04's take on OU/Neb

[SoonerfanTU]

I had this misfortune of listening to the BBall game tonight (God, how awful is BBS? That's another subject for another time.) and I was stunned time and time again at just how bad this team is on the road. Tonight's game was a chance to show the progress of the past couple weeks wasn't some sort of mirage, but instead they look like oases in the Sahara. Nebraska sucks, and they beat the snot out of us.

It's the tenor of these losses, the losses where you know about ten minutes in that your team is about to be pillaged, that continues to sit with me. We're Oklahoma Basketball. We've been to every postseason but one since 1981 and we're getting our butts kicked on the road in the Big 12 Conference. Hammered. Absolutely smoked. How bad is it? Well, judge for yourself:

We have four conference losses, two of which have been by more than 15 points. We have yet to lose to a Big 12 opponent with a winning record. A chilling vision of things to come.

But we lost to Baylor by 31. 31!
We lost to Nebraska by 17, and we popped their conference cherry. Unreal.

What's bad is that we've seen this before. Jeff Capel has been our coach now for nearly four years. In that time we've suffered 11 double-digit losses in conference play. Kelvin coached here 12 seasons and had 25 dd losses.

What in the hell is going on? Is there any accountability? I can understand losing on the road. It's tough. I saw Louisville lose to West Virginia today and the Cardinals were on the business end of two blown calls in the last minute, and if either one is called correctly Pitino's bunch wins the game. But I cannot tolerate a lack of competitiveness. We're Oklahoma, for God's sake, and we're getting hammered.

Recruiting is everything in college sports, and we have not built off our most successful recruit. Billy Tubbs brought in Wayman Tisdale and bridged the gap following WWT's departure with the stellar Choo, T-Mac and DJ class. Kelvin brought in Eduardo Najera and bridged the gap with Hollis and Ace. The two superstars (WWT and Eddie) brought an uptick to the program and the next guys sustained the wave. Capel has failed to do that for whatever reason you see fit. The '86 team, the first one following Wayman, finished 15th in the final poll. The '01 team, the first following Eduardo, finished 13th. This team, the first following Blake, will not receive a single vote in the final poll. That's horrendous.

There have been a few bad breaks for sure, losing Keith Clark and Juan Pattillo certainly hurts, but a head coach's job is to understand the player he's recruiting and not tie up a scholarship with a head case. If they can't cut it, you have to know that during the courtship process. Off the top of my head I can think of Chris Early, Bobby Maze, Tony Neysmith and Kyle Cannon alongside the guys I mentioned above who've bailed for one reason or another. To have that much attrition is atrocious.

This is a ramble, for sure, but I've become completely disenchanted with how this team plays. Who are we? What do we do? Do we hang our hat on defense or stellar offense? Right now all we are is a solid team at home who gets its butt kicked on the road. I grew so tired of the "Heart, Hustle and Hardwood" schtick that Kelvin forcefed us, but at the end of the day you knew his guys were going to come out of that tunnel and play their asses off. I do not get that sense from this team, and that aggravates the hell out of me.

I can tolerate losing, but I WILL NOT tolerate a lack of effort. Put me five guys out there who'll compete for the University of Oklahoma or find somebody else who will.

Taken from SF's.

 

[OkieTC]

Ditto!!

 

[JohnnyBlack]

I hope the team heeds his warning or it appears this guy will yank all of their scholarships, fire the coach, and play and win every game by himself. I hope he's at least a high school teacher or counselor. Sounds like he fancies himself to be much more than Coach Capel. I guess it really doesn't matter to some people that Capel is still very young in his career and has a ton to learn.

I think you should probably focus on your own self as a grown man who thinks he has the right to demand anything of OU. You are acting just as spoiled as these players.

 

[SoonerfanTU]

I hope the team heeds his warning or it appears this guy will yank all of their scholarships, fire the coach, and play and win every game by himself. I hope he's at least a high school teacher or counselor. Sounds like he fancies himself to be much more than Coach Capel. I guess it really doesn't matter to some people that Capel is still very young in his career and has a ton to learn.

