Calvin Sampson

[mict085]

i'm sure kelvin has gotten better as a coach he's aged...most people do get better professionally ..
but he's also getting better/more talented players now than he got at ou....

oh to dream about what he cold have done with that scottie reynolds class...

Yeah that last class was going to be great. That really hurt. Kelvin is better, not just because he aged, but because of his experience in the nba and getting to learn and grow as a coach through that process. He’s a much better offensive coach now. Some of his teams were terrible offensive teams and uglied up the game to win in a fist fight.

 

[daqman]

Yeah that last class was going to be great. That really hurt. Kelvin is better, not just because he aged, but because of his experience in the nba and getting to learn and grow as a coach through that process. He’s a much better offensive coach now. Some of his teams were terrible offensive teams and uglied up the game to win in a fist fight.

they were limited offensively primarily because of lack of talent...

 

[snydrosooner]

they were limited offensively primarily because of lack of talent...

No college team with Najara or ace McGee as main scores should be called linited offensively.

 

[Dr Sleep]

I did not want Kelvin to leave. I thought it was stupid that he used a university phone that was easily traceable than buying and using a personal phone. But I didn't want him to leave.

 

[Dr Sleep]

Kelvin had many shortcomings at OU and could never get over the hump. I couldn’t see it at the time but that had as much to do with OUs lack of commitment to the program as anything else.

I hated to see him leave right as we were recruiting at an all time high level. That really pissed me off because it looked like he was bailing on us instead of seeing it through after he got us in trouble with the ncaa. However, again, that whole thing was utterly ridiculous (text messages) compared to what KU and everyone else was doing to cheat in recruiting. Also, the way Joe C crapped on the program and gave little support and then shamed him for getting into trouble…I would’ve left too and probably told JoeC to **** off on the way out.

Kelvin isn’t the same coach he was when he was at OU. Had he stayed, maybe he never gets any better. His time in the nba made him a better coach. Now he has a billionaire buying players for him and he can just coach. He would never get that at OU but we’d be a scrappy team that makes the tourney, loses in the first round most years but makes a run every so often. So…I’d take that over what we currently have every day.

IRCC, Kelvin had a very highly rated recruiting class when he left.

 

[CanadaSooner23]

IRCC, Kelvin had a very highly rated recruiting class when he left.

He definitely did. Scottie Reynolds turned out to be an All American guard at Villanova, Damion James was a stud hybrid sf/pf at Texas, Tony Mayfield (I think) went to UAB. Was Keith Clark a part of that class too?

Tony Crocker and Taylor Griffin honored their commitments and had great 4 year careers at OU.

 

[WaymanFan]

He definitely did. Scottie Reynolds turned out to be an All American guard at Villanova, Damion James was a stud hybrid sf/pf at Texas, Tony Mayfield (I think) went to UAB. Was Keith Clark a part of that class too?

Tony Crocker and Taylor Griffin honored their commitments and had great 4 year careers at OU.

Taylor Griffin was in the class prior (with Austin Johnson). James was good, but not sure I'd call him a star. All in all, it would have likely been a good class. We never know how these things will actually play out. Kelvin's top-rated class at OU was in 2003 - and that class completely (and I mean completely) fell apart since everyone transferred. That was the Lavendar / Foust class. The only guy from that class who stuck around was a walk-on named Kellen Sampson.

I was a Moderator on that OUInsider board, and remember who most of the Kelvin-haters were. None of them post here, so we're not likely going to get anyone to admit they wanted him gone.

 

[MJSooner]

He definitely did. Scottie Reynolds turned out to be an All American guard at Villanova, Damion James was a stud hybrid sf/pf at Texas, Tony Mayfield (I think) went to UAB. Was Keith Clark a part of that class too?

Tony Crocker and Taylor Griffin honored their commitments and had great 4 year careers at OU.

Yep, Moose was part of that freshman class along with Crock. Funny, Clark was the only "heralded" recruit that stuck from that class but Crock turned out to be the best. It didn't help that Moose blew out his knee, bigtime, just dribbling up the court on a fast break. James was solid at Texass, Reynolds a star, and Mayfield a bit of a flop.

From that class, all 5 players were ranked in the Rivals top 75. Crock was the lowest at #73. As mentioned, Taylor Griffin was in the '05 class with AJ and Michael Neal.

When the 2006 signees bolted after Kelvin left, Capel ended up replacing Reynolds with Bobby Maze, and filled Damien James' spot with Beau Gerber. A dropoff to say the least.

 

[sanguinetti]

Bobby Maze, that's a name I haven't thought about in a *long time*. Reynolds was an excellent college player. James was good, but if he was all that he wouldn't played all 4 years at UT.

I remember a particular vicious Moose Clark dunk at WVU I wanna say.

I liked Kelvin and when you remember he started at OU in the John Blake years. Big ups from me, his early teams competed, had a lot of big wins, and were always underdogs in the NCAA matchups he got. So, slow getting W's there.

I def get the style of play complaint, then and now, and there were some bitter, disappointing NCAA losses the last few seasons from teams you thought might do some damage. Utah, UW-Milwaukee come to mind.

My mom lived in his neighborhood and he would always wave to her when they passed in their cars. My mom couldn't care less about sports really. Though, she has become a Thunder fan.....which is very weird. I digress but I respected KS doing that.

My personal issue if I had to list a negative one was on his post-game shows he would always try and "psychologize" fans. Tell us how to think about the game....esp if it was a L. That was a little much sometimes.

I have heard from a family member who knew one of the lawyers in the room when Kelvin met last with OU.....that if he showed "contrition" for the phone call things....he would have kept his job. But, he didn't...got the IU job and did the same thing.

So, I wouldn't believe me either but that was what was told to me by someone who used to do legal work for Billy when he was at OU. jus sayin'. That's all I know about it.

 

[sanguinetti]

When he was coaching OU, in the NCAA if the refs from other conferences were calling hard hand checks by guards 30 feet from the hoop in the first 15 seconds of the shot clock, both our guards have 2 or 3 fouls in the first 7 minutes. Now, to be fair, the Big XII was such a physical league with KS, Rick Barnes, Self, Eddie, Knight etc.

 

[hoopsaustin]

He definitely did. Scottie Reynolds turned out to be an All American guard at Villanova, Damion James was a stud hybrid sf/pf at Texas, Tony Mayfield (I think) went to UAB. Was Keith Clark a part of that class too?

Tony Crocker and Taylor Griffin honored their commitments and had great 4 year careers at OU.

Jeremy* mayfield. Got ran off the uab team for grades

 

[Stikboy]

I loved Kelvin's tenure and hated to see him go. He sure wasn't recruiting like he was looking to leave.. Was it slightly different getting used to grind it out, defensive, half court games after Billy-ball? Yeah. But he won and I didn't care about style as long as OU won. I lived in Austin for a year and thoroughly enjoyed seeing him wax the horns on their home court. Enjoyed going to College Station like 7 times during his tenure and we never lost. Fun times. Of course now it all seems like a pipe dream to have those results...