Spring games: Give OSU the edge
Oklahoma State played a football game Saturday night to conclude spring practice. It wasn’t great entertainment. No kicking game to speak of. Quarterback Zac Robinson was largely off limits. Some stars, notably Spud Hunter and Dez Bryant, didn’t play.
But still, it was a football game, and it was good entertainment. It was much-needed oasis for football junkies who break out in cold sweats between the Super Bowl and September.
An Orange team and a White team. Six points for a touchdown. Three points for a field goal. Field position. Turnovers. Penalties. Good, solid football game, won 20-15 by the Orange in what amounted to about 45 minutes of a real game, since the second half was played with mostly a running clock.
A far superior product for fans than OU’s Red-White Game, which wasn’t a game at all and wasn’t even red-white. It was offense-defense. The Sooners came up with some tricked-up scoring system — points for sacks, for stops, for turnovers, for first downs. Meaningless. Texas A&M did the same for its spring game Saturday, and the score was 117-107 or something.
I know OU coaches have reasons for using the format they used, and I know that teams have number problems in which it is difficult to field two full teams for a spring scrimmage. But if OSU can do it, OU can do it.
It’s a great salute to the fans who support the program. The true game format is a nod of appreciation for those people who buy expensive tickets and sit in bad weather and cheer no matter the situation.
I know that coaches want to use some players in different combos. OU, for example, used backup quarterback Landry Jones last week with both the first- and second-team offense. Linemen were used the same. Which is fine. Just have them change jerseys. We’re not tabulating polls or producing power rankings. We’re just asking for a semblance of a game, a system which the fans can follow for two hours.
For fans, Oklahoma State got the spring game right. Oklahoma got the spring game wrong.
Emails in on Madden & World Series
The new emails are in, and the subjects are John Madden, World Series start times, Sam Bradford and the Thunder.
Shannon wrote about the retirement of John Madden. “I give up John Madden and get Cris Collinsworth? I feel like I should throw in a sideline reporter to even this out. My conscience is tugging on me. That’s a heckuva of a trade for a sports fan.”
Let’s all hail Madden for knowing when to hang it up.
Josh, who is in his 20s, commented on my preference for Pat Summerall: “He’s the voice of Sports Stars of Tomorrow. He’s overrated. I’ve always thought he was, even growing up. He’s good but not the greatest. The greatest announcer, television and radio, is Marv Albert. I know he’s had his personal issues, but he’s gold for both football and basketball.”
Comparing Pat Summerall of 1996 with the Pat Summerall of 1975 is like comparing the Willie Mays of 1973 with the Willie Mays of 1957.
Chris wrote about the World Series: “I usually find your columns insightful and educational, but today’s missed the mark for me. Personally, I like having the games at odd times because it doesn’t interfere as much with the programs I want to watch that might otherwise be pre-empted by baseball. I used to be one of the bleary-eyed back in the day, watching whenever I had to, even to the point of sneaking around to get past my mom, but I cannot stand to watch baseball any more. Baseball turned me off long ago, and every time I start to think I might want to try it again, something new comes up to disgust me with the idea.”
Uh, you really haven’t been paying attention, have you. Baseball does pre-empt all those shows. The pre-game starts as prime time hits. The problem is the length of games.
Joel: “I agree wholeheartedly with your comments on the World Series. Too late, and too long! I am waiting for the day when baseball players look like baseball players again. These days they pull their pant legs down to the ankle and they look like they’re wearing pajamas. In my view, real baseball players wear knickers and long socks.”
I don’t care what they wear, as long as they play faster.
Don: “You had some really interesting baseball data. I was quite a baseball fan in junior high and high school. However, my interest has waned the past several years for several reasons. World Series time was quite exciting for us as kids. We would sneak our transistor radios into class, play hooky or fake an illness to listen each fall. Finally, most of our teachers just gave up and let us bring them out in the open, but we had better have our homework in on time or out went the radios. Baseball dominated the American psyche in a way that can scarcely be imagined now.”
