In 1984 I just happened to tune in to a SEC game between Auburn and Kentucky. The Wildcats were anchored by their 7'1" All American, Sam Bowie, and his 7' teammate, Mel Turpin, both high draft choices in the NBA draft (Bowie had the misfortune of being taken ahead of Michael Jordan by Portland, and became one of the trivia questions for the ages).
The underdog Auburn team lacked the height to combat on equal terms a Wildcat team that was ranked #1 by various polls, but they had an interesting and noteworthy interior player who, at 6'4" and 260 LB. was making a name for himself. I watched in amazement as Charles Barkley stunned Kentucky on their home floor by whipping not one, but both 7 footers, scoring, rebounding and defending. It was a tour de force that one rarely sees, and one that I recall vividly even today, forty years later.
I recalled this earlier this year when I saw Miami play a couple of times and watched their undersized post player dominate in both games through sheer physicality and a sort of infectious exuberance that seemed to intimidate his opponents and inspire his teammates. Omier was dominating taller players at both ends of the floor, and it was clear that he enjoyed doing it. It never occurred to me that Baylor would be his school of choice for his final competitive collegiate year, but I knew that I wanted to see more of him, no matter whose colors he wore.
Why did he choose Baylor? I can only surmise that everything else being reasonably equal, this young man who excelled in both the classroom and on the hardwood chose to cast his lot with Scott Drew's program because he wanted a fair chance to win a national championship and, at the same time, to play for a staff and in a system that would enlarge his game and give him a better opportunity to play in the NBA. That probably means that we will see him at both the center and the power forward positions, and even perhaps something akin to the point forward slot, if Drew chooses to incorporate that into his offensive set.
Omier has the capacity to make good decisions with the ball in his hands and the skill set to build on as a part of the process. Barkley developed an outstanding shot from the corner as a professional, and Omier is already well along the way to becoming a good shooter from the arc, a necessity if he wishes to have a successful professional career. I would think that this was part of the conversation that Drew and others had with Omier in his conversations with Baylor. Creative programs attract talent because they make basketball an art form, as well as a physical and mental challenge. Omier and Baylor, as it turns out, are a combination created in basketball heaven, and Baylor fans are the better for it.
The underdog Auburn team lacked the height to combat on equal terms a Wildcat team that was ranked #1 by various polls, but they had an interesting and noteworthy interior player who, at 6'4" and 260 LB. was making a name for himself. I watched in amazement as Charles Barkley stunned Kentucky on their home floor by whipping not one, but both 7 footers, scoring, rebounding and defending. It was a tour de force that one rarely sees, and one that I recall vividly even today, forty years later.
I recalled this earlier this year when I saw Miami play a couple of times and watched their undersized post player dominate in both games through sheer physicality and a sort of infectious exuberance that seemed to intimidate his opponents and inspire his teammates. Omier was dominating taller players at both ends of the floor, and it was clear that he enjoyed doing it. It never occurred to me that Baylor would be his school of choice for his final competitive collegiate year, but I knew that I wanted to see more of him, no matter whose colors he wore.
Why did he choose Baylor? I can only surmise that everything else being reasonably equal, this young man who excelled in both the classroom and on the hardwood chose to cast his lot with Scott Drew's program because he wanted a fair chance to win a national championship and, at the same time, to play for a staff and in a system that would enlarge his game and give him a better opportunity to play in the NBA. That probably means that we will see him at both the center and the power forward positions, and even perhaps something akin to the point forward slot, if Drew chooses to incorporate that into his offensive set.
Omier has the capacity to make good decisions with the ball in his hands and the skill set to build on as a part of the process. Barkley developed an outstanding shot from the corner as a professional, and Omier is already well along the way to becoming a good shooter from the arc, a necessity if he wishes to have a successful professional career. I would think that this was part of the conversation that Drew and others had with Omier in his conversations with Baylor. Creative programs attract talent because they make basketball an art form, as well as a physical and mental challenge. Omier and Baylor, as it turns out, are a combination created in basketball heaven, and Baylor fans are the better for it.