Next year

[SoonerNorm]

j2do said no one knows what happened to this team this year. I agree. It might have been a lack of leadership, it might have been some personality issues, but honestly, I just don't know. All I know is, we under-performed badly.

Looking head to next year, I am optimistic. I like Ortiz a lot. I hope we FINALLY get to see how good Mattie is. I hope that Peyton can be a player similar to Jadda Buckley, but only better. It was nice to see Gioya gain some confidence this year. Same with Kornet.

I hope that every player returning next year uses every opportunity to hit the gym for the next 6 months to improve shooting, ball handling, strength/conditioning, etc. Coaches can only do so much. Players have to be responsible/accountable to do their parts too and that means a lot of hard work to increase their skill level.

Our coaches have to get better as well and that starts with recruiting. It doesn't take Bob Knight to see that we need quality bigs. Just saying we have bigs on the roster isn't good enough. We need bigs who can play for any team. I realize they are few and far between but other teams find them. We have too as well. If that means replacing assistant coaches with those known as top notch recruters, so be it! OU doesn't think they need camps. Even though I disagree, the bottom line is, do whatever it takes to recruit the kind of kids UNC, S. Carolina, UCLA, Ohio St, etc are now getting. Heck, I will take some of the ones Texas is getting!!! People say that the best players always sign with Notre Dame, UCONN, Tenn, Stanford, and Duke and we will always have to take a backseat to them. The teams I mentioned above apparently didn't get the memo because UCLA has a better class coming in than those elite teams do. OU finished 19th in recruiting.

This staff also has to get a lot better at teaching/enforcing fundamentals. There is no excuse watching players who are juniors and seniors at OU play like jr. high kids. Period. If that means dishing our laps till their tongues drag the ground as well as loss of playing time, okay...seems very reasonable to me. But, to look the other way like it didn't happen is not working.

Next season is a long way away and is plenty of time for the coaching staff and players to improve. We need for them both to be better this fall.

 

[hawks00]

j2do said no one knows what happened to this team this year. I agree. It might have been a lack of leadership, it might have been some personality issues, but honestly, i just don't know. All i know is, we under-performed badly.

Looking head to next year, i am optimistic. I like ortiz a lot. I hope we finally get to see how good mattie is. I hope that peyton can be a player similar to jadda buckley, but only better. It was nice to see gioya gain some confidence this year. Same with kornet.

I hope that every player returning next year uses every opportunity to hit the gym for the next 6 months to improve shooting, ball handling, strength/conditioning, etc. Coaches can only do so much. Players have to be responsible/accountable to do their parts too and that means a lot of hard work to increase their skill level.

Our coaches have to get better as well and that starts with recruiting. It doesn't take bob knight to see that we need quality bigs. Just saying we have bigs on the roster isn't good enough. We need bigs who can play for any team. I realize they are few and far between but other teams find them. We have too as well. If that means replacing assistant coaches with those known as top notch recruters, so be it! Ou doesn't think they need camps. Even though i disagree, the bottom line is, do whatever it takes to recruit the kind of kids unc, s. Carolina, ucla, ohio st, etc are now getting. Heck, i will take some of the ones texas is getting!!! People say that the best players always sign with notre dame, uconn, tenn, stanford, and duke and we will always have to take a backseat to them. The teams i mentioned above apparently didn't get the memo because ucla has a better class coming in than those elite teams do. Ou finished 19th in recruiting.

This staff also has to get a lot better at teaching/enforcing fundamentals. There is no excuse watching players who are juniors and seniors at ou play like jr. High kids. Period. If that means dishing our laps till their tongues drag the ground as well as loss of playing time, okay...seems very reasonable to me. But, to look the other way like it didn't happen is not working.

Next season is a long way away and is plenty of time for the coaching staff and players to improve. We need for them both to be better this fall.

