Trae Young finds fame, Lon Kruger returns to roots and everybody wins

[TulsaWorld]

Excerpt from Guerin Emig's latest column...

Lon Kruger has added four transfers since losing Young — a point guard, a combo guard, a sharpshooter and a shot blocker. There doesn’t seem to be a star among Aaron Calixte, Miles Reynolds, Austin Reaves and Kur Kuath. None, certainly, of Young’s caliber.

And yet these are parts that should fit snugly. These are parts Kruger has fit together since 1982.

He has won 619 games with a base of three-star high school talent, a hint of four-star potential and some assistance from the Division I/junior college transfer market. It is a system in which players develop and adhere to a culture.

If you flourish beyond expectations, as Buddy Hield did, you do so earnestly. You work hard, you do it around multiyear teammates and everyone in the program benefits as a result. There is chemistry and respect as a result.

When Kruger signed Young he got out of that comfort zone. He banked on Young’s talent, and on his potential for leadership, to override any unfamiliarity. It worked for two thirds of the season.

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[coolm]

I think this is an excellent assessment.

 

[WichitaSooner]

I think this is an excellent assessment.

But don't you understand . . . the program is in crisis!! Lon must go, he sold his soul to get Trae and it ruined everything! He doesn't know how to recruit, develop players, or make in-game adjustments. And it has been almost 26 months since we last appeared in the Final Four after spending the entire season in the Top 10. Darn Emig and his logical, measured take on things!

Sarcasm aside, a dose of reality is nice for a change!