Iowa State at OU

[MsProudSooner]

Why would they need to be considered top 20 coaches? There are MANY really good head coaches at lesser programs who would love to come to OU. There are MANY great assistant coaches in this country just waiting for a chance to be a head coach. The vast majority of great coaches in the country rose to prominance from one of those two categories.

People who wanted to run Kelvin off made similar comments. They were sure it wouldn't be hard to replace him with someone better. It turns out it wasn't as easy as they thought it would be.

 

[MsProudSooner]

I did not get to see the game but from the box score I would agree with Sherri, I don't see how you lose. However, with the current crew of referees sometimes you are the fouler and sometimes you are the foulee, and you never know which is which.

As I've heard coaches comment before, "We didn't guard the free throw line well."

 

[rocjunkie]

She was darn good last game and the game before. Defensively she handled both Prins and Poppen with minimal help. She ran Toni Young out of the gym. Griffin is our center, and we are certainly gone long way up from nowhere. Outside of Griner, who's a better center in our conference?

I agree, Nicole certainly wasn't our weakness last night, I thought she was solid, inspite of getting stomped on by the ISU bigs. I don't usually gripe too much about officiating, but last night was about as bad as I have seen in a while. Bill really wasn't too demonstrative last night, I think even he knew he was getting the best of the calls away from home. It was really pretty bad.

 

[SoonerNorm]

People who wanted to run Kelvin off made similar comments. They were sure it wouldn't be hard to replace him with someone better. It turns out it wasn't as easy as they thought it would be.

Sure, you have to do your research and do the best job possible of evaluating the applicants. We made pretty good choices when we hired Patty Gasso and Bob Stoops. Both would be hard to replace but I'm pretty sure it could be done.

 

[35TangoTango]

Sure, you have to do your research and do the best job possible of evaluating the applicants. We made pretty good choices when we hired Patty Gasso and Bob Stoops. Both would be hard to replace but I'm pretty sure it could be done.

It's still a crap shoot at long odds. Look how it's worked out for Texas :ez-laugh:

 

[BanjoCharley]

Sure, you have to do your research and do the best job possible of evaluating the applicants. We made pretty good choices when we hired Patty Gasso and Bob Stoops. Both would be hard to replace but I'm pretty sure it could be done.

That's it! Lets hire Gary Gibbs and then John Blake to coach the team, then a really good coach will turn up! BS was not easy, as I recall there was about a decade of pain involved in it.

 

[SoonerNorm]

That's it! Lets hire Gary Gibbs and then John Blake to coach the team, then a really good coach will turn up! BS was not easy, as I recall there was about a decade of pain involved in it.

That's exactly the point...the AD has to make better decisions. Hire the right person and you have a chance of winning a NC. Hire the wrong person and the program will go downhill.

As I said, look at Patty Gasso and Bob Stoops as both were really good hires. It looks like Kruger was too!

 

[NMSooner'80]

The thought of anyone wanting Joe C. to even have to think about replacing Sherri = :facepalm :facepalm

 

[Oliver Hardy]

She's at what 17 years? I'd bet any of you $10 she's gone by 20.

If Jan Ross gets sick again, or worse, I bet Sherri quits within a year.

Not time to start thinking about replacing her, but it would be smart to update your list, I think.

 

[35TangoTango]

She's at what 17 years? I'd bet any of you $10 she's gone by 20.

If Jan Ross gets sick again, or worse, I bet Sherri quits within a year.

Not time to start thinking about replacing her, but it would be smart to update your list, I think.

I'll take that bet! And everyone had better hope I win, because when she goes, the program goes with her. Sherri Coale made Oklahoma women's basketball; Sherri Coale IS Oklahoma women's basketball. And if it was as easy to find a better coach as Norm thinks it is, why couldn't Texas or Texas Tech, both of which had more of a program to attract a coach, do it?

