Houston Cougars..... just sayin'

[WTSooner]

My biggest problem with LK is the ups and downs. The dude has decades of results backing this up, but is programs have giant up and down swings. I personally hate that. This isn't KSU. We are a big enough program that we should be able to find a level of success that is higher than this, and stay there. With the occasional dip or improvement. It's like LK can only win at a high level with a stacked, fully developed, team of seniors.

 

[Maverick008]

My biggest problem with LK is the ups and downs. The dude has decades of results backing this up, but is programs have giant up and down swings. I personally hate that. This isn't KSU. We are a big enough program that we should be able to find a level of success that is higher than this, and stay there. With the occasional dip or improvement. It's like LK can only win at a high level with a stacked, fully developed, team of seniors.

I don't disagree with this at all. But I also had an issue with KS's teams that seemed to almost always break my heart in the NCAA tourney every year (minus the FF run). Very similar to yesterday's 6/11 matchup that OU always seemed to lose with KS in charge.

 

[WTSooner]

I don't disagree with this at all. But I also had an issue with KS's teams that seemed to almost always break my heart in the NCAA tourney every year (minus the FF run). Very similar to yesterday's 6/11 matchup that OU always seemed to lose with KS in charge.

True, but that was changing later in his career, and we had some weird/odd games.

The game where Hollis left with the chipped tooth. We probably don't lose that game if he plays the entire thing. I think the year we played Utah, they had the player of the year, and a unique guys (size, skill). The Indiana loss in '96 was in OT. I'd also argue those first 3-5 teams Kelvin had vastly exceeded their talent level, creating a Tourney seeding that probably wasn't always fair.

But after year 4 (1998), he only had 2 first round losses in his last 7 trips (I think that math is right), and one of those was the Hollis injury game. I think those first 3-4 years make it seem worse than it really was. But Kelvin was learning at OU too.

 

[Maverick008]

True, but that was changing later in his career, and we had some weird/odd games.

The game where Hollis left with the chipped tooth. We probably don't lose that game if he plays the entire thing. I think the year we played Utah, they had the player of the year, and a unique guys (size, skill). The Indiana loss in '96 was in OT. I'd also argue those first 3-5 teams Kelvin had vastly exceeded their talent level, creating a Tourney seeding that probably wasn't always fair.

But after year 4 (1998), he only had 2 first round losses in his last 7 trips (I think that math is right), and one of those was the Hollis injury game. I think those first 3-4 years make it seem worse than it really was. But Kelvin was learning at OU too.

I can get on board with some of the reasons but he was in his 8th year as a HC when he got to OU (1st 7 were at WSU). I wouldn't call that "learning" still

However, I do feel like he has loosened the strings some on the offesnes he now runs. He still runs it through 2-3 guys but they run a little more than they used to and still play tough D. At times at OU the games were EXTREMELY hard to watch with scores in the 50's/60's on a regular basis. Sometimes it felt like "just throw it at the rim and go get it" and if we didn't, we'd lose those games.

Again, I'm all for the consistent approach but that's hard to guess when selecting a coach.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

Career Records-

KS- 508-274
NCAA Tournament: 15 Years (13-14), 1 Final Four(OU), 0 Championships

LK- 619-395
NCAA Tournament: 18 Years (20-18), 2 Final Fours(OU/Fla), 0 Championships

sampson has a better winning percentage

I much prefer sampson as a coach. And I think it is clear he is a better COACH. And I like his no nonsense style. It is easier to stomach a bad team when they give effort and try. Sampson is not a good recruiter b/c I don't think kids like playing for that type of coach. That is why the timing of him leaving was so hard to stomach. We were finally going to have elite talent.

And yes, this year was terrible. If any OU fan says otherwise, they have huge crimson glasses on

 

[thebigabd]

My biggest problem with LK is the ups and downs. The dude has decades of results backing this up, but is programs have giant up and down swings. I personally hate that. This isn't KSU. We are a big enough program that we should be able to find a level of success that is higher than this, and stay there. With the occasional dip or improvement. It's like LK can only win at a high level with a stacked, fully developed, team of seniors.

Good post.

 

[Matthew G]

sampson has a better winning percentage

I much prefer sampson as a coach. And I think it is clear he is a better COACH. And I like his no nonsense style. It is easier to stomach a bad team when they give effort and try. Sampson is not a good recruiter b/c I don't think kids like playing for that type of coach. That is why the timing of him leaving was so hard to stomach. We were finally going to have elite talent.

And yes, this year was terrible. If any OU fan says otherwise, they have huge crimson glasses on

Actually the opposite. Anyone saying this year was terrible lived in fairy tale land. Go back to the prediction thread. Everyone’s goal coming into the year was make the tournament and win 20/21 games. We came 3 games short of that and made the tournament. So maybe people should just stop being so dramatic and stick with what they thought before the season.



