Sooner04
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DISCLAIMER: These thoughts are not from a professional. They are from an unabashed Sooner BBall fanatic whose glasses are tinted heavily crimson. I’m not a coach, I’m not an analyst, I’m just a fan who used to write and misses the task. My knowledge of the X’s and O’s of the sport is tenuous at best. My predictions often prove folly. I once fell hard for Ray Willis. But I do love my Sooners hoopsters, often much too much. Feel free to critique but, please, be gentle.
I’ve never been one for learning the innards of the Bible, so I can’t remember if it’s frowned upon to hate something. I do know that we all fall short in one way or another, and that the most perfect of all of us was nailed to a cross. So I’m not going to waste much time in wondering if what I feel is correct or proper or decent. It’s just me, and it’s who I am.
I hate Kansas.
The white turtlenecks underneath the blue sweater, the noses pointed at the ceiling with their chins perpendicular to the horizon, the smugness so thick you can cut it with an old knife….I hate them. I hate them like Sideshow Bob hates Bart Simpson, like J. R. Ewing hates Cliff Barnes, like Mack Brown hates teeth whitening.
But you’ve got to hand it to those jackanapes, they usually field a pretty fair basketball team. Sure, they’ll often face-plant in the Tournament when the whistles fail to perpetually go their way but, like it or not, they are the face of this conference in hoops. And a win over a bunch so dastardly should be celebrated from the Stoops Castle out west to Casa de Boren on campus to the Covel Compound in the northeastern wilderness.
Lon Kruger finally has his first signature win here at Oklahoma, and not a moment too soon considering it comes on the heels of a crushing home loss to his alma mater and an implosion in Ames at the hands of the Iowa State Cyclones. With morale sinking amongst the fragile faithful, it was paramount that all the early-season momentum gained on the road not fade away with a pair of home losses to the Sunflower State teams. Mission accomplished.
But what speaks to me most about this win is it was very much a team effort. We’ve had games this year where guys went off and really carried us, but not so much today. We received good production from our starters, but also received much needed jolts from the bench. Pledger got hot, then Fitzgerald hit a few jumpers. Steady play from Osby, and then out of nowhere buckets from Cousins and Clark. Every time Kansas came calling their access was denied by a different operator; the final two attempts to summit our lead thwarted by long-distance bombs from M’Baye and Hornbeak. It’s nice to ride the hot hand at times, but when all parties are throwing a few ingredients into the stew it really makes you feel good. I can’t imagine much feeling better than this.
SCORING BREAKDOWN:
1st: 18 [I went to a garden party, to reminisce with my old friends,]
2nd: 20 [A chance to share old memories and play our songs again.]
3rd: 17 [When I got to the Garden Party, they all knew my name,]
4th: 17 [No one recognized me, I didn’t look the same.]
LEADING SCORERS:
Romero Osby: 17
Steven Pledger: 15
Cameron Clark: 10
LEADING REBOUNDERS:
Romero Osby: 8
Steven Pledger: 6
Isaiah Cousins: 4
PLUSES:
1. Lon Kruger: I don’t think folks can appreciate just how apathetic things had become when Lon arrived. Support, both donor and student, was at a low not seen in a generation. By my count, his next misstep as head coach at the University of Oklahoma will be his first. We may make the Tournament this year, we may not, but what we ARE is relevant again. And I think the biggest reason for that is Lon Kruger.
2. Isaiah Cousins: I’m very proud of him, because just a couple of weeks ago his confidence had left him. He was dead weight out there under the tonnage of his own indecision. Today he played at warp speed, and while that’s not necessarily a good thing all of the time, it speaks to a player who now steps into his jump shots and attacks the rim. And the young lad can defend.
3. Romero Osby: Kansas is awfully big, and their collective size took up a large part of the functioning wing of Romero’s brain after the loss in Lawrence. But Ro stayed very patient today and did not press. 16 field goal attempts in the Phog, but only eight today for his 17 points, and when coupled with good, tough defense down low you get a VERY good performance from the unquestioned leader of this group.
4. Je’Lon Hornbeak: Je’Lon’s confidence this morning was where Isaiah’s was about two weeks ago. But he stepped into that crucial trey when the lead was only two with a couple of minutes to go. His free throws were shot with an assertive tone even though a couple of them rattled out by defying some of Newton’s tested principles.
5. Andrew Fitzgerald: I thought Drew was tough today. The starting frontcourt was saddled with foul trouble, but Fitzgerald was admirable batting the trees down low. They weren’t scoring at will over the top of him, that’s for sure.
6. Student Section: Not quite what it once was, but they were very loud today. As a former member, I was very proud of their effort.
MINUSES:
1. The Delay: Leading 71-66 after Cam’s first free throw the officiating crew went to the monitor and, best as I could tell, started watching reruns of Sanford and Son. I was at the game, so I have no idea what in the world was happening down there. That thing on Bill Self’s head had long since gone askew, so everything was obviously unraveling.
2. Bounces: Two chances at dagger threes toward the south goal, two balls that rattled out. Luckily they didn’t rattle us. They certainly rattled me.
3. 38-30: That was our lead with a minute to go in the first half. Then we gave up a lay-up, then a five second violation, then another bucket. A lot of hard work gone in a flash
4. The Yellow Shirted Gestapo: They tried, they failed.
5. The Soonersports Picture Gallery: I’m front and center in pic 31 on today’s gallery. Damned if I know how to save the pic. Help!
I cannot stress how important this victory was today. 6-4 in the Big 12 sounds so much better than 5-5. To come through this rough stretch of games with our season still chugging along speaks to how far this program has come in two years. Relevancy has returned to the Lloyd Noble Center, and to apply that stamp of approval to the butt of the Jayhawks is the sweetest of icing for the proverbial cake. Lord, do I hate their rotten guts.
