Fire Porter Moser

It wasn’t a splash hire at all. Most people were shocked and were scratching their heads, like me.

I tried to get behind it and talk myself into being a moser fan. I supported him for several years but he has proven beyond all doubt that he is not the guy for OU. He never was.
I remember it way differently. I remember people being shocked because OU actually got a name coach that was hot at the time
 
I remember it way differently. I remember people being shocked because OU actually got a name coach that was hot at the time
I’m sure you remember it differently. That doesn’t mean you remember it correctly. Many were surprised and confused by the hire, not in a good way.
 
It wasn’t a splash hire at all. Most people were shocked and were scratching their heads, like me.

I tried to get behind it and talk myself into being a moser fan. I supported him for several years but he has proven beyond all doubt that he is not the guy for OU. He never was.
this is not accurate
 
I’m sure you remember it differently. That doesn’t mean you remember it correctly. Many were surprised and confused by the hire, not in a good way.
When the University of Oklahoma hired Porter Moser as its men’s basketball head coach on April 3, 2021, the national consensus and reception were generally positive, especially from the broader college basketball community — though some local and fan-specific nuances also emerged:


🏀


  • Widely viewed as a strong hire: National outlets and college basketball analysts largely praised OU for landing a coach who had proven his ability to build a competitive program at a mid-major level. Moser was celebrated nationally for leading Loyola Chicago to a Final Four in 2018 and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2021, accomplishments that made him one of the most respected mid-major coaches on the market.
  • Seen as a “coup” for OU: Many analysts described the hiring as a smart move by Oklahoma’s athletic director, noting Moser’s reputation for culture building, disciplined defense, and maximizing talent — qualities that could transition well to a Power 5 program like OU.
  • Positive comments about fit and character: Quotes from media and college basketball insiders emphasized Moser’s work ethic, program culture emphasis, and leadership qualities, with optimism that he could sustain and grow success in Norman.

🏀


  • Mixed fan sentiment over time: While the hire was initially welcomed — especially since Moser had established credibility with Loyola’s success — Sooners fans had mixed feelings as his tenure progressed, particularly as OU struggled for consistent NCAA tournament success. Fan forums and social media showed a range of views, from continued support and appreciation for his coaching style to frustration over results and calls from some fans for a different direction.
    — Some fans valued his character and effort.
    — Others questioned his fit at OU and whether his mid-major success translated fully to Power 5 expectations.

⚖️


  • National/Analyst View: Positive — respected hire, seen as a smart pick with a strong track record and culture builder.
  • Local/Fan Reaction: Started generally supportive — but blurred into mixed and sometimes critical views as game results and expectations evolved over his tenure.

Overall, the initial national reception was largely complimentary and optimistic, focusing on Moser’s resume and perceived fit at a big program, even as fan sentiment fluctuated later based on on-court performance.
 
Yea, agree with @SoonerBounce13 here. This was viewed as a hot hire. If you disagree, you were in the minority. That is fine, but let's call it like it is.

Wish we got Grant M, instead, but I was happy with the hire at the time.

(Just so we are clear, the minority was right)
 
there were a few...like always....who dogged him from the start.
but he was a final 4 coach and most people thought he'd do a good job at ou and were excited about the hire.
 
That's his conference winning percentage just at OU. But his career conference winning % skyrockets up to .440 if you count his 17 years in the Missouri Valley/Horizon League.

His Final Four run with Loyola was merely a blip.
Yup. He wasn't even good at loyola either.. its not like he had an amazing run at a small school ans then couldn't make it work at the big stage. He has 3 good seasons, thats it
 
I was on the "he is a good coach" train for a long time ..

but i have to tell you watching them this year .. makes me think that less and less ..


i think he is more of a "if i have the right kind of players" i can be a good coach .. guy ..

the raw talent on this years team is the best since he has been at OU ... but his "coaching" is failing them
Isn't this literally true of anyone? Give me team USA and I could coach them to a gold medal sort of idea
 
When the University of Oklahoma hired Porter Moser as its men’s basketball head coach on April 3, 2021, the national consensus and reception were generally positive, especially from the broader college basketball community — though some local and fan-specific nuances also emerged:


🏀


  • Widely viewed as a strong hire: National outlets and college basketball analysts largely praised OU for landing a coach who had proven his ability to build a competitive program at a mid-major level. Moser was celebrated nationally for leading Loyola Chicago to a Final Four in 2018 and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2021, accomplishments that made him one of the most respected mid-major coaches on the market.
  • Seen as a “coup” for OU: Many analysts described the hiring as a smart move by Oklahoma’s athletic director, noting Moser’s reputation for culture building, disciplined defense, and maximizing talent — qualities that could transition well to a Power 5 program like OU.
  • Positive comments about fit and character: Quotes from media and college basketball insiders emphasized Moser’s work ethic, program culture emphasis, and leadership qualities, with optimism that he could sustain and grow success in Norman.

