A year ago today - 12/20/2009

[AdaSooner]

Boca, other than you I do not know of a single soul that wants to right back where we were last year as said. At any point last year, what was great?

Exactly! Someone would have to hold a gun to my head to make me want to reminisce about last year, and even that might not do it. As far as I'm concerned, that was the worst season in three decades for Sooner fans who care about embarrassing off-the-court issues, internal turmoil and poor performances on the court that a talent-laden team should never have experienced. Our struggles this season pale by comparison.

 

[Big Old Booger]

I love optimism. I hope this team has a great future ahead of it. I hope it's with Capel because it means that we probably didn't lose all of our conference games and it probably means that we went to the NCAA Tournament next season. We need to be there and hopefully Capel is the guy who can get us back on track because we're probably looking at a longer timeline with anyone else.

But, I don't understand portraying Capel as this innocent bystandard in the whole thing. Yeah, he may have been blindsided, but he's the one driving the bus off the cliff. He recruited the guys who left and has recruited the guys who have "replaced" them. I'm not longing for the days of Sampson by any means, because he had issues aside from winning which make him undisirable. However, the guys who left his teams (which was annoying then as it is now) seemed to not buy into the system. Now we're confused when they leave and it's not "buying into the system" because I have yet to find a discernable system in the Capel era other than "feed the ball to Blake at all times."

If the season ended today, I'd have to lean to get a new coach. Luckily for Capel the season's not over and I'm not in charge.

This post is 1000 times better than the OP.

:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap

 

[Big Old Booger]

OU had just won our 6th game in a row. A streak that included wins over Arizona Arkansas and @ Utah to run our record to 9-3. Yes we had a bad trip to Alaska but that was easily written off to youth and our 3 McDonalds AA learning to play together.

We had just came off an elite 8 season, Capel had just received a 7 year extension, we were young but loaded with talent. Cameron Clark and TJ Taylor were coming in to add to the talent .......

then the wheels came flying off at 80 mph ... nobody saw it coming ... anything bad that could happen happened ... injuries, selfishness, stealing some threads at Dillards, sleazy merrill lynch wanna be agents wiring $$$, you name it ...

remember people ... capel did not see this coming either ... he saw some of the chemistry issues and warned that we should not have been ranked ... but not the other stuff.

So here we are only half a year later ... pretty much an entire new roster ... last minute additions ... some guys who probably are not OU good ... it's fixing time ...

everybody needs to be part of the solution, *****ing about what happened over the last year is worthless, it's in the history books, a waste of time.

Capel is going to get us right back to where we were a year ago, it fell apart so fast and will take a little more time to fix, but it will be fixed.

the end

:facepalm :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm

 

[hoopsaustin]

I'm conflicted as I want this team to obviously win as many conference games as possible but I don't want capel to win 5 or so and get to stay.. The fact is he does not make players better. He does not coach. He is a recruiter and that is it..

 

[SoonerTraveler]

Dec. 2009: The OU team that played in the 2009 All-College did not play well.

Dec. 2010: The OU team that played in the 2010 All-College did not play well.

I would love to observe year over year progress, but players are still leaving the program, the winning percentage is not increasing, and maybe worse of all ... fan support is declining.

I think it was Groucho Marx that said ... "Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes."

:OUbball-logo:

 

[40 Cal]

Why is there such high hope for Osby? He average 4 points at mississippi state.

I was able to attend one practice this year and I saw that he has a good shot and is really athletic. He can jump out of the gym. Also, all he is doing this year is working on his game. Yes I know about Ryan Wright, but his problem was catching the ball and Osby doesn't have that problem. He was a four star recruit. He also said that he didn't feel like he fit the Miss
State system. He also was playing behind people that had been starting for 3 years. Also Capel says he is one of the best players on the team. Lastly he is the most supportive guys any team could have. He is the first one off the bench to cheer for his teammates.

 

[Big Old Booger]

I was able to attend one practice this year and I saw that he has a good shot and is really athletic. He can jump out of the gym. Also, all he is doing this year is working on his game. Yes I know about Ryan Wright, but his problem was catching the ball and Osby doesn't have that problem. He was a four star recruit. He also said that he didn't feel like he fit the Miss
State system. He also was playing behind people that had been starting for 3 years. Also Capel says he is one of the best players on the team. Lastly he is the most supportive guys any team could have. He is the first one off the bench to cheer for his teammates.

This doesn't impress me at this point.

 

[SoonerEyeDoc]

It's addition by subtraction which will take time after purging the roster from last season

My only fault with Coach Capel was he either ignored or overlooked the extreme lack of leadership/character among the high profile recruits of Warren, TMG, and Gallon which destroyed the program; he should've learned the lesson of Pete Bell

 

[40 Cal]

This doesn't impress me at this point.

