Newell headed to Central Florida

From what I heard it was not all about being closer to home. He wanted and felt he deserved to start. That is the real story.
 
Probably that and the fact that the first 2 recruits for next year play his position.
 
From what I heard it was not all about being closer to home. He wanted and felt he deserved to start. That is the real story.

I heard the same thing, but didn't want to say anything without permission from the person who told me. Besides, if Newell did transfer to be closer to his family, I didn't want to feel like a cold hearted person for questioning the original story.
 
May get flamed for this, but if he indeed did NOT have a problem with Kruger, the program or university and transferred only to start then he has "quitter" written all over him.
 
he will be playing much closer to home .. as in 2013 UCF will be in the big east
 
Probably that and the fact that the first 2 recruits for next year play his position.

I hadn't thought about that, but that could be a factor, too.

This team doesn't need anybody who puts their own ego above the team. It's a cliche, but it's true: Who finishes the game is much more important than who starts.
 
**** this.

Where the hell did the story about a relative dying come from?
He now looks like a selfish baby. Hope he turns it around b/c he won't be going anywhere in life if he really transferred b/c of not starting
 
Very strange story. Lately it seems like OU has had a lot of bad luck with its major sports programs.

TMG and Tiny not working out was a major blow to the basketball team. WW has injuries and apparently an atttitude problem.

Capel seems lost as coach with little ability to identify the problems and control the team notwithstanding the fact that he clearly knows basketball given the fact he grew up with a coach for a father, played for Coach K and had several years of head coaching experience by this point in his career.

OU has NCAA issues related to the actions of an assistant coach. Perhaps not bad luck but certainly bad.

Three years ago the OU football team is supposed to have Sam Bradford and Jermain Gresham but both are out for the year.

This year OU is supposed to have an incredible linebacker group with Box, Lewis, Wort, Nelson, Jefferson and Ibiloye. The receivers are supposed to be Broyles, Reynolds, and Stills. The running back is supposed to be Whaley. Box dies tragically. Travis Lewis breaks his toe. Whaley breaks his ankle. Broyles tears his ACL. Reynolds hurts his spleen (or something). Tech game has a rain delay and OU somehow loses the game. Baylor beats OU on a goofy tip ball (and other things but that was unlucky). OSU beats OU badly in a game where the OU offense stops itself more than OSU stops the offense with stupid penalties, bizarre fumbles by the quarterback, oddly off target throws by a very good quarterback and drops by receivers (Hanna and Miller). (OSU may have won anyway but OU made a bunch of mistakes that were very uncharacteristic.

Basketball season starts promising (or at leaset better than most probably thought) and then Newell is unhappy and leaves the program.

It sure seems like OU deserves some good luck. Perhaps our good luck in Basketball will be M'Baye being as good as advertised and both Hield and Hornbeak contributing in a significant manner as Freshman.
 
I hadn't thought about that, but that could be a factor, too.

This team doesn't need anybody who puts their own ego above the team. It's a cliche, but it's true: Who finishes the game is much more important than who starts.

I have something to say about the Calvin deal. There was a strange dynamic weeks befrore he left the team. And even before then.

He was Capel's whipping boy last year. After going to numerous practices, it didn't seem that he was really friendly with any of the other players this year.

As a close up observer, the first thing I noticed about Calvin was that he was really,really good. I don't want to argue this point with anyone. I"m just saying what I saw. He was better than Pledger. He's as much better than Pledger as Grooms is better than Blair. With the exception of who was likely to win a horse game, Calvin is better by about any other metric.

But, giving Pledger the credit he deserves, he has bought in. He tries to do exactly what Coach Kruger ask him to do. And that is alot.

Calvin seemed like he had a chip on his shoulder, and he never did buy in. It seemed as though he thought he was the best player and deserved to start. And he didn't like it because he didn't start.

Kruger was grinding on him everyday without mercy. At some of the practices that I went to it was easy to feel sorry for Calvin. Kruger held him to a higher standard than everyone else. And in a way I'm alittle disappointed that Kruger couldn't find the key to intagrating him into the team.

But, Calvin would not accept coaching. When Coach was schooling on him, he wouldn't look Coach in the eye. He would just stare off into space. He wouldn't run the offensive sets. If the ball was suppose to come to him and then on to someone else, that wouldn't happen. He would just shoot it.

He is a great on ball defender. But, he was constantly not making the right switch or rotating to the wrong spot. And, when those things were pointed out to him. He didn't want to hear it.

It is no surprise that not every player makes the transition when a new coach comes in. It is the players job to figure out what is expected of them. There may be others, I'm just sorry it was Calvin. I really liked him.
 
So did he say those things about being closer to home or did we just assume it? I don't remember and don't want to pull up the story (I think I remember him saying it). I just wonder if there were direct quotes from him.