Just like next year, most of you guys are on here trashing it as a 20 loss season. So if OU wins 17/18 games next year, you can’t say it was another terrible year, because it would exceed expectations. Take a deep breath and stop being so damn dramatic. The season was near what everyone expected as a whole. The only difference was, it started great and ended bad, so people are trashing it.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

Actually the opposite. Anyone saying this year was terrible lived in fairy tale land. .

yeah ok

 

[Sooner81]

Kelvin Was a cheater and I’m sure still IS a cheater. Don’t ever want anything to do with him. Lon will step aside when he wants and Joe C will bring in a good young coach. We will be OK like we always have been.

NO KELVIN ever, Joe C doesn’t bring in cheaters

 

[Soonermarty]

Next years team needs Terrell Everett and Mike Neal, badly.

This

 

[mict085]

Kelvin Was a cheater and I’m sure still IS a cheater. Don’t ever want anything to do with him. Lon will step aside when he wants and Joe C will bring in a good young coach. We will be OK like we always have been.

NO KELVIN ever, Joe C doesn’t bring in cheaters

It was text messages, which is now legal.

What are your thoughts on bill self, Roy Williams, coach K, calipari, all coaches who pay players, which is illegal. Is kelvin better or worse than those guys?

 

[Sooner81]

It was text messages, which is now legal.

What are your thoughts on bill self, Roy Williams, coach K, calipari, all coaches who pay players, which is illegal. Is kelvin better or worse than those guys?

If they are cheating then they should be ALL booted from basketball. You say “now it’s legal”. That means Nothing as then when he did it and got in trouble with 2 different Universities it WAS illegal and cheating and he did it anyway. In my business and all others that I know of if you cheat you get FIRED!!! Plain and simple. He knew it was wrong and did it at OU and then did it at Indiana and got fired for it. Your argument that it is legal now is silly and irrelevant

 

[WTSooner]

If they are cheating then they should be ALL booted from basketball. You say “now it’s legal”. That means Nothing as then when he did it and got in trouble with 2 different Universities it WAS illegal and cheating and he did it anyway. In my business and all others that I know of if you cheat you get FIRED!!! Plain and simple. He knew it was wrong and did it at OU and then did it at Indiana and got fired for it. Your argument that it is legal now is silly and irrelevant

Give me a break. Get off that high horse.

What Kelvin did is the equivalent to speeding. We all do it. Should you be fired and locked up b/c of that?

Calling a few extra texts the exact same term (cheating) as paying players is stupid.

 

[Eielson]

Your argument that it is legal now is silly and irrelevant

It's neither silly, nor irrelevant.

 

[WTSooner]

And not only is it "legal" now, it was legal either the year after, or 2 years after, Kelvin was busted for it.

 

[Ghost of Gar Heard]

I know the original point of this thread was to argue that OU should recruit JUCO players but it's true that Sampson has really done a great job with that program. Still, as I watch them and Texas Tech play, I just vehemently disagree with anyone who thinks the Sooners can't do next year what those 2 teams did this year if they get tougher and commit on the defensive end.

 

[Sooner81]

Give me a break. Get off that high horse.

What Kelvin did is the equivalent to speeding. We all do it. Should you be fired and locked up b/c of that?

Calling a few extra texts the exact same term (cheating) as paying players is stupid.

First I don’t believe I equated it with paying players - you injected that and I wasn’t talking about that at all, please don’t put words in my mouth.
Next, if you get caught speeding several times you LOSE your drivers license. Thought I would educate you on that ( you know points on your license). And if it was equivalent to speeding, why did Indiana fire his butt? I guess for speeding lol. Kelvin thinks his poop doesn’t stink and he THOUGHT he was above cheating. And if there are rules or laws when you deliberately disobey them, and he did it to attempt to get an advantage over other coaches who were apparently going by the rules, not once buy MANY times and at 2 different universities, there is a BIG problem there. I could care less if it was OK to do it 2 years after he got fired at Indiana for doing it - it was ILLEGAL to do it ALL the times he did it and it cost him his job at one of the Blue blood programs in college basketball.

But I know a bit about him and he probably still lives on the edge of the rules and when you have shown a habit of doing it at several places people like Joe C and other credible programs and AD’s will never go near you. Again, once a cheater more than likely always a cheater IMO. And that plays out in history not just in basketball but all sports and all businesses - Ive seen it in my industry and many others.

 

[Sooner81]

And not only is it "legal" now, it was legal either the year after, or 2 years after, Kelvin was busted for it.

And if I had time and it was available I could go back and I bet you along with 90% of the posters on here who HATED Kelvin most of the time, complained like little school children just like you complain about Lon who is just 2 years out from taking us to the final four. So funny. Go back and look how this board wore Kelvin out, so so funny that now he’s the best thing since sliced bread

 

[hoopsaustin]

Houston player didnt fight through a screen and gave up a layup.. Sampson had a sub for the guy before the next possession.. i miss that

 

[Sooner81]

Houston player didnt fight through a screen.. Sampson had a sub for the guy before the next possession.. i miss that

Kelvin has some real positives but has some big negatives too. I don’t miss consistently over his years our teams Not being able to score. Everyone on this board hated him for that if you remember. Very good defensive coach but lacking on the other end most of the time. I’d rather have a coach like Lon, who is a future Hall of Famer by the way, than one who does some of the crap Sampson does. Just my opinion. I’ll take integrity every day of the year.