting to come into his own in ninth grade when he started to focus on basketball.
"What I love about all of this is getting to walk along side these kids as they go after their dream. This kid's ultimate dream was to play Division-1 college basketball. We went to the CU against Colorado School of Mines (exhibition) game in Boulder before Luke gave the verbal commitment. We went to dinner and Tad Boyle sent a text to Luke that read, 'Did you see what was missing tonight?' Because CU struggled shooting against School of Mines, a really good D-2 school. I said, 'See Luke? This is your dream. This is what you want.' I have never been happier for a kid's opportunity other than my own son. I am just ecstatic. I love the kid."
You mentioned Luke started to come into his own in ninth grade... was it on the AAU circuit this past spring and summer that colleges started to notice him?
"Colorado is not a hotbed for college basketball recruiting so the eyes are slow to get on the kids here. Luke has had a steady pace of improvement. He did not just leap onto the scene. But when you're in ninth and 10th grade in Colorado, most of the time, you fly under the radar. I did utilize some of my relationships to say, 'Hey guys, you might want to take a look at this kid. He is 6-foot-6, can shoot, can get buckets. He is an honor roll student, a high character kid.' I sent a text to Tad Boyle where I said, 'This kid is going to elevate every aspect of your program: character, GPA, and he can play the game.' Luke is special. I just love that he is going to be going to college in our backyard and I get to watch him play."
You have mentioned his shooting ability a couple times... is that his best attribute on the court?
"Yeah, he can really shoot the ball. He stretches the floor. We have incorporated some mid-range stuff, some attack moves, one dribble pull up stuff. His ability to stretch the floor is a big reason why we were successful as a team. But now, the secret it out the bag. I told him that now he is going to be on scouting reports and is going to have his name at the top of the board for opposing teams. It is going to be much more challenging for him now. He is just the nicest kid you'll ever meet. He is an introvert, he is not an overly outgoing kid. I always make him uncomfortable because I am the opposite. I hug and kiss him on the forehead and he is looking at me like, 'Can you not do that in front of other people?' I love the kid. Tad stole him and Tad knew it. That is why he offered him so early."
What does Luke need to improve on over the course of the next year-and-a-half before he enrolls at CU?
"He is a really thin kid so he has got to put some meat on those bones. He also has to work on some speed and agility stuff to improve his explosiveness. What he needs to work on is on the physical side because mentally, he is dialed in. What is nice is he gets a chance to rub shoulders with my son Josh (Perkins), who played at Gonzaga. When Josh comes to town they workout together. And he gets to play with Josh and (former Washington State forward) Drick Bernstine and (former Wofford guard) Eric Garcia because when they are in town they all come to my gym. Those guys will tell you where the gaps are in your game. Luke gets frustrated when he gets blown by and when those guys will push him out of the lane. So he knows it is the physical part of the game and he has nearly two years to get it done."
To get more insight into O'Brien, we tracked down his club coach with the Colorado Miners, Randy Perkins.
What can you tell us about Luke O'Brien as a basketball player?
Coach Randy Perkins: "Well, he is 6-foot-6 and can flat out shoot the basketball. He has added the dribble drive piece to his game and has tightened up his handles. Luke is going to grow some more. I always give him a hard time because he doesn't have any arm pit hair yet. To me that is an indication he is probably going to get about two more inches. I have known the kid forever. I was real close with his parents before they even decided to have kids. So I have watched this kid go from playing multiple sports - baseball, basketball and football - to starting to come into his own in ninth grade when he started to focus on basketball.
"What I love about all of this is getting to walk along side these kids as they go after their dream. This kid's ultimate dream was to play Division-1 college basketball. We went to the CU against Colorado School of Mines (exhibition) game in Boulder before Luke gave the verbal commitment. We went to dinner and Tad Boyle sent a text to Luke that read, 'Did you see what was missing tonight?' Because CU struggled shooting against School of Mines, a really good D-2 school. I said, 'See Luke? This is your dream. This is what you want.' I have never been happier for a kid's opportunity other than my own son. I am just ecstatic. I love the kid."
You mentioned Luke started to come into his own in ninth grade... was it on the AAU circuit this past spring and summer that colleges started to notice him?
"Colorado is not a hotbed for college basketball recruiting so the eyes are slow to get on the kids here. Luke has had a steady pace of improvement. He did not just leap onto the scene. But when you're in ninth and 10th grade in Colorado, most of the time, you fly under the radar. I did utilize some of my relationships to say, 'Hey guys, you might want to take a look at this kid. He is 6-foot-6, can shoot, can get buckets. He is an honor roll student, a high character kid.' I sent a text to Tad Boyle where I said, 'This kid is going to elevate every aspect of your program: character, GPA, and he can play the game.' Luke is special. I just love that he is going to be going to college in our backyard and I get to watch him play."
You have mentioned his shooting ability a couple times... is that his best attribute on the court?
