NCAA scorers more productive
Is star power returning to college basketball? You certainly can make that case.
Davidson’s Stephen Curry leads the NCAA in scoring at 29.1 points a game. Not since 2002 (VMI’s Jason Conley, 29.3) has the NCAA scoring leader finished with that many points a game. Curry has a chance to be the first major-college player since Long Island’s Charles Jones in 1997 to average at least 30 points a game.
The 30-point threshold once was common. Purdue’s Glenn Robinson averaged 30.3 in 1994. U.S. International’s Kevin Bradshaw averaged 37.6 in 1991. Loyola-Marymount’s Bo Kimble averaged 35.3 in 1990. Loyola-Marymount’s Hank Gathers averaged 32.7 in 1989. Bradley’s Hersey Hawkins averaged 36.3 in 1988. Army’s Kevin Houston averaged 32.9 in 1987.
Every scoring champion in the 1970s averaged at least 30, and LSU’s Pete Maravich (44.5 in 1970) and Ole Miss’ Johnny Neuman (40.2 in 1971) surpassed 40.
But another entertaining development this year is that major-conference scorers are producing at a higher level. Of the top 15 scorers in major-college basketball, six come from the six power conferences: Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks is fourth at 25.7, Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody is fifth at 24.8, North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough is 10th at 22.9, Seton Hall’s Jeremy Hazell is 11th at 22.3, Arizona State’s James Harden is 12th at 22.1 and OU’s Blake Griffin is 13th at 22.0.
This decade, never have we had a season in which more than four of the top 15 scorers were from the power leagues. Most years, there have been only two.
Young could join Coker as triple crown coordinators
OSU is talking with Bill Young about the open defensive coordinator job, and if Young makes the jump from Miami to Stillwater, he would join Larry Coker in an exclusive club.
Coker was offensive coordinator at all three major-college football schools in Oklahoma. Young has been defensive coordinator at Tulsa and OU; OSU would give him the sweep.
Coker, of course, was a little more unique, because he jumped from one school to the next — from Tulsa to OSU to OU. Young has worked all over the place in between finding his way back to Oklahoma.
Young, an OSU grad, was a junior varsity coach for the Cowboys in 1968. He returned to OSU in 1976-78, working for Jim Stanley. He went to Iowa State, then became John Cooper’s defensive coordinator at Tulsa from 1980-84. He followed Cooper to Arizona State and Ohio State, then in 1996 was hired by John Blake to be OU’s defensive coordinator. Since then, Young has worked at Southern Cal, Detroit of the NFL, Kansas and Miami.
The number of football coaches who have worked for both OU and OSU is not small. Jimmy Johnson, Kenny Pope, Bill Shimek, Johnny Barr, Darrell Wyatt and Bill Michael come to mind, and I’m probably forgetting all kinds of people.
But serving as coordinators at both schools is much more rare, and when you add in the Tulsa element, it’s tight company. Bill Young could make it a little less exclusive.
Thunder’s main problem: Turnovers
The Thunder has turned into a team we can stand to live with, but here’s the next step for a team that still has the league’s worst record: taking better care of the ball.
Oklahoma City leads the NBA in turnovers, 16.5 a game. They are next-to-last in turnover margin, 2.59. That means the Thunder averages giving opponents 21/2 extra possessions per game. Does anyone now wonder why the Boomers have lost so many close games?
Sunday night, Oklahoma City trailed 90-83 with eight minutes left in the game against Miami. Down the stretch, the Thunder committed five turnovers, including one when trailing 90-83 (Russell Westbrook), 90-85 (Earl Watson) and 98-87 (Jeff Green).
Durant leads the Thunder in turnovers, 3.2 per game, which is sixth in the NBA. Westbrooks ranks 10th in the league at 3.0.
The top 10 list actually is full of superstars. Dwyane Wade, Steve Nash, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Yao Ming, Deron Williams.
Not bad company to keep. It’s understandable to have one primary player commit a lot of turnovers for a team. But when two players from the same team are fumble-fingers, it’s bad news for a ballclub.
Durant and Westbrook — and Jeff Green and Earl Watson, both of whom average over two turnovers per game — have to take better care of the ball for the Thunder to improve dramatically.
Sooners survive, Cowboys don’t
Two trips to the Brazos Valley. Only one successful. OU’s basketball team survived69-63 at Texas A&M, but OSU lost a 98-92 overtime heartbreaker at Baylor. Thoughts from the two games:
* OSU’s best player is Obi Muonelo, and the Cowboys played valiantly without him for most of the second half. Obi can shoot outside, drive inside and has become one of the league’s best rebounders.
