A look at next year

[SOONERGRAD]

great post !!

#1!!!

 

[j2d2]

It looks like everyone has picked up their recruiting including us. From this vantage point even if we get Cox, texass and Baylor's recruiting will match us in quality. Of course, how these girls work out remains to be seen but going on form...........I believe if we got really good on defense and played that way consistently, we could easily be equal to most anybody.

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

I see that some seem to think because we beat Baylor once we are right at the same level as the Bears. We were helped by the fact we shot 24 free throws to Baylor's 11.

Come on, Norm. Free throws - and particularly who shoots the majority of them - determine the outcome of a majority of games. I have not seen you dissing our opponents because they got to shoot more free throws than us when we lost.

That night (against Baylor) we had as officials Lisa Mattingly, Brian Hall, and Amy Bonner. They are excellent officials who did not get intimated by Mulkey. In fact one of them kept requiring her to stay off the court - just as they should. Several of the Big-12 officials watch with headlights in their eyes when KM gets way out on the court - obviously knowing she is violating a direct rule, but intimidated to do anything about it. Most of that is not on TV, but at the game in person you can read the look in their eyes and the body language saying "What can I do? She can't be out there, but I don't have the courage to make her mad at me". It is no wonder they have a hard time calling the game as it happens instead of as they are intimidated to call it. If you do not attend the games in person you never get to see most of the interaction between officials and coaches & players. It is often eye opening to watch that.

There are certain officials that have extremely predictable patterns of foul calling with respect to certain teams. If you don't think so, all that is necessary is to tape the games, watch them, and record the way fouls are called. For example, there are a few officials in the league that almost guarantee a Texas win when they are assigned to their games.

I wonder why the three officials I mentioned above were not assigned to call a single game of OURS except that one Baylor game?

We beat Baylor that night because we outplayed them. Why in the world would you want to diminish that victory?

 

[SoonerNorm]

Come on, Norm. Free throws - and particularly who shoots the majority of them - determine the outcome of a majority of games. I have not seen you dissing our opponents because they got to shoot more free throws than us when we lost.

That night (against Baylor) we had as officials Lisa Mattingly, Brian Hall, and Amy Bonner. They are excellent officials who did not get intimated by Mulkey. In fact one of them kept requiring her to stay off the court - just as they should. Several of the Big-12 officials watch with headlights in their eyes when KM gets way out on the court - obviously knowing she is violating a direct rule, but intimidated to do anything about it. Most of that is not on TV, but at the game in person you can read the look in their eyes and the body language saying "What can I do? She can't be out there, but I don't have the courage to make her mad at me". It is no wonder they have a hard time calling the game as it happens instead of as they are intimidated to call it. If you do not attend the games in person you never get to see most of the interaction between officials and coaches & players. It is often eye opening to watch that.

There are certain officials that have extremely predictable patterns of foul calling with respect to certain teams. If you don't think so, all that is necessary is to tape the games, watch them, and record the way fouls are called. For example, there are a few officials in the league that almost guarantee a Texas win when they are assigned to their games.

I wonder why the three officials I mentioned above were not assigned to call a single game of OURS except that one Baylor game?

We beat Baylor that night because we outplayed them. Why in the world would you want to diminish that victory?

Take out the comment about free throws and the facts remain the same. We played extremely well against Baylor and they didn't. It isn't rocket science, that's just a fact. Look at what they did to us in Baylor. They beat us by 23 points. How do you explain the fact they pounded us by 23? Were they really good or did the Sooners play bad? You can't say the Sooners only lose when we play bad but other teams never play bad when we win. I don't think that Baylor is necessarily 23 points better than the Sooners were but it is certainly clear they are the better team. Just because we managed to pull out a victory in Norman does not change that. Same with Kansas. They played really well and we played poorly. We beat them once and they beat us once but I certainly don't concede that KU as ever the better team. I think if we played KU 10 times on a neutral court, we would win 8. If we played Baylor 10 times on a neutral court, I think they would win 8.

