Is the cupboard really this bare? Whose fault is it?

[htownSOONER]

Is it Capel's, the players, bad luck? At some point, blame has to fall with the big man.

I know we have had some tough breaks with flu, last minute losses etc, but our program is in a pretty bad situation.

Obviously, it comes down to 2 things. System and Personnel.

I was critical of Sampson for not being offensive minded enough, now I am critical of Capel for not being defensive minded enough.

I am starting to wonder if there is such thing as a happy medium.

Personnel wise, Capel has brought in some big fish. But, one of the reasons we are in such bad shape is because the fish he has been bringing in were not "character" guys or just worthless

I know we have talked about defections ad naseum but between defections busts and just bad offers...

Tony Neysmith
Orlando Allen
Kyle Cannon
Juan Patillo
Ray Willis
Chris Early
Hardrick

Guys Sampson Recruited

Kieth Clark
Bobby Maze

More than scheme, this is why we suck. Its not the X's and O's its the Jimmy's and Joe's. I dont meant just talent, I mean mental make up too.

We need guys that will stick around and buy into our program a little more. Give me a talented hard working kid athletically challenged over a good athlete with a bad attitude.

 

[gracefor24]

I think you have to count Clark as a Capel recruit since he decided to stay with Capel and ultimately signed with Capel.

 

[SoonerfanTU]

Add the busts to that list. Allen. Willis. Wright to some degree.

 

[NickZepp]

Sampson did not recruit Maze he was a last second guy Capel got.

 

[NickZepp]

Add the busts to that list. Allen. Willis. Wright to some degree.

Wright is good as a backup off the bench. He's been forced to start because Gallon can't play the post and Fitz is not ready yet.

 

[SoonerfanTU]

Wright is good as a backup off the bench. He's been forced to start because Gallon can't play the post and Fitz is not ready yet.

That is why I said "to some degree". However, I doubt Jeff brought him here thinking this was his ceiling.

 

[38red]

I liked Tony Neysmith but he wanted to play now/ closer to home. He wouldn't be great but he would be our best defender and 1 more ballhandler. I see him like I see the Gulley kid at OSU and you can't tell me he doesn't help OSU win games!

 

[Krugerfan52]

Neysmith would be no help. He barely touches the floor at Auburn. He has only scored like 3 pts this entire season, but has something like 18 turnovers.

He has had less of an impact at Auburn than he had at OU.

Add to that that Chris Early has not been able to crack the starting lineup at UT-Chat.

 

[WaymanFan]

Neysmith would be no help. He barely touches the floor at Auburn. He has only scored like 3 pts this entire season, but has something like 18 turnovers.

He has had less of an impact at Auburn than he had at OU.

Add to that that Chris Early has not been able to crack the starting lineup at UT-Chat.

Examples like these two are what worry me. What I was really hoping for was Coach Capel having an "eye for talent" or "recruiting instincts." Unfortunately, he has yet to show that.

I'm still a believer that Coach Capel will learn from his mistakes and be very successful at OU. Even assuming OU does not make the NCAA Tournament this year (going out on a limb ), Coach Capel has won 4 NCAA Tounament games already and has a perfect 4-0 record against lower seeds. The guy can coach. However, to have long-term success, he's going to need to reverse the disturbing trend of inking guys who simply aren't good enough to play in this conference.

Hopefully, the trend gets reversed starting with the 2010 class.

 

[ouboomer]

I think a big key is finding the right character kids. For some reason Capel has found a lot of kids who wind up either being in the wrong place at the wrong time or making poor decisions on and off the court. What worries me as it has been mentioned before is the Quinn Synder comparison, this season especially. Players shooting whenever they want, play lazy defense and have too much off the court issues. I am trying not to have too much of a knee jerk reaction to this season, but OU has only 1 player coming back next year who has not acted like a premadonna or had off court issues, Cade Davis. Enough to have any knowledgable fan a bit conscerned. This off season is going to be one of the more memorable ones. The roster could look really different next year.

 

[152219]

There is much more to the Quin Snyder story than just Mizzou's play on the court during his tenure there. So, any comparison between Capel and Snyder makes me very uneasy (and there is a reason he hasn't received another college coaching job). I'll just leave it at that.

