What's next for Gillispie and Capel?

[soonerbms]

The myth that is Billy Gillispie continues to grow.

What myth? Outside two "bad" seasons at Kentucky, he has been a tremendous coach. He turned around a UTEP program that was in the toilet and never won fewer than 20 games at Texas A&M. He's familiar with this area, he knows how to recruit Texas, and his teams play hardnosed basketball like Sampson's did. Please explain to me why he wouldn't be a good fit here.

 

[StoopsBros]

Capel's overall record - 161-95
BCG's overall record - 140-85

 

[Sawyer]

Thanks for posting.

What myth? Outside two "bad" seasons at Kentucky, he has been a tremendous coach. He turned around a UTEP program that was in the toilet and never won fewer than 20 games at Texas A&M. He's familiar with this area, he knows how to recruit Texas, and his teams play hardnosed basketball like Sampson's did. Please explain to me why he wouldn't be a good fit here.

I tend to think he's pretty overrated. His two successful stints at UTEP and A&M were a lot of right place/right time and smoke and mirrors. He won at UTEP with a few juco studs that were simply far more talented than C-USA competition, and he won at A&M with a couple NBA players Melvin Watkins left behind. He's never stayed anywhere long enough to prove he can actually build and sustain a successful program.

He certainly is not an awful coach, but he needs to show me a lot more before I'd hire him at a major school.

 

[AdaSooner]

Even if BCG did not bring any baggage to the job, I'm not sure he's the right fit for OU. The teams he coached at ATM played a tough, physical, defensive-oriented brand of basketball.

We had a coach like that not many years ago. His name was Kelvin Sampjson, and he was criticized continously because his teams struggled on offense at times. Is that really the style of play OU fans want?

 

[campbest]

Even if BCG did not bring any baggage to the job, I'm not sure he's the right fit for OU. The teams he coached at ATM played a tough, physical, defensive-oriented brand of basketball.

We had a coach like that not many years ago. His name was Kelvin Sampjson, and he was criticized continously because his teams struggled on offense at times. Is that really the style of play OU fans want?

...and I don't think it would be a good fit for the players currently on the roster. That would be a major overhaul.

 

[Max Power]

Even if BCG did not bring any baggage to the job, I'm not sure he's the right fit for OU. The teams he coached at ATM played a tough, physical, defensive-oriented brand of basketball.

We had a coach like that not many years ago. His name was Kelvin Sampjson, and he was criticized continously because his teams struggled on offense at times. Is that really the style of play OU fans want?

I know im in the minority, but i loved that style of play because gave me the things i wanted the most as a fan. Players working hard, playing team ball, and WINNING!

 

[Big Old Booger]

I know im in the minority, but i loved that style of play because gave me the things i wanted the most as a fan. Player working hard, playing team ball, and WINNING!

+1

I'll also say that many OU fans didn't realize what they had in Sampson until he was gone.

I don't really want BCG not because of his style of play, but more because of his baggage.

 

[Mr.B!!!]

+1

I'll also say that many OU fans didn't realize what they had in Sampson until he was gone.

I don't really want BCG not because of his style of play, but more because of his baggage.

I really don't want him because he didn't so much "rebuild" aTm as actually coached some pretty talented players that were already on the roster and once he hit a school with all of the tradition and resources you could possibly have, he flopped, both in recruiting and in record. That said, if he is named coach at OU, I'll give him as much support as anyone.

You might have also said above that you would support Terry Evans, I'd +1 that, but I'm still confident that Capel gets one more year.

 

[playmakr]

What myth? Outside two "bad" seasons at Kentucky, he has been a tremendous coach. He turned around a UTEP program that was in the toilet and never won fewer than 20 games at Texas A&M. He's familiar with this area, he knows how to recruit Texas, and his teams play hardnosed basketball like Sampson's did. Please explain to me why he wouldn't be a good fit here.

Well he hasn't even been as good as Capel. If we decide Capel isn't good enough, why would we hire someone no better?

 

[red recluse]

Personally, I'm not a BCG fan. Give me Gregg Marshall or Terry Evans, as those are my top 2. But, if Capel were fired and BCG hired, I would support him.

definitely on the gregg marshall bandwagon. he's the one i hope doesn't take another job after this season.

 

[Cleavon Little]

I fully expect that bonehead Sittler to publish a ton of speculative articles about Ford after he posts another mediocre season next year. Unfortunately, Capel deserves it, to a degree.

 

[soonerbms]

Well he hasn't even been as good as Capel. If we decide Capel isn't good enough, why would we hire someone no better?

Gillispie's overall record is marred by his first season at UTEP in which his team went 6-24. I'm not a UTEP basketball historian or anything, but a simple Google search reveals that Gillispie inherited a UTEP team that had gone 10-22 and 13-15 in two of the three years prior to his arrival. I'm also willing to forgive a 6-24 record when a coach follows it up with 25 wins the next season! At A&M, turned around a team that had gone 60-112 under Melvin Watkins. Under Gillispie, A&M never won fewer than 20 games in a season. Even at Kentucky, Gillispie averaged 20 wins. I'd kill for that right now.

There's a pretty striking contrast between Gillispie and Capel. At UTEP and A&M, Gillispie took terrible programs and turned them into NCAA tournament teams. Capel, on the other hand, took a program that had only missed the NCAA tournament once in 12 years and flushed it down the toilet in five years. Here are Jeff Capel's remarkable accomplishments at OU. He guided the program to its first losing season since 1981 and he's on the verge of guding us to consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1967. Yeah, this guy definitely deserves another year. He's our best long term solution, isn't he? You Capel defenders are pathetic.

 

[soonerbms]

Even if BCG did not bring any baggage to the job, I'm not sure he's the right fit for OU. The teams he coached at ATM played a tough, physical, defensive-oriented brand of basketball.

