Just so we are clear....

[boksooner]

Tulsa?

ABD is a Tulsa fan

 

[OUsky]

I'm still confused how Capel got a "pass" for year one.

Your expectations were low so it didn't matter what we did you were not going to blame the coach... that is giving a pass (which most coaches get in year one). I do not have a problem with that. However, it sounds like next year some posters will be giving another pass... at least as long as we play hard.

 

[boksooner]

Your expectations were low so it didn't matter what we did you were not going to blame the coach... that is giving a pass (which most coaches get in year one). I do not have a problem with that. However, it sounds like next year some posters will be giving another pass... at least as long as we play hard.

If a coach and team do not perform according to expectations and the coach is not blamed, then he is given a pass. Year 4 is the only year that Capel did not meet or exceed my expectations. He should be blamed for doing a poor job. If the team does not meet expectations that include thinks in addition to wins and losses, he should not escape blame (perhaps even fired).

The crux of the issues seems to be expectations and what is enough blame and gnashing of teeth. Capel did a poor job this year, but I do not believe he should be fired. Is that giving him a pass?

 

[skyvue]

We had a lot more talent on that 2007 squad than many posters have ever been willing to admit, and the probation, while obviously not the ideal situation for any first-year coach, was not that big a deal. I certainly wasn't expecting a losing season that year and I seriously question whether anyone else was, either, though I'm sure some will now claim they were.

The only way one can view that season as a pleasant surprise was if one seriously expected us to finish below .500 that year, and I don't remember a single poster stating that expectation at the time.

 

[BigTime]

We had a lot more talent on that 2007 squad than many posters have ever been willing to admit, and the probation, while obviously not the ideal situation for any first-year coach, was not that big a deal. I certainly wasn't expecting a losing season that year and I seriously question whether anyone else was, either, though I'm sure some will now claim they were.
The only way one can view that season as a pleasant surprise was if one seriously expected us to finish below .500 that year, and I don't remember a single poster stating that expectation at the time.

We didn't have a losing season that year.

 

[Tony]

We didn't have a losing season that year.

I think skyvue's point was that for us to have exceeded expectations that season, one would have expected us to have a losing season.

 

[BigTime]

I think skyvue's point was that for us to have exceeded expectations that season, one would have expected us to have a losing season.

Ahhhhh

My bad, sky.

 

[boksooner]

I think skyvue's point was that for us to have exceeded expectations that season, one would have expected us to have a losing season.

Only if your expectations are 100% tied to wins/losses

 

[MNsooner]

I think we are seeking explanations for what has gone wrong not making excuses for Capel. The bottom line in his five years I think that we have seen him do some great things and some bad things. The hope I guess is that he is a young coach and can learn from these mistakes and turn it around. If he doesn't then the program should move in another direction. Something else that should be mentioned is that I thought year 1 was maybe coach's best coaching job. That team over achieved in my opinion. Either way, that is definitely up for debate. I think the more important position to take is to figure out how we can get the program on track. We obviously have decided to give Capel an opportunity to improve. Let's all hope he learns from his mistakes for our program's sake.

 

[playmakr]

Only if your expectations are 100% tied to wins/losses

It's what matters the most.

 

[Edmond_Sooner]

It's what matters the most.

It does matter the most...we can sit here and talk about playing harder and all that but none of that matters if you are a 10 win team...

will be hard to take positives away from a team with a bad record....

 

[skyvue]

We didn't have a losing season that year.

I know that, BT; if you'll read my post again, you'll see that's my point. The 2007 campaign is often cited as belonging in the plus column for Coach Capel, as if we exceeded expectations that year.

But we went 16-15 that season, so the only way that result could viewed as a pleasant surprise (and a stellar coaching job) is if expectations were that we were going to finish at .500 or below.

I don't remember, going into that season, seeing many such predictions; I certainly expected more from that team. So, while I have no desire to trash Coach Capel over that season, the notion that our talent that year was so down that it was an impressive accomplishment just to go 16-15 is, in my opinion, revisionist.

