Quite a week in Oklahoma
This is shaping up to be quite the historic week in Oklahoma. On Friday, the NBA board of governors is expected to vote — and approve — the Sonics’ relocation request to Oklahoma City. Also this week, OSU is expected to hire a basketball coach, which could prove to be a major event on the sports landscape.
You never know. I suppose the Sonic deal still could fall through. But I don’t see how. Seattle has turned desperate; the emails subpoenaed from Clay Bennett and Co. for the court case are more embarrassing than anything. They are designed to try to turn the NBA against Bennett. They won’t really affect the court case; the Sonics figured to lose the case anyway. Seattle’s ploy is to make the NBA say, let’s hold on and rethink this leaving-Seattle thing. I don’t think it will work. I think Seattle probably is doing nothing more than further alienating the league, asking for franchise financial records.
And you never know about a basketball coach. In retrospect, it was an historic day when Eddie Sutton was hired. Not so big when Guy Strong and Jim Killingsworth were hired in the ’70s. Heck, it’s too early to tell how monumental of a day it was at OU when Jeff Capel was hired. It was a sport-changing event when Billy Tubbs was hired, and no small thing when Kelvin Sampson was hired. It will all have to play out.
But certainly Mike Holder seems intent on a major hire, so it figures to be a major day in Stillwater, a day that could change basketball in this part of the country.
So it’s going to be quite a week in Oklahoma. Major-league status and a new coach that could define the Holder era.
The new emails are here!
Another round of emails, covering everything from the Sonics to Bill Self.
John weighs in on OSU’s search: “I won’t say Mike Holder isn’t smart, but he certainly made Pickens U’s bid for a replacement basketball coach more difficult. While speculation about Bill Self or any other coach would have occurred in any event, Holder should have made every effort to play it down, not even admitting to a list of possibilities – he didn’t. The problem is that he made overtures to Self. Now, a new coach, whomever, will know he’s second choice, less desirable so to speak…not good for the ego.”
Here’s the problem with that, John. In the coaching fraternity, everyone knows everything. So if Holder had gone stone-cold silent, all the coaches would have known about it and the public would not have known, so he’d have the same problem and more — his fan base wondering why he didn’t go harder after Self.
Pat, too, is puzzled by the search: “Obviously, going after Bill Self was the right thing to do and it appears Holder went about it in professional manner and gave it a good try. But most of us OSU fans were not really surprised we couldn’t get him. You had written that you didn’t think OSU could land Self and I don’t think most in the national media were surprised we didn’t get him, either. If his quotes in Andrea’s story this morning are to be believed, it seems Holder was the only one that was surprised. Is it really plausible that he doesn’t even have a B list of candidates? I understand having to wait for Self to become available, but in the intervening 10 days or so since Sean was let go, you would think Holder, Dave Martin and the rest of the staff would be doing some background work and compiling a list of back-ups. If not, it appears a lot of time was wasted with the coaching carousel turning as it is. I agree I think Holder is going to go for a big splash with this hire. As for the list in your blog, all would probably be solid coaches, but there are a few I can’t personally get excited about. I keep seeing Tubby Smith’s name come up. You hear great things about him and he’s obviously a solid coach. But he’s just kind of one of the old guard guys that have been around and I think we need a fresher breath of air. Same thing for Lon Kruger. And maybe it’s just me, but I’ve always felt Tim Floyd is a little overrated. Calipari is a good coach and can recruit, but something about his personality to me just makes him a strange fit for OSU. Any of the other guys on your list would probably be fine. Jamie Dixon was my second choice well before you guys picked him as the winner on your bracket.”
I am certain Holder has a list and a Plan B. Some things he goes public with, some things not.
Larry, a Texas Tech fan, took exception to my line about Bobby Knight being hired at OSU. “I appreciate that he’s Satan in the flesh, but does anybody really believe Bob Knight would go to all the trouble of installing his son at Tech only to take a job at another Big 12 South school, where he would only succeed in direct opposition to his own son’s career interests? If he got the itch to coach again, don’t you suppose he could get a job, and a pretty good one, outside of our conference? Surely you’re just amusing yourselves, or maybe just hard up for something to blather about. And as to him being consulted on the subject of the job opening, well, he does know a thing or two, even if he is Beelzebub.”