* Austin Johnson is turning into a solid point guard, and the reason it takes us so long to accept that is he doesn’t look like one. He’s not all that quick. He’s not the greatest penetrator. He’s got really long arms, which is great for any basketball player but really not something you think about on a point guard. More on a wing player or a center.
* I was pulling for Keiton Page to stay the hero in the final seconds, and he almost was. Five points in about a 10-second span that lifted OSU from four down to one up, and only an iffy foul with 2.5 seconds left bailed out Baylor.
* Willie Warren sure didn’t show up much Saturday for someone who played 39 minutes. He had five assists and nine points, but sometimes you wondered if he was on the court.
* OSU is doomed if the refs are going to call it close. The Cowboys have no inside presence to speak of, so they have to scrap around, and if the game turns whistle-happy, OSU is in trouble. The Cowboys were called for 28 fouls.
* You won’t see this very often: the Griffin brothers played a combined 61 minutes and combined for just 10 rebounds.
* I came away from both games feeling better about the post-season. Excellent road win for the Sooners, who now are 2-0 on the Big 12 road. And if the Cowboys can play like this on the Big 12 road, they will total enough victories to get to at least 9-7 in the league, which is what I think they need to make the NCAA Tournament.
Emails in on Sooners, Tebow & DVR
The emails are in, and most OU fans have been talked off the ledge. Let’s get right to it.
Scott: “I read your blog the other day and yes, you were the punching bag! Even had to take on the Baptist preacher. I enjoyed that. Hopefully that’s calmed down, now that the stars are returning. When I was in Tulsa, a visiting preacher began his sermon by saying, ‘If you’re here today and new to Christianity, there are some things you need to know. One, Jews don’t recognize Jesus as the son of God. Two, Protestants don’t recognize the pope as the ruler of the church. And three, Baptists don’t recognize each other at Hooters.”
Now that’s a funny line.
John wrote, “Do you think the standard of comparison that everyone looks at between Wilkinson, Switzer & Stoops is the national championships? Three for Bud & Barry & one for Stoops — but Bud & Barry never competed in Big 12 championships nor BCS national championships for that matter. If the same format used for Wilkinson & Stoops was used, Stoops may have three by now – no playing USC, LSU and Florida. Win the Orange Bowl and you’re the champ.”
I think it all evens out. Bud might have won more with the current system. His 1949 and 1954 teams were fantabulous but didn’t get voted No. 1. And while Stoops has tougher conference schedules than Bud or Switzer in the ’80s, I don’t think he had tougher conference schedules than Switzer in the ’70s, plus Switzer played tougher non-conference schedules most of the time.
Derek wrote, “Of course there’s another way to look at OU’s mastery of conference play and failures in the big bowl: We have become Michigan north and Stoops is Lloyd Carr 2.0. Under Carr, the Wolverines were 122-40, they won or shared five Big Ten titles and the 1997 team won the AP national championship. Stoops has, what, six Big 12 titles and one national title? His record is 109-24 overall. In bowls, Stoops is 4-6, Carr was 6-7. Carr was 1-3 in BCS bowls, Stoops is 2-5.”
There’s worse things than being compared to Michigan.
After the Big Bowl, Kathy wrote: “Please go back to your own state, which obviously is not Oklahoma, and stay there. Why the Oklahoman would want a man with short man syndrome writing their articles is a wonder to me. Most of us in Oklahoma are positive, not negative, and personally we do not need or want outsiders who support other teams that are not from our state writing negatively about our athletes unless of course they have committed a crime. Don’t bother responding, I won’t read it.”
Hey, Kat, I don’t care if you read it or not. I was born in, raised in and still live in Oklahoma, and it hacks me off when other Oklahomans get mad because someone has the gall to report the final score. OU lost 24-14 and now has lost five straight BCS game and its national reputation has taken a hit. If you don’t like that, go stick your head in the sewer or go pray the rosary or go eat a whole chocolate pie. Just don’t blame me.
Jeff: “Jeers to the OU donor who sold seats 11,12,13 &14 on row 25, section 134 in Dolphin Stadium for the BCS Championship game. I know how much I had to donate for seats 15 & 16 only to have to sit next to four Florida fans. You, whoever you are, should at least have enough loyalty to sell to Sooner fans if you aren’t going to attend the game.”
Maybe donors should start their own investigative force and root out the infidels.