Beat the Horned Frogs!
Thank you for your time.
I’ve never been one for learning the innards of the Bible, so I can’t remember if it’s frowned upon to hate something. I do know that we all fall short in one way or another, and that the most perfect of all of us was nailed to a cross. So I’m not going to waste much time in wondering if what I feel is correct or proper or decent. It’s just me, and it’s who I am.
I hate Kansas.
The white turtlenecks underneath the blue sweater, the noses pointed at the ceiling with their chins perpendicular to the horizon, the smugness so thick you can cut it with an old knife….I hate them. I hate them like Sideshow Bob hates Bart Simpson, like J. R. Ewing hates Cliff Barnes, like Mack Brown hates teeth whitening.
But you’ve got to hand it to those jackanapes, they usually field a pretty fair basketball team. Sure, they’ll often face-plant in the Tournament when the whistles fail to perpetually go their way but, like it or not, they are the face of this conference in hoops. And a win over a bunch so dastardly should be celebrated from the Stoops Castle out west to Casa de Boren on campus to the Covel Compound in the northeastern wilderness.
Lon Kruger finally has his first signature win here at Oklahoma, and not a moment too soon considering it comes on the heels of a crushing home loss to his alma mater and an implosion in Ames at the hands of the Iowa State Cyclones. With morale sinking amongst the fragile faithful, it was paramount that all the early-season momentum gained on the road not fade away with a pair of home losses to the Sunflower State teams. Mission accomplished.
But what speaks to me most about this win is it was very much a team effort. We’ve had games this year where guys went off and really carried us, but not so much today. We received good production from our starters, but also received much needed jolts from the bench. Pledger got hot, then Fitzgerald hit a few jumpers. Steady play from Osby, and then out of nowhere buckets from Cousins and Clark. Every time Kansas came calling their access was denied by a different operator; the final two attempts to summit our lead thwarted by long-distance bombs from M’Baye and Hornbeak. It’s nice to ride the hot hand at times, but when all parties are throwing a few ingredients into the stew it really makes you feel good. I can’t imagine much feeling better than this.
SCORING BREAKDOWN:
1st: 18 [I went to a garden party, to reminisce with my old friends,]
2nd: 20 [A chance to share old memories and play our songs again.]
3rd: 17 [When I got to the Garden Party, they all knew my name,]
4th: 17 [No one recognized me, I didn’t look the same.]
LEADING SCORERS:
Romero Osby: 17
Steven Pledger: 15
Cameron Clark: 10
LEADING REBOUNDERS:
Romero Osby: 8
Steven Pledger: 6
Isaiah Cousins: 4
PLUSES:
1. Lon Kruger: I don’t think folks can appreciate just how apathetic things had become when Lon arrived. Support, both donor and student, was at a low not seen in a generation. By my count, his next misstep as head coach at the University of Oklahoma will be his first. We may make the Tournament this year, we may not, but what we ARE is relevant again. And I think the biggest reason for that is Lon Kruger.
2. Isaiah Cousins: I’m very proud of him, because just a couple of weeks ago his confidence had left him. He was dead weight out there under the tonnage of his own indecision. Today he played at warp speed, and while that’s not necessarily a good thing all of the time, it speaks to a player who now steps into his jump shots and attacks the rim. And the young lad can defend.
3. Romero Osby: Kansas is awfully big, and their collective size took up a large part of the functioning wing of Romero’s brain after the loss in Lawrence. But Ro stayed very patient today and did not press. 16 field goal attempts in the Phog, but only eight today for his 17 points, and when coupled with good, tough defense down low you get a VERY good performance from the unquestioned leader of this group.
4. Je’Lon Hornbeak: Je’Lon’s confidence this morning was where Isaiah’s was about two weeks ago. But he stepped into that crucial trey when the lead was only two with a couple of minutes to go. His free throws were shot with an assertive tone even though a couple of them rattled out by defying some of Newton’s tested principles.
5. Andrew Fitzgerald: I thought Drew was tough today. The starting frontcourt was saddled with foul trouble, but Fitzgerald was admirable batting the trees down low. They weren’t scoring at will over the top of him, that’s for sure.
6. Student Section: Not quite what it once was, but they were very loud today. As a former member, I was very proud of their effort.
MINUSES:
1. The Delay: Leading 71-66 after Cam’s first free throw the officiating crew went to the monitor and, best as I could tell, started watching reruns of Sanford and Son. I was at the game, so I have no idea what in the world was happening down there. That thing on Bill Self’s head had long since gone askew, so everything was obviously unraveling.
2. Bounces: Two chances at dagger threes toward the south goal, two balls that rattled out. Luckily they didn’t rattle us. They certainly rattled me.
3. 38-30: That was our lead with a minute to go in the first half. Then we gave up a lay-up, then a five second violation, then another bucket. A lot of hard work gone in a flash
4. The Yellow Shirted Gestapo: They tried, they failed.
5. The Soonersports Picture Gallery: I’m front and center in pic 31 on today’s gallery. Damned if I know how to save the pic. Help!
I cannot stress how important this victory was today. 6-4 in the Big 12 sounds so much better than 5-5. To come through this rough stretch of games with our season still chugging along speaks to how far this program has come in two years. Relevancy has returned to the Lloyd Noble Center, and to apply that stamp of approval to the butt of the Jayhawks is the sweetest of icing for the proverbial cake. Lord, do I hate their rotten guts.
Beat the Horned Frogs!
Thank you for your time.