Actually, I was hoping to flush out one of the three Tech basketball fans on Planet Earth.
Mission accomplished.
Mel chimed in on Roy Williams supporting KU in the title game: “To you and all the other press coverers of Roy Williams’ gesture of KU appreciation, you seem never to catch on to how clever Roy Williams is — that is what you should be crediting him for! The man clearly knows how to get press coverage and up his constant exposure for better recruiting! Have you never watched how this man always takes his glasses off for timeouts and news conferences? He is totally about upping his image and his edge in the battle of recruiting — impressing parents and recruits. And I cannot stand to hear reporters accommodate his tears. Please — the guy is a master con artist and nothing more.”
Mel, you really need to get over this. Williams is five years gone and KU has an NCAA title. Enough is enough.
Brad wrote, “It was nice to see a championship without Joakim Noah jumping around like a moron.”No kidding.Now, some football. Woody took exception to me saying that early picks in the first round of the NFL draft are a curse. “Next time you see Jerry Jones, ask him if he thinks
Troy Aikman was a curse. Maybe if Jerry wasn’t such a ego maniac, he would have gotten out of the way and let Jimmy Johnson make the call on draft picks. It took him a decade to overcome that mistake by hiring Parcells, so give him credit for that. A curse? If you’re afraid to pull the trigger on a player, you can always find somebody who will give you more to trade down for your high draft pick. The only curse is on your fans, because they have to live with your inability to pick the right guys to make a winning team.”
Troy Aikman was drafted in 1989. That was 19 years ago, which was prehistoric times compared to today’s economic situation. The best draft picks are somewhere in the 20s of the first round. You get a decent player for a good price. Draft early, and you pay a king’s ransom for a rookie. That’s a curse.
Craig defended Malcolm Kelly: “Don’t blame the kid. Kevin Wilson vastly under utilized him last season. I am sure he is frustrated.”
Maybe
Wilson wasn’t all that fired up to throw to a slow receiver. Everyone acts like Malcolm Kelly is the second coming of Jerry Rice or something. He’s a good ballplayer who somehow thinks he’s supposed to be given a jet ride to the pros. OU has multiple good receivers, and the difference in their talent level apparently isn’t nearly as wide as we believed.
Some readers still chime in about the Sonics’ name change.
Duane writes, “The
Oklahoma City Eagles. Sounds good, doesn’t it? We have the Eagle colony at nearby
Lake
Arcadia, and Eagles are nesting elsewhere in
Oklahoma. A raptor show in the
Ford
Center would be great entertainment during the halftime break and before the game. I believe the Eagle personifies the Spirit of Oklahoma as we soar on toward major league status with our new NBA team in
Oklahoma City. It would also tie in nicely with our pioneer history and modern civilian and military aviation activity this city is well known for, and would honor a revered symbol for many Native Americans who live in
Oklahoma. And the Eaglettes, cheerleaders in feathers, imagine.”
You had me until Eaglettes. Actually, you never had me at all. I love Eagles; when we opened a new middle school back in 1973 and got to vote for
Irving’s new nickname, I supported Eagles. But
Philadelphia’s got the corner on Eagles. I say no duplication with another major-league franchise.
Mike writes, “I have a concern when it comes to re-naming the Sonics. I don’t think they should be named the Oklahoma anything, as in the Oklahoma RedHawks and the
Oklahoma
River. The baseball team should be named the Oklahoma City RedHawks and the river should be named the
Oklahoma City
River. In my view, those names are not fair to the taxpayers of
Oklahoma City, who have willingly paid for all the MAPS projects. Some of the names I’ve come-up with are: Oilers, Riders, Plainsmen, Gushers, Mustangs, Coyotes, Falcons, Roughnecks and Gassers.”
Hey, I like Mustangs. Same thing applies to them that applies to my Thunderbirds nomination. Ford would eat it up; stick a sporty Mustang or two in the
Ford
Center lobby. One downer: as Boomer and Sooner have shown us, horses make lousy costumed mascots.
