ESPN ranks OU-OSU as 7th-best College Hoops Rivalry

[OUHoops]

Red-hot rivalries burn down the house

7. Oklahoma-Oklahoma State

OklahomaOklahoma State

Why It's Hot Now: When fiery Travis Ford arrived in Stillwater last season, Bedlam got busier. The Cowboys stopped a five-game Oklahoma winning streak in the series by upsetting the Sooners in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals, and should be positioned to make this series competitive (and contentious) for years to come. Ford and the understated Jeff Capel make for intriguing opposites on the sidelines, too.

Upper Hand Today: The Sooners still figure to be dealing from a position of strength. They went further in the NCAAs last March and, thanks to the return of guard Willie Warren, should be ranked higher this November.

Upper Hand Historically: Oklahoma leads the all-time series 126-89, though a fair amount of that advantage dates to the earliest days of the rivalry. The Sooners won 26 of the first 28 meetings early in the 20th century.

Boomer to Pistol Pete: You'll always be the stepchild in this state.

Pistol Pete to Boomer: Exactly how many national titles have you won? And how many Final Fours did you get out of No. 1 pick Blake Griffin?

 

[Dignon003]

It's been pretty fun since Eddie and Kelvin. Sean v. Capel wasn't very fun. I think Ford and Capel will be a blast.

 

[CobraKai]

It's been pretty fun since Eddie and Kelvin. Sean v. Capel wasn't very fun. I think Ford and Capel will be a blast.

I thought Sean v. Capel was lots of fun.

 

[BigTime]

Keep in mind that this is for NEXT year, not all time. I think the bedlam hoops rivalry is better than 7th all time. There really aren't a whole lot of great all time ones.

Interesting note in Forde's post:

Big 12-Baylor: If there is one opponent many coaches around the league love to beat -- especially on the recruiting trail -- it's the Bears' Scott Drew.

I wonder why....lol

The wholesome answer is because "Drew outworks everyone else"

The realist answer is because "Drew has some extra help"

 

[HoHum]

This is why, IMO, anyone in that "OU's biggest rival" thread that picked Kansas was way off base.

 

[triplefatty]

Keep in mind that this is for NEXT year, not all time. I think the bedlam hoops rivalry is better than 7th all time. There really aren't a whole lot of great all time ones.

Interesting note in Forde's post:



I wonder why....lol

The wholesome answer is because "Drew outworks everyone else"

The realist answer is because "Drew has some extra help"

the subtle ripping on drew is so lame. he doesn't cheat any more than barnes/self (the masters)

 

[BigTime]

the subtle ripping on drew is so lame. he doesn't cheat any more than barnes/self (the masters)

Ok, fatty.

 

[sanguinetti]

eddie vs kelvin was good basketball.

 

[Edmond_Sooner]

Ok, fatty.

i know right...

Baylor is every bit the national powerhouse as Kansas and Texas...top notch facilities and a great fanbase...no wonder he is such an elite recruiter...

 

[DFWHoopster]

the subtle ripping on drew is so lame. he doesn't cheat any more than barnes/self (the masters)

Fatty, I have your back any time. You are one of the few with any common sense in regards to Drew on this board.

You and the Chicago Tribune Herald writer that wrote this piece:

Coaches hypocritical for demonizing Scott Drew
Recommend Comments


April 5, 2009

By Mike Hutton
Post-Tribune staff writer

Send me the unwritten rules for recruiting college basketball players, please.
I'd like to know myself so I can be more informed when I write columns about the subject. When that sucker comes in the mail --I know all the coaches have a copy of it -- I'm going to have my editor splash it on the front of the paper. And we're going to do our best to let everyone know the rules behind the rules. And then everyone will be clear. Got it?

Scott Drew is getting lambasted by a few mostly unnamed Big 12 insiders (whatever the heck that means) for being a dirty recruiter, a terrible bench coach and a fraud.

Not surprisingly, the news comes as Memphis starts to zero in on a coach.

Drew had already talked to Memphis officials, but withdrew his name from consideration on Saturday, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Regardless, the accusers and the suitors are out there now. You have a little success and all the piranhas start circling for fresh meat.

Just exactly what is Drew guilty of? Crossing some imaginary line, according to Texas coach Rick Barnes, who told the New York Times that in a story last month. Apparently, Barnes and some of the more morally dignified coaches in the Big 12 were upset that Drew hired Dwon Clifton as Director of Player of Development. Clifton happened to be the AAU coach for John Wall, one of the best point guards in the nation. Whatever plan Drew had for luring Wall to Baylor with Clifton failed. He is reportedly headed to Kentucky.

