I'm just curious...

[elmocarp]

How is everyone feeling about recruiting right about now? A week ago when Honore transferred, people seemed to really be getting down about things. Now, since the news of several scheduled visits and some recruiting tidbits, people seem to be gung-ho again. Recruiting has always been like this for me, but is it safe to say that for the foreseeable future we should be patient and remain confident in Capel's ability to close the deal? It seems like Cheno is one of the most legitimately confident guys around here when it comes to OU's recruiting, and he isn't even a OU-first guy.

I only mention this because it applies to me as well, but for years I have talked to OU fans and read posts from people that continually argue that OU is capable of being an elite basketball school...we constantly bring up the stats on OU having a superior tradition to OSU, how ESPN's prestige poll ranked us so highly, etc... Well, isn't is about time that we start thinking that way? Capel has us on the doorstep with the types of players he is bringing in yet we still don't think we really do have a chance with some of the players that are listing us. A week ago, you would have gotten eye rolls if you'd said you thought we were the favorite for James Johnson. Now, many of us will be shocked if he doesn't commit. People have been saying for months that there is no way Ray McCallum will come and play "behind" TMG and that we don't have a shot, but here he comes on a visit. Why can't we get Harrison Barnes or Terrence Jones or whoever? As long as they list us and say positive things, who knows?

I don't know what it is about Capel's tenure here, but it has been really tough to get a clear handle on exactly where we stand with some recruits since he got here. Most didn't think we would get Gallon, almost no one saw the Fitzgerald commit coming either. I just think we really don't know what is going on, but as Cheno has said in several posts, once you are on the final lists of X-many players it becomes a numbers game. You are gonna get your share. And the reverse is true as well. I have noticed that a lot of people seem to assume that Cam Clark will be a Sooner, but I don't see it that way at all. I think all the signs we usually look for are very encouraging in his case, but there is no reason to think he is significantly more likely to commit than Barnes or McCallum.

I am going to try to be more comfortable in seeing how many guys we are in on and confident that we will get our share instead of focusing on this guy or that guy. Who knows when it comes to these kids, right? I mean, didn't we at least come a little bit close to seeing Willie commit to Baylor? Capel wouldn't be more or less of a recruiter if his mom hadn't gotten him to back off of that. I think I am rambling now, you probably get the point. I just think that Capel is finally delivering the types of things we have believed could happen at OU, and that we are slow to come around and realize that it is actually happening.

 

[tomkar98]

How is everyone feeling about recruiting right about now? A week ago when Honore transferred, people seemed to really be getting down about things. Now, since the news of several scheduled visits and some recruiting tidbits, people seem to be gung-ho again. Recruiting has always been like this for me, but is it safe to say that for the foreseeable future we should be patient and remain confident in Capel's ability to close the deal? It seems like Cheno is one of the most legitimately confident guys around here when it comes to OU's recruiting, and he isn't even a OU-first guy.

I only mention this because it applies to me as well, but for years I have talked to OU fans and read posts from people that continually argue that OU is capable of being an elite basketball school...we constantly bring up the stats on OU having a superior tradition to OSU, how ESPN's prestige poll ranked us so highly, etc... Well, isn't is about time that we start thinking that way? Capel has us on the doorstep with the types of players he is bringing in yet we still don't think we really do have a chance with some of the players that are listing us. A week ago, you would have gotten eye rolls if you'd said you thought we were the favorite for James Johnson. Now, many of us will be shocked if he doesn't commit. People have been saying for months that there is no way Ray McCallum will come and play "behind" TMG and that we don't have a shot, but here he comes on a visit. Why can't we get Harrison Barnes or Terrence Jones or whoever? As long as they list us and say positive things, who knows?

I don't know what it is about Capel's tenure here, but it has been really tough to get a clear handle on exactly where we stand with some recruits since he got here. Most didn't think we would get Gallon, almost no one saw the Fitzgerald commit coming either. I just think we really don't know what is going on, but as Cheno has said in several posts, once you are on the final lists of X-many players it becomes a numbers game. You are gonna get your share. And the reverse is true as well. I have noticed that a lot of people seem to assume that Cam Clark will be a Sooner, but I don't see it that way at all. I think all the signs we usually look for are very encouraging in his case, but there is no reason to think he is significantly more likely to commit than Barnes or McCallum.