 

[SoonerNorm]

I'll take that bet! And everyone had better hope I win, because when she goes, the program goes with her. Sherri Coale made Oklahoma women's basketball; Sherri Coale IS Oklahoma women's basketball. And if it was as easy to find a better coach as Norm thinks it is, why couldn't Texas or Texas Tech, both of which had more of a program to attract a coach, do it?

Very simple, they didn't make a good decision in who they hired. Do you think Alabama made a good decision when they hired Nick Saban? Do you think A&M made good decisions when they hired Gary Blair and Kevin Sumlin? Do you think KSU made a good decision when they hired Bill Snyder then later brought him back when the program went downhill? I didn't say hiring the right person was easy...I just said it can be done. No, I do not think Sherri's leaving would doom the program. I give Joe C. more credit than that.

 

[sybarite]

I'll take that bet! And everyone had better hope I win, because when she goes, the program goes with her. Sherri Coale made Oklahoma women's basketball; Sherri Coale IS Oklahoma women's basketball. And if it was as easy to find a better coach as Norm thinks it is, why couldn't Texas or Texas Tech, both of which had more of a program to attract a coach, do it?

I pretty much agree with this position. The three coaches with whom I would never tamper at OU are Williams, Gasso, and Coale (although Kindler and Kruger may join that list if they keep developing the programs). If OU had never had Sherri, there would have been no shot at a Courtney or Ashley Paris, an Amanda Thompson, an Abi Olajuwon, or Danielle Robinson, much less a Stacy Dales. The fact that we became a national power of any rank is due to our unbelievable luck in getting a highschool coach who could succeed. Notre Dame football tried.

IF Sherri had a few more years, and IF one of a couple of players might develop as coaches, I could see OU retaining the status. I could see Whitney, Danielle, or Morgan coming back as coaches. But, it takes something special to recruit to OU. I'm astounded that Sherri has been able to do it with any effectiveness. The fact that we are in on some top national prospects---on what basis---is astonishing. What is our draw, other than Sherri?

 

[SoonerNorm]

I pretty much agree with this position. The three coaches with whom I would never tamper at OU are Williams, Gasso, and Coale (although Kindler and Kruger may join that list if they keep developing the programs). If OU had never had Sherri, there would have been no shot at a Courtney or Ashley Paris, an Amanda Thompson, an Abi Olajuwon, or Danielle Robinson, much less a Stacy Dales. The fact that we became a national power of any rank is due to our unbelievable luck in getting a highschool coach who could succeed. Notre Dame football tried.

IF Sherri had a few more years, and IF one of a couple of players might develop as coaches, I could see OU retaining the status. I could see Whitney, Danielle, or Morgan coming back as coaches. But, it takes something special to recruit to OU. I'm astounded that Sherri has been able to do it with any effectiveness. The fact that we are in on some top national prospects---on what basis---is astonishing. What is our draw, other than Sherri?

How about 3 trips to the final four, a good conference, good fans, good facilities, good AD, good president, money, good (not great) academics, good city, etc. I would rather recruit to Norman than Stillwater, Lubbock, or Baylor.

 

[sybarite]

How about 3 trips to the final four, a good conference, good fans, good facilities, good AD, good president, money, good (not great) academics, good city, etc. I would rather recruit to Norman than Stillwater, Lubbock, or Baylor.

You don't have the commitment to women's sports and winning at all costs at OU that you have at Baylor and OSU. Tech is falling a bit as the tide rises. Those final four appearances have something in common---Sherri.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

I want to make it clear, my comment was strictly about my opinion on her potential retirement.

I tend to agree that another coach could be found, just like we did with Bob, Kruger, Sherri, baseball and gymnastics. Whether they pan out, who knows?

I remember us getting a lot of grief nationally when Sherri was hired and how people nationally ridiculed OU.

I also don't disagree that Sherri IS OUWBB.

If you follow Tango and Syb's line of thought, and I'm not sure I completely do, I'm not sure Sherri is much of a draw to OU lately, but I sure don't know what else is.