Barnes doesn't operate that way, he said. Of course not. The guy has the Taj Mahal of facilities to work with. Go to Texas and they'll burp you before they put you to bed if you want.

The Baylor program was beyond the depths of hell when he took over. Now, the Bears have qualified for the NCAA tournament and they finished as runners-up in the NIT this year.

I just don't think, "Pretty please, will you come to Baylor to play for the Bears?" is going to work in Waco. In case you haven't heard, there is no salary cap for college basketball programs. Some schools have to be more resourceful and creative when trying to get players.

Drew's recruiting reputation spiraled three years ago when cbssportsline.com did a story about a flier that went out with his picture next to Bobby Knight's and Billy Gillespie's pictures. Knight's photo and Gillespie's photo were crossed out after the question, "Who is the only guy to recruit a McDonald's All-American?" It was Drew. His staff had also misstated the graduation rates for Kansas. Drew apologized for the flier and for what he called "bad information" about Kansas' graduation rates. Is that negative recruiting? Yep. Does it make me uncomfortable? Yep. Should Drew do it? I wish he wouldn't and hope he doesn't, but I am not going to agonize over it.

Those examples are an incomplete snippet of a bigger picture of the deal that all coaches make with star players.

They coach them, mentor them, use them and then send them off to the real world in exchange for their services on the basketball court. The deal doesn't always go off without a hitch. Sometimes, one side gives more than the other. That's just the way it goes.

Like any other good coach, Drew has successfully signed off on that pact dozens of times -- way more often than he has failed.

Is he a risk taker? A calculated one, yes. Had to be.

He helped rescue Valparaiso University from life support when he went to work for his dad, Homer, in 1993.

The stories about him flying to Europe for dinner with a recruit and then coming back the next day are true. He was trendy and hip and ahead of the curve on European players way before the rest of college basketball caught up with him. He was hanging out in Africa looking for players, way before Jim Calhoun ever heard of Hasheem Thabeet.

Was he using his influence in unusual ways to get players then? Yep. In 1999, Bryce Drew, Scott's brother, just happened to give the Runnin' Rebels AAU program $10,000. That program just happened to be home for Kenny Harris, a future VU player. Did that make me a little queasy? Yes. But I can't dwell on it. It's not illegal and to a degree, the whole world operates that way.

Somehow, though, Drew is getting drilled for it in ways that don't apply to guys like John Calipari and Rick Pitino. It's the same deal for them, just in different ways. They know agents who know players that just happen to end up playing basketball at their schools.

Remember when a certain highminded coach at Indiana reportedly told the son of a very famous Indiana recruit not to go to Indiana after he was fired?

That player was Sean May -- the same guy who helped North Carolina win a national championship.

Nobody really expected less of Knight then.

Drew's biggest problem is that he has turned Baylor, what was once a basketball wasteland, into a legitimate Big 12 program. The Bears are a threat to some teams and some coaches.

He is good enough now to irritate his enemies and good enough to have been a legitimate candidate for the job at Memphis. Good enough for a search committee, who I'm sure knew all the bad stuff out there about him before they called, to consider him for the job.

Good for him.

 

[DFWHoopster]

i know right...

Baylor is every bit the national powerhouse as Kansas and Texas...top notch facilities and a great fanbase...no wonder he is such an elite recruiter...

Baylor has facilities that would compete with any program in the country.

 

[triplefatty]

i know right...

Baylor is every bit the national powerhouse as Kansas and Texas...top notch facilities and a great fanbase...no wonder he is such an elite recruiter...

he doesn't recruit at ku/ut levels.

 

[Capel's Mustache]

Fatty, I have your back any time. You are one of the few with any common sense in regards to Drew on this board.

You and the Chicago Tribune Herald writer that wrote this piece:

Coaches hypocritical for demonizing Scott Drew
Recommend Comments


April 5, 2009

By Mike Hutton
Post-Tribune staff writer

Send me the unwritten rules for recruiting college basketball players, please.
I'd like to know myself so I can be more informed when I write columns about the subject. When that sucker comes in the mail --I know all the coaches have a copy of it -- I'm going to have my editor splash it on the front of the paper. And we're going to do our best to let everyone know the rules behind the rules. And then everyone will be clear. Got it?

Scott Drew is getting lambasted by a few mostly unnamed Big 12 insiders (whatever the heck that means) for being a dirty recruiter, a terrible bench coach and a fraud.

