Is there an expectation on Capel to recruit MCDAA's now?

[NickZepp]

Making the Final Four has as much to do with luck as anything. We didn't play well near the end of the year and got an unlucky draw coming up against the best team in the Elite 8. But Capel has to start showing he can do things with our guards if we want a final four team IMO. They did a bit more in the Tournament last year than they did in the regular season but at times last year our guards just stood and watched Blake go. You can't do that and expect a Final Four.

 

[campbest]

Exactly what was your experience with the man to say this? Was Switzer a dick head? How about Bud? What about Tubbs?

You appear relatively knew to the board so I am wondering how old you are? It would truly fascinate to see a person in their early 20s claim to know much, if anything at all, about Coach Sampson.

The real fact of the matter about recruiting at OU is that it substantially stepped up after OU built the new facilities. We can all pretend it didn't. But it did. If you go back and look at the classes you will see classes that included multiple Top 100 high school players immediately following those improvements to the infrastructure. Bookout, Alexander, and others. Then I think OU had McKensie, Foust, Lavendar, Turner and Tobias (all Top 100 but Tobias and he had grade issues so was somewhat overlooked by ranking services). After that OU landed Everett, Taj Gray and Godbolt (Everett and Gray were both Juco AA, Longar was top 100). After that OU had a below average year (AJ, Michael Neal ??) but then landed Reynolds, James, Clark, Crocker and Mayden (5 Top 100 guys, 1 McD AA)

Capel then had a below average class but landed Griffin the next year, then got a better class with Willie and an even better class this year. Coach Capel has done a great job but he is not really recruting substantially better than Coach Sampson did after the facilities were improved.

As to the original question, I expect Capel to land most McD AA in Oklahoma and steal some from Texas. If we grab a few others great. I just hope he can continue to land mostly Top 100 recruits and Juco AA. If that happens OU will be fine.

You're right, anyone in their 20's doesn't know a lick about OU basketball from 1994-2006.

Give me a break.

 

[SoonerNorm]

You bring up a good point. MSU didn't have any MCDAAs on this year's squad and they made a FF. However, your chances of making the FF go up dramatically if you have at least two MCDAAs on your squad. We will have three next year and most likely have at least two for the next two years. It really gives us a great chance to challenge for FFs.

I also like the fact that so many McDAAs get drafted (or at least make an NBA roster as a UDFA). It is going to be great for future recruiting and building excitement w/in the fanbase to see guys like Blake, Willie, and Tiny make it to the NBA. It is just not the same when our guys do well in Europe (like Hollis and Ebi because we never hear about them and neither do future recruits).

:clap Very good post.

 

[brettromar]

Exactly what was your experience with the man to say this? Was Switzer a dick head? How about Bud? What about Tubbs?

You appear relatively knew to the board so I am wondering how old you are? It would truly fascinate to see a person in their early 20s claim to know much, if anything at all, about Coach Sampson.

The real fact of the matter about recruiting at OU is that it substantially stepped up after OU built the new facilities. We can all pretend it didn't. But it did. If you go back and look at the classes you will see classes that included multiple Top 100 high school players immediately following those improvements to the infrastructure. Bookout, Alexander, and others. Then I think OU had McKensie, Foust, Lavendar, Turner and Tobias (all Top 100 but Tobias and he had grade issues so was somewhat overlooked by ranking services). After that OU landed Everett, Taj Gray and Godbolt (Everett and Gray were both Juco AA, Longar was top 100). After that OU had a below average year (AJ, Michael Neal ??) but then landed Reynolds, James, Clark, Crocker and Mayden (5 Top 100 guys, 1 McD AA)

Capel then had a below average class but landed Griffin the next year, then got a better class with Willie and an even better class this year. Coach Capel has done a great job but he is not really recruting substantially better than Coach Sampson did after the facilities were improved.

As to the original question, I expect Capel to land most McD AA in Oklahoma and steal some from Texas. If we grab a few others great. I just hope he can continue to land mostly Top 100 recruits and Juco AA. If that happens OU will be fine.

Well the fact that I am not in my 20's and yes I have talked with Kelvin in the past, so I guess I do have some things to draw from.

Whether or not I am new to this board or not, that has nothing to do wtih my opinion of a person who will tell you and everyone there
That wins over a lot of us high school coaches at your camp. Sorry about the language but these are the exact words he used when talking to the coaches volunteering at his camp. He like these words at the father son camp too, though I was not at that one. He did win over a lot of dads, haha.

 

[Flintheart Glomgold]

kelvin could be the biggest charmer or the biggest assrocket on the face of the earth. you never knew what you'd get from him at any time.

dude was still an all-world coach.

 

[SoonerfanTU]

It is common knowledge that brettromar doesn't like Kelvin b/c Kelvin didn't recruit him, or a buddy, or a kid he coached. Or maybe he was mean to him at some camp. Something like that. Either way, it is pretty lame. He isn't new, he just has a new name.

