Kruger is a terrible tourney coach

[WTSooner]

Kruger is being paid to clean up the mess Capel left behind, and to rebuild our program. The $'s aren't b/c Joe C. expects multiple Sweet 16 trips.

 

[Big Old Booger]

Kruger is being paid to clean up the mess Capel left behind, and to rebuild our program. The $'s aren't b/c Joe C. expects multiple Sweet 16 trips.

this

 

[coolm]

Kruger is being paid to clean up the mess Capel left behind, and to rebuild our program. The $'s aren't b/c Joe C. expects multiple Sweet 16 trips.

exactly.

What WOULD make me very angry at Kruger would be if he was cheating or letting the kids run wild or not demanding that they perform academically. If that were the case I would be very disappointed with this season - whether we beat ND State or not.

MY expectation is that the program is moving in a positive direction and is nowhere close to being in trouble. Thats why I am tickled pink.

 

[campbest]

I agree, Camp,and I still stand by my statements.

This is a dog eat dog profession and if someone thinks Joe C will be satisfied by anything less than a ncaa tourney bid every season with the type of money he is throwing at the program, then I would call them naive.

Rewind to the end of Capel's third season. Capel had arguably the best program in the big12, #1 draft pick, an elite 8 and second round postseason showings, 3 straight recruiting classes featuring McD's AAs, etc. Capel missed 2 tourneys consecutively and got the hook amidst ncaa violations, and they weren't paying him nearly as much, nor did Lon have near the success as Capel during their first 3 seasons at OU.

Starting next season, which is Lon's 4th on the job, Joe C and the BMDs will expect a ncaa tourney bid and most likely a second weekend run. It is pretty much irrelevant what I expect.

No offense, but that is a complete different situation than now.

 

[jerry]

Kruger is being paid to clean up the mess Capel left behind, and to rebuild our program. The $'s aren't b/c Joe C. expects multiple Sweet 16 trips.

Well said!!

 

[TINY]

What are you smoking? At no point in Capels career did we have "arguably the best program in the big 12". With his best team he lost to KU, a rebuilding KU who lost most of their entire team from the NC the previous season AT HOME. Did I mention Capels best team had a local kid who would have never been there if the previous coach hadn't signed his big brother? Did I mention that same player was probably the best player to ever wear crimson and cream? Did I mention he was the best player on the court every time he played that season? Did I mention the team was loaded with seniors most of which had played a bunch over the previous 3 years?

If you really believe Capel had the best program in the conference "arguably" then you sir are highly delusional. At no point that year did I ever think we were going to eclipse the results of previous OU teams (85, 88, 02, 03).

Ou would have throttled ku for the big12 with Blake griffin, but he was hurt against UT.

The state of Oklahoma produces NBA talent at a decent rate but most of them haven't been Sooners, so I don't take anything away from capel for landing bg nor from tubbs for landing tisdale, et al.

There was a national perception that ou was becoming a serious threat to rival Ku going forward, whether it was premature or not.

I think people are over reacting here, because I have always been a huge Kruger fan and will continue to support him just as I have nearly every ou coach before him.

 

[TINY]

So you would have been happy if we paid Kruger less? Cut his salary and then first round outs are acceptable?

?

No where did I say that.

I Now realize shouldn't have even said anything cuz of the lynch mobs forming on both sides.

 

[brumFTW]

you know what ... if MY alma mater is recruiting without cheating, getting good grades, graduating players, has players who stay out of trouble, and puts out a competitive product through the season ... then I am MORE THAN HAPPY to accept earlier NCAA tournament exits in return. This is because I know that every few years there will be a confluence of circumstances and we will go further.

too many people lose sight of the forest for the trees.

And, too many people are willing to gamble the future of the program for short-term rewards.

 

[buttermaker1]

He's probably overpaid if you just look at results but considering where we were it was the move that needed to be made at the time. We probably could have gotten someone like him when Capel was hired but we tried to go on the cheap. That led to a perennial top 25 program having 3 losing seasons in 5 years and a bunch of offcourt issues and probation.

If you look at all facets and I know many fans like yourself do not, then he's fairly compensated. He runs a clean program, his kids graduate, he recruits mainly HS players instead of JUCO's, he's an ambassador for the program, he's great with the alums and fans, and he wins.