Not surprisingly, the news comes as Memphis starts to zero in on a coach.

Drew had already talked to Memphis officials, but withdrew his name from consideration on Saturday, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Regardless, the accusers and the suitors are out there now. You have a little success and all the piranhas start circling for fresh meat.

Just exactly what is Drew guilty of? Crossing some imaginary line, according to Texas coach Rick Barnes, who told the New York Times that in a story last month. Apparently, Barnes and some of the more morally dignified coaches in the Big 12 were upset that Drew hired Dwon Clifton as Director of Player of Development. Clifton happened to be the AAU coach for John Wall, one of the best point guards in the nation. Whatever plan Drew had for luring Wall to Baylor with Clifton failed. He is reportedly headed to Kentucky.

Barnes doesn't operate that way, he said. Of course not. The guy has the Taj Mahal of facilities to work with. Go to Texas and they'll burp you before they put you to bed if you want.

The Baylor program was beyond the depths of hell when he took over. Now, the Bears have qualified for the NCAA tournament and they finished as runners-up in the NIT this year.

I just don't think, "Pretty please, will you come to Baylor to play for the Bears?" is going to work in Waco. In case you haven't heard, there is no salary cap for college basketball programs. Some schools have to be more resourceful and creative when trying to get players.

Drew's recruiting reputation spiraled three years ago when cbssportsline.com did a story about a flier that went out with his picture next to Bobby Knight's and Billy Gillespie's pictures. Knight's photo and Gillespie's photo were crossed out after the question, "Who is the only guy to recruit a McDonald's All-American?" It was Drew. His staff had also misstated the graduation rates for Kansas. Drew apologized for the flier and for what he called "bad information" about Kansas' graduation rates. Is that negative recruiting? Yep. Does it make me uncomfortable? Yep. Should Drew do it? I wish he wouldn't and hope he doesn't, but I am not going to agonize over it.

Those examples are an incomplete snippet of a bigger picture of the deal that all coaches make with star players.

They coach them, mentor them, use them and then send them off to the real world in exchange for their services on the basketball court. The deal doesn't always go off without a hitch. Sometimes, one side gives more than the other. That's just the way it goes.

Like any other good coach, Drew has successfully signed off on that pact dozens of times -- way more often than he has failed.

Is he a risk taker? A calculated one, yes. Had to be.

He helped rescue Valparaiso University from life support when he went to work for his dad, Homer, in 1993.

The stories about him flying to Europe for dinner with a recruit and then coming back the next day are true. He was trendy and hip and ahead of the curve on European players way before the rest of college basketball caught up with him. He was hanging out in Africa looking for players, way before Jim Calhoun ever heard of Hasheem Thabeet.

Was he using his influence in unusual ways to get players then? Yep. In 1999, Bryce Drew, Scott's brother, just happened to give the Runnin' Rebels AAU program $10,000. That program just happened to be home for Kenny Harris, a future VU player. Did that make me a little queasy? Yes. But I can't dwell on it. It's not illegal and to a degree, the whole world operates that way.

Somehow, though, Drew is getting drilled for it in ways that don't apply to guys like John Calipari and Rick Pitino. It's the same deal for them, just in different ways. They know agents who know players that just happen to end up playing basketball at their schools.

Remember when a certain highminded coach at Indiana reportedly told the son of a very famous Indiana recruit not to go to Indiana after he was fired?

That player was Sean May -- the same guy who helped North Carolina win a national championship.

Nobody really expected less of Knight then.

Drew's biggest problem is that he has turned Baylor, what was once a basketball wasteland, into a legitimate Big 12 program. The Bears are a threat to some teams and some coaches.

He is good enough now to irritate his enemies and good enough to have been a legitimate candidate for the job at Memphis. Good enough for a search committee, who I'm sure knew all the bad stuff out there about him before they called, to consider him for the job.

Good for him.

This article is your defense???? What a joke. The writer is saying so what he "bends" rules Calipari & Pitino do it too. They are all three slime balls.

As Capel said in an interview when asked about eliminating the AAU circuit, it's not about eliminating it (to clean up recruiting), it's a character issue. Rules should be followed period

 

[DFWHoopster]

This article is your defense???? What a joke. The writer is saying so what he "bends" rules Calipari & Pitino do it too. They are all three slime balls.