 

[AdaSooner]

You bring up a good point. MSU didn't have any MCDAAs on this year's squad and they made a FF. However, your chances of making the FF go up dramatically if you have at least two MCDAAs on your squad. We will have three next year and most likely have at least two for the next two years. It really gives us a great chance to challenge for FFs.

I also like the fact that so many McDAAs get drafted (or at least make an NBA roster as a UDFA). It is going to be great for future recruiting and building excitement w/in the fanbase to see guys like Blake, Willie, and Tiny make it to the NBA. It is just not the same when our guys do well in Europe (like Hollis and Ebi because we never hear about them and neither do future recruits).

BT made some very good points that got me to thinking about a few things. And for those who don't know, I was older than most here when Billy Tubbs coached the Sooners, so I'm definitely not a revisionist historian.

Anyone who would argue that OU was not a highly successful program before Jeff Capel arrived has a short memory or is totally unaware of the successes Sooner fans enjoyed in the Tubbs and Sampson eras. We had plenty of reasons to stick out our chest with pride under both coaches.

As for Coach Sampson, no one (and I do mean NO ONE) was a bigger supporter than me. I defended him against all comers on the old Scout board and on OUInsider. I would challenge anyone to prove me wrong. If GOB was around he would tell you, because I ripped into him numerous times for making fun of Kelvin.

Having said all of that, I can also remember wishing for more and longing to be in a position where we did not have to say "Kelvin Sampson does more with less than any coach around." I still say that because it's true. But, there is a huge difference in the caliber of the players Coach Capel is recruiting to the program now. I never thought I would see the day when OU signed a McDonald's All-American in two straight seasons, much less three, with the possibility of four if the chips fall just right. In the admittedly limited recruiting goals I had set for our program, I considered two in one season to be virtually impossible.

Heck, I got excited when a MickeyD AA candidate had OU on his recruiting list. I remember searching through Streets & Smith's, Athlons, Sporting News and other recruiting annuals every year without fail, hoping to learn the Sooners were in on a top fifty player or two, which, quite frankly, was rare in those days.

The point is, OU is on a whole new level in recruiting with Jeff Capel and his staff. Will they be successful in matching or exceeding our past successes? The jury is still out on that question. But I sure like the excitement being generated by bringing in McDonald's All-Americans and other top ranked recruits who (hopefully) will give us a chance to move the bar higher than we have ever seen before. If that doesn't happen, I, for one, will enjoy the ride!

 

[brettromar]

It is common knowledge that brettromar doesn't like Kelvin b/c Kelvin didn't recruit him, or a buddy, or a kid he coached. Or maybe he was mean to him at some camp. Something like that. Either way, it is pretty lame. He isn't new, he just has a new name.

First off, I said he was a good coach

Tubbs was a but we were not talking about Billy so I didn't say that.

He didn't recruit me, CORRECT. Of course he should have been fired if he did recruit me. I did my thing and got my free education elsewhere and stayed a huge fan of OU.

Didn't recruit a buddy of mine? Really, I didn't know I had any buddies that should have been recruited by him. Had a couple of friends that played for him so I guess they got recruited but I can't think of anyone that I knew that should be been recruited.

I have never coached anyone good enough to play at OU in basketball. Other sports yes, and that is why they play there now.

Was Kelvin mean? I guess you could say that, however the best was his face when he tried to big boy some of us and he got the response of, "None of us give a poop who you are jean shirt boy".

A lot of the coaches are like this. I am a dick a lot of times. I love me though, haha. That doesn't mean he is the only one. I just know Kelvin to be a bold face liar and two faced as someone above posted.

I guess I will be lame. SoonerFan and I go way back. He doesn't have a high opinion of me and I don't have one of him. I will leave it at that.

I am not new, the family got a new name a while back when James switched boards so I just post under this one all the time now.

My dislike for Kelvin has nothing to do with former players, myself or friends. I dislike the way he let his guys do a lot of stuff off the floor, the way he tried to lie about recruiting tactics, and other things.

This doesn't make me right and Kelvin wrong, it just fuels my opinion that he is a ********. In the past I posted many times how I liked that Kelvin's teams were tough as nails. I loved the way they seemed to play for the team. I liked the way they played defense. I liked a lot of things Kelvin did as a coach on the floor. I don't have a hatred for him, I just think he is a ********. A like Larry Bird a lot and still think he is a from what I have heard.

Hope this explaisn things better.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Good post Ada. To further emphasize the great recruiting, we lost 3 starters off of last year's team (one was POY) and many still think we are a top 10 team! That is something we haven't been accustomed to in the past and not many teams can say they are.

 

[hoopsaustin]

Well the fact that I am not in my 20's and yes I have talked with Kelvin in the past, so I guess I do have some things to draw from.