Lots of readers still wanted to talk about the Tim Tebow adulation society. Chance was put off by FOX’s reverence for Tebow: “I’m thrilled that Tebow is such a great person off the football field, and as a Christian, I’m excited about the ministry work in which he is involved. However, the continual praise the announcers heaped upon him was very annoying during the fourth quarter. I expected them at any moment to say, ‘Oh, if only I could touch the hem of his football jersey, then I would be healed!’ Also, showing the clip of his famous speech simply because he scored a touchdown, it was as if they weren’t calling a game, they were putting together a Florida Gators 2009 Championship DVD. I’m not even a Sooner fan. I’m a State fan, but I still found their Tebow man-crush disgusting.”
We could probably rewrite a ton of New Testament verses, but that would border on sacrilege.
Aron: “I’m an Okie living in Houston for 30+ years. Like what I’m seeing this year with all three most-publicized, very talented QBs coming back to school and all three seeming to be very high quality people. Please write a story about these three and their impacts on various areas they touch.”
You’re talking, of course, about Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy, and you’re right. It’s about darned time someone wrote something nice about Bradford and Tebow.
Nathan, an OSU fan, found a counter point: “I agree, the praise to Tebow was certainly overdone. However, there has been more said about Tebow’s praises than any other over-the-top commentary this year, especially by OU fans, The Oklahoman and News9? If OU would have won the game, you could be guaranteed that those comments belonging to Tim Tebow would be slightly altered and Sam Bradford’s name would have been in their place, because that is becoming the state of current color commentating on television. PLENTY of games I was subjected to hear Sam Bradford be heralded at godlike status and the game that OU loses, there is all this complaining? Commentating has reached all-time lows this entire season. Nearly every color commentator in the business is completely nauseating on most broadcasts, especially Kirk Hirbstreit.”
It was about time we heard from the Poor Aggie Precinct. OK. I’ll play along. Give me one instance where someone said you would be a better person by spending five minutes with Sam Bradford. Here’s the problem, Nate. You make some great points about the overindulgence of network announcers. But when you frame it in the Poor Aggie context, your credibility dries up.
Some readers responded to my DVR column. “I would say the biggest advantage the DVR has over the VCR is you can watch while recording. That is huge. I use to tape an entire game and then rewind it for viewing. Now, we can go to church on Saturday evening and I never hesitate when OU is playing an evening game. Just come home and skip the commercials. I usually catch up by the second half kickoff. And skipping through the commercials brings up the No. 1 impact of the DVR in my house — I can safely watch sporting events with my children. No constant exposure to commercials selling sex, alcohol and mature theme movies/TV, etc. So, the DVR brought the family back to family entertainment in my house.”
Excellent point. Especially games on FOX, where the promos would shame the followers of Tim Tebow.
Grey also wrote about DVR’s: “Your column was in my wheelhouse, to say the least. I have had an abiding interest in home theater and have used DVRs for many years. Your column clearly demonstrated that you, too, have learned the beauty of recording sports programming. I rarely watch any event live any more, or anything else, for that matter. These things will change your life, won’t they? I bought one of the original Series1 TiVos in 2000 and became a devoted fan. Later I shifted to a Scientific Atlanta HD DVR, which I rented from Cox. I did so because, when I bought my first HDTV in 2003, TiVo had not yet offered an HD DVR. When TiVo introduced its first HD DVR, the Series3, in 2007, however, I got one and have used it ever since. At the time, it was grotesquely more expensive than the SA 8300HD DVR, which Cox was renting, but it was, and still is, far more capable. You included a picture of a TiVo unit in your piece, so I infer that you are using a TiVo instead of a Scientific Atlanta HD DVR from Cox. If you do have a TiVo, what model is it?”
Uh, uh, I’m drowning here. Can someone help? Please. I’m drowning. I have no idea what kind of DVR I have. I’m lucky if I find the right remote.
Larry, a Tech fan: “As much as I look forward to the departure of all Sooner players of Sam Bradford’s caliber, I heartily applaud any college kid’s decision to honor his scholarship commitment. As a matter of fact, if I were king no one who accepted a college scholarship would be allowed to turn professional until after they had completed four years of college eligibility or graduated. I’d only grudgingly concede that redshirted players could forego their senior seasons. This would likewise apply to players who flunk out, quit or otherwise fail to stick. If you accept a college scholarship you’ll be four years removed from high school or a college graduate before the NFL can hire you. No exceptions. As much as I have enjoyed Mike Crabtree in a Texas Tech uniform, he should have been in the NFL two years ago and somebody else should be benefiting from the free college education he spurned. I’m not faulting him or anyone else who leaves early. That’s the system we have. But I’d change the system, because it makes mockery of the whole concept of the student/athlete.”
