If you expected better this year, that's you fault. Give yourself a D- in Basketball Observer 101.
Kruger final grade - D
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If you expected better this year, that's you fault. Give yourself a D- in Basketball Observer 101.
Yeah, not all of us can watch a few practices and be the OU guru. lol clownage
haha
seniorsooner
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Boca'd
campbest
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:clap
Seems that OU was pick ninth in the Big 12 by the coaches and the media and they finished 8th. They played hard and were in almost every game but lack of depth definitely impacted the team in the second half of every game. Anybody that expected more doesn't know much about basketball because there was a major drop off on the roster after 5 players.
Without question, Capel left the program in the garbage dump. It is going to take a couple of years to get the ship back on track. It kind of reminds me of the program that Dave Bliss left Billy Tubbs. This year was much better than Tubbs first year. At every place that Kruger has been, his teams improved in the second year.
The key to next year is M'Baye because he is a proven entity. Hopefully, the two freshmen guards can contribute so OU has a rotation greater than 5 players like this year.
At least the NCAA is not breathing down our necks this year.
Without question, Capel left the program in the garbage dump. It is going to take a couple of years to get the ship back on track. It kind of reminds me of the program that Dave Bliss left Billy Tubbs. This year was much better than Tubbs first year. At every place that Kruger has been, his teams improved in the second year.
The key to next year is M'Baye because he is a proven entity. Hopefully, the two freshmen guards can contribute so OU has a rotation greater than 5 players like this year.
At least the NCAA is not breathing down our necks this year.
Clownage look in the mirror Boca Capel Clown. Jeff Capel is the worst thing that ever happened to OU Basketball.
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MsProudSooner
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AdaSooner
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Spot on analysis of where the program is now and how we got there, Speedy! I agree with everything you said.
thebigabd
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Boca really has no choice but to blindly support Capel, because he was on the bandwagon all the way till the end. Starting threads about how Capel reached "elite status", etc while the wheels fell off the program.
This team just doesnt have enough talent, period.
This team just doesnt have enough talent, period.
DenverSooner
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Does this mean OU wil win 22 games next year and sign someone like Waymen Tisdale soon?
I believe OU fans had every right to expect more from this team following last season. We returned everyone except Davis...and even though Davis finished his season on a high note, we already knew that Osby was waiting in the wings. All we needed was a PG and some bench players that could put up some points and this team should have improved. Kruger's first mistake was having 4 scholarships...and only using 3 of them...and 1 of them couldn't play til next season. So it was obvious that our bench play was not going to be that good b/c he didn't use all of the scholarships but the improvement of Newell allowed the expectations to still be there..but once he departed...thats when the expectations should have gone out the window.
So b/c of that, this season is all on him and not Capel. I believe if he had just used that scholarship on a juco guard, this season could have been a lot better. I'm not saying tournament bound...but a better season as a whole.
And as for Krugers teams improving in the 2nd year...that streak should continue especially since we will have 6 SRs and 3 JRs
He did a great job of coming in and getting the team in place and the team started the season pretty well.
The team did not improve as much during the season as I would expect and they never learned how to win. They played very poorly in several second half stretches after being ahead or close at halftime. Once they did that they never overcame it. They rarely, if ever, won when they trailed.
The team definitely lacks talent to contend for a conference title. However, they had the talent (IMO) to win several more games. It doesn't help that we have no home court advantage but that is part of his job as well.
I have no issue with a C or D grade and give a C- myself. That doesn't mean he won't get an A+ next year and I am not giving up on him. He had a very tough job this year and needs and deserves time to show his skills. However, I am not going to give him a B on this season and I doubt he would give himself one either.
The team did not improve as much during the season as I would expect and they never learned how to win. They played very poorly in several second half stretches after being ahead or close at halftime. Once they did that they never overcame it. They rarely, if ever, won when they trailed.
The team definitely lacks talent to contend for a conference title. However, they had the talent (IMO) to win several more games. It doesn't help that we have no home court advantage but that is part of his job as well.
I have no issue with a C or D grade and give a C- myself. That doesn't mean he won't get an A+ next year and I am not giving up on him. He had a very tough job this year and needs and deserves time to show his skills. However, I am not going to give him a B on this season and I doubt he would give himself one either.
Great post OP, pretty much my sentiments. I can't go any higher than a D because we had a losing record vs the 2 teams below us including a blow out loss to an 8 win Texas Tech team. No way no how that loss had anything to do with talent.
I would generally agree with this analysis. I would give him a 'C' grade myself. I can't go higher because the team should not have been blown out coming out of the locker room at halftime...over and over and over again. I understand the bench is weak and the starters would wear down, but that should not happen coming out of the locker room.
Bull boca. We have one player that might start for a top team (Osby).
Fitzgerald would not even be in the rotation at Kansas, Baylor, Mizzou, KState and/or would at best 2nd big guy off the bench. I doubt Grooms could be anymore than a 5 minute backup either. They are all good kids and play hard, but the talent Kruger had to work with couldn't win the MAC.
That's right. But, I think they would have done OK in the Summit League or the Big Sky.
AdaSooner
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WaymanFan, that's the part that bothers me, too. Locker room sessions are typically used to make adjustments to the mistakes you made in the first half and to get players fired up for the second 20 minutes. That didn't happen in the majority of our games this season.
At the same time, I recognize that Coach Kruger didn't have much to work with beyond the starting five. And, even certain members of that group had weaknesses that made it difficult to game plan around, because he could never be sure when one or more would all but disappear from one half to the next.
I have said it before and I'll say it again. This was a deep team in bodies only. If M'Baye, the two freshmen and whoever OU signs in the late period don't prove to be a significant upgrade in talent, we'll struggle again next year. It would definitely help if Grooms develops a shot in the off season. OU will continue to be at a disadvantage if opponents are able to use five defenders to guard four.
That's right enough. But, there is another perspective. The opposing coaches get a halftime break too. They get to make adjustments.
It is just as likely that Kruger masterfully identified the one or two things that his kids could do that would enable them to hang with better teams for awhile. Then, the opposing coach made the adjustments and took them away. And that is all that there was.
It is befuddleing to me that people actually think that Kruger had the players or options to actually do anything differently or better. Where is the evidence of that?
Some poster was saying that is was Kruger's fault that OU lost to TT. OU is better than TT. The records indicate as much. But, the results also indicate that OU isn't enough better to beat them in Lubbuck. The other Big 12 teams were. But, OU wasn't. OU had abit of a tussle beating them in Norman. They played the games. The results are in.
Kruger did another masterfull job of identifying the one or two things that Pledger and Fitz do well. He put them in good spots over and over and milked alittle offensive production out of them. But, the opposing coaches adjusted some and took most of that away. From there, Kruger had little or no place to go. Osby became more involved with the offense, and he responded well. And that was all there was left.
If some posters want to take the position that Kruger had the talent in place to do something different or better, well, I guess that they have to come up with one excuse after another and place blame on the staff or something else. But, from the position that the players are just not very good. This seasons results make perfect sense.
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