I am going to try to be more comfortable in seeing how many guys we are in on and confident that we will get our share instead of focusing on this guy or that guy. Who knows when it comes to these kids, right? I mean, didn't we at least come a little bit close to seeing Willie commit to Baylor? Capel wouldn't be more or less of a recruiter if his mom hadn't gotten him to back off of that. I think I am rambling now, you probably get the point. I just think that Capel is finally delivering the types of things we have believed could happen at OU, and that we are slow to come around and realize that it is actually happening.

You continue to provide such great insight and content to this board, elmo. I want to thank you for starting this thread, it brings across some great points and should provide some great discussion.

I for one, have absolute faith in Capel's ability to recruit and in the ability for this program to become great.

Here is what I think goes through Capel's mind, in recruiting. (It is a HUGE reason why I love him as OUr coach! :jcapel :clap ) He seems to have this feeling that there is no recruit he can't land. That feeling becomes even greater, once he is able to get said recruit on campus. I think, that he feels, that once the recruit is on campus, the recruit is "his" so to speak.

Which is a great feeling to have as a fan. I love Capel's approach to recruiting. Also, I love the way he carries himself on the court and in the community. He is truly the coach I would ask for as an AD. I wouldn't want any other.

Haha call me a homer with all that I have said... But that is exactly how I feel. I couldn't be happier as an OU Basketball fan, right now.

 

[j2d2]

There's no question but that OU basketball fans need an attitude adjustment towards our own history, stature and present status. A fundamental shift. Capel is levering us in that direction (VERY hard to do) far more quickly than I thought possible.

 

[Krugerfan52]

I am much more upbeat and excited about our recruting this week than I was 2-3 weeks ago.

After the great recruits Capel has been bringing in, you can't blame us for being a little dissapointed a couple of weeks ago when our class was looking more like this..

Relaford
Taylor
Olukemi
Goff
Honore

Finding out that Honore is a walk-on and that Capel seems to still have a shot with guys like Johnson, Barnes, etc has got me more optimistic.

 

[BigTime]

Well thought out post, Elmo. You write some gems my friend.


I really feel like we are going to get two commits in the next three weeks. I am calling it now.

 

[FaithfulSooner]

Elmo thank you for eloquently stating what our program is becoming and what it has a chance to be. I think your are so right about people not realizing what is happening right before their very eyes. Hopefully our fans will embrace the progress. Your posts are dead on. I love to read em' man. It causes me to get goose bumps when I think of the players that Coach Capel is in on. What's so exciting is that he continues to impress in all aspects of running this program. I truly believe that Coach Capel is the coach that will win the first NC at OU. BOOMER SOONER BABY!!!:jcapel

 

[Cheno]

Elmo outstanding post! :clap

I'm flattered about your mentions of me but I think I have kind of an advantage because I think I've lived through the state that a lot of OU fans are at right now with recruiting. When Roy was at KU, I and many of the Jayhawks, kind of lived and died with each individual recruits decision and thought when someone chose elsewhere we were doomed for an average class. And during Roy's years we got multipe average to bad classes. Like you mentioned above it's all about a numbers game. Bill Self recruits his butt off and goes after so many guys that if you miss on one he's got another 4 or 5 star guy in the wings.
If you recruit 5 kids hard....there's a really good chance you only get 1 or sometimes none. If you recruit 20 kids hard how can you not just fall into 2?

This is where Coach Capel is. I honestly feel he is already, today in his young career, one of the elite recruiters in the game. Why in the world should any of us worry about recruiting? He's proven to us we have no worries there. Some posters still worry over each individual recruit. They tell us there is no way so and so will come because another person is at that position. Stop. Believe. Top guys want to play with other top guys. That breeds championships and everyone wants to be a champion. If a guy doesn't want to play with other great players then we don't want him anyways because he's selfish and he's worried about numero uno.

Quick story and philosophy, I've been in some form of sales my whole life. I'm a sales guy. If I was a coach I'd be a Capel or Self. A flat out recruiter. That's just my persona. One time a young green salesperson came up to totally frustrated. She said she thought she just couldn't do this. She said she gets to many no's. She was losing confidence. I said how many people do you call on a day. She said around 5. I said tell you what the next 2 weeks call on 20 a day. I said a bad salesperson can close 1 or 2 out of 20. She kinda laughed but said she would try it. She closed a sale everyday the next two weeks and she was beeming with confidence. Then she only needed to call on 10 a day because she had confidence.

That's recruiting in a nutshell. All the coaches have spiels. They all have gimmicks. They all have tricks. So it comes down to who wants to work the hardest. Here at OU........our coach works the hardest. Yes, I said OUR and anybody who doesn't like it can hug my root. :chestram2: