OU should put a Buzz in basketball >>> Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

[greenbug]

I do believe that the big e is the toughest conference not always because of the teams but it has the best PLAYERS. however, Suncoast and NAIA are right. you can't use your conf. as an excuse. be the best or one of the best in your league before coming to OU please.

 

[JBaker]

lol, I hate Capel as a coach but he has/had just as much chance to succeed here next year than Buzz does. Why are we reduced to hiring a coach that's an uncertainty? We just fired one.

We fired a coach that made the tournament twice in his 5 years as a head coach in the Big 12.
Buzz is a coach that made the tournament 3 times in 3 years in the Big East.

We're not going to get Coach K.

Find me any coach in the nation that would consider our job, and I'll guarantee you he hasn't displayed the ability to consistently beat Syracuse, UConn, and Pitt.

 

[152219]

I do believe that the big e is the toughest conference not always because of the teams but it has the best PLAYERS. however, Suncoast and NAIA are right. you can't use your conf. as an excuse. be the best or one of the best in your league before coming to OU please.

Sampson's best finish in the Pac 10 was 4th. With 3 tied for 5th place finishes.

 

[greenbug]

This reminds me of when every one was wanting Jim Donnan after Blake. I was screaming no no no. He wasn't setting the world on fire at Georgia with better players. how was he gonna help us? he ended up getting fired and we won a title with Stoops.

 

[152219]

This reminds me of when every one was wanting Jim Donnan after Blake. I was screaming no no no. He wasn't setting the world on fire at Georgia with better players. how was he gonna help us? he ended up getting fired and we won a title with Stoops.

If Donnan was going to be hired, he should have been hired after Schnellenberger (or even before Schnellenberger)

 

[greenbug]

Sampson's best finish in the Pac 10 was 4th. With 3 tied for 5th place finishes.

you forgot that he struggled some of those early years barely getting into the dance. then getting bounced 1st round. we can do better than Sampson...he's not the standard

 

[152219]

you forgot that he struggled some of those early years barely getting into the dance. then getting bounced 1st round. we can do better than Sampson...he's not the standard

That is true in years 2-4, but he didn't struggle to get in the dance his 1st year as they were a #4 seed and lost to Manhattan (FRAN!)

 

[152219]

And for most on this board, Sampson is their standard.

 

[Mr.B!!!]

The only thing I might throw in is that one of Buzz's supposed strengths is recruiting Texas, and it is a lot easier getting kids from Texas to Norman than it would be to Marquette (and I think that he has been recruiting Texas kids for Marquette). Just saying, the same way Capel may have been a "fish out of water" in the Oklahoma/Texas region, Buzz may be a fish out of water in the Northeast. The above said, I'm not sure that this is a slam dunk hire.

 

[suncoastsooner]

It should be noted, that 5 years ago, Sagarin's rankings had the Big East as the 5th best conference in the land. So, his numbers aren't biased towards the Big East or any conference for that matter.

In that case I think it should also be noted that when Sargain had them as the fifth best conference in the country according to his computer they received two more bids to the NCAA tournament than any other conference (8) and had one of the best performances the conference has ever had in the NCAA tournament: 2 teams in regional finals, four teams in the sweet 16, and five teams in the second round. (That was also the worst performance season by the Big 12 in an NCAA tourney since the turn of the century as well).

 

[StoopsBros]

Sampson had to build Washington State from the ground up. It took him 4 years to a decent level (once his players got through the system). That's not comparable to Marquette IMO.

 

[152219]

Sampson had to build Washington State from the ground up. It took him 4 years to a decent level (once his players got through the system). That's not comparable to Marquette IMO.

Although there was a coach between them, but George Raveling had success at Wazzu (more than Sampson)

 

[StoopsBros]

Although there was a coach between them, but George Raveling had success at Wazzu (more than Sampson)

True, but the coach in between (Len Stevens) had a 4-year 48-67 (42%) record. It's likely that Stevens recruited poorly and back then there wasn't a bunch of freshmen that played right away (successfully). It would be the equivalent of letting Capel get another year and him going 12-18 (or whatever). I wasn't around back then but I'm sure it wasn't an easy rebuild. No one wants to live in Pullman these days, I doubt they did then.

 

[152219]

True, but the coach in between (Len Stevens) had a 4-year 48-67 (42%) record. It's likely that Stevens recruited poorly and back then there wasn't a bunch of freshmen that played right away (successfully). It would be the equivalent of letting Capel get another year and him going 12-18 (or whatever). I wasn't around back then but I'm sure it wasn't an easy rebuild. No one wants to live in Pullman these days, I doubt they did then.

Stevens did do a poor job there, but Wazzu was one of the better hoops programs in the Pac 10 (not up there with UCLA obviously), but arguably the best hoops program in the upper Northwest (UDub is up there with them). Sampson obviously had to rebuild back, but I wouldn't say from "the ground up" because just 4 years prior they were in the 2nd round of the NCAA tourney (which was before the 64 team field).

And ultimately my point was in regards to OU hiring a coach that wins in another conference. Sampson built a solid program at Wazzu but he never finished in the top 3 of the conference and I think we can all agree he worked out for OU.

 

[StoopsBros]

And ultimately my point was in regards to OU hiring a coach that wins in another conference. Sampson built a solid program at Wazzu but he never finished in the top 3 of the conference and I think we can all agree he worked out for OU.

I agree with that but Sampson went from really bad to getting better every year while at Wazzu. That's not what Buzz is currently doing at Marquette.

 

[152219]

I agree with that but Sampson went from really bad to getting better every year while at Wazzu. That's not what Buzz is currently doing at Marquette.

That is because Marquette already had a solid program. There was nothing to build.

 

[152219]

For those that like defensive coaches, Kenpom's efficiency ratings show that Buzz Williams' teams at Marquette have been significantly more efficient offensively than defensively. Definitely a big question mark.