Houston looking good.

Not sure he’d want to come back, but pretty sure Joe C. wouldn’t hire him back even if there was an opening.
 
Great defense, great effort. Still hard to watch that offense.
 
When Sampson got the job at Houston...

“I was barely getting into my office here and was told I had a package,” Sampson said. “I thought it was flowers or a gift box, but it was banging the walls when they came down the hall. When they peeled the packaging, it was a stepladder from (Oklahoma athletic director) Joe Castiglione. It was probably one of the greatest gifts in my life. It was symbolic of the steps you take to cut the nets down … when you walk up that ladder and cut the net down, it’s a shared accomplished. As the years go by, you appreciate it more and more.
 
There's no opening. OU already has a coach.
 
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Sampson is a good coach, no doubt. Glad he is doing well.
 
I've watched a handful of Houston games this year and I'll admit I still love the way his teams play with toughness. While watching last night, there was a 50/50 ball on the floor and his best shooter came from like 5 steps away from the other guy and dove on the floor to try to get that ball. I was like um......who would do that on our current team??? Anyway, check out the bench and you will see Hollis, Quannas, and Kellen coaching those guys. They are going to be a tough out in March.
 
Kelvin is an excellent coach. Thats what made it so difficult for me when he was gone. But we have all moved on.
 
coolm said:
Kelvin is an excellent coach. Thats what made it so difficult for me when he was gone. But we have all moved on.
Click to expand...

This is spot on.

I will say Sampson & Kruger are at the complete opposite ends of the coaching spectrum in terms of style & approach. However, both are immensely successful doing it their own way.

Every coach must be true to who they are, or it never works. If Lon tried to coach like KS, it wouldn't work. If KS tried to coach like Lon ... well, there's no way it could happen. Lon is the most patient man alive, while KS could lose his tie before tip-off because he didn't like someone's body language in the huddle.

Growing up in the Sampson era, I personally love the enormous emphasis KS puts on defense and rebounding because I think it helps you stay consistent and win more games. But there's nobody else I would rather having coaching OU right now than Kruger. As CoolM said, I've moved on & I thoroughly enjoy watching him build Houston's program.
 
SKSooner said:
This is spot on.

I will say Sampson & Kruger are at the complete opposite ends of the coaching spectrum in terms of style & approach. However, both are immensely successful doing it their own way.

Every coach must be true to who they are, or it never works. If Lon tried to coach like KS, it wouldn't work. If KS tried to coach like Lon ... well, there's no way it could happen. Lon is the most patient man alive, while KS could lose his tie before tip-off because he didn't like someone's body language in the huddle.

Growing up in the Sampson era, I personally love the enormous emphasis KS puts on defense and rebounding because I think it helps you stay consistent and win more games. But there's nobody else I would rather having coaching OU right now than Kruger. As CoolM said, I've moved on & I thoroughly enjoy watching him build Houston's program.
Click to expand...

Good to see this Houston thread brought my old friend SKSooner out of hiding. How have you been, SK?

Kelvin is as solid as they come in coaching defense and getting a maximum effort from his players. I’ve got to admit that I would like to see more of that from this OU team.

But, like you and Coolm, I moved on when KS took the job at Indiana. I’m glad he’s found a home in Houston and he’s doing well! I’ll be pulling for U of H in the dance unless they play OU.
 
Have to believe Kelvin's biggest regret is leaving OU when he did. He would have ended up in the hall of fame if he'd stuck around.
 
SKSooner said:
I will say Sampson & Kruger are at the complete opposite ends of the coaching spectrum in terms of style & approach. However, both are immensely successful doing it their own way.

Every coach must be true to who they are, or it never works. If Lon tried to coach like KS, it wouldn't work. If KS tried to coach like Lon ... well, there's no way it could happen. Lon is the most patient man alive, while KS could lose his tie before tip-off because he didn't like someone's body language in the huddle.

Growing up in the Sampson era, I personally love the enormous emphasis KS puts on defense and rebounding because I think it helps you stay consistent and win more games. But there's nobody else I would rather having coaching OU right now than Kruger. As CoolM said, I've moved on & I thoroughly enjoy watching him build Houston's program.
Click to expand...

Kruger and Sampson really are opposites. Honestly, Lon’s current style has evolved over time and it surprises me. He played for Jack Hartman and even served as Hartman’s assistant for a couple of years. Hartman was an Iba disciple at OSU who placed an emphasis on defense, and not so much on offense.

Kruger now likes to run and gun on offense, and the defense has been spotty the entire time he’s been at OU. Sampson plays hard nosed defense and depends on 1or 2 players to carry the offense in half court sets. Lon’s style is a lot more fun to play and watch. I think it’s easier to recruit to, also. It’s the style players want to play.

I love that Lon’s practices are open to the public, whereas it was easier to rob Ft Knox than watch one of Kelvin’s practices.... much like watching one of Bob Stoops’ practices. Kelvin’s were brutally physical and I think his teams wore down later in the year.
 
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