Kelvin, come back!

[WTSooner]

Blake donated money for a brand new weight room a few years ago. That's why asked what needed to be updated other than a new arena.

I think the practice facility itself has become a little dated. Maybe the locker rooms, cannot remember if Blake's donation updated those or not. And obviously the LNC.

Blake's donation and subsequent renovation was a bit of a band-aid.

It's not just that though. It's overall support and morale. UH basketball is using Twitter and such like OU football does. Their entire staff is all over Twitter interacting with various folks. They've branded some cool marketing stuff across all of their athletic programs, and they've done a really nice job of drumming up interest in their program(s).

 

[BoulderSooner]

I think the practice facility itself has become a little dated. Maybe the locker rooms, cannot remember if Blake's donation updated those or not. And obviously the LNC.

Blake's donation and subsequent renovation was a bit of a band-aid.

It's not just that though. It's overall support and morale. UH basketball is using Twitter and such like OU football does. Their entire staff is all over Twitter interacting with various folks. They've branded some cool marketing stuff across all of their athletic programs, and they've done a really nice job of drumming up interest in their program(s).

houston has a 7 k arena that they don't sell out ...

 

[MsProudSooner]

I think the practice facility itself has become a little dated. Maybe the locker rooms, cannot remember if Blake's donation updated those or not. And obviously the LNC.

Blake's donation and subsequent renovation was a bit of a band-aid.

It's not just that though. It's overall support and morale. UH basketball is using Twitter and such like OU football does. Their entire staff is all over Twitter interacting with various folks. They've branded some cool marketing stuff across all of their athletic programs, and they've done a really nice job of drumming up interest in their program(s).

I wouldn't call this a band-aid.

https://tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/ousportsextra/ou-basketball-introducing-the-griffin-family-performance-center-which-could-be-a-gamechanger/article_ab2f4164-fd3b-581c-88c1-1df11e51c5fe.html

I'm not saying that there aren't things that need to be improved. People tend to throw the word facilities around without being specific.

From what I've read, the rich have only gotten richer during this pandemic. So perhaps someone will step up with a big donation.

 

[thebigabd]

Facilities are probably fine.... I think OU basketball is just kinda boring right now. Kind of a ho-hum program. I've described in the past as "treading water"... Being passed by Tech, Baylor, Oklahoma State... Finishing back end of the league, etc.

It needs a shot of life... something unique. Something to make it stand out.

Dana Altman is just another 65 year old guy... Great coach, don't get me wrong, but he's at the end of his career... Nothing exciting about that.

 

[IndySooner]

OU had one of the highest paid coaching staffs in the country ..

OU has great facilities (other than the arena)

so your post is not correct ..

Well, I'd post the texts, but I don't care enough.

I'll take the word of people who have been in the business. I think we'll likely see in the outcome of this hire. But, as always, I hope I'm wrong!

 

[IndySooner]

I wouldn't call this a band-aid.

https://tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/ousportsextra/ou-basketball-introducing-the-griffin-family-performance-center-which-could-be-a-gamechanger/article_ab2f4164-fd3b-581c-88c1-1df11e51c5fe.html

I'm not saying that there aren't things that need to be improved. People tend to throw the word facilities around without being specific.

From what I've read, the rich have only gotten richer during this pandemic. So perhaps someone will step up with a big donation.

Our arena is a multi-purpose arena that was built in the 70's and coaches have been trying to get rid of since the 90's. That is a start. Our practice facilities, while nice, are relatively small and at this point are a decade-plus old. It's an arms race and we're losing it.

When the city of Norman shot down the new arena, and that was OU's only option, that was a big hit to the program.

 

[AdaSooner]

Facilities are probably fine.... I think OU basketball is just kinda boring right now. Kind of a ho-hum program. I've described in the past as "treading water"... Being passed by Tech, Baylor, Oklahoma State... Finishing back end of the league, etc.

It needs a shot of life... something unique. Something to make it stand out.

Dana Altman is just another 65 year old guy... Great coach, don't get me wrong, but he's at the end of his career... Nothing exciting about that.

The facilities ARE fine! It’s silly to keep throwing that word out like a blanket for the entire program when it’s the arena that needs to be updated.

I agree 100% that it’s time to hire a young, energetic coach who will surround himself with a like-minded staff that will work tirelessly to identify, recruit and sign the best basketball players available. If that means going the juco route to fill voids or needs, so be it. Anything, except projects with rear ends that look like two olives on toothpicks. I’m tired of our “bigs” being pushed around by bigger, stronger players on nearly every team we face!

 

[WTSooner]

The facilities ARE fine! It’s silly to keep throwing that word out like a blanket for the entire program when it’s the arena that needs to be updated.

It's not JUST the arena. Several Big 12 schools have newer practice facilities than OU as well. It's no different than football. If you haven't do a major update in the last 3-5 years, you are likely behind.

OU has only recently renovated the weight room for basketball. That leaves the arena, the practice facility, and the locker rooms as all "behind". Some of those facilities are more behind than others. And they are not behind EVERY other school, but are behind some schools. Nobody is speaking in absolutes, but those practice facility updates were a good deal of time ago.

I'm also not saying that updating these facilities is the ONLY way to jump start the program. But it's one way. And more specifically, in this discussion, it's a distinguishing factor in a comparison to UH, where they have a donor spending money like it's going out of style.