**********maddie

 

[DarthSooner]

World a hurt

 

[rocjunkie]

Last night I had the pleasure of sitting next to one of our girls parents, and we had a great discussion of AAU ball, fundamentals, recruits, etc..... One thing he mentioned to me that really set me back and kind of answers one of my questions about the program, is how "spoiled" the kids are at the University. He shared with me that the kids stayed at one of the "high line" hotels for the Big XII tournament and ate dinner at the top of the Devon tower eatery. Now call me nuts, but why on earth would you reward a team that has missed all expectations, played horrible basketball for much of the season, and may just miss out on a NCAA at large bid. It seems to me these kids need a huge dose of humility and brought down to earth and learn what hard work is all about, not coddle them and give them their heart's desires. In my day you would reward kids for a job well done. You would dangle a carrot in front of them, or better yet and even better, surprise them after they had accomplished their goals. By giving them expensive dinners, and posh hotel stays does nothing but send a message that regardless of how you perform, you still get all the goodies. No incentive to be better.

We also discussed about his daughter playing the AAU circuit and some of the players she played against and her coach. She came from a system that was a little different than most. Her coach ran offensive sets, and played tough man to man defense. Did not believe in switching, which we both agreed was a little insane, and didn't play favorites. All the kids had to be fundamentally sound and they were a very good solid team. Most AAU teams I have seen played, are more like NBA all star teams, and defense is not a real priority. Nice to see a coach that teaches elite kids the game regardless how good they are.

We talked a little bit about Gabby and he said she is the real deal. Will be a good one for the Sooners. What little he knew about Penzo is she is more of a pure passer and distributor, more like a Hartman and Edwards. He did not know much about Pierre-Louis or Williams.

Any way a disappointing loss last night, but enjoyable conversation.

Going forward I agree Norm, I really hope that Maddie is over her injuries and becomes a solid leader and plays lights out basketball. From what I have heard about Peyton she is going to be a player and help our scoring next year. As far as the staff goes, I don't care if they stay or go, but please get back to teaching solid fundamentals. Block outs, pump fakes, hitting the square on the back board for solid lay-ups, pass-pass-pass and quit dribble-dribble-dribble. How about learning to attack a zone defense and not work only the perimeter. Maybe some new coaching faces can get that done, I don't know. How about stop coddling these kids and make them earn their rewards, don't just give it to them. Be accountable for consistent poor play and mistakes. Hey I don't know all the answers, but Sherri didn't put together teams that won Championships and made Final Fours by happenstance, it took hard work and a hard nosed attitude, these kids need to get back to that, and with the new kids coming in, and the ones coming back, we have a solid foundation for the future. Sometimes the hard part is taking a reflection of the past of what got you to this point, and going back and implementing those philosophies that brought success. I hope Sherri does this and we see a new and improved Sooner team next season and they reach the accomplishments that they are certainly capable of. If not the Baylor's, West Va's. and Texas' will leave us in the dust.

As always Boomer Sooner people.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Last night I had the pleasure of sitting next to one of our girls parents, and we had a great discussion of AAU ball, fundamentals, recruits, etc..... One thing he mentioned to me that really set me back and kind of answers one of my questions about the program, is how "spoiled" the kids are at the University. He shared with me that the kids stayed at one of the "high line" hotels for the Big XII tournament and ate dinner at the top of the Devon tower eatery. Now call me nuts, but why on earth would you reward a team that has missed all expectations, played horrible basketball for much of the season, and may just miss out on a NCAA at large bid. It seems to me these kids need a huge dose of humility and brought down to earth and learn what hard work is all about, not coddle them and give them their heart's desires. In my day you would reward kids for a job well done. You would dangle a carrot in front of them, or better yet and even better, surprise them after they had accomplished their goals. By giving them expensive dinners, and posh hotel stays does nothing but send a message that regardless of how you perform, you still get all the goodies. No incentive to be better.

We also discussed about his daughter playing the AAU circuit and some of the players she played against and her coach. She came from a system that was a little different than most. Her coach ran offensive sets, and played tough man to man defense. Did not believe in switching, which we both agreed was a little insane, and didn't play favorites. All the kids had to be fundamentally sound and they were a very good solid team. Most AAU teams I have seen played, are more like NBA all star teams, and defense is not a real priority. Nice to see a coach that teaches elite kids the game regardless how good they are.

We talked a little bit about Gabby and he said she is the real deal. Will be a good one for the Sooners. What little he knew about Penzo is she is more of a pure passer and distributor, more like a Hartman and Edwards. He did not know much about Pierre-Louis or Williams.

Any way a disappointing loss last night, but enjoyable conversation.