"Yeah, he can really shoot the ball. He stretches the floor. We have incorporated some mid-range stuff, some attack moves, one dribble pull up stuff. His ability to stretch the floor is a big reason why we were successful as a team. But now, the secret it out the bag. I told him that now he is going to be on scouting reports and is going to have his name at the top of the board for opposing teams. It is going to be much more challenging for him now. He is just the nicest kid you'll ever meet. He is an introvert, he is not an overly outgoing kid. I always make him uncomfortable because I am the opposite. I hug and kiss him on the forehead and he is looking at me like, 'Can you not do that in front of other people?' I love the kid. Tad stole him and Tad knew it. That is why he offered him so early."
What does Luke need to improve on over the course of the next year-and-a-half before he enrolls at CU?
"He is a really thin kid so he has got to put some meat on those bones. He also has to work on some speed and agility stuff to improve his explosiveness. What he needs to work on is on the physical side because mentally, he is dialed in. What is nice is he gets a chance to rub shoulders with my son Josh (Perkins), who played at Gonzaga. When Josh comes to town they workout together. And he gets to play with Josh and (former Washington State forward) Drick Bernstine and (former Wofford guard) Eric Garcia because when they are in town they all come to my gym. Those guys will tell you where the gaps are in your game. Luke gets frustrated when he gets blown by and when those guys will push him out of the lane. So he knows it is the physical part of the game and he has nearly two years to get it done."
Sure, but outside of Josh Scott and one year with White, did any of them make the three deep all PAC 12? Seems like we've had much better success with out of state players like Burke, Dinwiddie, Roberson, King, Big X, Carlon Brown.
As for Wes Gordon, I don't mean to pick on the guy. He was a decent rebounder and shot blocker, but #2 all time Colorado doesn't mean much. There's David Harrison and the that big white guy from 30 years ago (forgot his name). And then nothing. I probably shouldn't point out that Gordon, as a senior, was the #2 shot blocker on his team, behind a guard.
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Since when is Colorado a hotbed for All PAC 12 caliber talent?
It isn’t. Colorado has better football than basketball at the prep level, by a wide margin imho. I think Tad has taken too many Colorado preps in general, which is no reflection on OBrien. Probably better if this discussion were parsed off this recruits thread.
I think your thinking about Ted Allen. Poncho Hodges was a beast as well in the Harrington era. Gordon IMO was a pretty good defensive player, but I honestly expected more from him.
I was a bit surprised that the Buffs offered Luke so soon. There are still "Top 150" players out there that could be had, but Tad has made it a point to recruit the best in Colorado which can be good or bad depending on the way you look at it. Anyhow, I'll be interested to see how Luke O'Brien develops and what his ceiling looks like. He appears to have the length. Not to put my own ceiling on him, but I hope he turns into a knockdown shooter, our version of "Kyle Guy", or someone near that caliber.
If he is not a very good outside shooter, I don't see how he can possibly play at this level.
We missed on the Foster kid...
Lightning
Well-Known Member
Foster had a great senior year and looks athletic, strong. Wyoming signed before the season. Hopefully LOB keeps upping his game, and maybe even grows an inch or 2 and definitely adds weight and strength. Hopefully we wont need significant contributions his frosh year with our current perimeter players.
We recruited him, but didn't offer. To me, he looks like a shorter Siewert.
his declining 3 point percentage is concerning. I thought it was a volume issue, but that has been relatively steady
| Grade | 3 point attempts | 3 point % |
| Freshman | 131 | 40% |
| Sophomore | 139 | 37% |
| Junior | 151 | 34% |
brettden
Well-Known Member
Likely a change in the nature of the shots he is taking. Wide open set shots as a frosh, probably mostly similar as a soph, and as a junior he was probably the focus of opposition defense his junior year. And right now he does not look to have the speed/quickness/explosiveness to be great at getting his shot by himself. I'm sure he will be better at that going forward as he works on the physical side. The question really is what is his potential physically? Not just how tall will he be, but more important how quick and explosive can he be? To me that will determine whether he is a legitimate DI threat, or a "good player from Colorado."
I'll make sure to give you an ear full from the stands!
ahoelsken
Well-Known Member
In a gym like Columbine's, I can't hear anything in the stands......that should be a fairly big game to boot so you could yell whatever you'd want and I probably wont hear it.
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WarBuff
Club Member
You doing any Chatfield games?
ahoelsken
Well-Known Member
Varsity? Not that I know of. I have some lower level stuff there though. Had their girls like 5 times LY.
WarBuff
Club Member
Kids graduated from there and we still go to some of the Chatfield/ Columbine varsity boys games. Some of the school hazing is brutal!
ahoelsken
Well-Known Member
Nice! That's a hard to one to get, and I'm wayyyyyy too low on the totem pole for it. One of my mentors graduated from Columbine in the mid 90s-so the Chatfield boys' game was kind of a bucket list type of game for him to work. He's gone deep in the playoffs for a few years running now, and he finally got the boys game for the first time last year. Hazing? hahahaha I had to have an Aurora cop escort me out of Overland last year (had their boys at home v. Cherry Creek).
LOB was a little inconsistent last season IMO-he'd go off on somebody like Chatfield, but wasn't much of a factor when they played Highlands Ranch and had a fairly quiet 21 points the last time I had them against Mountain Vista last year.
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