What’s harder on a kid? Trying to watch the World Series during school or trying to watch the World Series two hours after bedtime?
Ed: “I never have understood why the powers that be thought the playoff games and World Series had to be played at nighttime.”
Hey, don’t get me wrong. The World Series HAS to be played at nighttime. Playing strictly day games prevents millions of fans from watching. But you can play an occasional day game, and you can play the night games earlier and quicker.
Tim wrote about my column from a couple of weeks ago that coaches don’t honor contracts: “Excellent. The basketball/football rope-a-dope college coach shuffle has subsided till it reappears next at the end of football season. To me, the culprit in this disgraceful money dance is the NCAA. The NCAA monitors its members’ athletic programs intensely to insure the athletics and coaches abide by rules concerning recruiting, benefits, and gratuities, that might be offered players. Stiff penalties are given to schools who break these rules. The NCAA should have a strict policy regarding coaches. Once on contract with a college for a given number of years, the coach must stay with that school for the contracted years. If a coach wants to quit, that is his choice. However, he would be prohibited from coaching at another NCAA school for the number of years remaining on his contract. This is similiar to college athletes who must sit out a year if they elect to change schools. As to the college, if it wants to fire a head coach, it can do so. However, his replacement must come from one of the assistant coaches, for the number of years remaining on the head coach’s contract. The assistant coach, now interim head coach, position cannot be filled till the head coach position is eligible to be hired.”
I don’t think we need any kind of extra rules. Just follow contracts. If you want to fire a coach, you have to pay him off, just like now. But coaches can’t jump contracts. Just follow the rules of law.
Greg wrote about my Sam Bradford column: “Isn’t it a wonderful problem to have a gentlemanly, considerate superstar among our ranks? I wonder how you measure the value of Sam’s example as a training aid to parents of younger kids about subjects such as going to school, paying attention, making your grades and achieving the right way? Immeasurable is the answer, but this affect is definitely present.”
I don’t know how much it helps to have a guy like Bradford walking around. But it can’t hurt.
Barb wrote about her beloved Thunder: “The inaugural season is over. No tears this time since the team is ours and will be coming back. I see potential all around and I expect we will see progress with our team next season. How much progress is the unknown but exciting factor. I see the potential in new players Krstic, Shefolosha, Weaver, D.J. White and Shaun Livingston. I think a really big, really huge, really GIGANTIC mistake Presti can make at this time is letting Earl Watson go. Team spirit and energy seemed to drop when Earl got his very public pink slip. But he’s the consummate professional. Westbrook will be a sophomore point guard. They want Weaver to train at point guard and they already know how well Livingston can be at the point. The problem is Livingston. Will his knee hold up for a whole season? His knee is totally repaired and repaired things don’t hold up as well as things that haven’t been repaired.”
Watson is gone just as soon as the Thunder can swing a deal for him. Which might be next February.
Malik Rose: a veteran to keep an eye on
I spent about five hours Thursday at Thunder headquarters. It was farewell day as the NBA squad dispersed, each player going his separate way. Part of their exit was talks with coach Scott Brooks and general manager Sam Presti, a physical and a chat with the media.
The guys came in all day long, and I got to sit in on media chats with Brooks, Nick Collison, Damien Wilkins, Earl Watson, Desmond Mason, Thabo Sefalosha, Jeff Green and Malik Rose. And by far the most interesting person to talk to was Rose.
He’s an old pro, a 13-year NBA veteran, mostly with the San Antonio Spurs. But Rose spent the last three years exiled to the New York Knickerbockers before being freed with a trade to Oklahoma City. And Rose says the move to the Thunder rejuvenated him. He got to play a little bit, for one thing, and he says that the OKC franchise was a breath of fresh air. Rose really wouldn’t pile on the Knicks but he alluded to non-basketball issues that wore on the players. Isiah Thomas and Stephon Marbury come to mind.
