There was no bigger surprise with the Great Britain squad this summer than rising young star Devon van Oostrum being one of Chris Finch’s cuts, and providing a little insight into the situation, the GB head coach has said Devon needs to learn when to reign in the aggressiveness he is well known for.
Since his release, DVO has joined up with the GB U20s and seems to be playing with a point to prove, averaging 26.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 7 assists through two games, both victories, including a huge upset win over Croatia.
“Devon is an outstanding player, he’s certainly a bright player for our future,” explained Finch in Sheffield on Friday. “We have a number of players in our team that are all on an even level and the decision to go with one or not go with one is always going be a hard one when that’s the case.
“But he’s young, he’s used to basketball at a very high level and he’s obviously leading his team there and that’s what he needs to do. He needs to find a way to be the main guy but also lead his team make his teammates better and achieve meaningful results, they’re off to a great start and that’s really important in those types of tournaments.”
Finch doesn’t hesitate to admit DVO has a bright future, going as far as to say he’s a potential NBA prospect.
“Certainly I would say he has a chance to make the NBA, I don’t think he’s quite there yet. I think he’s got a lot in his game he needs to clean up, he’s got some unique skills, and he can really read the game, he plays with a fearlessness which you love but he just has to be a little bit more in control and not try to make every play.
“He’s very aggressive that way and that’s what you love about him, but as you go up the ladder you play with better and better and better players and you have to learn how and when to default to them.”
What do you think? Agree with Finch’s comments?
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds perfect for a sixth man to me: someone that can get his own shot and disrupt a defense for 12-15 minutes a game. In the interests of full disclosure, I’m a massive DVO fan and I genuinely believe that when GB has a player with his fearlessness, you don’t try and reign that in or ‘harness’ it, you work around it. from all reports he’s very coachable, so still a little surprised by his omission.
Surely much of what Coach Finch has said is the very argument for keeping DVO in the GB team?
“He’s young and used to playing at a very high level” !!
“He is almost an NBA player” !!!!
Is that the case for the other guards in the team? Surely one keeps a possible NBA player in the squad, – especially as he is not QUITE there yet !
He does not need to be the main guy, but certainly needs to be a leader, an extremely important quality of any guard, and to help his teammates. However, he also needs to learn and improve whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself and surely this is exactly what the Olympics would provide?
For one of , if not the, most talented young guards we have produced in recent times I can see no justification for him to be left out of the squad.
I might also ask why coach Finch feels the need to comment on his decision to omit DVO from the squad.
I would also be interested to ask if, when he was told he would not make the squad, he had any one to one feedback as to why he was omitted. I, strongly, suspect not.
I am suire that DVO was extremely upset and disappointed at being left out and it is to his credit and that of his family that he has managed to overcome his disappointment and produce the performances he has with the U20 team in Sofia – proving again, that he should have been selected.
Just to clarify – Chris Finch was asked about Devon van Oostrum and the U20s, he didn’t just randomly decide to talk about it.
Maybe he was just asked the question and answered it?
and maybe he was not wanting to over-criticise a young guy in public and as such answered in those terms.
As much as I want to get behind TeamGB and the guys who did get selected, to be honest the more I hear about this debacle (both what has been made public and what hasn’t), the more bitter I am.
“He needs to find a way to be the main guy but also lead his team make his teammates better and achieve meaningful results”
“he plays with a fearlessness which you love but he just has to be a little bit more in control and not try to make every play”
In my mind, Chris has just perfectly described two of his marquee players that he did decide to take with him to the Olympics and have helped him achieve a perfect 0 and 6 record this Summer.
The sad fact is that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity that he has denied Devon – not only in terms of a home court olympics, but, after the basketball stadium has been dismantled and the alleged £150k salarys have dried up and the American coaches return home and the Olympic Association has no incentive to pay for the ridiculously overinflated insurances for Deng, Freeland and hopefully Pops – the truth is that GB can’t take future Olympic appearances foregranted.
I could perhaps respect Coach Finch’s arguments a little more if he hadn’t led his team on a 0 – 6 run and blown a series of commanding late game leads.
Devon is responding in the right way – letting his game do the talking – perhaps Finch should do the same?
And breath…
and yes – I know we are blowing away Portugal as I type – which is great for Team GB and is at the very least the sort of results we should be achieving
Don’t really get Finchy’s reasoning. DVO should be on this team without question. At Eurobasket he was our best ball handler.
The criticism of our National Teams coaches completely confuses me. By all accounts Tom Maher and Chris Finch are very highly regarded coaches in a number of different circles. No one is going to like all their choices, lets realise they know the ins and outs of all these situations much better than all of these layman critics. I love DVO and think he’ll be the future of GB (whatever that may be), but right now I trust Finch to have made the right decision.