As far as officiating is concerned, people use them as an excuse WAAAAAy too much. Are they perfect? Heck no. But, they make mistakes both ways and at the end of the game, most mistakes pretty much balance out. The fact is, the replays most often show the officials are right. That's why I seldom complain about them. They are right a lot more than fans are.

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

Take out the comment about free throws and the facts remain the same. We played extremely well against Baylor and they didn't. It isn't rocket science, that's just a fact. Look at what they did to us in Baylor. They beat us by 23 points. How do you explain the fact they pounded us by 23? Were they really good or did the Sooners play bad? You can't say the Sooners only lose when we play bad but other teams never play bad when we win. I don't think that Baylor is necessarily 23 points better than the Sooners were but it is certainly clear they are the better team. Just because we managed to pull out a victory in Norman does not change that. Same with Kansas. They played really well and we played poorly. We beat them once and they beat us once but I certainly don't concede that KU as ever the better team. I think if we played KU 10 times on a neutral court, we would win 8. If we played Baylor 10 times on a neutral court, I think they would win 8.

As far as officiating is concerned, people use them as an excuse WAAAAAy too much. Are they perfect? Heck no. But, they make mistakes both ways and at the end of the game, most mistakes pretty much balance out. The fact is, the replays most often show the officials are right. That's why I seldom complain about them. They are right a lot more than fans are.

You an I agree on most things most of the time, Norm. Including the thought that Baylor was quite a bit better than us this year. When they played us in Waco they drummed us into the ground. Part of that is we lost focus, panicked, and played lousy. But a big part of it was they just outplayed us. I agree with you on that.

But many - including some league officials - did not think we were better than the teams who finished 4 games behind us in the conference. That is stupid. So I was just concerned about the line that we won because we got to shoot more free throws. We played extremely well that day - and won a fairly close game. If certain other officials had called the game we would not have won and would have had several players foul out. Officials impact a game.

You and I do disagree about officials. I can usually predict who will shoot the most free throws before the game starts by looking at my stat sheet concerning those officials and what their past games show. Officiating is absolutely not unbiased. I do not think most of it is intentional (some clearly is) but is a result of their bias they carry coming into a game. If the three officials I mentioned in my previous post had called the OU - Texas game in Austin, or the one in the Big-12 championship semi-final we would likely have won both. We will not beat Texas when a certain official discussed earlier calls an OU - Texas game unless someone forces him to change (not likely). He just should never be assigned to any game involving Texas. I was absolutely shocked when I sat in AAC and saw who the officials were who would call that game. The likely outcome was determined at that moment, and it played out exactly as could be predicted.

I have been told there is an official in the league who is married to an ex-Baylor player. Clearly he should NEVER call any game involving Baylor. But sometimes does.

 

[SoonerNorm]

You an I agree on most things most of the time, Norm. Including the thought that Baylor was quite a bit better than us this year. When they played us in Waco they drummed us into the ground. Part of that is we lost focus, panicked, and played lousy. But a big part of it was they just outplayed us. I agree with you on that.

But many - including some league officials - did not think we were better than the teams who finished 4 games behind us in the conference. That is stupid. So I was just concerned about the line that we won because we got to shoot more free throws. We played extremely well that day - and won a fairly close game. If certain other officials had called the game we would not have won and would have had several players foul out. Officials impact a game.

You and I do disagree about officials. I can usually predict who will shoot the most free throws before the game starts by looking at my stat sheet concerning those officials and what their past games show. Officiating is absolutely not unbiased. I do not think most of it is intentional (some clearly is) but is a result of their bias they carry coming into a game. If the three officials I mentioned in my previous post had called the OU - Texas game in Austin, or the one in the Big-12 championship semi-final we would likely have won both. We will not beat Texas when a certain official discussed earlier calls an OU - Texas game unless someone forces him to change (not likely). He just should never be assigned to any game involving Texas. I was absolutely shocked when I sat in AAC and saw who the officials were who would call that game. The likely outcome was determined at that moment, and it played out exactly as could be predicted.