 

[MsProudSooner]

Very simple, they didn't make a good decision in who they hired. Do you think Alabama made a good decision when they hired Nick Saban? Do you think A&M made good decisions when they hired Gary Blair and Kevin Sumlin? Do you think KSU made a good decision when they hired Bill Snyder then later brought him back when the program went downhill? I didn't say hiring the right person was easy...I just said it can be done. No, I do not think Sherri's leaving would doom the program. I give Joe C. more credit than that.

Saying they didn't make a good decision indicates that there was someone who would have been better, wanted the job but didn't get a job offer.

Having said that, I'm not as pessimistic about life after Sherri, whenever that might be, as others are. I think that Sherri and OU have shown the world of women's basketball two things:

1) Oklahomans support good women's basketball.
2) OU is willing to support a women's basketball program and pay a successful, quality women's basketball coach who is willing to do the job the right way. (Yes, I know that hasn't always been true.) If you read the comments made by different coaches, you hear them say that the OU Athletic Department does everything the right way. Potential coaches know that and it attracts them to a school.

To me, those are the the 2 key ingredients that are required for a school to attract a good coach and have a successful women's basketball program. If you have those things, it attracts a better pool of applicants to choose from.

 

[SoonerNorm]

You don't have the commitment to women's sports and winning at all costs at OU that you have at Baylor and OSU. Tech is falling a bit as the tide rises. Those final four appearances have something in common---Sherri.

To buy into that line of reasoning, OU football should have died after Bud Wilkinson left....should have died again when Barry Switzer left...will die again when Stoops leaves.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Saying they didn't make a good decision indicates that there was someone who would have been better, wanted the job but didn't get a job offer.

If there wasn't any one who the AD's thought was outstanding, they should have just promoted an assistant to be the interim head coach and continued the search.

Having said that, I'm not as pessimistic about life after Sherri, whenever that might be, as others are. I think that Sherri and OU have shown the world of women's basketball two things:

1) Oklahomans support good women's basketball.
2) OU is willing to support a women's basketball program and pay a successful, quality women's basketball coach who is willing to do the job the right way. (Yes, I know that hasn't always been true.) If you read the comments made by different coaches, you hear them say that the OU Athletic Department does everything the right way. Potential coaches know that and it attracts them to a school.

To me, those are the the 2 key ingredients that are required for a school to attract a good coach and have a successful women's basketball program. If you have those things, it attracts a better pool of applicants to choose from.

Very good points!

 

[sybarite]

To buy into that line of reasoning, OU football should have died after Bud Wilkinson left....should have died again when Barry Switzer left...will die again when Stoops leaves.

Nice try at a stretch of logic, but it does have one ring of truth. Wilkinson did build a monster that made it a lot easier for Switzer and Stoops (on whom my vote is still out). But, Wilkinson also built that program with the absolute and complete support of every oil man, public official, regent, university president, and newspaper that had any influence in Oklahoma.

If OU were to set out to build a women's basketball program with the same intensity that they used to build a football program, I would have faith in the future after Sherri. But, I don't think we have that commitment to women's sports, or, really, even to basketball. What this university and its alumni did to build a football program in 1946 was the most determined effort at any endeavor in Oklahoma history.

 

[BanjoCharley]

Norm, just to clear the air for me, do you, deep down in some dark recess, look forward to having someone other than Sherri as our coach?

I ask because there is just a faint odor of that, very faint but still there, in a lot of your posts, and it's been there for quite a while. If that's how you feel, deep down, that's OK because we are all entitled to our opinions. It just seems to me that in your posts, the essence of wanting someone other than Sherri has been with us for a while.

This is not a personal attack because we all know that the day will come when Sherri is not our coach. It just seems to me that if you could push the arrival of that day just a bit, you would.

I apologize in advance if that offends you for I don't mean it to but I would like to know.