Capel and recruiting

[sdcloud9]

Capel has spent a ton of time recruiting kids like Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, Ray McCallum, Harrison Barnes, and many other top flight kids. I think he worked his tail off to get OU in the hunt for those kids but it's going to be tough for OU to out recruit Kentucky and North Carolina for those players.

So then when he strikes out there, it seems that our recruiting winds up being a hodge podge of kids and then when they get on campus, he tries to make them into a team instead of recruiting certain types of players that are his style.

That's another question, What is his style? Sampson and Tubbs recruited players to play a certain system, like the system or not.

Capel needs to figure out what he wants to do and get the players that can make it work instead of trying to out recruit Kentucky and North Carolina for players that are certain NBA kids.

 

[sybarite]

I think Capel has made only one mistake. He tried to reach too far too fast. He wanted to get the top prospects. When he did get the ones that he got, he found that the ones that he got were a problem. In order to understand what happened, you have to ask why Willie Warren, TMG, and Wonder Boy came to OU. It isn't just that we missed on some. We really could have lived without the ones that we got.

I wonder if Capel didn't think he could reach recruiting heights that Tubbs and Sampson had not reached. He may have overestimated the OU program, just as a lot of the fans do.

I would retain Capel because I think he is the right coach to do what needs to be done. But, what needs to be done is to build a program, not just try to win. We have never had a program. We are just a coach away from the early sixties at any time. We are only successful if we have a Tubbs or Sampson, and that isn't a program. Nobody has built a foundation for an OU program, and I think he thought it was here.

 

[sdcloud9]

I agree that he did get some quality players in WW, TG, and TMG.

But it was obvious that Capel can't handle the kids egos and get them to play hard. And the team wound up a train wreck.

 

[thebigabd]

We've been debating about recruiting style, striking out on huge names, and signing warm bodies for years now. Thats not how OU has been a great program. For 12 good years under Sampson, he took the best players he could get (which were all good players) for his system.

Sampson wanted talented, tough, hard nosed guys who could defend, rebound, etc. He didnt spend all his time trying to recruit guys who were never coming to OU.

Capel has struck out on so many guys that the list of guys who arent even D1 players who he has signed is getting out of control.

 

[j2d2]

I'm not sure that it was possible to meld TMG into any kind of team. I saw time after time that he refused to throw Tiny the ball even when he should have. Tiny's face would be really angry and he wasnt mature enough to handle it. WW wasnt mature enough to handle the team's problems, either. Should Capel have seen what kind of players they were? Go ahead and guess.

 

[Mackie McNeer]

But, what needs to be done is to build a program, not just try to win. We have never had a program. We are just a coach away from the early sixties at any time. We are only successful if we have a Tubbs or Sampson, and that isn't a program. Nobody has built a foundation for an OU program, and I think he thought it was here.

I'm not sure what you mean here by saying "building a program." Tubbs and Sampson made us into a top 15 program by smoke and mirrors? I know we don't have the fan interest that some other programs do, but that doesn't mean we don't have a program. We have all the resources we need to succeed, just need a coach that makes a good fit.

 

[sybarite]

I'm not sure what you mean here by saying "building a program." Tubbs and Sampson made us into a top 15 program by smoke and mirrors? I know we don't have the fan interest that some other programs do, but that doesn't mean we don't have a program. We have all the resources we need to succeed, just need a coach that makes a good fit.

We don't really have a tradition of excellence. When we are good, it is because of a coach. Ironically, we have tended to run off coaches who were good, citing character issues. There is some sarcasm intended.

Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Kansas can rebuild instantly given a good coach because they have a history of excellent basketball. So what if Kentucky loses six kids to the pros. They'll recruit six more. We don't really have that tradition.

If you look at our football program, it was built correctly by Wilkinson. A good coach can have OU playing for a national title on a regular basis. If someone doesn't win a couple of titles, you question his ability. That isn't true in basketball.