Terry nominates the Oklahoma City Barons. “By definition, a baron is an important financier or industrialist, one with great power in a particular area. Note these examples that highlight
Oklahoma: oil baron, cattle baron, land baron, red baron (aviation). It is short, two-syllable, unique, andmulti-applicable to a number of Oklahomans.”
I wouldn’t go around promoting that Red Baron thing too much.
Reid no Gundy fan
Perhaps you’ve read the story in ESPN the Magazine in which Bobby Reid voices his displeasure with OSU coach Mike Gundy. It’s very interesting. I recommend it.
Gundy, of course, came to Reid’s defense last September with his infamous rant, after Jenni Carlson’s Oklahoman column questioned Reid’s toughness and said that was the primary reason Reid lost his quarterback job to Zac Robinson.
Lost in the media crush of last autumn was this obvious truth: Gundy had not so much come to Reid’s defense as thrown Reid under the bus. No matter what you thought of Carlson’s column, or how much you think the media could use a good upbraiding, the net effect of the rant was this.
Jenni Carlson that Saturday morning told the state of Oklahoma that OSU coaches thought Reid was soft. Mike Gundy that Saturday night told the whole world the same thing. Gundy’s rant put a massive spotlight on the column — and Reid’s demotion — that otherwise would have remained in the shadows.
Now, some of Reid’s assertions are silly. He and his mother told ESPN that they believe Gundy deliberately produced the rant as a way to embarrass Reid. That’s nonsense, of course. I sat there, 10 feet from Gundy. That wasn’t a performance. That was raw emotion. Misplaced emotion, but real.
The real story about Bobby Reid is this. Good quarterback. Very good quarterback. Just not as good as Zac Robinson. We saw that for ourselves. The Cowboy coaches made the right call in switching. Maybe Reid is soft, maybe he’s not. But he’s not the quarterback that Zac Robinson is.
Now who for OSU?
Now that Bill Self has rejected OSU, where do the Cowboys turn? I say Mike Holder starts going down the list, and the top of that list will be impressive. OSU will not aim low. Will not try to find a hidden diamond, unless it comes to that. Here’s what the list might look like:
1. John Calipari: Memphis is a great job that pays him big, but OSU can counter with a better conference and even more money. Memphis in Conference USA is the equivalent of UNLV in the Big West in 1987-92, and while you can soar under such an environment, you also can stumble with no league support.
2. Tubby Smith: Would cost a bundle to get away from Minnesota, and Tubby in some ways would return the Eddie Sutton style of administration to OSU — assistants recruit, head coach coaches — but he’s a big name who has been a big winner and is nothing but class, going back to his Tulsa days.
3. Jaime Dixon: The Pitt coach is young, solid and sharp. Getting him away from Pittsburgh would be difficult; Pitt and OSU are comparable jobs, and Pitt is in a better situation right now. Would probably cost a ton.
4. Tony Bennett: He just announced he was staying at Washington State, but OSU is a better job — much better. I don’t know what buttons need to be pushed, but most people have buttons.
5. Chris Lowery: Southern Illinois is becoming the Miami-Ohio of college basketball; a cradle of coaches. Bruce Weber left and took Illinois to the NCAA finals; Matt Painter left and has Purdue riding high. And of course, Jack Hartman made his name at SIU before going to Kansas State.
6. Anthony Grant: Virginia Commonwealth would declare holy war on the state of Oklahoma. In 1985, Tulsa U. hired away VCU’s J.D. Barnett. In 2006, OU hired away VCU’s Jeff Capel. If OSU were to hire away VCU’s Grant…
7. Sean Miller: Would be a great hire, but two down sides. You’d have to pay Miller like he was coming from a power, not mid-major Xavier, and the speculation is that he would return to Pitt, his alma mater, when that job opens. Of course, if Dixon won’t leave Pitt, that wouldn’t be a problem.
8. Tim Floyd: Excellent coach who is in a solid position at Southern Cal. Would he leave? Depends on how much he likes the LA life? Some do. Some don’t.
9. Lon Kruger: Excellent resume’ and great ties to the Heartland, but is he still willing to hit the recruiting grind of banging heads with Texas and Kansas, not to mention other-conference infidels? Kruger sort of has it on autopilot at UNLV.