Well, I suppose we could institute that rule. Just as soon as we make all scholarships four-year contracts instead of the one-year deals they currently are. That’s why players shouldn’t have to sit out a year while transferring. If a school can pull a scholarship on a kid, why can’t a kid bolt on the school?
And finally, Doug from Seattle wrote after the Thunder whacked the Jazz: “Just saw the score but not the game. Cheers to a kick ass night. May there be many more…soon! When you next see Kevin Durant, please tell him that all the Sonic fans still love him and wish him and the new team the very best. Never mind what you read or hear to the contrary.”
You can find class in all corners of the country.
OSU staff turnover troubling
The Oklahoma State football staff upheaval can’t be a good thing for the Cowboys and can’t be pleasing to Boone Pickens, because it’s exactly what he didn’t want.
The Cowboys have lost defensive coordinator Tim Beckman (Toledo head coach), offensive assistants Trooper Taylor and Curtis Luper (Auburn assistants) and director of football operations Jimmy Gonzales (fired). Plus, offensive assistant Gunter Brewer has been reported to be interviewing at Minnesota U. for its offensive coordinator job.
Staff changeover is not a good thing for any program, and OSU recognizes that. Here’s a quote Boone Pickens gave me during football season:
“I think (Mike) Gundy’s done a good job. I told him, ‘I don’t want to lose any coaches off the staff, unless it’s either by Gundy’s determination or they went to a head job. That’s been exactly what’s happened. No lateral moves anywhere. They (in the past) came in for a cup of coffee. That doesn’t happen anymore.”
Except now it is. The departures of Beckman and Gonzales fit Pickens’ acceptability parameters, though staff firings always are troubling. But the losses of Taylor and Luper do not fit, and neither would the loss of Brewer.
Auburn ranks higher on the football food chain than does OSU, but Minnesota ranks below. And the whole reason Pickens got involved in money for football salaries was to keep the likes of Taylor and Luper from leaving Stillwater for a place like Auburn.
Yes, Auburn apparently upped the ante. OSU was paying well, over $200,000 a year for quality assistants, but that price tag has gone up as Auburn and Tennessee have revamped coaching staffs.
How much money is enough, Pickens must wonder. Pickens and Gundy and frankly everyone in college football. But that’s an abstract discussion. On the concrete level, OSU has lost the staff stability it correctly desired.
No El Paso for Sooners
Driving Florida’s Alligator Alley from Fort Lauderdale to Fort Myers to catch a flight home last Friday, we were discussing which bowl game OU might land in next season.
I thought maybe the Sun Bowl in El Paso, but then I figured no way the Sooners would fall below the Alamo in San Antonio.
Neither prediction was off base if you figured that Sam Bradford, G.K. McCoy, Jermaine Gresham and Trent Williams all went pro. Put them on the alumni list with Juaquin Iglesias, Manny Johnson, Phil Loadholt, Duke Robinson, Jon Cooper, Brandon Walker, Nic Harris and Lendy Holmes, and 2009 looked like a rebuilding year.
You’re talking about three first-team all-Americans and Williams, the only offensive line starter with eligibility remaining. One of the best tight ends in America, one of the best defensive tackles in America and a guy with a certain trophy sitting somewhere in his parents’ house.
Then came this week, when the Sooners’ holes didn’t open after all. McCoy is still in the middle. Gresham is back to roam terrified secondaries. Williams is back to anchor the line. And Slingin’ Sam returns to make another run at the Heisman.
Sorry, El Paso. The Sooners go from rebuilding to loaded. Go from mid-tier Texas bowl back into the national title picture.
It’s not crazy to paint the OU-Texas game as a national semifinal. Not crazy to think the Sooners might play Florida again for the national title.
One player can’t make that much of a difference, not even Sammy B. But four players can, when one of them is the quarterback who will take aim at greatest-in-school-history status.
The big losers Wednesday were Brigham Young and Miami, two non-conference foes in 2009 that figured they could catch a young Sooner team trying to find its footing. Instead, the Cougars and ‘Canes get to try to contain Bradford and his no-huddle express.
And that Texas grudge match, which seemed to be primed towards the Longhorns, suddenly looms as a shoot-out.