Anyway, Rose’s contract has expired, and he’s not likely to be in the Thunder’s, or any other team’s, plan. But don’t write him off too quickly. For one thing, Rose says he would love to stay in Oklahoma City; says it reminds him of San Antonio, where he moved his mother and siblings from Philadelphia, where they all grew up and where Rose went to Drexel University.
Also, Rose and Presti are friends, from their days in San Antonio together, where Presti was in the Spurs’ front office.
Every team needs veteran leadership. Mentors to the young studs who provide the talent but don’t always know the path to success. All season, we’ve thought Mason might be the guy the Thunder re-signs to be the big brother on a team full of guys who still are college-aged. And maybe Mason will re-up with the Thunder.
But don’t forget about Rose. If he’s willing to play for the right price, which frankly will be $1.3 million, the minimum for a 14-year vet, Rose might have a spot on the Thunder roster.
I hadn’t gotten a chance to visit much with Rose. But he came across as funny and wise and human. The kind of guy you want on your team. He’s not an impact player; not anymore, and he never was, really. Just a good solid role player in his day, and now an old-timer trying to hang on.
But he’s an old-timer who brings a valuable set of experiences to any team. Rose said he hopes he stays with the Thunder but that if Presti finds someone else, younger or cheaper or better, he understands. That’s the kind of leadership Presti probably is looking for. Don’t be surprised if the Thunder finds a spot for Malik Rose.
Next step for Thunder: Avoid Milwaukee mediocrity
In December, the Thunder seemed headed for history, flirting with the worst NBA record ever. Those days are gone, and now OKC has finished No. 4 in the lottery standings, behind the Kings, Clippers and Wizards.
Seems to me that’s a good place to finish from where the Thunder was: 3-29 on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve. You never want to keep losing. But the worst thing you can do is get on what I call the Milwaukee Treadmill; winning 30something games every year. Never improving enough to make a playoff splash, never getting bad enough to feel like you have to start over.
The Sonics got to the latter point two years ago and started over, and the future of the now-Thunder looks promising. But OKC still has to leapfrog that Milwaukee Treadmill.
In the last two drafts, the Thunder has had overall picks of 2, 4 and 5, which has resulted in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green. Now OKC will get a pick somewhere between 1 and 7. We all hope for No. 1 and Blake Griffin, but even somewhere in the 3-5 range will produce a good ballplayer. No one was excited when the Sonics got the No. 4 lottery ball last year, but the result was Westbrook, now a cornerstone of the team.
And then that’s it. No way should OKC be in the lottery business after this year, at least not the upper lottery. I don’t think the Thunder will make the playoffs next year, but it shouldn’t be in the 20-win range, either.
This should be the Thunder’s last chance to make a big impact via the draft. Come June, OKC should have four players under the age of 23 and be about the business not of building for the future, but of winning ballgames. Not in the business of accumulating draft picks and salary-cap room, but of acquiring ballplayers.
The Thunder should be in Milwaukee territory next season. The key is not staying there, and if OKC drafts wisely, no reason why the Thunder will get on the treadmill.
Rating the Big 12 non-conference football schedules
I’m going to write about the Big 12’s non-conference football schedules for Thursday’s paper, so I thought I would rank the league’s non-conference schedules, which again leave much to be desired:
1. Oklahoma: Really a throwback schedule. At Miami, Brigham Young on a semi-neutral field in Dallas, even Tulsa is a solid foe. Only Idaho State stinks. You don’t see that often.
2. Colorado: As usual, the Buffs carry their weight. At West Virginia is the marquee game, but Colorado State is a solid rivalry, and CU goes to Toledo. When Wyoming at home is your easiest game, you’ve got a good schedule.
3. Oklahoma State: Four home games, but one of them is Georgia, and Houston and Rice aren’t pushovers. Grambling State is.
4. Nebraska: Huskers join the Sun Belt Conference for games in Lincoln against Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette, but the other game is at Virginia Tech.