10. Mike Brey: The Notre Dame coach has been solid, which in the Duke Derby makes him a big winner, since most of Krzyzewski’s former players and lieutenants have struggled. Would probably take the job without a hard sell.
Not what the NFL needs
The NFL needs a few things. Fewer penalty flags on defensive backs. More professionalism in the end zone by touchdown-makers. A team in Los Angeles would be nice.
The NFL does NOT need one more knuckleheaded wide receiver. For some reason, pro football prima donnas have migrated to the flanker position. Troublemakers can be found split wide. Terrell Owens. Randy Moss. Chad Johnson.
So why did Malcolm Kelly act the way he did Wednesday, ripping OU after pro scouts watched him run slow times in the 40-yard dash? It was bad enough that Kelly gave the scouts reason to think he wasn’t fast enough to play in the NFL. Now he’s given them reason to think he’s a goober.
If you will blast your college program — ON ITS CAMPUS — where the atmosphere is all warm fuzzies and Three Musketeerish, what would you do in the poisonous pro locker room, where criticizing the organization is part of the initiation? Dumb. Very dumb.
Kelly could at least claim solid-citizen status after his woeful 40 times, which were anywhere from 4.68 to 4.75, which can be decent for a linebacker but not for a passcatcher trying to outmaneuver Bill Belichick-type defenses. Now, Kelly’s good name is gone. Right in front of pro scouts, he turned bellyacher and excuse-maker.
American football is full of young guys who can run fast and catch the ball and maintain good attitudes. Right now, Kelly can lay claim to just one of those attributes.
We’ll know soon on Self
I don’t know when OSU will have a basketball coach, but I think we’ll know soon on Bill Self. The hourglass has been turned upside down.
I would guess that Self and Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins will talk today. Depending on what is said, Self and OSU might talk tonight or Thursday, and by Thursday afternoon Self is either a Kansas landmark or the latest Larry Brown.
The Kansas City Star’s Joe Posnanski wrote a very interesting column today about the Self situation, saying this whole thing is in KU’s hands, not Self’s or OSU’s. Kansas, not Self, can tell Boone Pickens “no.”
Posnanski pointed out that Self makes less than Billy Gillispie at Kentucky, Roy Williams at North Carolina, Billy Donovan at Florida and Mike Krzyzewski at Duke. Some of that is due to circumstance — last hired, biggest money — but some of that is due to personality. Self hasn’t demanded big bucks from KU. Here’s the all-time puzzler: Self makes less than KU football coach Mark Mangino, who did an all-time coaching job in 2007 but isn’t nearly as important to his university as is Self. Paying the Kansas football coach more than the Kansas basketball coach is like OU playing its basketball coach more than its football coach. Silly at the core.
So Posnanski says Self isn’t really expecting Boone Pickens-type money from Kansas. Self just wants to know that Kansas feels the way about him that Carolina apparently feels about Williams and Duke apparently feels about Coach K and Florida apparently feels about Donovan.
Perkins and Self go back a long way. Perkins delivered Self as KU’s coach; they were hired virtually together, after Kansas fired AD Allen Bohl in a failed to attempt to keep Williams from bolting for Carolina.
Self still could come to Stillwater. But only, it appears, if Kansas plays hardball and swims against the economic tide of college basketball. Successful coaches are rewarded exponentially for their championships. Expect Kansas to say no to Oklahoma State.
Kansas’ victory over Memphis was momentous for Big 12 basketball. The league finally has an NCAA champion. Hopefully, it won’t stop there. The Big Eight had just one NCAA champ (Kansas in 1988); the league teams’ only other national title came in the Big Seven days (KU 1952).
Until Monday night, the Big 12 clearly was behind in bragging rights among the power conferences. But now, not so much. Kansas took care of the glaring hole in the Big 12’s hoops resume’.
The Big 12 still lags behind most of the other power leagues in overall NCAA Tournament prowess. I believe there are three major ways to identify basketball dominance: 1. NCAA championships; 2. Final Four appearances; 3. Final Four schools (in other words, if one school is doing all the damage in a league, that’s to the school’s credit, not the conference’s).