We had a coach like that not many years ago. His name was Kelvin Sampjson, and he was criticized continously because his teams struggled on offense at times. Is that really the style of play OU fans want?

Sampson style basketball = Winning basketball

 

[Big Old Booger]

Gillispie's overall record is marred by his first season at UTEP in which his team went 6-24. I'm not a UTEP basketball historian or anything, but a simple Google search reveals that Gillispie inherited a UTEP team that had gone 10-22 and 13-15 in two of the three years prior to his arrival. I'm also willing to forgive a 6-24 record when a coach follows it up with 30 wins the next season! At A&M, turned around a team that had gone 60-112 under Melvin Watkins. Under Gillispie, A&M never won fewer than 20 games in a season. Even at Kentucky, Gillispie averaged 20 wins. I'd kill for that right now.

There's a pretty striking contrast between Gillispie and Capel. At UTEP and A&M, Gillispie took terrible programs and turned them into NCAA tournament teams. Capel, on the other hand, took a program that had only missed the NCAA tournament once in 12 years and flushed it down the toilet in five years. Here are Jeff Capel's remarkable accomplishments at OU. He guided the program to its first losing season since 1981 and he's on the verge of guding us to consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1967.

Can't really argue with any of this.

Somebody else posted in the thread that BCG inherited some good talent at UTEP and aTm. Seems like I remember UTEP was abysmal after Rabideaux left them in mid-season or whatever happened.

He did have some good talent at aTm, but he recruited more good talent that kept them going.

Like I say, I don't want him because of his baggage, not because of his style of play. I wouldn't care if we won every game 4-2, just win.

 

[scrybe]

I still support Capel and think he would succeed here if given the chance. But when the Oklahoma media start jumping on the "fire Capel" bandwagon, it doesn't look good for the beleagured OU coach.

Capel gambled and lost on some of his top recruits, and now he, the university and its fans, are paying the price. And while it's one thing for some overzealous fans and message board posters to be calling for Capel's head, it's entirely different when sportswriters at the state's two largest newspapers are saying it may be time for him to go. No, Joe C. wouldn't fire Capel on the advice of Berry Trammel or Dave Sittler. But Joe C. knows very well that fans – and donors – are influenced by what those guys and others in the media have to say.

It's looking more and more like Capel's days at OU are numbered. I hate it for him, but in the long run I think he'd be better off to leave now than to stick around and endure the hell that next year will become if he doesn't get the Sooners back into the NCAA tournament.

 

[campbest]

definitely on the gregg marshall bandwagon. he's the one i hope doesn't take another job after this season.

I would not bet on Gregg Marshall coaching at Wichita State next year...

 

[Big Old Booger]

I still support Capel and think he would succeed here if given the chance. But when the Oklahoma media start jumping on the "fire Capel" bandwagon, it doesn't look good for the beleagured OU coach.

Capel gambled and lost on some of his top recruits, and now he, the university and its fans, are paying the price. And while it's one thing for some overzealous fans and message board posters to be calling for Capel's head, it's entirely different when sportswriters at the state's two largest newspapers are saying it may be time for him to go. No, Joe C. wouldn't fire Capel on the advice of Berry Trammel or Dave Sittler. But Joe C. knows very well that fans – and donors – are influenced by what those guys and others in the media have to say.

It's looking more and more like Capel's days at OU are numbered. I hate it for him, but in the long run I think he'd be better off to leave now than to stick around and endure the hell that next year will become if he doesn't get the Sooners back into the NCAA tournament.

So, you don't think 5 years is = "given a chance"?

Hard to say what will happen if the sooners lose out. Personally, I think he's already got the extra year just because he is pure class on and off the court as far as how he handles himself and I think a lot of people that work with him or who he works for like him a lot.

The unknown variable is how close is the program this year to losing money, or are they already losing money? That's what I think could be the coups de grace for him. Of if the NCAA finds something related to Gallon, but everybody I know says nothing will come of that.

 

[bgrch1350]

Did anyone listen to the animal today? Gottlieb was on there talking about BCG and he made some good points. He was talking about how he did a good job at aTm but those players were already there and he also mentioned that he tried to run off AC Law. He also mentioned how horrible of a job he did at Kentucky. How he took over for a coach that kept them in the tourney and then he didn't even make it to the tournament with NBA players on his roster and the guy after him is bringing in nothing but nba talent.

 

[campbest]

Can't really argue with any of this.

Somebody else posted in the thread that BCG inherited some good talent at UTEP and aTm. Seems like I remember UTEP was abysmal after Rabideaux left them in mid-season or whatever happened.

He did have some good talent at aTm, but he recruited more good talent that kept them going.

Like I say, I don't want him because of his baggage, not because of his style of play. I wouldn't care if we won every game 4-2, just win.

He inherited zero talent at UTEP, got probably the last great JUCO classes in history with Thomas and Rivera...they turned it around and won 25 games the next year.

As for the A&M job, people forget that Wright was only there for one year, Gillespie's first. His second year, they bowed out of the tournament to eventual Final Four team LSU...and even then it took a last second three pointer to beat A&M.

 

[campbest]

Did anyone listen to the animal today? Gottlieb was on there talking about BCG and he made some good points. He was talking about how he did a good job at aTm but those players were already there and he also mentioned that he tried to run off AC Law. He also mentioned how horrible of a job he did at Kentucky. How he took over for a coach that kept them in the tourney and then he didn't even make it to the tournament with NBA players on his roster and the guy after him is bringing in nothing but nba talent.

Personally, I don't want BCG. However, Gottlieb is partially wrong b/c Wright was not at A&M after BCG's first year. Also don't think BCG's style is a good fit at Kentucky and NBA type players (those who bolt early) aren't looking to play for a coach like BCG or his system.