HARP

[ponyte]

Our two best scorers are in foul trouble. And there is plenty of time left on the clock. Someone has to come in and play quality minutes for one or both. Problem is, we don't have great depth on the bench. So what to do?

So Doh ask Harp, a player that is about to play out of position, to fill in for Dia and Robert. He did. Doh decided to put a 3 year letterman Sr. into a very tough position. Luttman (39 minutes played in 11 games with a whole 6 points scored) hasn't shown to be very solid on defense the very little I have seen him play and I haven't seen Kwiatkowski (9 minutes in 5 games with ZERO points) play all year.

Who else can Doh use? Clinkscales at 6' 1"? Horn, a soph at 6' 3"? We don't have a 6' 7" + player that can come off the bench. If we did, Harp wouldn't be ask to play out of position.

Harp did one heck of a job. Did he score a bunch of points playing out of position? No. Did he miss the one shot he took? Yes. So we can hammer this poor kid all day long. But it isn't his fault there is no depth on the bench. It isn't his fault that he has to play out position because there isn't anyone else to play when Dia and Robert need a breather or are in foul trouble.

He did what we needed in a very difficult situation for the SMU team. And yes, a 6' 4" guard playing at the center position against much larger inside men and being part of a team that kept us in the game is playing great. A remarkable achievement asking a guard to play center and holding his own.


One player didn't lose the TU game. A whole team contributed on both ends of the court to lose this one.

[Used To Be]

Our two best scorers are in foul trouble. And there is plenty of time left on the clock. Someone has to come in and play quality minutes for one or both. Problem is, we don't have great depth on the bench. So what to do?

So Doh ask Harp, a player that is about to play out of position, to fill in for Dia and Robert. He did. Doh decided to put a 3 year letterman Sr. into a very tough position. Luttman (39 minutes played in 11 games with a whole 6 points scored) hasn't shown to be very solid on defense the very little I have seen him play and I haven't seen Kwiatkowski (9 minutes in 5 games with ZERO points) play all year.

Who else can Doh use? Clinkscales at 6' 1"? Horn, a soph at 6' 3"? We don't have a 6' 7" + player that can come off the bench. If we did, Harp wouldn't be ask to play out of position.

Harp did one heck of a job. Did he score a bunch of points playing out of position? No. Did he miss the one shot he took? Yes. So we can hammer this poor kid all day long. But it isn't his fault there is no depth on the bench. It isn't his fault that he has to play out position because there isn't anyone else to play when Dia and Robert need a breather or are in foul trouble.

He did what we needed in a very difficult situation for the SMU team. And yes, a 6' 4" guard playing at the center position against much larger inside men and being part of a team that kept us in the game is playing great. A remarkable achievement asking a guard to play center and holding his own.

One player didn't lose the TU game. A whole team contributed on both ends of the court to lose this one.

Totally agree, don't think Harp would have been an issue if he had not missed the easy bucket during our comeback. I saw his face and felt his pain. Let quit harping on this guy and move on.

[mustangsfan3030]

Great comments by Ponte, Mrdel, Kiper, and Used to be. In fact, the most positive and intelligent comments I have seen in ages. You know your hoops. Give yourself a pat on the back. You can tell the majority of the other comments are by folks who never played the game or don't understand the game. Go to another board. You are not fans and should start a new post called Pony Haters. Now let's have a great turnout for Rice and get the sweep. I love this team! There is not one player who is a bad person. They are great role models. Thanks Coach Doh for bringing them in to SMU.

[2ndandlong]

I haven't harped on him, berated him, or anything else. I said he was involved in the most notable mediocre plays of the game which I really don't think is that negative. The only other major mediocre play was Mangrums botched dunk attempt.

I still don't buy that he did a great job in that role. Yes it was a tough role. Yes it is not his normal role. Didn't do a great job in that role.

[ponyte]

We didn't need a thread discussing our players after a lose. We needed a thread discussing how pathetic the officials were. See, we in Arkyland honestly believe if it wasn't for bad officiating, the Beloved Razorbacks would be preparing to defend their 97th consecutive NCAA football championship this fall.

Why can't we just adapt that philosophy at SMU? That way, our players are prefect, our coaches are perfect and we have someone else to blame at all times.
Of course it might screw up the usual big horsey/little horsey bickering and we might forget what color our jerseys are, but small price to pay for such blissful whining.

[2ndandlong]

We needed a thread discussing how pathetic the officials were. See, we in Arkyland honestly believe if it wasn't for bad officiating, the Beloved Razorbacks would be preparing to defend their 97th consecutive NCAA football championship this fall..

Lol. I cant disagree with that, but I'll note my original post led with the poor officiating. The refs controlled the tempo of the game. Called a foul on us everytime Tulsa traveled and let the weakest contact warrant a foul. The technical on Doh was even weak. I'm still a little hoarse from yelling at the game.

[Pony4Life]

I haven't harped on him...

HARP-ed on him? Nice.