Whether or not I am new to this board or not, that has nothing to do wtih my opinion of a person who will tell you and everyone there
That wins over a lot of us high school coaches at your camp. Sorry about the language but these are the exact words he used when talking to the coaches volunteering at his camp. He like these words at the father son camp too, though I was not at that one. He did win over a lot of dads, haha.

hmm... he didnt say anything bad to the two father/son camps i went to... which me and my dad won the cut throat 2v2

 

[brettromar]

My apologies on the words, just using the words he used.

I am in the timeout corner now.

 

[campbest]

I don't expect Capel to keep reeling in McDAA's every year, but I do expect him to win. If we're going to pay him more and more, I don't think that's an unreasonable expectation.

Now, of course some years will be better than others, but I do expect the trend of this last year to continue. You don't need McDAA's to do that, but the propensity of success is a lot higher with them than without.

 

[AdaSooner]

My apologies on the words, just using the words he used.

I am in the timeout corner now.

Apology accepted on my part. Time to get back on topic and move on. :boomer

 

[SoonerfanTU]

I don't expect Capel to keep reeling in McDAA's every year, but I do expect him to win. If we're going to pay him more and more, I don't think that's an unreasonable expectation.

Now, of course some years will be better than others, but I do expect the trend of this last year to continue. You don't need McDAA's to do that, but the propensity of success is a lot higher with them than without.

Agreed.

I've never been one to get caught up in the recruiting, or the style of offense/defense we run, so long as we win games at a good clip. The rest, the details, just message board fodder to me.

 

[DenverSooner]

You're right, anyone in their 20's doesn't know a lick about OU basketball from 1994-2006.

Give me a break.

Unless you are extremely rare, you sure as heck know virtually nothing about it before you graduated high school. Perhaps you watched a few games now and then but chances are you were a professional sports fan prior to going to college.

Also, I said early 20s not late 20s. There is a huge difference. You may choose to pretend you know as much about recent historical events as older people but you don't. Similarly they don't know as much about pop culture. It is just the way it is.

Some of the guys on this board are about 10 years or more older than me. They don't have to tell me, I can tell by things they say. They know things I I simply do not know. It is not because they are smarter than me or better than me, it is because they lived those things.

 

[bocabull]

Why is there is certain group who refuse to accept the fact that Kelvin had a questionable personality that rubbed elite players the wrong way and that he did not prepare people for the NBA and that his style of play did not attract elite players and that he broke the rules in an effort to reverse his lack of recruiting success and that he left OU in shambles?

It's pretty simple really.

 

[SoonerfanTU]

Why is there is certain group who refuse to accept the fact that Kelvin had a questionable personality that rubbed elite players the wrong way and that he did not prepare people for the NBA and that his style of play did not attract elite players and that he broke the rules in an effort to reverse his lack of recruiting success and that he left OU in shambles?

It's pretty simple really.

Because most of that is simply not true? Or at the most, it is YOUR opinion.

 

[MsProudSooner]

Why is there is certain group who refuse to accept the fact that Kelvin had a questionable personality that rubbed elite players the wrong way and that he did not prepare people for the NBA and that his style of play did not attract elite players and that he broke the rules in an effort to reverse his lack of recruiting success and that he left OU in shambles?

It's pretty simple really.

Why are there some posters who have been told over and over again that the 'Kelvin Wars' aren't going to be allowed on this board - yet they persist in turning every thread possible into an argument about a coach who has been gone for over 3 years.

It's pretty simple really. Stick to the topic at hand or have the thread closed.

 

[campbest]

Unless you are extremely rare, you sure as heck know virtually nothing about it before you graduated high school. Perhaps you watched a few games now and then but chances are you were a professional sports fan prior to going to college.

Also, I said early 20s not late 20s. There is a huge difference. You may choose to pretend you know as much about recent historical events as older people but you don't. Similarly they don't know as much about pop culture. It is just the way it is.

Some of the guys on this board are about 10 years or more older than me. They don't have to tell me, I can tell by things they say. They know things I I simply do not know. It is not because they are smarter than me or better than me, it is because they lived those things.

Whatever man, I'm in my mid-20's and I know all I need to know about the Kelvin Sampson era. I don't claim to be an "expert", as obviously you are, but I "lived through it" as you would say. Attended three of his camps in high school and my family is from Norman, so I think am well versed in his time at OU. Now if I come on here spouting verbadum from Tubbs' tenure, feel free to call me out. I'll take my experiences and derive my own opinions, guess I am "rare".

You don't have to "live" through something at a certain age (or at all) to form an educated opinion.

 

[Flintheart Glomgold]

Unless you are extremely rare, you sure as heck know virtually nothing about it before you graduated high school. Perhaps you watched a few games now and then but chances are you were a professional sports fan prior to going to college.

Also, I said early 20s not late 20s. There is a huge difference. You may choose to pretend you know as much about recent historical events as older people but you don't. Similarly they don't know as much about pop culture. It is just the way it is.

Some of the guys on this board are about 10 years or more older than me. They don't have to tell me, I can tell by things they say. They know things I I simply do not know. It is not because they are smarter than me or better than me, it is because they lived those things.

you paint with a very broad brush.