At this point Kruger gets a D at best.

[Sam]

Capel inherrited PG Walker(SR)(0.5ppg), C Longar(JR)(2.4ppg), SG Johnson(SO)(2.6ppg), PF Griffin(SO)(3.4ppg), SG Godbold(JR)(5.9ppg), PF Carter(SR)(5.4ppg), and SG Neal(SR)(14.8ppg) while
Kruger inherrited C Fitzgerald(JR)(12.3ppg), SG Pledger(JR)(10.3ppg), SF Clark(SO)(9.9ppg), PG Blair(JR)(8.1ppg), SF Neal(SO)(4.2ppg), SG Newell(SO)(2.1ppg), PF Washington(SR)(1.9ppg) and a RS PF OSBY.

And you're telling me that Kruger inherrited a worse team than Capel...give me a break.

Stats in a vacuum isn't a good way to judge talent.

 

[Stringmusic]

Bob Stoops 99 team didn't have depth. This OU team doesn't have depth. Good first half play, run out of steam in the 2nd half. Can build depth over the next 2 years and then be competitive. As Switzer said, "It ain't the X and the O's, it's the Jimmies and the Joes"

 

[bgrch1350]

Bob Stoops 99 team didn't have depth. This OU team doesn't have depth. Good first half play, run out of steam in the 2nd half. Can build depth over the next 2 years and then be competitive. As Switzer said, "It ain't the X and the O's, it's the Jimmies and the Joes"

Maybe Kruger should have brought in more than one guard. Arent is a waste of a scholarship. Plus we had plenty of guys who could play in the post.

 

[WaymanFan]

We all know the talent level isn't where it needs to be, and that's on Jeff Capel. However, I'm having a difficult time blaming Capel for these "right out of the gate" second-half meltdowns. What the heck is going on in that locker room at halftime!?

 

[thecynic]

the question is can Kruger recruit? If he can I think we'll be better. I think he's a better coach than capel, but it's hard to argue that with the results the last few games.

 

[hoopsaustin]

Capel inherrited PG Walker(SR)(0.5ppg), C Longar(JR)(2.4ppg), SG Johnson(SO)(2.6ppg), PF Griffin(SO)(3.4ppg), SG Godbold(JR)(5.9ppg), PF Carter(SR)(5.4ppg), and SG Neal(SR)(14.8ppg) while
Kruger inherrited C Fitzgerald(JR)(12.3ppg), SG Pledger(JR)(10.3ppg), SF Clark(SO)(9.9ppg), PG Blair(JR)(8.1ppg), SF Neal(SO)(4.2ppg), SG Newell(SO)(2.1ppg), PF Washington(SR)(1.9ppg) and a RS PF OSBY.

And you're telling me that Kruger inherrited a worse team than Capel...give me a break.

wow thats retarded...

 

[25mob]

Stats in a vacuum isn't a good way to judge talent.

What is? I am not on either side but the poster makes a great point. Both Capel and Kruger entered the program with similar situations. Pretending that Capel somehow depleted OU's roster of talent is just plain wrong.

 

[MsProudSooner]

Idiots trying to pin this season's frustration on Kruger are akin to moronic Purdue fans complaining about Matt Painter during his 9 win first season after he inherited Gene Keady's ****burger.

Bingo!

 

[MsProudSooner]

Capel inherrited PG Walker(SR)(0.5ppg), C Longar(JR)(2.4ppg), SG Johnson(SO)(2.6ppg), PF Griffin(SO)(3.4ppg), SG Godbold(JR)(5.9ppg), PF Carter(SR)(5.4ppg), and SG Neal(SR)(14.8ppg) while
Kruger inherrited C Fitzgerald(JR)(12.3ppg), SG Pledger(JR)(10.3ppg), SF Clark(SO)(9.9ppg), PG Blair(JR)(8.1ppg), SF Neal(SO)(4.2ppg), SG Newell(SO)(2.1ppg), PF Washington(SR)(1.9ppg) and a RS PF OSBY.

And you're telling me that Kruger inherrited a worse team than Capel...give me a break.

Druger inherited a worse team than Capel and you get no breaks.

 

[MsProudSooner]

Theory: OU plays better teams tough in the first half because they are busting their asses. Second half, with the lack of depth, they're spent. Meanwhile, the better teams run train.

- Did we play down to Tech's level? Absolutely, and it killed us. Even the home game vs. them was frustrating; they were able to muddy up the game in typical Gillispie fashion.
- At Mizzou was doomed from the start. The return game was quite different. Played hard start to finish, couldn't hit FTs. Of course, Mizzou also lost at OSU, so they're not exactly the most focused team.
- K-State...I mean, damn. I don't know what happened in those. Got my hopes up though.

The **** sandwich statement is true, I'm afraid. Outside of the top 3 (Pledger, Osby, and Fitzgerald), it's very, very thin. Everyone has a glaring weakness. The newcomers in the coming years will need to bring swagger and confidence, because this team has neither and it shows. They play hard the first half, keep it close, then come out tired the second half and more or less chalk it up to more of the same as the opponent outclasses them. ****ing Jeff Capel.

I think this is a pretty good assessment of the situation.

 

[BAsooner]

I think that is obviously the case. When you are not as talented as the other team it takes a lot of effort to stay in the game... Often times they just don't have enough left in the tank to finish games out.. Especially when there is only 3 people on the entire team that can score the ball.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

No talent,

c'mon. we have talent. grooms, fitz, osby, pledger are all big 12 players. It's a good core. Problem is we have noone else and we kill ourselves. We play good for one half and then just get ran out of the gym in the second. I think it is just a learning process and learning how to win again.

