Been doing some thinking and thought I would put in pixel form and share it with this board. Its long, its ranty, so you've been forewarned.
In my short life I have never seen this program anywhere close to the shambles that it is starting to become. Maybe its a sign of being spoiled, nearsighted, biased or whatever, but this situation seems surreal. OU basketball has always been a consistent winner for me in regards to sports. My first memories of OU football were of DeMond Parker being good and the rest of the team constantly losing.
Because of this and the success that Nate Erdmand, Corey Brewer and Eduardo Najera had I foolishly believed OU was a basketball school. OU basketball has always been number 1 in my heart, even when the football team now at a similar status of the 50's, 70's and 80's, I've still been a basketball guy.
I remember my winter Saturdays being built around getting to watch OU basketball and Phillips 66 commercials. I remember begging my mom to take me out of school to watch Big 12 and NCAA tournament games. Pretending to be Eduardo Najera in my drive way, then even going through a weird phase where I would pound the left side of my chest before a free throw because I was convinced it would allow me to make them like Hollis did. OU basketball being a winner is all I've ever known.
I know now its a spoiled outlook on life and now seems incredible lucky as I look at what has conspired in the past two years. I think the biggest shocker to me in all of this is I was convinced we were entering another golden age of Sooner hoops.
All the McDonald All Americans and potential future Sooners had me seeing stars. To make it even better, all those stars were aligned and they pointed to one thing. OU cutting down the nets and getting that elusive national championship.
Its funny how foolish those dreams look right now, as even a NIT championship seems impossible. It is amazing how OU went from the penthouse to the outhouse quicker than a game winning tip in by Jameel Haywood vs Missouri.
Maybe this is a knee jerk reaction but I am honestly not sure there are many coaching options that call pull this program out of the tailspin. I look at many of the mid major candidates, the "more realistic options" and go really? These are the men to be trusted with fixing this program?
Cuonzo Martin, a guy who has never even been to the tournament?
Greg Marshall. a guy having trouble maintaining the same level of success Mark Turegon had with the Shockers?
All the mid majors just scream a massive MEH to me. Maybe one of them could take over and maintain a relative good level of success, but none of them seem ready to take on a rebuilding job that is needed here.
This is the breaking point for the program, if this hire isn't successful its looking to be at least 5 more years of struggles. 5 more years of a NIT bid being be a welcome sight for those that stick it out as fans.
The small fan base OU has will only grow smaller, leaving the few crazy die hards, making up the 2,079 people in the LNC for that December Wednesday Night game vs Little Sisters of the Poor St. I hate speaking in such gloom and doom terms for this team I really do. But I look at it and just don't see many reasons to Sunshine pump.
I know that Joe C is much too busy of a man to be reading the rantings and ravings of this message board, but if he somehow does see this. Do whatever it takes, open the checkbook, whatever is need to get a quality name in here. I don't care if its Buzz Williams, Tubby Smith, heck even Chris Mack or shudder, Tad Boyle don't seem like bad options compared to the Mid-Major options. Just make it happen Joe C, I don't care how it is done.
This hire is going to make or break the program. Don't go cheap, go big or go home. Make sure OU goes down swinging and not with a whimper in the middle of the night If I could think of some more cliches at this moment I would be sure to throw them into this paragraph to further illustrate my point.
Not really a lot of groundbreaking stuff with this post, but I felt the need to share it.
I'll step off the soapbox now.