I have been told there is an official in the league who is married to an ex-Baylor player. Clearly he should NEVER call any game involving Baylor. But sometimes does.

Here is why I discount the vast majority of the officiating complaints. When OU wins, there is seldom a comment about the officials. It's like the officiating was perfect. When OU loses, the comments are rampant. It's like the officials cost us the game.

 

[got mulk??]

I see that some seem to think because we beat Baylor once we are right at the same level as the Bears. Obviously, that was for the case. Baylor did not play well against the Sooners that night and we beat them. We were helped by the fact we shot 24 free throws to Baylor's 11. Just like OU played a bad game against KU and we lost to the Jayhawks. Does anyone in their right mind think that KU was equal to OU this year?!?! Stanford beat UCONN. Does anyone really think Stanford is on the same level as the Huskies???? It is silly to think the best team always wins.

We were not as good as Baylor, period. I don't know how anyone can see it differently unless their hatred for Texas and Baylor prevents them from having rational thoughts.

It's okay to remove the Crimson glasses and admit when our rivals are better than we are. It's okay to admit when our opponents have a great recruiting year. Just like all Sooner fans should rejoice when we have the best team and when we out recruit our rivals. I believe Sherri recognizes our shortcomings as she has commitments from Dungee, Nancy, and Llanusa and is recruiting Cox. She knows those highly rated recruits will improve the talent we have now and which will put us in a better position to beat our rivals. If Sherri knows that, it shouldn't come as a surprise to the fans that we have to improve the talent to compete favorably with the likes of Baylor and Texas going forward.

I agree with you Norm, but don't think Brown and MP will have an immediate impact right out the gate. Like most freshmen, they will have an adjustment period to college ball and especially in this conference. Until you actually see them play, you really don't know how well they will perform. Now I do expect Alexis Jones to be able to step in to our offense with success. I am very impressed with her in practices and is quite similar to Odyssey in that she is a true scorer with a quick first step and has no fear.

We are scary this year and exceeded expectations by far and the new additions will only help since we are not losing much due to our youth. So next year is going to be #6!! Sic'em!!

 

[got mulk??]

here is why i discount the vast majority of the officiating complaints. When ou wins, there is seldom a comment about the officials. It's like the officiating was perfect. When ou loses, the comments are rampant. It's like the officials cost us the game.

bump^^^^^

 

[SoonerNorm]

I agree with you Norm, but don't think Brown and MP will have an immediate impact right out the gate. Like most freshmen, they will have an adjustment period to college ball and especially in this conference. Until you actually see them play, you really don't know how well they will perform. Now I do expect Alexis Jones to be able to step in to our offense with success. I am very impressed with her in practices and is quite similar to Odyssey in that she is a true scorer with a quick first step and has no fear.

We are scary this year and exceeded expectations by far and the new additions will only help since we are not losing much due to our youth. So next year is going to be #6!! Sic'em!!

No one knows how well they will play as freshmen but, any time players are recruited by LSU, Baylor, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Connecticut, & Tennessee, as Brown was, it has me leaning in the direction Baylor probably doesn't have too much to be concerned about. Kalani Brown is about the same size as Lang but from what I've read is more of a scorer than Lang and more athletic.

Then you have Mompremier who had offers from Louisville, North Carolina, Ohio St, Miami Fl, S. Carolina, and Tenn.

So, forgive me if I don't shed any tears for the Bears' inside game.

 

[sybarite]

Before anyone thinks I'm suggesting OU could get to the final four next year, no I don't see that as a possibility.

So. One of the three teams will make it to the final four, as long as it is not OU.

When I began to take interest in message boards, I spent some time on the Duke, Maryland, Connecticut, and Tennessee message boards. I was even invited to participate via PM on the Maryland and Duke boards, although I have long since forgotten the site. One of the things that I do like about all of these boards is that they are very supportive of their teams and coaches. They are very positive about their programs. I think The Summit must have as many participants as the OU Hoops men's board, and they are nearly all positive.