 

[NickZepp]

I think Jeff is a much better coach than Quin Snyder. I just think he hasn't done a good job of recruiting players that fit any system.

 

[DenverSooner]

Does Capel have a system?

We knew what Tubbs did. He pressed, he forced tempo, he played most zone defense and he believed it was easier to get a good look early in the shot clock than late.

We knew what Sampson did. He played man to man. He ran clock. He did not tolerate poor shot selection or turn overs. He believe shooting was for a few players. He was a disciplinarian (but so was Tubbs). He ran that 4/1 offense or whatever you call it.

I don't know what Capel's system is. I think he prefer man to man defense with a motion offense but I honestly don't know.

 

[thebigabd]

Does Capel have a system?

We knew what Tubbs did. He pressed, he forced tempo, he played most zone defense and he believed it was easier to get a good look early in the shot clock than late.

We knew what Sampson did. He played man to man. He ran clock. He did not tolerate poor shot selection or turn overs. He believe shooting was for a few players. He was a disciplinarian (but so was Tubbs). He ran that 4/1 offense or whatever you call it.

I don't know what Capel's system is. I think he prefer man to man defense with a motion offense but I honestly don't know.

Gotta agree there... I have no idea what the system. For 2 years it was "throw it to Blake Griffin" and "shoot wide open 3's when they triple Blake Griffin", but I don't think Quin Snyder or Ricardo Patton could have screwed that one up.

I have no idea what the system is.

 

[Seymore Cox]

Does Capel have a system?

We knew what Tubbs did. He pressed, he forced tempo, he played most zone defense and he believed it was easier to get a good look early in the shot clock than late.

We knew what Sampson did. He played man to man. He ran clock. He did not tolerate poor shot selection or turn overs. He believe shooting was for a few players. He was a disciplinarian (but so was Tubbs). He ran that 4/1 offense or whatever you call it.

I don't know what Capel's system is. I think he prefer man to man defense with a motion offense but I honestly don't know.

No disrespect, but this is Tubbs system. This is why Tubbs doesn't coach anymore. Only difference is Tubbs had depth and more talent 1-10. Sampson was a guy that coached to talent. If he lacked it he'd be more ball control. If he had it, he'd be more aggressive defensively. Regardless, he rebounded well and he had an offensive identitiy. He evolved from Minor to Erdmann, to Brewer, to Najera and Humphrey, to Nolan Johnson for the last 15 games of his career, to Hollis Price, to McGhee, to Everett, Gray, and Bookout. He always had an indentity of core scorers and an indentity of how to get them teh ball. Capel's first year was his best coaching job because he really identified his teams weaknesses and Stregnths and coached to them. It was made a little bit easier the next to years with Blake. But even in Blake's first year, Capel did a good job of coaching, especially down the stretch when you look at WVU, Gonzaga, Arkansas, etc. This year has been a huge setback. He has to rally behind a core of guys next year and coach to their stregnths and develop their weaknesses. Easier said than done.

 

[jmizzy4ou]

No disrespect, but this is Tubbs system. This is why Tubbs doesn't coach anymore. Only difference is Tubbs had depth and more talent 1-10. Sampson was a guy that coached to talent. If he lacked it he'd be more ball control. If he had it, he'd be more aggressive defensively. Regardless, he rebounded well and he had an offensive identitiy. He evolved from Minor to Erdmann, to Brewer, to Najera and Humphrey, to Nolan Johnson for the last 15 games of his career, to Hollis Price, to McGhee, to Everett, Gray, and Bookout. He always had an indentity of core scorers and an indentity of how to get them teh ball. Capel's first year was his best coaching job because he really identified his teams weaknesses and Stregnths and coached to them. It was made a little bit easier the next to years with Blake. But even in Blake's first year, Capel did a good job of coaching, especially down the stretch when you look at WVU, Gonzaga, Arkansas, etc. This year has been a huge setback. He has to rally behind a core of guys next year and coach to their stregnths and develop their weaknesses. Easier said than done.

Good stuff DM