 

[MsProudSooner]

It's not JUST the arena. Several Big 12 schools have newer practice facilities than OU as well. It's no different than football. If you haven't do a major update in the last 3-5 years, you are likely behind.

OU has only recently renovated the weight room for basketball. That leaves the arena, the practice facility, and the locker rooms as all "behind". Some of those facilities are more behind than others. And they are not behind EVERY other school, but are behind some schools. Nobody is speaking in absolutes, but those practice facility updates were a good deal of time ago.

I'm also not saying that updating these facilities is the ONLY way to jump start the program. But it's one way. And more specifically, in this discussion, it's a distinguishing factor in a comparison to UH, where they have a donor spending money like it's going out of style.

1) We didn't 'renovate the weight room'. An entire new S&C facility was built, just for basketball in 2018.

2). From what I've read, the big donor for UH is the owner of the Houston Rockets. I'm not sure Clay Bennett or the other Thunder owners want to be seen as supporting one state school over the other one to that extent. Perhaps Blake, Buddy & Trae could pool their money to jump-start the process. We could call it the POY arena.

 

[outest]

One more run.

OU would be lucky to have Kevin Sampson back. Kevin knows to coach interior defense, which Kruger is not good at. Any coach who can beat a Syracuse Jim Boehein team is a good coach. It is not easy to beat Syracuse with their Zone defense.Houston handled the zone defense easily.

 

[vbdad]

The weight facility is great. The practice facility is terrible. Shari not letting them use the other side was a real issue.
Kelvin is a great coach. If anyone taped practice though he wouldn’t survive the current environment.

 

[MsProudSooner]

The weight facility is great. The practice facility is terrible. Shari not letting them use the other side was a real issue.
Kelvin is a great coach. If anyone taped practice though he wouldn’t survive the current environment.

Please be more specific. How is the practice facility 'terrible'?

 

[Capel's Mustache]

The weight facility is great. The practice facility is terrible. Shari not letting them use the other side was a real issue.
Kelvin is a great coach. If anyone taped practice though he wouldn’t survive the current environment.

What a minute here...are you trying to tell me bouncing a ball off of J.R. Raymond's face might be frowned upon in today's environment

 

[MJSooner]

Gang- I have been off this board and haven't posted in a long while and spent more time on TOS. Since I wanted to get the true scoop on the coaching prospects, I thought I might come back "home" to this board and came across this thread.

Even though it's been a while since I posted, and don't post as often as I read, I've been on this board and its predecessor basketball communities with the original members to know Kelvin has never been more highly thought of with the fanbase than he is now. When he was here, a lot of the diehard fans, not just the followers when things are good like on TOS, did not appreciate him, his style, or his ego, and was happy to get a young, pedigree guy that liked hip hop as the next coach. As I have reminded a lot of folks over the last couple of years, be careful what you ask for in a coach and be appreciative of what you have.

Nonetheless, for those clamoring, hoping, and wanting Kelvin to come back to Norman, go back and look at his contract he signed after the 2019 season.

Currently, there are at least 12 million reasons he will not be leaving Houston anytime soon. That and a host of other reasons mentioned.

 

[Eielson]

Kind of like how Lon will help Kevin get started at UNLV, maybe we can get a package deal with Kellen and Kelvin. Believe Coach mentioned in another thread that Kellen was contacted about the job. This would be the best OU could do imo.

Only semi-logical thing I can think of is if KS came for one last ride and handed UH off to Kellen. Not sure UH would be keen on that, though. I'm also not sure some wounds have healed since he left.

 

[MJSooner]

Only semi-logical thing I can think of is if KS came for one last ride and handed UH off to Kellen. Not sure UH would be keen on that, though. I'm also not sure some wounds have healed since he left.

Yeah, I am not sure if those wounds are tied to Joe C. or just Boren and compliance. But even if there is no bad blood, Kelvin, as of now, has a $12MM buyout at Houston.

Any thought of him wearing a denim shirt or rocking a Jordan Brand OU polo at the LNC is just a pipe dream. A $12MM dream.

 

[Eielson]

Yeah, I am not sure if those wounds are tied to Joe C. or just Boren and compliance. But even if there is no bad blood, Kelvin, as of now, has a $12MM buyout at Houston.

Any thought of him wearing a denim shirt or rocking a Jordan Brand OU polo at the LNC is just a pipe dream. A $12MM dream.

UH would have to want Kellen to take over. Which I don't see happening (yet).

 

[allday92]

UH would have to want Kellen to take over. Which I don't see happening (yet).

They already named Kellen HC in waiting.

 

[vbdad]

Please be more specific. How is the practice facility 'terrible'?

It is one basketball court. You can't have anybody else working on their game if the other players are using the court. Every high school in Oklahoma has that much room to practice. If they are running a three on three full court drill their 9 other players standing on the side watching.

 

[vbdad]

What a minute here...are you trying to tell me bouncing a ball off of J.R. Raymond's face might be frowned upon in today's environment

The verbal things he said are automatic firing now. He would say them with athletic department people in the building. I'm sure he has toned it down some.

He has a great ability to make guys play hard and have unique toughness.

Personally I still don't like the style of play where you throw the ball at the rim and knock everyone out of the way to get a rebound and try again. However it is effective and he wins! At OU he all the time won games where we would have scoring droughts of 5-9 minutes. The opponents had more droughts because his teams have always played defense.