As Capel said in an interview when asked about eliminating the AAU circuit, it's not about eliminating it (to clean up recruiting), it's a character issue. Rules should be followed period

I agree with you that rules should be followed. I agree with the author of the article that some of Drew's practices invite criticism. Are his practices illegal? No. Are you justified in calling him a slimeball? I think not. Are you going to tell me with a straight face that OU coaches don't try to gain an edge by doing things some might question "within" the rules? Please.

The point of the article is that when building a program successful coaches take "risks" within the rules that bluebloods don't. If Scott Drew coached OU and Capel coached Baylor, I can almost guarantee you that you would sing the praises of Drew and accuse Capel of being a slimeball.

Let's reform the system. I'm all for it. It won't be done because there is too much money at stake. But that's another issue. Until then, let's not live in a fantasy land that OU runs a squeaky clean program while other programs cheat. It is delusional.

 

[Sooner79]

If Scott Drew coached OU and Capel coached Baylor, I can almost guarantee you that you would sing the praises of Drew and accuse Capel of being a slimeball.

A most discomforting thought to say the least. Please don't ever bring this up on our board again!

 

[NMSooner'80]

WORTH REPEATING:

"Upper Hand Today: The Sooners still figure to be dealing from a position of strength. They went further in the NCAAs last March and, thanks to the return of guard Willie Warren, should be ranked higher this November.

Upper Hand Historically: Oklahoma leads the all-time series 126-89, though a fair amount of that advantage dates to the earliest days of the rivalry. The Sooners won 26 of the first 28 meetings early in the 20th century. "

 

[BigTime]

the subtle ripping on drew is so lame. he doesn't cheat any more than barnes/self (the masters)

And there is nothing subtle about it. I have stated several times on this board that I have heard from several recruiting sources in Texas and one coach that Scott Drew's program cheats to get basketball recruits. I don't hear that regarding Barnes or Self. Sorry, fatty. You just don't like Texas (your biggest rival) or Kansas, so of course, you are going to say that they cheat. The difference is that I am not saying it about my rival programs. Its not sour grapes. Its not contemplating. It is what I have heard. And there are several other Sooner fans on here that have heard similar dealings.

It makes me mad that people think that stuff is just getting made up about Drew. There is smoke all over the freakin place. If you are wondering why he is not getting caught, then you are really naive about college hoops recruiting violations. Guess what; Calipari doesn't have any infractions on his record. Neither does Calhoun (yet). The industry is flawed and skilled cheaters (Sampson was not a all a skilled cheater. The guy used the company cell phone for crying out loud) don't go down because often, the dirty work is done through third parties....

 

[triplefatty]

You just don't like Texas (your biggest rival)

you just won me over bt. drew is scum.

go light some sparklers for me.

 

[jordoo]

ESPN is a joke with this sheeeeet, SU vs Gtwon and then SU vs Uconn nowhere to be seen! I love being an SU fan in Hartford or DC when we win and sometimes even more when we lose! If OSU is your biggest rival (which I beleive it is) then being at an away game when you lose gives you a "SPECIAL" kind of reverence for your team and its fans against thier team and its fans! THATS RIVALRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was an ORANGE glow last year in the streets of DC, laughing at the "HIGH AND MIGHTY GTOWN KIDS WHO MOCKED ME AFTER OUR SLAUGHTER!" Twice outside on the streets I was Seporated from the three other SU fans I went with because I wouldn't let the jeers go unanswered! Funny how they backed away as I answered thier jeers and told them Gtown would fail while SU would strive on! We were a litmus test for them with our 2-3 and thier bad 3pt shooting, they shot lights out once last year and it was against us ............ not hard to see that thier end was neer!

 

[Tony]

ESPN is a joke with this sheeeeet, SU vs Gtwon and then SU vs Uconn nowhere to be seen! I love being an SU fan in Hartford or DC when we win and sometimes even more when we lose! If OSU is your biggest rival (which I beleive it is) then being at an away game when you lose gives you a "SPECIAL" kind of reverence for your team and its fans against thier team and its fans! THATS RIVALRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was an ORANGE glow last year in the streets of DC, laughing at the "HIGH AND MIGHTY GTOWN KIDS WHO MOCKED ME AFTER OUR SLAUGHTER!" Twice outside on the streets I was Seporated from the three other SU fans I went with because I wouldn't let the jeers go unanswered! Funny how they backed away as I answered thier jeers and told them Gtown would fail while SU would strive on! We were a litmus test for them with our 2-3 and thier bad 3pt shooting, they shot lights out once last year and it was against us ............ not hard to see that thier end was neer!

okay...