Any way, the Big 12 doesn’t lag much behind in any of the categories but doesn’t rise to the top in any. In the dozen years since the Big 12 formed, here are the numbers:
* NCAA titles: SEC 3 (Florida two, Kentucky one); ACC 3 (Maryland, Duke, North Carolina); Big East 3 (UConn two, Syracuse one); Pac-10 1 (Arizona), Big Ten 1 (Michigan State) and Big 12 1 (Kansas).
The ACC is amazing. Three schools have won NCAA titles this decade alone. But the Big 12 isn’t out of step, really, now tied with the Pac-10 and the Big Ten, thanks to Kansas.
* Final Fours: ACC 11, Big Ten 10, Big 12 6, SEC 6, Pac-10 6, Big East 4.
Again, the Big 12’s not in bad shape. Behind the ACC and the Big Ten, tied with the SEC and Pac-10. Perfectly respectable.
Final Four schools: Big Ten 6 (Minnesota, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois); Big 12 4 (Kansas, OU, Texas, OSU); ACC 4 (North Carolina, Duke, Maryland, Georgia Tech); Big East 3 (UConn, Syracuse, Georgetown); Pac-10 3 (Arizona, Stanford, UCLA); SEC 3 (Kentucky, Florida, LSU).
Here, the Big 12 is ahead of the curve and trailing only the Big Ten. By the way, enough dumping on the Big Ten, which is a national obsession in all sports. The Big Ten’s basketball record is amazing. In the last dozen years, more than half its schools have made the Final Four. One of the schools that hasn’t made it, Michigan, has played in three NCAA title games in the last 20 years and won one. Another school that hasn’t made it, Purdue, is a regular Big Ten contender that made the Final Four in 1980, where it was joined by another Big Ten, member, Iowa. Think about that. In the last 28 years, every Big Ten school since Northwestern and Penn State have made the Final Four. That’s amazing.
Anyway, back to the Big 12. As many Big 12 schools (four) as ACC schools have made the Final Four the last dozen years, and all four Big 12 schools have been in the last seven seasons, starting with OU and KU in 2002, then Texas and KU in 2003, and OSU in 2004.
The Big 12 basketball record is solid. And it’s a lot more solid after Monday night, thanks to the Jayhawks.
Self to OSU? NCAA title might help
I still don’t buy that Bill Self would be a serious candidate at OSU. But the most likely scenario that gets Self to Stillwater would be a Kansas victory over Memphis on Monday night. With an NCAA championship, Self has one fewer professional goal to reach.
Most coaches crave two things. Championships and money. I don’t know which is more important; probably different for different guys. The money, OSU probably can provide. The titles; much more difficult than at Kansas.
I know, I know. OSU and KU each have two NCAA championships, and while both of the Cowboys’ came in the 1940s, one of KU’s came in 1952. So in the last 56 years, it’s 1-0 Kansas, which is not a big discrepancy.
But the way you win NCAA titles is to make Final Fours, then take your chances. OSU has been in two Final Fours since 1951. Eddie Sutton’s 1995 and 2004 teams made it. Kansas has been in nine Final Fours since 1970: 1971, 1974, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993, 2002, 2003 and 2008.
That’s an impressive run by KU. Basically, the Jayhawks have played in about a quarter of the Final Fours over the last 37 years. They’ve done it with four coaches: Ted Owens, Larry Brown, Roy Williams and Self. Another way to look at it — every Kansas coach since 1919 (20 years before the first Final Four) has taken the Jayhawks to the Final Four.
Meanwhile, OSU has had more than marginal success under only two coaches: Henry Iba and Sutton. So it’s not even close. If you want to win championships, you coach at Kansas over OSU.
But if you’ve already won an NCAA, that fire lessens a little. That drive is not as great. If you’ve already won an NCAA title, maybe you think about money and family and roots. I don’t know.
I still think Self is staying at KU, win or lose. But it’s more likely he listens to Mike Holder and Boone Pickens if the Jayhawks beat Memphis.
Bracketing the field of 64
Be sure and grab an Oklahoman on Monday morning. We are producing a 64-coach bracket to help Mike Holder select an Oklahoma State basketball coach.