5. Baylor: Bears are the only Big 12 school to play two opponents from BCS conferences – Connecticut and at Wake Forest. Baylor also hosts NW Louisiana and Kent State.
6. Missouri: Tigers play Illinois in their annual St. Louis game and go to Nevada, which isn’t always easy. Mizzou hosts Bowling Green and Furman.
7. Texas A&M: The Aggies play Arkansas in Arlington, Texas, but otherwise, it’s nothing to get excited about it — home games against New Mexico, Utah State and Alabama-Birmingham.
8. Iowa State: Cyclones host Iowa, but otherwise, not much going on. Home games against North Dakota State and Army, plus a road game at Kent State.
9. Kansas State: Home games against UMass, Tennessee Tech and Louisiana-Lafayette are straight out of the Bill Snyder handbook, circa 1993. But at least the Wildcats go to UCLA in Snyder’s first season back in the saddle.
10. Kansas: KU’s lone BCS-league foe is Duke, which is a heck of a basketball game but doesn’t do much for anyone on the gridiron. The Jayhawks also play at Texas-El Paso and host Southern Mississippi and Northern Colorado.
11. Texas: Longhorns are void of a marquee game, though at least they take a road trip — to Wyoming. ‘Horns host Louisiana-Monroe, Texas-El Paso and Central Florida.
12. Texas Tech: Red Raiders once played big-time non-conference opponents. Those days are gone, though at least Tech is playing at Houston U., in addition to hosting North Dakota, Rice and New Mexico.
Rough season for the Hornets
Life is rough in the NBA’s Western Conference, and your old friends the Hornets can attest. New Orleans goes into Wednesday, the final day of the season, in danger of falling to the dreaded eighth-seed in the West, which would put the Hornets in a first-round series with the mighty Lakers.
Tonight, the Jazz plays at the Lakers, and Dallas hosts Houston and the Hornets play in San Antonio on Wednesday night. If the Jazz and Dallas win, and New Orleans loses, the Hornets fall to No. 8.
The Jazz don’t seem a likely candidate to win in Los Angeles — the Lakers are 35-5 at home, Utah is 15-25 on the road. But the Lakers could be on cruise control, since the game is meaningless from LA’s standpoint. It’s a chance for Phil Jackson to rest his primary players.
Meanwhile, Houston and San Antonio are slugging it out for the Southwest Division title, so both will be playing for big stakes. The division winner gets homecourt advantage in the first round; the runnerup likely will not get homecourt advantage, in a first-round series with Portland.
This has been a disappointing season for New Orleans. Chris Paul has been sensational, but financial trouble brews for owner George Shinn, who tried to trade center Tyson Chandler to Oklahoma City in February to alleviate payroll cap concerns. The trade was rescinded by OKC doctors, who were concerned by Chandler’s chronic toe problems. Since the trade, Chander has returned to the injured list. He hasn’t played in weeks, though it is believed he will return for the playoffs.
The Hornets seemed to be one of the Western teams on the rise after their 56-26 record of last season, but this season — with a record of 49-32 — has been a step back.
New Orleans figures to be a playoff contender as long as Paul is around, but the heavy contracts of Peja Stojakovic and Chandler has Shinn in financial straits. And a first-round series against the Lakers is no way to have a successful playoffs.
Bradford’s celebrity something new at OU
I wrote about Sam Bradford’s celebrity in the Monday Oklahoman, how the demand for any sliver of Bradford — personified in the crazy autograph scene following the Red-White Game — is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in Soonerville.
OU’s Kenny Mossman, director of athletic communications, hasn’t been around as long as I have but gets to see more, being on the inside, and says he hasn’t seen anything like it, either.
Mossman said Bradford’s autograph decisions are strictly his own and that Bradford is aware of autograph marketing, how some people will try to make a buck off Bradford. Mossman said Bradford learned that quickly in New York during the Heisman Trophy festivities.
And a security guard Saturday on Owen Field, while we watched Bradford sign autograph after autograph, asked me how many of those items would end up on eBay.
