Biggest recruit that "got away"

[BigTime]

Losing all of these recruiting battles as of late got me thinking - who was the best recruit that OU had a great chance of signing that seemingly "got away"
during the different eras of OU basketball:

Pre Tubbs
Tubbs
Sampson
Capel

I can't really speak for pre Tubbs and would probably put Price down for Tubbs but I don't know if there is a bigger/better pick.

Sampson: Brandon Rush/Kirk Hinrich
Capel: Ray McCallum (really think he would have been a Sooner if not for TMG), Daniel Orton, Jon Roberson

What say you?

 

[BigTime]

The one that we need to make sure and not let be an answer for a future recruit that got away thread is Jordan Woodard.

Get him, Lon!

 

[Sooner23]

* Damion James and Scottie Reynolds: When Capel was hired, I thought without hesitation he would be the type of coach who would be able to keep them. After he initially talked to them, they both came out and I remember reading quotes from them on Hale's site saying they were sticking with OU after talking to him. Then about a week later, they were gone.

* Epke Udoh: Hindsight is 20/20 on how good he turned out to be, but Capel did offer after he left Michigan. He was from Edmond and we still couldn't sell him on OU.

* Desmond Mason: Chose OSU over us. I remember he visited Norman and Eschbach/Hale saying he was ours. Shortly after that, he visited OSU and the rest is history.

* Keith Langford: Everyone thought he was ours until Kansas swooped in at the last minute.

* Reggie Evans, JC player, to Iowa was one Kelvin lost we thought we had that I remember hurting.

 

[thegreyghost]

Larry Johnson

 

[WTSooner]

Chip Ambres. Oh, wait.

I know Sampson finished second on a few guys, but I'm blanking on who. Not really a miss, per se, but I'll throw out the name James Hall.

 

[Sawyer]

I realize it's an OU thread, but from a Mizzou perspective:

Norm: Chris Webber

Quin: Tyler Hansbrough

Anderson: Brad Beal

 

[BigTime]

* Damion James and Scottie Reynolds: When Capel was hired, I thought without hesitation he would be the type of coach who would be able to keep them. After he initially talked to them, they both came out and I remember reading quotes from them on Hale's site saying they were sticking with OU after talking to him. Then about a week later, they were gone.

* Epke Udoh: Hindsight is 20/20 on how good he turned out to be, but Capel did offer after he left Michigan. He was from Edmond and we still couldn't sell him on OU.

* Desmond Mason: Chose OSU over us. I remember he visited Norman and Eschbach/Hale saying he was ours. Shortly after that, he visited OSU and the rest is history.

* Keith Langford: Everyone thought he was ours until Kansas swooped in at the last minute.

* Reggie Evans, JC player, to Iowa was one Kelvin lost we thought we had that I remember hurting.

Some good ones.

haha I guess I blocked James and Reynolds out of my memory.

 

[NorthCarolinaSooner]

During the Tubbs era......if I'm not mistaken I believe Jerome Lane chose Pitt over OU and we thought he was locked in. Anyone remember this for sure?

 

[Sawyer]

1: Scottie Reynolds
2: Willie Warren
3: Damion James
4: Taylor Griffin
5: Blake Griffin

Jeff Capel is not only still the OU head coach, but he has a couple final fours on his resume.

 

[WTSooner]

1: Scottie Reynolds
2: Willie Warren
3: Damion James
4: Taylor Griffin
5: Blake Griffin

Jeff Capel is not only still the OU head coach, but he has a couple final fours on his resume.

WW doesn't come to OU if Scottie is here.

 

[Sawyer]

Yeah, well Reynolds and James don't come if Capel is there. Why must you pick apart my pointless hypothetical?

How about this obviously didn't happen, but what if it did? scenario: Reynolds and James sign with OU, Maynor transfers to OU with Capel. After sitting out a year you have Reynolds/Maynor in the backcourt, plus James and the two Griffins. Austin Johnson and Tony Crocker come off the bench.

 

[cvangild]

Tubbs era:

Larry Johnson - OU was #2
Orlando Lightfoot - grades..ended up at idaho
Anthony Cade - was a Mc D's AA, went to Connors JC..but never made the grades

Jerod Ward - ended up going to Mich
Othello Harrington - OU was top 3


The Rest:

Scottie, Damion James

 

[Tony]

I know Sampson finished second on a few guys, but I'm blanking on who. Not really a miss, per se, but I'll throw out the name James Hall.

Ugh, James Hall. Definitely not a miss, but definitely one that got away.

Hall, Evans, and Hinrich would be my top 3 from the Sampson era.

 

[Mutron76]

Adding Larry Johnson to those Tubbs teams is down right scary. Mark Price is another great player that should of been a Sooner. I remember when we lost Jackie Jones. I am not sure he meets the criteria of the discussion since he was here a year but I sure missed him that next year and could not help but imagine what the team would have been like with him. He was one of my favorite Sooners.

 

[Sooner79]

Had Tubbs gotten a Mark Price and/or Steve Hale to go with Wayman or Larry Johnson to play with those late 80's teams.......

 

[Tony]

Honest question, how close were we to getting Steve Hale? I am too young to know. I'm familiar with the Mark Price recruiting story, but not Hale's.

Wayman Tisdale, Mark Price, Anthony Bowie and Steve Hale in one class. That is ridiculous.

 

[jmizzy4ou]

Honest question, how close were we to getting Steve Hale? I am too young to know. I'm familiar with the Mark Price recruiting story, but not Hale's.

Wayman Tisdale, Mark Price, Anthony Bowie and Steve Hale in one class. That is ridiculous.

That has been awhile, but if I remember right, he was pretty much locked in on UNC from the start. I don't ever remember seeing anything about him considering OU, but I could be wrong...

 

[bgrch1350]

Ekpe Udoh and Caleb Green. These were 2 guys out of high school that should have gotten the full court press from Sampson.

 

[campbest]

Kirk Hinrich...baller.

 

[BoulderSooner]

larry johnson .. for tubbs we were number 2

Steve Francis for Kelvin .. we were a close number 2

Harrison Barnes for Capel .. he would have made a huge impact and capel would still be the OU coach