This is a lot of fun and something we did when the OU job was open two years ago. Of course, we can be thrown a curveball. Two years ago, Jeff Capel’s name somehow didn’t make the field. Talk about your stealth candidates. Capel was 31 at the time, and I figured no way Joe Castiglione would go for someone so young. But he did.
So we’re taking another stab at it, and it’s a fun way to think about what kind of coach OSU might hire. Established winner? Up-and-comer? OSU ties?
All kinds of things go into the selections, as it does in real life with Holder and the candidates. Who might be interested in the job? Who might Holder be interested in? What are the factors: age, money, name recognition?
My guess: OSU will shoot the moon and work its way down. That’s what Mike Montgomery said two years ago, when he was coaching the Golden State Warriors (about to be fired; I don’t know if he knew but everyone else did) and we asked him about his interest in the OU job. He was insulted at the question, but he did say something interesting. He said everyone does a coaching search the same way. They start with Adolph Rupp and work their way down.
I assume that means OSU will start with Bill Self and work its way down.
Who will the Cowboys choose? Probably have to wait a week or so. But who will we choose? Check out the Monday Oklahoman.
Emails on the Sutton saga
The people have spoken. The majority of OSU fans support Mike Holder in the Sean Sutton decision. That is abundantly clear from my emails.
Leonard writes, “While it seems that some may have a personal vendetta against the AD (and he may not win a popularity contest), I wonder if this invocation of a fairness doctrine (’more than two years’) is applicable also to the AD having an obligation to make a ‘fair’ and ‘reasoned’ judgment about the future of the program? His job description is not circumscribed by some calendar for basketball coaches. Are there not program, leadership, donor, alumni and future image issues that come into play and that might be separate from the whereabouts of the Sutton family? I just do not buy the conspiracy theory that somebody connived and plotted (like subversive spies) to do this coach in.”
People like to believe in conspiracy theories. I think it helps them figure out their place in the world.
EdmondVet writes: “I have heard a lot of radio/TV analysts saying if you were only going to give Sean two years, why hire him in the first place? Holder didn’t hire Sean in the first place. He was handed Sean by (Harry) Birdwell. Birdwell conducted no national search for a coach and was basically appeasing Eddie Sutton by naming Sean as coach designate. Birdwell supposedly had to lock Sean up or SMU was going to hire him away. It would have done Sean some good to go to SMU and better prepare himself for Eddie’s retirement. Who knows if Holder would have hired Sean three years later?”Actually, the question is this: Doesn’t matter if the guy has been on the job for two years or 20. If you know he’s not the right man for the job, why wait 15 minutes to do something about it?
Chris writes, “I’m not a super rich donor. I love
Oklahoma
State
University. I have great tickets because I applied for them in the Paul Hansen/Leonard Hamilton era when no one wanted to attend. Some of the most enjoyable leisure times of my life have been at GIA. Although I’m profoundly sad about what has happened to Sean, my most honest feeling as a fan is one of excitement. Do I think Sean has the knowledge to be a successful D-1 head coach? Without a doubt. Do I think he possess the communication skills and personality to be a successful D-1 head coach? Sadly, no. Do I like Mike Holder? No, not really. Do I think he is a unique talent and wildly successful in whatever he’s undertaken? Again, without a doubt. I understand why media might be leery of Holder and even Boone. But my gosh, both men have proven themselves as winners in some tough arenas. Who among the media would turn down their gifts of money and devotion to their alma maters? Again, I hurt for Sean and his family. I desperately wanted him to succeed. I came to the conclusion late in the season that it wasn’t going to happen for Sean in
Stillwater now or in the future. As a fan I’m excited about new leadership in the basketball program. Again, I’m not a Holder fan. I’m not a Pickens fan, but I’m so grateful that he gives OSU a chance for success in athletics. I think they got this one right.”
Well said. I, too, am saddened about what happened to Sean. But just because Mike Holder is a strange bird doesn’t mean he’s wrong.