You may not like him based on the loss tonight, but I can assure you many REAL OU basketball fans appreciate he's here, myself included.

Point taken.

 

[Big Old Booger]

Ou would have throttled ku for the big12 with Blake griffin, but he was hurt against UT.



The state of Oklahoma produces NBA talent at a decent rate but most of them haven't been Sooners, so I don't take anything away from capel for landing bg nor from tubbs for landing tisdale, et al.



There was a national perception that ou was becoming a serious threat to rival Ku going forward, whether it was premature or not.



I think people are over reacting here, because I have always been a huge Kruger fan and will continue to support him just as I have nearly every ou coach before him.

That was never a national perception. I don't know what world you live in but it sounds like you listen to James Hale. I can assure you in Kansas City the media here laughed their butts off when he was hired and laughed even more when he tanked the program. At no time when Capel coached did anyone think OU was a serious threat to KU. I remember listening to the college basketball guru with the Sporting News when Capel was hired and he thought it was the worst hire for a program like OUs in a long time.

Even during that one good season with BG people here knew why OU was winning and it wasn't Capel.

I can remember sitting at the 08 big 12 tournament watching us with the best player in the building lose to Texas by 30 points in the semis. A lot of laughs from other teams about how poorly we were coached.

Last, most people realized the only studs Capel signed (other than BG) were all head cases. Not many teams or good programs wanted those guys but Capel took them. It's not like he was getting the Lucas kid or some if the other studs he pursued who were good kids.

 

[WaymanFan]

I think now would be a good time to "let it go" with Jeff Capel. Despite the fact the only reason we were in the game last night was because of a Jeff Capel recruit, the last two players he recruited are now officially done with the basketball program. All those who are still losing sleep over the very thought of him can now rest because the program no longer has any Jeff Capel-signed players.

 

[jerry]

I think now would be a good time to "let it go" with Jeff Capel. Despite the fact the only reason we were in the game last night was because of a Jeff Capel recruit, the last two players he recruited are now officially done with the basketball program. All those who are still losing sleep over the very thought of him can now rest because the program no longer has any Jeff Capel-signed players.

May he rest in Assistant coach peace!!

 

[Big Old Booger]

I think now would be a good time to "let it go" with Jeff Capel. Despite the fact the only reason we were in the game last night was because of a Jeff Capel recruit, the last two players he recruited are now officially done with the basketball program. All those who are still losing sleep over the very thought of him can now rest because the program no longer has any Jeff Capel-signed players.

Agreed. However, when someone makes claims like Tiny did in this thread they have to be refuted.

Nobody not even the homerest of homers ever believed we were on the verge of challenging KU for conference supremacy. They won an NC in Capels second season for goodness sakes!

 

[TINY]

Agreed. However, when someone makes claims like Tiny did in this thread they have to be refuted.

Nobody not even the homerest of homers ever believed we were on the verge of challenging KU for conference supremacy. They won an NC in Capels second season for goodness sakes!

Ou was at least in the upper echelon like I would consider us now. That was my point. The fact that it only took 2 non winning seasons for capel to get shown the door.. 2 seasons removed from an elite 8, and a lot of early success (arizona/Virginia made him an offer). That means the ou admin expects to be a tournament team just about every season, too.

You took one portion of what I was saying and tried to make me look like a capel apologist. I didn't want to go down that road at all.

Kruger is a really good coach, and I hope he and ou can reach unseen heights together.

 

[coolm]

And, too many people are willing to gamble the future of the program for short-term rewards.

that too. great point!

 

[KCRuf/Nek]

I think when size is brought up it doesn't necessarily mean the other team is bigger. We basically have no inside game on offense. We can't even seem to get an inside play going. So much of our offense seems to come from and stay outside the arc. It's hard to beat anyone playing that way.

You need to look deeper. Look at the programs when he took the job (KSU, Florida, Illinois, UNLV and OU). All of them were rebuilding jobs for LK. Ask Bill Self about the program he inherited when LK left Illinois for the NBA. Ask Billy Donovan about the program he inherited at Florida when LK left for Illinois. Ask the UNLV coach about his program.

Eggzackly.