Listen, a lot of folks are asked to change their roles and the way they play their games, and they are unable to do it. Harp came to SMU with a reputation as a scorer (22 points per game in HS) and for whatever reason, has been asked to take on different roles within the team. He might well be the best perimeter defender on the team (him or Haynes, anyway) which is invaluable in a league like Conference USA that has so many teams that rely so much on a bunch of mid-sized wing players. The personal attack on Harp is unjustified and based on a lack of understanding what is asked of him. Harp has gone through stretches where his playing time fluctuated significantly, and to the best of my knowledge, he never complained once. He strikes me as someone who understands the game and understands the role of every position, since he has played them all at one point or another. I have no clue what he wants to do with the rest of his life, but that, coupled with his consistent team-first attitude, makes me think he is someone I would be thrilled to have coach or teach my own children.

[mrydel]

Officiating will keep Arkansas out of the NCAA tourney this year. It is a shame. They had it all. You cannot argue with that Ponyte. Wally Hall said it is so.

[RE Tycoon]

I don't support anyone that comes on here and tears a kid up for no reason, or just to make himself feel better, but I also don't believe we should hold hands and sing kumbaya. There has to be room for a honest back and forth discourse about the merit of our coaches, players, and teams.

Every time someone makes a comment on here that is not 100% positive, that person is made out to be a jerk. As long as the argument is based on first hand observations and sticks to the sport in which that athlete plays, I don't believe that person or his opinion should be roundly rejected as a "hater" or "hating".

[ponyte]

Don't worry, after the BB season we will be back at everyone else's throat oover big or little horsey, Black jerseys and Craig James.

[ponyscott]

Our two best scorers are in foul trouble. And there is plenty of time left on the clock. Someone has to come in and play quality minutes for one or both. Problem is, we don't have great depth on the bench. So what to do?

So Doh ask Harp, a player that is about to play out of position, to fill in for Dia and Robert. He did. Doh decided to put a 3 year letterman Sr. into a very tough position. Luttman (39 minutes played in 11 games with a whole 6 points scored) hasn't shown to be very solid on defense the very little I have seen him play and I haven't seen Kwiatkowski (9 minutes in 5 games with ZERO points) play all year.

Who else can Doh use? Clinkscales at 6' 1"? Horn, a soph at 6' 3"? We don't have a 6' 7" + player that can come off the bench. If we did, Harp wouldn't be ask to play out of position.

Harp did one heck of a job. Did he score a bunch of points playing out of position? No. Did he miss the one shot he took? Yes. So we can hammer this poor kid all day long. But it isn't his fault there is no depth on the bench. It isn't his fault that he has to play out position because there isn't anyone else to play when Dia and Robert need a breather or are in foul trouble.

He did what we needed in a very difficult situation for the SMU team. And yes, a 6' 4" guard playing at the center position against much larger inside men and being part of a team that kept us in the game is playing great. A remarkable achievement asking a guard to play center and holding his own.


One player didn't lose the TU game. A whole team contributed on both ends of the court to lose this one.

Clinks at 6'1????....he wishes...he is more like 5'8....he is way below 6 foot...stood by him.....he is shorter than listed...surprise!

[Ikus]

He's over 5'8" — I have met him, and if I had to look down (I'm 6'1"), it wasn't much. He might be less than 6 feet, but he's well over 5'8". I'd guess 5'10" or 5'11".

[MustangIcon]

as pointed out to me by another poster on this board, Harp was the #14 recruit in Texas...I'm assuming that means at his position...then again, maybe not w/ that offer list...maybe over all

he was #14 overall according to Texas Hoops (which I believe is an affiliate of Rivals). the rest of his prep bio.

Prep: Was a four-year letterman for coach Marc Case at Abilene Cooper High School in Abilene, Texas, where he scored 2,010 points in his career...named the MVP of district 35A his last two years and was first-team all-district his last three seasons...senior season, he averaged 21.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and three assists and was named first-team All-State by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches...as a junior, he averaged 22.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists to earn District MVP honors...Harp was ranked 14th in Texas by Texas Hoops

[RGV Pony]

as pointed out to me by another poster on this board, Harp was the #14 recruit in Texas...I'm assuming that means at his position...then again, maybe not w/ that offer list...maybe over all

he was #14 overall according to Texas Hoops (which I believe is an affiliate of Rivals). the rest of his prep bio.

Prep: Was a four-year letterman for coach Marc Case at Abilene Cooper High School in Abilene, Texas, where he scored 2,010 points in his career...named the MVP of district 35A his last two years and was first-team all-district his last three seasons...senior season, he averaged 21.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and three assists and was named first-team All-State by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches...as a junior, he averaged 22.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists to earn District MVP honors...Harp was ranked 14th in Texas by Texas Hoops

and just think...as of the start of the bball season, Manuel was #27, Jones was 33, & Cunningham 34...

[MustangIcon]

I think Harp is a good defender. You could even make the argument that he is our best on ball defender, although Haynes is far superior athleticaly.

The missed layup hurt, a lot. But by no means was that missed shot the reason we lost the game. Tulsa flat out played better than we did, whether Harp makes that bucket or not.