I think you should probably focus on your own self as a grown man who thinks he has the right to demand anything of OU. You are acting just as spoiled as these players.

:ez-laugh:

04 is as big an OU basketball fan as I've ever met. Kid knows TONS of history off the top of his head, has driven to Ark in the snow by himself to support the team, and is generally not negative about the program at all.

If this team, and coach, has worn him down to a post like that, I think there are legit concerns. :clap

As for Capel being young, when does that excuse stop flying? He was known as a heady player at one of the top basketball programs of the past 2-3 decades, under a very "teaching" coach. He's been in coaching for 10 years, 8 as a head coach. Is it his experience or age that bothers you? When we he be "old enough"?

 

[skyvue]

Capel is still very young in his career and has a ton to learn.

If what you say is true, then perhaps he wasn't ready to take the reins at one of the top 20 hoops programs in the country. When a program's been to the postseason every year for a quarter-century, its fanbase will naturally not cotton to missing out two out of the next four seasons, as we are likely to do. And asking them to be patient while their highly paid coach takes four or five years to learn the niceties of his job (your characterization, not mine) is expecting a lot.

And 04, like many of us, is just looking for consistent, hard-nosed effort. One wouldn't think a coach would have to be a grizzled veteran to get that out of his players.

 

[Sooner Quick]

:ez-laugh:

04 is as big an OU basketball fan as I've ever met. Kid knows TONS of history off the top of his head, has driven to Ark in the snow by himself to support the team, and is generally not negative about the program at all.

If this team, and coach, has worn him down to a post like that, I think there are legit concerns. :clap

As for Capel being young, when does that excuse stop flying? He was known as a heady player at one of the top basketball programs of the past 2-3 decades, under a very "teaching" coach. He's been in coaching for 10 years, 8 as a head coach. Is it his experience or age that bothers you? When we he be "old enough"?

This! 04 is definitely not one to question his loyalty to Oklahoma Sooner basketball and his concerns are legitimate. This is also a message board, a place where Sooner fans can voice their concerns.

I think the excuse that Capel is a young coach is a legitimate one but not that he is young but is he just inexperienced at handling all these "superstar egos". While Coach's youth may help him in recruiting these kids here it may also be hurting him in getting control of the team.

 

[Darwin]

Clearly things are not what they should be. I say support the coach and try your best to support the team because there are players on the floor that deserve it. Some should be getting spot duty but are counted on for major minutes because this team is too young. Next season will build on this season so help the only way we can, support the program. We were in the great 8 last season and nothing prevents bigger things next season so show some loyalty to the program.

 

[Sooner23]

I can tolerate losing, but I WILL NOT tolerate a lack of effort. Put me five guys out there who'll compete for the University of Oklahoma or find somebody else who will.

04 is spot on as usual, but I agree with this part the most. Hopefully things improve in this department next season.

 

[SoonerLawyer05]

+1

 

[Big Old Booger]

I hope the team heeds his warning or it appears this guy will yank all of their scholarships, fire the coach, and play and win every game by himself. I hope he's at least a high school teacher or counselor. Sounds like he fancies himself to be much more than Coach Capel. I guess it really doesn't matter to some people that Capel is still very young in his career and has a ton to learn.

I think you should probably focus on your own self as a grown man who thinks he has the right to demand anything of OU. You are acting just as spoiled as these players.

More pure genius from jwc1217. Wow...that's a knee slapper.:ez-laugh:

 

[Craiger]

JohnnyBlack,

I disagree with everything you stated. Do you think he is inaccurate? Perhaps you should consider the words of a former president, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. "

 

[Sooner79]

You really should go back to Owen Field JB. It's pretty obvious you don't know you're way around our basketball team or this board. There's a reason 04's post game analysis is posted here after every game.