🏀


  • Mixed fan sentiment over time: While the hire was initially welcomed — especially since Moser had established credibility with Loyola’s success — Sooners fans had mixed feelings as his tenure progressed, particularly as OU struggled for consistent NCAA tournament success. Fan forums and social media showed a range of views, from continued support and appreciation for his coaching style to frustration over results and calls from some fans for a different direction.
    — Some fans valued his character and effort.
    — Others questioned his fit at OU and whether his mid-major success translated fully to Power 5 expectations.

⚖️


  • National/Analyst View: Positive — respected hire, seen as a smart pick with a strong track record and culture builder.
  • Local/Fan Reaction: Started generally supportive — but blurred into mixed and sometimes critical views as game results and expectations evolved over his tenure.

Overall, the initial national reception was largely complimentary and optimistic, focusing on Moser’s resume and perceived fit at a big program, even as fan sentiment fluctuated later based on on-court performance.
The national guys loved the hire. They still love him.

I was skeptical when he was hired, but supportive. I knew he had taken Loyola to the Final Four, but remembered he had also been fired at Illinois State. I wasn't totally on board.

Here we are five years later, and the program is trash as Joe C. walks out the door.
 
At the time it didn’t seem as relevant because we didn’t necessarily know. But his best year metrics wise was his last at Loyola when they went to the Sweet 16. And as it turns out there are a ton of aberrations in sports results from the COVID seasons 2020-21. It appears Moser’s season-long success that year was one of them.
 
Yea, agree with @SoonerBounce13 here. This was viewed as a hot hire. If you disagree, you were in the minority. That is fine, but let's call it like it is.

Wish we got Grant M, instead, but I was happy with the hire at the time.

(Just so we are clear, the minority was right)
I was happy with the hire at the time. I was obviously wrong. I know some posters act like I had it in for the guy from the beginning, but that's not the case at all. But like every area of life, I think it is important to be willing to change your position and admit when you are wrong when you get more data/info. I'd say that by a few games into his second season (I am estimating, not looking back through old threads to verify), it was pretty apparent to me that he simply wasn't going to get the job done. The next year, with a much more talented roster, was further proof. Last year was a better result for one reason, and that was Fears. If Fears hadn't reclassified at the last minute, it is hard to imagine how bad we would have been last season. That roster was awful, but a lotto pick carried us into the tourney.
 
It wasn’t a splash hire at all. Most people were shocked and were scratching their heads, like me.

I tried to get behind it and talk myself into being a moser fan. I supported him for several years but he has proven beyond all doubt that he is not the guy for OU. He never was.
That's complete revisionist history. The media fawned about the hire
 
Yea, agree with @SoonerBounce13 here. This was viewed as a hot hire. If you disagree, you were in the minority. That is fine, but let's call it like it is.

Wish we got Grant M, instead, but I was happy with the hire at the time.

(Just so we are clear, the minority was right)
Grant M was our chosen one. He was supposed to be our next Kelvin Sampson. We are in a parallel universe now.. Who knows where the program would rightfully be if we had hired Grant? And also, what high school girls basketball team Loser Moser would be coaching right now in chicago?
 
I was happy with the hire at the time. I was obviously wrong. I know some posters act like I had it in for the guy from the beginning, but that's not the case at all. But like every area of life, I think it is important to be willing to change your position and admit when you are wrong when you get more data/info. I'd say that by a few games into his second season (I am estimating, not looking back through old threads to verify), it was pretty apparent to me that he simply wasn't going to get the job done. The next year, with a much more talented roster, was further proof. Last year was a better result for one reason, and that was Fears. If Fears hadn't reclassified at the last minute, it is hard to imagine how bad we would have been last season. That roster was awful, but a lotto pick carried us into the tourney.
That St. Bonaventure NIT game where we laid an egg and then rumors of Goldwire not even wanting to play and stuff, rubbed me pretty dang wrong.
 
I had (and voiced) my share of questions about the hire, but did my best to remain open-minded. I was concerned that he wouldn't be able to make the leap from the level at which he had been coaching to the Big 12 Also, it was often stated that he had a very specific system that he stuck with. I didn't much like the sound of that. As I have freely admitted more than once, I am not an X's and O's guy and have never pretended to be. But I couldn't tell you even all these years later what his "system" is.

I now cannot stand to even watch him coaching a game. His frantic, panicky manner couldn't be more off-putting and I can't imagine what the players think of it. If all three of these losses had been competitive, I'd feel a little better but two of them were anything but.

I cannot wait for him to be gone.
 
I was skeptical about the hire because I didn’t think his system would work with the type of athletes you need to compete in the big12 (now sec). I was more than willing to root for him though & honestly thought the 1st year was decent for what he had. Then the extension was baffling and now OU is stuck with the buyout. This team should be very good, top 15-25 imo, and it’s just frustrating to watch. They’ll still win some games and it will look like the ship has rightened after every win, but unless they go 7-3 for a stretch I’m not getting my hopes up.
 
Was a big fan of the hire. Obviously has not worked out and it’s way past time for him to go.

We all buried him last year after the LSU debacle. Hope OU wins more games this season but honestly for the best if it all falls apart, last season was clearly the ceiling lol.

Sad what OU bball has become under Castiglione. Porter’s & his exits can’t come soon enough.
 
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