Thumbs down on OU-BYU
Sorry, but I can’t endorse OU’s decision to play Brigham Young at Jerry’s World in Arlington, Texas, next September.
OU-Texas in the Cotton Bowl? That’s 80 years of tradition. But two OU games in Greater Dallas? Can’t go along.
All the critics who say moving football games to off-campus sites hurts the local economy have a point. I think the grandeur of OU-Texas makes it worthy to take a home game out of Norman every other year.
But now the Sooners are going off-campus twice? OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said this game would not have happened if it wasn’t neutral site. But why not? Why couldn’t OU and BYU play home-and-home? Play in Provo, Utah, in 2009, then in Norman in 2011 or thereabouts.
I suppose another game like this could enhance Dallas recruiting, but I don’t see how OU’s Dallas recruiting could be much higher profile. Since the formation of the Big 12, the Sooners’ status in Dallas has soared. Both the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram have covered the Sooners on a regular basis. Bob Stoops is generally lauded, not hooted, by Dallas media.
Now, I think OU-BYU will be a great trip for fans, and I think Jerry’s World will be mostly filled with Sooner fans.
And I applaud Castiglione for using the 12th game to line up a legitimate opponent. OU’s slate of Miami, Tulsa and Brigham Young is impressive in this day and age.
But the trend to take games off campus, culminating in two neutral-site games 200 miles south of Norman, is a little troubling considering all the money that has been put into OU’s stadium and how a game day boosts not just the Oklahoma economy but the campus energy as well.
Heupel not likely to go to Minnesota
Josh Heupel could someday be the head football coach at the University of Minnesota. Wouldn’t be a total reach.
And here’s how Heupel can best get there, or at least be in position, if that’s a job he’s like: Stay at Oklahoma.
Northern reports have said Minnesota coach Tim Brewster is interested in or has offered the job of offensive coordinator to Heupel, OU’s quarterback coach.
Gophersports.com first reported the interest and had this line: “It would make sense for Heupel to consider leaving for a better position at Minnesota, because he could be losing (Sam) Bradford to the NFL this year.”
Two things. 1. Losing Bradford is no consideration. The Sooner offensive staff was successful before Sammy B.’s arrival and will remain so after his departure. 2. Minnesota offensive coordinator is not a better job than Oklahoma quarterback coach.
There’s a lot better chance of success as OU’s quarterback coach than Minny’s offensive coordinator. It’s a more prestigious position, too. Does Heupel, or anyone else, want to call plays that bad?
Look at it this way. If Heupel already was the Minnesota offensive coordinator, I think Bob Stoops could hire him away with the lure of the quarterback-coach job.
And as for the theory that Heupel would be returning to his home area — he grew up in Aberdeen, S.D., reportedly a Minnesota fan — in case you haven’t noticed, Oklahoma is Heupel’s home.
This is where he played and starred in college. This is where he set up his foundation. This is where his sister went to school and met OU President David Boren’s son, whom she married and whom now is a U.S. House representative. This is where his dad moved (Muskogee) to go into business.
Heupel is in line to be OU’s offensive coordinator whenever Kevin Wilson gets a head-coaching job.
When Minnesota goes looking for a head coach, it might come after Josh Heupel. Offensive coordinator? I don’t think so.
Who Will Turn Pro for OU?
People ask me every day who will leave for the NFL out of Soonerville, and the truth is, all the prime candidates likely are to turn pro.
That doesn’t mean the entire quartet — Sam Bradford, G.K. McCoy, Jermaine Gresham and Trent Williams — will jump. But the odds that any of the four will stay are not strong.
Just too much money, too much opportunity, to stay. As much as fans and media romanticize college football, it’s not Utopia for players. The NFL is — with a paycheck and no school and no one off the gridiron telling you what to do.
Bob Stoops like to talk economics about early entry for the draft, and on some things he’s right. On some things, not.
I don’t know if Gresham can climb too far up the draft list if he stays. Tight ends are not a precious commodity.
McCoy probably could, depending on how high he might go this year. If McCoy’s outside the top 10, he could probably make more next year, barring injury.
Williams probably could, too, but Bradford, probably not.
What does it all mean? Here’s my list of Sooners most likely to go pro, from most likely to least likely.
1. Gresham. He’s an NFL body already.
2. Bradford. You just can’t pass up a chance to go in the top five of the draft.
3. Williams. I’m not sure he wants to be alone on the OU line next year.
4. McCoy. If anyone comes back, I think it might be Gerald, just for personal reasons as much as anything.