We had decent talent on that squad -- not Final Four or even Sweet 16 level talent, perhaps, but enough to squeak into the Dance. Instead, we didn't even make the NIT.

It was Coach Capel's first season, and there were undeniably some distractions and obstacles to overcome, so I wasn't overly upset or disappointed, but I saw nothing that season particularly reassured me, either.

The next year was much better, and of course the 2009 was a terrific season. But by my count we've had one great season under Coach Capel, one good one, one disappointing one, and one disastrous one.

EDIT: Yikes! Lots of folks snuck in (I started my response then got distracted for a while -- sorry).

 

[Tony]

Let's all hope he learns from his mistakes for our program's sake.

I have long ago learned that I can't learn what a person is truly all about by watching their body language on a basketball court or reading a post by them on the internet or watching a five-minute "behind the scenes" video issued by a marketing department. So I do not know what really went on behind the scenes last year or the character of the players on the team. I take Jeff Capel at his word that there were problems, but I really don't know.

But what I want to know is if he has learned from any on the court mistakes. I watch a lot of basketball, but I do not at all consider myself an expert on the sport. So let me ask some people that know more than me:

Can you think of any game that we won this season because of his coaching? Can you think of any game in which he out-coached his counterpart? Did this team display the kind of defensive fundamentals you expect from good teams? Was the offense used the most effective way to utilize our talent? Did Jeff Capel regularly make adjustments that did positive things for this team?

I don't know the answers to those questions. But to this layman, I will say that it looked like a poorly coached team a lot of times this season. I want to see us play hard next year, yes, and it would be great if our players get good grades and do nice things in the community. I have heard a lot of talk this offseason about fixing those things. But very little about actual on-the-court mistakes that were made this season. I hope we don't think our problems will just vanish by recruiting more "character" players.

 

[NickZepp]

I'm not giving him a pass this year if we play with the same desire we played with last year.

 

[BigTime]

I'm not giving him a pass this year if we play with the same desire we played with last year.

Who is saying that they will? I think that is kind of a given. Effort and playing a like a team are the main things that I will be looking for next year. It wouldn't surprise me it that is the main criteria that Joe C is looking for as well.

 

[OUsky]

Can you think of any game that we won this season because of his coaching? Can you think of any game in which he out-coached his counterpart? Did this team display the kind of defensive fundamentals you expect from good teams? Was the offense used the most effective ways to utilize our talent? Did Jeff Capel regularly make adjustments that did positive things for this team?

I don't know the answers to those questions. But to this layman, I will say that it looked like a poorly coached team a lot of times this season. I want to see us play hard next year, yes, and it would be great if our players get good grades and do nice things in the community. I have heard a lot of talk this offseason about fixing those things. But very little about actual on-the-court mistakes that were made this season. I hope we don't think our problems will just vanish by recruiting more "character" players.

Tony, this is my main concern as well and it just doesn't go back to the past year.

 

[Shooterms]

Pretty sure you can't get a pass on something that hasn't happened.

The team was supposed to be pretty good last year, and wasn't.

An inverse situation could occur next year. This will be a hard working team, with high-character players, all of whom want to be in Norman wearing Crimson and Cream. It would seem that OU has some history with teams like that who have had success.

 

[brumFTW]

I'm just curious what the alternative to giving Capel a "pass" is? Kidnap him from his home, put him on a plane, and send him out of state (Honduran-Style)?

 

[Section31]

In my opinion of course these guys are going to play hard and be there for the team! I mean we really have no burger boys to coach. A good coach is able to put a leash on the talented guys and make them play as a team...So I dont see how seeing this next year means capel is ready to coach elite talent....When he gets a few top elite talented guys and bring them in and teach them how to play together I will be a believer...but next year will show me nothing in terms of beign able to do that.

Sheesh, he coached the first pick in the draft and his brother (who was, oddly enough, drafted too)...

 

[Section31]

We had a lot more talent on that 2007 squad

You're one of about 3 or 4 people who believe that...