bluesooner17
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After enduring losing streak, Sooners like where they are now
Sherri Coale looked into the chairs facing her, unsure if the reporters sitting in them were old enough to understand the reference.
Somewhere within the Oklahoma women’s basketball coach’s assessment of her team, how it pulled itself up by its boot straps just before the holiday break, she saw a comparison to the classic 1967 drama “Cool Hand Luke,” starring Paul Newman as a charismatic convict.
“The chain gang goes out, it’s just hideous conditions, and he just starts going after the work,” Coale said. “He just dives in with every fiber of his being. He’s sweating, he’s smiling and he’s whistling, and they all get involved in that and they finish ahead of schedule.”
The men depicted in that film had no control over the fact they were prisoners, Coale said, just like her team couldn’t go back and change the four-game losing streak it sustained from late November through early December.
What the Sooners did — instead of plummeting further — was work themselves into a frenzy. They saved the season with an upset over then-No. 16 South Florida, followed by a 105-63 demolition of New Mexico, then a spirited fight versus No. 1 Connecticut, though in a losing effort.
OU (5-6) heads into Big 12 conference play with a losing record, but feels better about itself than it did several weeks ago.
“It’s just going into the gym every day and working,” Coale said. “Controlling the things you can, and if you can figure out how to toil, whether the world hands you something or takes something away from you or teases you with something, if you can learn how to toil through that and have a sense of personal pride then you have figured [it out].”
More configuring remains. The Sooners’ schedule resumes three days after Christmas at home against a top-10 Texas team with one loss.
OU has found stability with Gileysa Penzo — a passing cog — and freshman guard Ana Llanusa as another scorer in the starting rotation. The offense found its way out of the rut against New Mexico, producing its largest margin of victory in three seasons.
The Sooners discovered themselves at the other end, too, which is another nod to Penzo. Her communication and gritty play have been invaluable on defense, outweighing her 1.6 points per game.
OU channeling Penzo’s play was the difference in beating South Florida. The Sooners allowed just 27.8 percent from the floor in the fourth quarter.
“Defensively, we’re so
“A lot of teams stay the same … Some teams actually get worse. If we can be a team that gets better day-in and day-out, we’re gonna be fine.”
Sherri Coale,
OU women’s basketball coach
much better than we were when we opened against Belmont,” Coale said. “We won that game by 30 and [people were impressed]. But when you really look at execution we’re so much better now than we were then.”
Maddie Manning (13.1 ppg) hasn’t taken over offensively in her graduate season, but her shift to a primary ball-handler role, and moving Gabbi Ortiz off the ball, has produced its positives.
Ortiz is averaging 15 points and shooting 43 percent from 3-point range, the best numbers of her collegiate career.
Coale readily admits this season hasn’t met OU’s standards, set by three Final Four teams and six Big 12 championship regular-season champions in the past.
“I think it’s sort of a reminder what our expectations are,” Coale said. “If it takes some marks in the wrong column to get there, the whole purpose is to keep getting better. That’s a really hard thing to do. A lot of teams stay the same. How they are in the beginning is how they are at the end. Some teams actually get worse.
“If we can be a team that gets better day-in and dayout, we’re gonna be fine.”
A difficult non-conference schedule mirrors the Big 12 slate, with Texas, Baylor and West Virginia all in the AP top-10, and Oklahoma State knocking on the top-25’s door.
Coale maintains the Sooners saved their season by enjoying the work.
There’s plenty left.
Sherri Coale looked into the chairs facing her, unsure if the reporters sitting in them were old enough to understand the reference.
Somewhere within the Oklahoma women’s basketball coach’s assessment of her team, how it pulled itself up by its boot straps just before the holiday break, she saw a comparison to the classic 1967 drama “Cool Hand Luke,” starring Paul Newman as a charismatic convict.
“The chain gang goes out, it’s just hideous conditions, and he just starts going after the work,” Coale said. “He just dives in with every fiber of his being. He’s sweating, he’s smiling and he’s whistling, and they all get involved in that and they finish ahead of schedule.”
The men depicted in that film had no control over the fact they were prisoners, Coale said, just like her team couldn’t go back and change the four-game losing streak it sustained from late November through early December.
What the Sooners did — instead of plummeting further — was work themselves into a frenzy. They saved the season with an upset over then-No. 16 South Florida, followed by a 105-63 demolition of New Mexico, then a spirited fight versus No. 1 Connecticut, though in a losing effort.
OU (5-6) heads into Big 12 conference play with a losing record, but feels better about itself than it did several weeks ago.
“It’s just going into the gym every day and working,” Coale said. “Controlling the things you can, and if you can figure out how to toil, whether the world hands you something or takes something away from you or teases you with something, if you can learn how to toil through that and have a sense of personal pride then you have figured [it out].”
More configuring remains. The Sooners’ schedule resumes three days after Christmas at home against a top-10 Texas team with one loss.
OU has found stability with Gileysa Penzo — a passing cog — and freshman guard Ana Llanusa as another scorer in the starting rotation. The offense found its way out of the rut against New Mexico, producing its largest margin of victory in three seasons.
The Sooners discovered themselves at the other end, too, which is another nod to Penzo. Her communication and gritty play have been invaluable on defense, outweighing her 1.6 points per game.
OU channeling Penzo’s play was the difference in beating South Florida. The Sooners allowed just 27.8 percent from the floor in the fourth quarter.
“Defensively, we’re so
“A lot of teams stay the same … Some teams actually get worse. If we can be a team that gets better day-in and day-out, we’re gonna be fine.”
Sherri Coale,
OU women’s basketball coach
much better than we were when we opened against Belmont,” Coale said. “We won that game by 30 and [people were impressed]. But when you really look at execution we’re so much better now than we were then.”
Maddie Manning (13.1 ppg) hasn’t taken over offensively in her graduate season, but her shift to a primary ball-handler role, and moving Gabbi Ortiz off the ball, has produced its positives.
Ortiz is averaging 15 points and shooting 43 percent from 3-point range, the best numbers of her collegiate career.
Coale readily admits this season hasn’t met OU’s standards, set by three Final Four teams and six Big 12 championship regular-season champions in the past.
“I think it’s sort of a reminder what our expectations are,” Coale said. “If it takes some marks in the wrong column to get there, the whole purpose is to keep getting better. That’s a really hard thing to do. A lot of teams stay the same. How they are in the beginning is how they are at the end. Some teams actually get worse.
“If we can be a team that gets better day-in and dayout, we’re gonna be fine.”
A difficult non-conference schedule mirrors the Big 12 slate, with Texas, Baylor and West Virginia all in the AP top-10, and Oklahoma State knocking on the top-25’s door.
Coale maintains the Sooners saved their season by enjoying the work.
There’s plenty left.
