Did Sherri Decide?

[Oliver Hardy]

I think many of us, myself included, have thought Joe and Sherri had a very serious talk about the program's direction and that coach got an "improve or else" type of talk after the season before last, or most certainly after this last season.

I believe we all agree, no matter what spurred the recent changes and dramatic improvements in recruiting and better players signing, we all are glad to see it.


Most of perception about that type of year-end-improvemet review, I believe, is partially based on a few things:

Sherri's perceived stubbornness on the type of player she has recruited and allowed to be signed, and the way she has clung to her style of play despite not having the players to implement that style productively -- and that she really micromanages the entire program to a point that it has been detrimental to the team over the last 5-10 years. I will add that I still believe Chad was/is looking for a new job and that reality may now be lessened because of recent player additions.

How else, even with the normal ups and downs of recruiting, can you explain the dramatically improved quality of players we are getting over the last couple of years (include the Dungee/Mulkey year if you like)?

I don't believe Sherri has relinquished control in any way, shape or form, I just believe she has, voluntarily or involuntarily, changed something dramatically that she refused to do, or just didn't think of, in the past.

Having said all that, I have a strong hope/belief that we are on the verge (if we are already not in it) of a major change in the result we fans see on the court.

I am extremely excited about the future of the program for the first time in nearly a decade and I cannot wait until the season begins.

 

[sybarite]

Is it not possible that we just missed on some prospects? As I remember, we were one of two or three finalists for Skylar Diggins, Vicki Baugh, Tinkley (?-Stanford), Davies (F-Tennessee), Colson, Ionescu, Stokes, and a couple of others. What would the program have been like if we had signed half of these?

We had the good fortune that Ana just wanted to come to OU, maybe Gregory as well. I don't know if the competition for them was serious. I was a bit disappointed in Dungee and Mulkey. Yet, Dungee had gone from a star prospect as a freshman to a good prospect as a senior. She hadn't done that well on the center stage, nor had Nancy. They needed time to develop, as well as the inclination to improve.

How good would we have been if Manning, Penzo, Hand, and Pierre-Louis had not averaged one and a half ACLs between them? We didn't have the depth to lose what might have been two major stars to two ACLs each. I think Baugh also had an ACL.

Have we ever been the type of school that could attract a great number of stars? We had Courtney, and she attracted probably Abi, Amanda, and possibly Aaryn. But, we have never had a solid five that were all productive since 2002, and they weren't highly-recruited stars. Notre Dame and UConn can get enough to survive injuries. We really can't. We also lost a forward from Iowa to ACL, never was the same.

Even now, we have what looks to be an upgrade in talent in the past two years, going to to a third. But, how would it look if a couple suffered ACL injuries immediately?

Sherri has had a history of getting one good star per year. That with some solid talent would have been enough. But, Kornet was an All-American who never played like one. Griffin was a Parade All-American. Ortiz really never lived up to her talent. Peyton was never the shooter that she appeared to be in HS. There was a reason she wasn't starting at A&M. But, we really need for two people each year to emerge, rather than tear an ACL.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

That is as possible as anything, I think, Syb. But to miss out on so many for so long means that something wasn't working overall, whatever it was to whatever degree.

Even in getting Dungee and Mulkey, they clearly didn't fit Sherri's profile and where Mulkey is concerned, she was clearly vastly overrated and didn't, or couldn't, deliver the effort required (whose fault is that really?)

I am not trying to lay blame here, but to simply say isn't just as likely that Sherri has changed some things, picked it up a notch in recruiting, is taking some chances herself and has decided to do some things differently?

It's either that, or Joe C. gave her some level of ultimatum, IMO.

 

[j2d2]

For years OU was mentioned by star players as being in their top schools. then we were lucky to have been in the top 3-5 for the top players. Except for CP we very, very rarely made the final cut. There was a definite pattern it seemed to me. And we apparently appeared in the favored list of the best players less and less often. Something has changed. I will reserve judgement until a definite pattern shows up - like 4-5 years continuous very good classes with at least two outstanding players on it.

 

[sybarite]

I want to see what happens in the next two years. I have always heard Sherri talking about things that simply weren't being done. She seemed to have a lot of patience with it. But, I want to see how she fits this team together. I wonder if the next two recruits won't define the direction that she takes.

I get the feeling that Sherri would like to have a post/power forward mix of Nydia Lampkin, Chloe Bloom, and Laeticia Amihere with a big post available---a Williston or Kennedy Brown. She seems to like the mobile post concept, mentioning Lampkin as a post type for the future. Lampkin, Bloom, and Amihere can run with point guards.

If you have a big guard like Madison Williams who is also a very good rebounder, as maybe Gregory might be as well, it gives you a bunch of mobile people.

Then, you look at your point guards and shooting guards, maybe even interchangeably, like Tatum, Murcer, Ana, Shaina, and Taylor as streakers who fly down the court and get layups and open three-pointers. If Murcer and Taylor can hit the three-pointers as suggested by their HS history, you have the drivers in the middle kicking out to Murcer or Taylor with a post trailing the play.

It gives you the opportunity to play the game faster, somewhat like an expressed hero, John Wooden. Get down and score before the defense can set up. Get two shots off before their post makes it down.

I don't think Sherri has been able to recapture the versatility of her 2002 team. I think that is what she wants, and she wants it on the fly. I think the next recruit or two will tell whether this is the direction or not. Do we go "big post," or are we going mobile post and guards. Amihere or Brown-----or both?

 

[Oliver Hardy]

If there is some way to get both, I'd take them in a second because I just don't think EJ has the strength, toughness and body to bang under the basket, although she may end up being the fastest and one of the top two mobile potential centers -- and Simpson doesn't have the size.