Josh wants to know if Bruce Pearl is “a legitimate candidate? Is this just a negotiation ploy? That would be a home run hire and not impossible to get. He is already second fiddle to football, he has to share the stage with Pat Summit, he’s in the same division as Kentucky and Florida, plus he’s in the same state as Vandy and
Memphis. Someone would really have to work hard to convince me that Tennessee is a better basketball job than
Oklahoma
State. They have never been past the Sweet 16 in their history. I do not think Self is coming, nor Gillispie, but
Pearl seems like he would be attainable. Am I crazy?”
Josh, there’s no way I can comment on your mental status with a proper evaluation. But I think it’s possible
Pearl could be interested in the job, although I think it’s more likely he’s using it as a way to get a bigger contract.
John writes, “I feel that the firing of Sean was inevitable when you take everything into consideration – player development, off court issues, fan support, perception of the program, work ethic. That combined with a boss that demands very high standards in all of those areas, this decision was a no-brainer despite what seems to be a general consensus of local media types. It is for the same reasons that I believe the outcome from all of this will put OSU on a path to success not even reached in the Sutton era. By next week the Sean issue will be a somewhat distant memory I believe.” Well, I’m a lover of optimism, but I see no way OSU can surpass the Sutton era. Duplicate it, perhaps. Supercede it, no way, although I suppose an NCAA title, which is always possible if you reach the Final Four, is possible.
Richard writes, “Holder absolutely did the right thing in pushing Sean out the door. He had to stop the bleeding. Now he needs to hire a top quality coach. But so far, so good. By the way, Tramel, welcome back. Your articles yesterday and today have been right on the money. You are an excellent writer, but for the last few months (since Jenni’s piece on Bobby Reid) you have sounded too often like a guy who lives in
Norman when writing about OSU.”Richard, I have been telling it like it is both before, during and after the Gundy tirade.
Dan writes, “I can tell you what a lot of the more silent OSU fans are thinking. 1. When Sean was made the head coach designate, OSU fans were told it was because Sean was already the head coach in-fact and was recruiting and coaching in place of Eddie, therefore he’d simply carry on this success. Over the past 21/2 seasons, this looks to be false. 2. When Sean was made the head coach designate, a lot of fans thought this was premature and in fact, it cut off any possibility of getting Bill Self, whom a LOT of OSU fans were wanting to get before Eddie actually retired. Eddie was likely thinking of his son’s best interest and not necessarily the school’s, as many fathers would do. 3. With Sean in charge, OSU has missed three consecutive NCAAs and done poorly in the NIT. This was with a skilled team. What would he do without the star players? 4. The comparison between Gundy and Sean is ludicrous. While people don’t like to have mediocre seasons, he went to two straight bowl games and won. This is the football equivalent of going to the NCAA’s for Sean. If Gundy had not gone to two straight bowls, there would be many fans grumbling for a change. The defense is poor, but at least his offense is fun for the fans to watch.”
Dan, interesting take. Great points about fathers and sons. However, I would say that bowl games are not the equivalent of the NCAAs. OSU’s two bowls under Gundy have been the bottom-barrel bowls, after 6-6 seasons. Eight or nine Big 12 teams make a bowl game every year. Only four, five or six Big 12 teams make the NCAA Tournament. So I would argue that Gundy has really only made the NIT the last two years. However, the expectations for OSU football and basketball are not the same. I think Gundy can skate by — though not for long — with the NIT. A basketball coach, not so much.
Norvell writes, “I’m a bleed-orange OSU fan. As the season progressed, I questioned if Sean was the coach for OSU but I was for giving him one more year. After seeing Holder’s press conference and thinking about the situation, I can’t argue with Holder’s decision. Consider this: 1. When Eddie was the coach, Sean was recruiting under Eddie’s name. The players were coming to play for the old master, not Sean. This made recruiting a lot easier. 2. Sean’s recruits are the freshmen and sophomores we saw on the floor this year. They will be fifth or sixth in the Big 12 next season. They just don’t have the talent. Bottom line is if Sean is such a good recruiter, where is the talent? He doesn’t have anyone coming in next year who will be a starter. 3. If he is such a good coach, why didn’t he prepare James Anderson’s offensive game for Big 12 competition. Instead, after two games, he says,
Anderson may be the best player to ever play for OSU. Once Big 12 play started
Anderson was shut down. 4. In an interview during the Christmas break, Sean said he had the players working on how to set screens, get through screens, finish plays, run plays, etc. Aren’t these things you work on in October? It was during this period Sean changed OSU’s offensive and defensive approach. Less running and open floor offense, more set plays. More attention to defense. It is clear, early on, he misjudged the team’s ability and had to make adjustments. These weren’t small adjustments. Basically he changed the offense and the defense halfway through the season. OSU is not a training ground for basketball coaches. You coach at OSU because you already know how to coach.”