Going forward I agree Norm, I really hope that Maddie is over her injuries and becomes a solid leader and plays lights out basketball. From what I have heard about Peyton she is going to be a player and help our scoring next year. As far as the staff goes, I don't care if they stay or go, but please get back to teaching solid fundamentals. Block outs, pump fakes, hitting the square on the back board for solid lay-ups, pass-pass-pass and quit dribble-dribble-dribble. How about learning to attack a zone defense and not work only the perimeter. Maybe some new coaching faces can get that done, I don't know. How about stop coddling these kids and make them earn their rewards, don't just give it to them. Be accountable for consistent poor play and mistakes. Hey I don't know all the answers, but Sherri didn't put together teams that won Championships and made Final Fours by happenstance, it took hard work and a hard nosed attitude, these kids need to get back to that, and with the new kids coming in, and the ones coming back, we have a solid foundation for the future. Sometimes the hard part is taking a reflection of the past of what got you to this point, and going back and implementing those philosophies that brought success. I hope Sherri does this and we see a new and improved Sooner team next season and they reach the accomplishments that they are certainly capable of. If not the Baylor's, West Va's. and Texas' will leave us in the dust.

As always Boomer Sooner people.

Outstanding post!!!

 

[SoonerNorm]

We lose Morgan, Griffin, Aaryn, and Portia. I admit that I have been higher this year on Morgan than some on this board. I also admit that I have never been as high on Griffin as some. Portia has contributed although on a limited basis. I know that Aaryn has been inconsistent but has still managed to lead the team in scoring and was voted 1st team all Big 12. The bottom line is, will the newcomers (including Maddie and Peyton) actually make us a better team considering what we are losing in the 4 players mentioned? When we consider that Louis-Pierre is having knee surgery and will miss summer workouts and probably the entire preseason, I am concerned that it may be February or later before she is in shape and playing well in Sherri's system. Taking it all into consideration, I am not convinced that we will be better unless, the players work harder this summer and unless the coaching staff does a better job coaching.

 

[sybarite]

I think the players work hard enough to get a room. lol. That's kind of standard issue.

I don't know that we can say that it is the players or the coaches. If it were the players, it would seem that we vastly underrated Joanna McFarland. Apparently, she was so valuable that she should have been National POY. We lost her, retained three perennial starters, and declined? We lost one person? Well, we also lost Hartman and Hand on the bench.

Sometimes, it just fits. Sometimes, it doesn't. I don't think we can say anything about this year other than it just didn't seem to fit.

We play Texas, and they are without their star senior. They win. We play Texas, and we are without our star senior. We win. The obvious conclusions are that the teams are better without Fussell and Ellenberg. I don't think I want to draw those conclusions. Sometimes, it just doesn't fit.

I'm reminded of a statement by one of the Dallas Cowboys when they won the Super Bowl with Switzer. Some thought of Switzer as simply inheriting the efforts of Johnson. But, the player (s, actually, there was more than one) said that the team would have never won another title with Johnson, that they were tired of his mind games. The honesty of Switzer rallied them for another title before they disbanded. Sometimes, it is just the fit.

We started the year pretty well. We almost won the NIT, losing only due to some mistakes in the last few seconds of the game by some inexperienced people trying to do too much. But, we beat some very good teams on the way to the NIT finals. We played a solid schedule. It looked good. Then, the wheels came off.

Occasionally, something happened that provided confidence that we had turned the corner as Sherri's teams often do late in the year. The next game, that would disappear. You looked at it in astonishment!

Fundamentals. Come on. Sherri and her staff teach fundamentals. I can't believe that some people actually take some of these statements seriously. Experienced successful coaches are good at fundamentals. Sometimes, you can teach something and teach it again, only to have it come unglued in a game. Want to take a drive through Dallas and see all of the people who lost track of a driving fundamental for one second? Body repair shops abound. Every mistake that the team made this year---they knew better. For some reason, they just forgot their lines when they got on stage. I think every player and every coach on the team would tell you that they knew better than to make the mistakes that cost them a particular game. they just made them. Why? Because Jo or Whitney weren't here?

What was different? You can't tell me the staff was dumber or that the players were lazy. You just can't reduce it down to lack of ability, character, or preparation. It just flat didn't work.