We get it Capel doesn't impressed you.

 

[NickZepp]

We all get it Capel doesn't impress you.

What has Capel done to impress anyone? He's got the lowest winning percentage as a coach at OU in 30 years and he had 1 30 win season in those 5 years. You know how hard it is to get a winning percentage as low as he has right now when you have a 30 win season?

 

[Big Old Booger]

We all get it Capel doesn't impress you.

Yet more name-calling from Capel supporters...

I'm not an old man...according to Mike Gundy I'm not even a man yet and won't be until mid-January. :ez-laugh:

I didn't say Capel didn't impress me. I said Capel calling Osby the best player on our team doesn't impress me as far as Osby is concerned. It's not like we have a Stacey King, Mookie Blaylock, Hollis Price, Najera, or Blake Griffin on this team.

Besides, one has to wonder if Capel isn't saying this to try and further his push for 1 more season. If he can convince enough people his best player on the team isn't eligible then maybe he can get 1 more year to prove it. I remember one of John Blake's reasons for needing 1 more season was because he had just landed the recruiting class with Trent Smith, Roy Williams, Damian Mackey, Curtis Fagan, Josh Norman, Frank Romero, etc. Sometimes desperate coaches make statements like this because they see the writing on the wall.

 

[40 Cal]

What has Capel done to impress anyone? He's got the lowest winning percentage as a coach at OU in 30 years and he had 1 30 win season in those 5 years. You know how hard it is to get a winning percentage as low as he has right now when you have a 30 win season?

This isn't a fight about Capel because we all know this will get us, no where. I was making a statement for Osby and why I have high hopes for him. But if you want to get into it, his record as a coach has nothing to do with his judgement of players. He has played with the best players and he is also around these players more to be able to make a good judgement. Thats putting coaching aside and just watching what they do when they are playing on the court.

 

[Max Power]

Yet more name-calling from Capel supporters...

I'm not an old man...according to Mike Gundy I'm not even a man yet and won't be until mid-January. :ez-laugh:

I didn't say Capel didn't impress me. I said Capel calling Osby the best player on our team doesn't impress me as far as Osby is concerned. It's not like we have a Stacey King, Mookie Blaylock, Hollis Price, Najera, or Blake Griffin on this team.

Besides, one has to wonder if Capel isn't saying this to try and further his push for 1 more season. If he can convince enough people his best player on the team isn't eligible then maybe he can get 1 more year to prove it. I remember one of John Blake's reasons for needing 1 more season was because he had just landed the recruiting class with Trent Smith, Roy Williams, Damian Mackey, Curtis Fagan, Josh Norman, Frank Romero, etc. Sometimes desperate coaches make statements like this because they see the writing on the wall.

:clap thats good stuff right there BOB

 

[40 Cal]

HYBRIS comparing Capel to John Blake. John Blake didn't have a winning record in three years. Capel had winning records til last year and this year isn't over anything could happen, but yes its not looking promising. Also we did get to the elite 8 with Capel. Which is more then John Blake ever did at OU with football.

 

[Big Old Booger]

HYBRIS comparing Capel to John Blake. John Blake didn't have a winning record in three years. Capel had winning records til last year and this year isn't over anything could happen, but yes its not looking promising. Also we did get to the elite 8 with Capel. Which is more then John Blake ever did at OU with football.

I wasn't comparing the 2. While, IMO, their are some valid comparisons between the 2, I was not comparing them.

I don't need to restate my position on Capel's 1st year or the elite 8 season. I'm sure you can find it on this board because I've posted it numerous times.

 

[40 Cal]

Enlighten me with these valid comparisons.

 

[Big Old Booger]

Enlighten me with these valid comparisons.

Reputations as good recruiters
Both coached at Oklahoma
Both took over programs that hadn't had a losing season in over 20 years (26 for Capel; 30 for Blake)
Both had multiple losing seasons
Both were in over their head at OU
Both were the first African-American coach in program history


Do I need to name more?

 

[Sid]

HYBRIS comparing Capel to John Blake. John Blake didn't have a winning record in three years. Capel had winning records til last year and this year isn't over anything could happen, but yes its not looking promising. Also we did get to the elite 8 with Capel. Which is more then John Blake ever did at OU with football.

JB's winning percentage improved each year. (27% 33% 45%) If JB had been giving 5 more years to turn things around, he would have won a NC.

 

[seniorsooner]

JB's winning percentage improved each year. (27% 33% 45%) If JB had been giving 5 more years to turn things around, he would have won a NC.

 

[Sid]

lol About his winning percentage improving each year? At least JB did not go backwards. lol