The bigger question: Did fans fill in the blanks that "well his mother and grandmother passed recently so that makes sense he would want to be closer to home"? I'm just hoping..really hoping that he didn't use deaths as a fake excuse to leave...Woof
 
I heard Hale say it on the radio. Said he got it from Guerrin Emig I believe.
 
So did he say those things about being closer to home or did we just assume it? I don't remember and don't want to pull up the story (I think I remember him saying it). I just wonder if there were direct quotes from him.

The bigger question: Did fans fill in the blanks that "well his mother and grandmother passed recently so that makes sense he would want to be closer to home"? I'm just hoping..really hoping that he didn't use deaths as a fake excuse to leave...Woof

Here's a quote from Newell that came directly from Soonersports.com. OUHoops posted it on another thread right after the report surfaced:

"I met with Coach Kruger this morning and told him I've been dealing with issues regarding my family the past few months and that I've felt distracted lately," said Newell. "I feel I need to get back closer to home and that's why I've made this decision."
 
There is usually some fallout when a school gets a new HC. We were fortunate to have the team in tact this long.
 
There is usually some fallout when a school gets a new HC. We were fortunate to have the team in tact this long.


We lost Nick Thompson months ago! We're still feeling the effects.
 
I have something to say about the Calvin deal. There was a strange dynamic weeks befrore he left the team. And even before then.

He was Capel's whipping boy last year. After going to numerous practices, it didn't seem that he was really friendly with any of the other players this year.

As a close up observer, the first thing I noticed about Calvin was that he was really,really good. I don't want to argue this point with anyone. I"m just saying what I saw. He was better than Pledger. He's as much better than Pledger as Grooms is better than Blair. With the exception of who was likely to win a horse game, Calvin is better by about any other metric.

But, giving Pledger the credit he deserves, he has bought in. He tries to do exactly what Coach Kruger ask him to do. And that is alot.

Calvin seemed like he had a chip on his shoulder, and he never did buy in. It seemed as though he thought he was the best player and deserved to start. And he didn't like it because he didn't start.

Kruger was grinding on him everyday without mercy. At some of the practices that I went to it was easy to feel sorry for Calvin. Kruger held him to a higher standard than everyone else. And in a way I'm alittle disappointed that Kruger couldn't find the key to intagrating him into the team.

But, Calvin would not accept coaching. When Coach was schooling on him, he wouldn't look Coach in the eye. He would just stare off into space. He wouldn't run the offensive sets. If the ball was suppose to come to him and then on to someone else, that wouldn't happen. He would just shoot it.

He is a great on ball defender. But, he was constantly not making the right switch or rotating to the wrong spot. And, when those things were pointed out to him. He didn't want to hear it.


It is no surprise that not every player makes the transition when a new coach comes in. It is the players job to figure out what is expected of them. There may be others, I'm just sorry it was Calvin. I really liked him.

I would think that the paragraphs that I bolded would be enough to keep any player from starting.
 
As a close up observer, the first thing I noticed about Calvin was that he was really,really good. I don't want to argue this point with anyone. I"m just saying what I saw. He was better than Pledger. He's as much better than Pledger as Grooms is better than Blair. With the exception of who was likely to win a horse game, Calvin is better by about any other metric.

Kruger was grinding on him everyday without mercy. At some of the practices that I went to it was easy to feel sorry for Calvin. Kruger held him to a higher standard than everyone else. And in a way I'm alittle disappointed that Kruger couldn't find the key to intagrating him into the team.

But, Calvin would not accept coaching. When Coach was schooling on him, he wouldn't look Coach in the eye. He would just stare off into space. He wouldn't run the offensive sets. If the ball was suppose to come to him and then on to someone else, that wouldn't happen. He would just shoot it.


He is a great on ball defender. But, he was constantly not making the right switch or rotating to the wrong spot. And, when those things were pointed out to him. He didn't want to hear it.

I'm sorry but most of this is garbage ..

Pledger is a better basketball player in about every "metric" you want to use

better shooter (not close), better passer, better rebounder, better at taking care of the ball, better team defender, smarter player, better team player, better communicator, better post player, more clutch.

Newell is better and getting his shot off 1 on 1 on the outside and maybe a better one on one player (i say maybe because in the post it is not close and because turnovers are a big deal) and newell is a better 1 on 1 on ball defender ..(this happens for 5-10 sec at a time) he is an average at best team defender ...

does losing calvin hurt sure he would have been a bench spark this season and averaged 7-10 ppg ... is he better than pledger and should he have been starting ... not on any team in the world


you say Coach was harder on Calvin then every one else ... then say that he wouldn't run the sets and that he wouldn't look the coach in the eye ..... sounds like the coach should be hard on him ..
 
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Bottom line is either he really needed to be closer to his family, and while unfortunate, it is understandable and I wish him the best OR he didn't want to be involved with the OU team and wasn't coachable and he left, which is best for US as well. It will free up a scholarship to someone that TRULY wants to play in Norman IF the reason he left is because he didn't want to be coached.
 
Just curious, where is the report coming from that he is going to C. Florida?
 
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