I would be that each of you has things that you just can't get right, or won't. If you listen to the experts, you brush your teeth for ten minutes after every meal. You run at least a mile a day. You take a bath at least once a day. You wash your hands before putting anything near your mouth. You always disinfect your hands after shaking hands before eating.

There are just too many things that you have to do. Some, you do. Some, you don't. Some are just low priority with you.

Every player is taught everything they need to know. They can do it. They have demonstrated that they can. I will guarantee you that if we have a three point lead against West Virginia, and Morgan and Sharane get five free throws in the last minute, we will win. Sharane is what--87%. We missed all five. Even one puts us into overtime. Did we forget how to shoot free throws? It just happened.

The reverse is possible. We might hit every shot in the NCAAs that we should have made all season. They way this year is going, that won't happen. But, nothing about this team makes sense. It just happened.

 

[Stringmusic]

Syb - I won't repeat it but your post above is the Post of the Year. Spot on. I think it is chemistry. We had the formula (chemistry) in pre-season and then lost it. I do not know why. The team has shown me, on occasion, that they can play with anybody but they also have shown on other occasions that it would be best if they stayed on the bus.

 

[tycat947]

Syb - I won't repeat it but your post above is the Post of the Year. Spot on. I think it is chemistry. We had the formula (chemistry) in pre-season and then lost it. I do not know why. The team has shown me, on occasion, that they can play with anybody but they also have shown on other occasions that it would be best if they stayed on the bus.

I think chemistry was a big part of problem but don't know why. We played very well against Louisville, at times against Duke and other games we appeared to have it. But could never consistently maintain that chemistry, for whatever reason. And maybe confidence was terribly shaky after losing those close games. Looking forward to better season next year.

 

[SoonerShamrock]

Roc, one question: Is the hotel at which each team stays picked by the team or by the Big 12 conference?

 

[rocjunkie]

Roc, one question: Is the hotel at which each team stays picked by the team or by the Big 12 conference?

For OU, Guy Austin picked the Hotel, doesn't have any thing to do with the Big XII.

 

[Soonerbay]

For OU, Guy Austin picked the Hotel, doesn't have any thing to do with the Big XII.

This post just reminded me to compare OU’s coaching staff to others in the top 25. Why is Guy Austin not on the overall Athletic Department staff or the Associate Athletic Director for Women’s basketball since his responsibilities are all across the board? And…

“Austin manages the team's finances, plans official visits for potential student-athletes and coordinate the summer basketball camps. “ …

Really? What summer basketball camps? And plans official visits? I’m sure the recruits are always excited to talk to him!
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&&DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=208803534

Then again…it’s about who you know. See last paragraph of bio.

But look at the staff of those in the top 25. Notice the diversity in background, experience and positions…lots of AAU coaching experience, director of PLAYER DEVELOPMENT, graduate assistants. I see why OU WBB is having some issues…trying to compete in 2013-14 market with 2002 tools and strategies. Time has passed our team by.

UCONN #1
http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/conn-w-baskbl-coaches.html

West Virginia #5
http://www.wvusports.com/staffDirectory.cfm?type=coaching&sportID=4&sport=wbball

Kentucky #10
http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/kty-w-baskbl-mtt.html

North Carolina #12
http://www.goheels.com/SportSelect.dbml?SITE=UNC&DB_OEM_ID=3350&SPID=12979&SPSID=667884

Texas A&M #15
http://www.aggieathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=27300&ATCLID=205623912

Oklahoma State #21
http://www.okstate.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/okst-w-baskbl-mtt.html#coaches

OU-unranked
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=208801505

So here is my NEXT YEAR’s staff wish list:

SCoale-Head Coach
JRoss-Associate Head Coach
Clifford Ray-Assistant Coach
Fred Castro-Assistant Coach
A Nationally Recognized AAU Coach from AR, OK, KS or TX-Assistant Coach
GAustin-Associate Athletic Director for Women’s Basketball
SHansmeyer-Dir. of Basketball Operations (surely she can return if DeCosta can)
AOlajuwon-Asst. Dir. of Basketball Operations
TGriffin-Strength & Conditioning Coach (just use Blakes plan)
Former Player from SEC, ACC or PAC12-Video Coordinator
WHand-Jones-Graduate Assistant