When a player doesn't come to Tennessee, they assume something is wrong with her, not with the coach or with Tennessee. Tennessee has spent a long time developing a program, and they are still reaping the benefits of an early commitment to women's basketball.

I must admit that I don't mind losing to UConn. They have earned it. Their basketball community has supported that team and program when it is kind of surprising that they would. Connecticut doesn't have a history of a century of girls basketball. But, they are proud of their program. And, they win because they do it right. They get good prospects. They teach them well. They win because they buy into the system, and it is essentially the Navy Seals of basketball, very well-trained.

If winning is the goal, UConn is to be emulated. They win: half the titles since 2001. All the rest of the pretenders get their leftovers.

I have no opinion on Texas yet. I think OU is 23-22 against Texas since she was hired, and we weren't even on the radar at that time. Over the past five years, we have had some down years, but we are 6-5 against Texas. So?

I don't even consider Baylor worthy of discussion. If there is a university and program that I least want to emulate, it is Baylor. I don't care if they win thirty in a row, they have still lost at the purpose of a university and of sport. I find it depressing that there are people who think Kim Mulkey is worthy of admiration, or that she should be held up as an example for young America.

The one thing of which I am certain is that I am very proud of who Sherri Coale is. I don''t feel that she is teaching her players or staff activities or philosophies that are detrimental to the human existence. I am proud that she and her players are involved in Habitat Humanity and Haiti. I feel that she is honest with her players, and that they won't be writing books about how they were deceived. She is what a college coach should be.

And, she has taken OU to sixteen straight NCAA appearances---honorably.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

It's easy to appear so supportive when all you do is win championships and make it to the last couple of rounds of the national tournament.

I'd like to see your opinion of those boards, Syb, if they had a few down years.

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

It's easy to appear so supportive when all you do is win championships and make it to the last couple of rounds of the national tournament.

I'd like to see your opinion of those boards, Syb, if they had a few down years.

It's also easy when you have a great coach who is also an even better person.

 

[BlackwellSooner]

So. One of the three teams will make it to the final four, as long as it is not OU.

When I began to take interest in message boards, I spent some time on the Duke, Maryland, Connecticut, and Tennessee message boards. I was even invited to participate via PM on the Maryland and Duke boards, although I have long since forgotten the site. One of the things that I do like about all of these boards is that they are very supportive of their teams and coaches. They are very positive about their programs. I think The Summit must have as many participants as the OU Hoops men's board, and they are nearly all positive.

When a player doesn't come to Tennessee, they assume something is wrong with her, not with the coach or with Tennessee. Tennessee has spent a long time developing a program, and they are still reaping the benefits of an early commitment to women's basketball.

I must admit that I don't mind losing to UConn. They have earned it. Their basketball community has supported that team and program when it is kind of surprising that they would. Connecticut doesn't have a history of a century of girls basketball. But, they are proud of their program. And, they win because they do it right. They get good prospects. They teach them well. They win because they buy into the system, and it is essentially the Navy Seals of basketball, very well-trained.

If winning is the goal, UConn is to be emulated. They win: half the titles since 2001. All the rest of the pretenders get their leftovers.

I have no opinion on Texas yet. I think OU is 23-22 against Texas since she was hired, and we weren't even on the radar at that time. Over the past five years, we have had some down years, but we are 6-5 against Texas. So?

I don't even consider Baylor worthy of discussion. If there is a university and program that I least want to emulate, it is Baylor. I don't care if they win thirty in a row, they have still lost at the purpose of a university and of sport. I find it depressing that there are people who think Kim Mulkey is worthy of admiration, or that she should be held up as an example for young America.

The one thing of which I am certain is that I am very proud of who Sherri Coale is. I don''t feel that she is teaching her players or staff activities or philosophies that are detrimental to the human existence. I am proud that she and her players are involved in Habitat Humanity and Haiti. I feel that she is honest with her players, and that they won't be writing books about how they were deceived. She is what a college coach should be.

And, she has taken OU to sixteen straight NCAA appearances---honorably.

+1

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