 

[campbest]

c'mon. we have talent. grooms, fitz, osby, pledger are all big 12 players. It's a good core. Problem is we have noone else and we kill ourselves. We play good for one half and then just get ran out of the gym in the second. I think it is just a learning process and learning how to win again.

Grooms is not on the same level as the other three.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

Grooms is not on the same level as the other three.

probably not but averaging nearly 7 assists a game with a ato ratio over 3 is pretty good.

 

[Krugerfan52]

The talent level is not that low. We are playing teams equal in the first half and getting run in the second half. That's coaching.

As the season is going along things are getting worse which probably means the players have lost faith in him too.

There is no excuse for Cam regressing the way he has and we should be getting a lot more from Osby too.

A D so far for Kruger.

This

And I like Kruger. He has a good reputation. But I dont care how good he was at KSU in the 80s or Florida in the 90's he is not doing a good job at OU in 2012.

 

[Big Old Booger]

This

And I like Kruger. He has a good reputation. But I dont care how good he was at KSU in the 80s or Florida in the 90's he is not doing a good job at OU in 2012.

This coming from the same poster who was ready to give Capel another year. How can you say in one breath Kruger is "not doing a good job" with the crap he was given from Capel? Yet, in previous posts (prior to Capel getting fired) you were ready to give him another season?

 

[Big Old Booger]

probably not but averaging nearly 7 assists a game with a ato ratio over 3 is pretty good.

Looking at it another way, and not trying to argue but somebody has to get the assists, right?

What did Blair average for assists last year? He wasn't bad, but his turnovers were mind boggling. Grooms doesn't turn it over, but he is very one dimensional. He is no threat offensively.

So, he's not a bad player, but I don't know of any Big 12 teams I have watched this season on which he would start. Maybe Tech, but that Willis kid looked better than Grooms to me.

 

[garyeb2]

c'mon. we have talent. grooms, fitz, osby, pledger are all big 12 players. It's a good core. Problem is we have noone else and we kill ourselves. We play good for one half and then just get ran out of the gym in the second. I think it is just a learning process and learning how to win again.

No. Mayby Osby. But, no. Mid Major talent-BCS conference. I get the newspaper. I know their stats. No one has to recite them back to me. We aren't supposed to win in the Big 12 with the caliber of players currently on the roster. And we don't. Texas beat our soph's and junior's with Big 12 caliber freshmen. That is how it is supposed to work. Kruger needs better players.

Our current starting 5 could not beat the our bench players in scrimmages until a date past the start of the regular season. The 2's ,( Arent,Blair, Honere,Neal, the walkon's) you know, that bunch, would beat the starters everytime. And sometimes badly. And it wasn't because are 2's are good.

There are some reasons and rational for that. But, there are no excuses. The starters simply are not very good.

1. The 2's are taller than the starters. We are undersized and that causes problems game in and game out.
2. The starters were in the process of learning new stuff.
3. The 2's knew whart the starters were running.
4. The 2's had the best player. -M'baye

Even under those circumstances, does anyone really think that any other Big 12 team (except TT) would or could possibly ever lose to our bench players in a scrimmage.

 

[Big Old Booger]

Maybe Kruger should have brought in more than one guard. Arent is a waste of a scholarship. Plus we had plenty of guys who could play in the post.

Tough to say Arent is a waste of a scholarship at this point. He's not as good offensively as Fitz or Osby, but both of those guys have pretty good offensive games. I would say he's a better rebounder and defender than Fitz, but we need offense so you can't take Fitz off the floor and replace him with a player who is not as good offensively. I would bet Arent, if he sticks around, will be serviceable before hes finished his eligibility.

As for adding only Grooms, Kruger was brought in fairly late. Seems like it was the end of March or early April when he was announced as the new HC, after the final 4 had completed. Not many good players were left that he could convince to come here so he got what he needed which is a PG who doesn't turn it over much. Grooms is limited offensively, no doubt, but he is an improvement over Blair, I think we can all agree with that.

Capel was handing scholarships to whoever would take it and show up in Norman. That's how bad his recruiting had gotten. Kruger didn't want to just take warm bodies, and he said as much. His recruiting will get better, but he has an uphill climb at this point.

 

[Big Old Booger]

No. Mayby Osby. But, no. Mid Major talent-BCS conference. I get the newspaper. I know their stats. No one has to recite them back to me. We aren't supposed to win in the Big 12 with the caliber of players currently on the roster. And we don't. Texas beat our soph's and junior's with Big 12 caliber freshmen. That is how it is supposed to work. Kruger needs better players.

Our current starting 5 could not beat the our bench players in scrimmages until a date past the start of the regular season. The 2's ,( Arent,Blair, Honere,Neal, the walkon's) you know, that bunch, would beat the starters everytime. And sometimes badly. And it wasn't because are 2's are good.

There are some reasons and rational for that. But, there are no excuses. The starters simply are not very good.

1. The 2's are taller than the starters. We are undersized and that causes problems game in and game out.
2. The starters were in the process of learning new stuff.
3. The 2's knew whart the starters were running.
4. The 2's had the best player. -M'baye

Even under those circumstances, does anyone really think that any other Big 12 team (except TT) would or could possibly ever lose to our bench players in a scrimmage.

Do you know this for a fact?

Wow, if so. Just wow.