Well, I don’t think Sean changed everything at mid-season, but what Norvell said at the end was dead-on. OSU is NOT a training ground for a coach. In all this talk and all this debate, isn’t that indisputable? And isn’t that what was happening with Sean?
Eric wrote that he generally agreed with what I wrote, but “I have to disagree, specifically, with one paragraph, starting with, ‘Forget the idea that this is some kind of Holder versus Eddie Sutton grudge match.’ You acknowledge that there’s something to it, but tell us to forget about it? Don’t you think it played a part in this? Maybe I’m taking your words too literally, but it cannot be forgotten or pushed aside. Can you deny that Pickens had something to do with it? I really think that Pickens is calling the shots at OSU. His yes men, Hargis and Holder, are running things. As much respect that I have for both of them; Hargis as a Republican and leader, Holder as a golf coach, I don’t think that either of them know a lick about basketball. Sure there might be some symptoms from Sean about why things were lackluster. I’m sure there are lazier, less organized coaches out there that are doing well. I think this is all about the Holder/Pickens grudge match with the Sutton family. Sean’s symptoms and mediocre season were an excuse to get rid of him. They were just looking for a reason. The decision was a bad one. The rift between a few individuals has been spread wide across the OSU fanbase. If nothing else, that should show you it was a bad call. Bill Self ain’t coming either. That would only add another knife to Eddie’s back. Bill has more loyalty and respect for Eddie than Holder and Pickens. Whew, it’s ugly.”
Eric, it might be ugly, but let me toss out a few things. First off, Boone Pickens is funding OSU athletics, but he’s not calling the shots. He doesn’t know any particulars about OSU, other than final scores. He’s for whatever Holder says. Holder is running things. Now, as for the Sutton/Holder rift, how about this theory. The rift might be big, all right, and the rift is all about Sean. Maybe Holder never did believe Sean deserved the job, and Sean certainly didn’t do anything to make Holder seem wrong. And as for the fan base, way more people would have quit buying tickets if Sean had stayed.
Jay writes, “I know the way the
Oklahoma media has been acting is like Sean being let go is going to fracture the fan base, but as one season ticket holder I just don’t see that being the case. Personally, I was up in the air about whether or not I was going to renew my tickets for next year or not if Sean was still around. Right now, with him out, I’m leaning towards renewing again for next year. The bottom line is generally coaches are given three to four years to prove if they can get the job done. The first two are to recruit their players for their system, the next two are to prove if they can handle the x’s and o’s and if they can evaluate talent. Well with Sean he jumped right in at year 3. Not his fault really. Before he was hired we were all told that he had single-handedly recruited the Eaton and Co. class and that once he would take over the transition would be seamless. Now I personally think the intention of both Eddie and Sean were for him to take over in the 2007 season after Eddie had been able to turn Eaton and the rest of them into solid basketball players and Sean would have been able to keep recruiting off of back-to-back tournament appearances and possibly a deep run in the 2006 tournament on the shoulders of Curry, Boggan and Torre Johnson. Obviously, Eddie messed that up and thus put Sean in a situation where he really wasn’t prepared to take over. So Sean took over with players he had signed and wasn’t able to win. That’s really all a coach can ask for. Give me my players and let me show what I can do, Sean was given that and what we got was two NIT first round losses. We also got off the court discipline problems. I have no delusions of grandeur when it comes to our next hire. I don’t think we could pay Self 10 million a year to get him away from
Kansas, but I do think we can find a coach like an Anthony Grant to turn things around.” Jay, what you’re basically saying is this: You can’t give a guy the job because he’s been part of the successes of the program, then say two years isn’t enough time to overcome some of the problems of the program. It’s both ways or neither.