But Mossman’s hunch is that Bradford saw all those fans and noticed something. A bunch of them were young — I would guess half the crazy crowd waiting for him was under 15 — and most of them wore crimson. Could some of those be plants by the memorabilia marketers? Sure. But seems like it’s a group worth taking a chance on.
Mossman said he’s already trying to figure out how to deal with Meet the Sooners day, the August event in which the OU squad signs autographs for the public. If Saturday was any indication, OU might have to have separate, simultaneous events. One for Bradford, one for everyone else, just to lessen the crowd.
Mossman said the speaking requests for Bradford are unlike any other Sooner he’s been around. One request came from California. A New Mexico high school asked Bradford to deliver its graduation address. A church in St. Louis asked him to speak on Easter Sunday. One event Bradford did accept — a speaking invitation at his Oklahoma City church, with OSU quarterback Zac Robinson also on the program.
“He’s pulled in a lot of directions,” Mossman said. “It’s unique around here.”
Mossman was as clueless as I was on exactly how to explain the phenomenon. Sure, it’s rare to have a returning Heisman Trophy winner, but both Billy Sims and Jason White won Heismans and came back to OU, and neither experienced anything like this.
Bradford’s Cherokee heritage probably has some allure. And while he’s more comfortable in the spotlight than, say, White was, Bradford still isn’t thrilled with it.
Is it possible that Bradford is so mature, he understands the landscape, that with great accomplishments and great status comes great responsibility? That’s a lesson some 40-year-old coaches haven’t learned, much less 21-year-old quarterbacks.
Anyway, it’s very interesting, and something to keep an eye on as Bradford returns for his third season as the Sooner quarterback.
Wishbone was best for spring
I thought the Red-White Game was boring. But I think most spring games are boring. I’m always excited to go, because it’s been about three months since I last saw live football, then 5-10 minutes into the spring, I grow tired.
I guess it’s the quarterback protectionism, and the lack of drama, and lack of momentum, and everything else that goes into making a real football game but is missing in the spring.
And maybe I’m getting old, but it seems like the wishbone was more to watch in scrimmages. The modern OU offense has its moments, even in the Red-White Game, but not unless Sam Bradford or Landry Jones or Drew Allen is firing the football through the air. The run game is humdrum and basically not worth watching.
Once the autumn arrives, the OU run game comes alive, with better blocking, better precision, more surprise. But in the spring, it’s hard to watch.
Not so in the wishbone era. You know how in any football game, live or on TV, involving a team you’re passionate about or not, really no matter even the score, anytime the quarterback drops back, suspense heightens?
Remember the old Darrell Royal saying, three things can happen when you pass, and two of them are bad? He meant completion, incompletion, interception. But truth is, a thousand things can happen when you pass. A sack, a scramble, a scramble/pass, a hundred different pass routes with a dozen different results for each. The most exciting part of any football game is when the ball is in the air, launched by a quarterback, headed to hands unknown.
Well, the old wishbone produced that kind of excitement running play after running play. Who had the ball, fullback or quarterback? Would they counter and head the other way? Would the QB keep or pitch? Would he pitch it in stride or off-line? Would the halfback have a lane or have to cut or be snowed under?
The wishbone-T — remember when they called it that? — was the height of football suspense. It was a high-wire act, play after play, and even when the routine happened — Leon Crosswhite or Lydell Carr, straight up the middle — the possibilities seemed endless.
I’m not advocating going back to the ‘bone. It’s time has come and gone. No complaints with the current OU offense; it’s success has been proven over time.
But the wishbone had its day. And many of those days were in the spring.
Emails in on OU women & Texas’ asterisk
The new emails are in, and it’s heavy on women’s basketball, with a little on college football.
Larry, a resident Texas Tech fan, wrote about asteriskgate, Texas’ claim to the 2008 Big 12 football title. “Can you believe those guys? Disgusting! Is there anything more irritating than a bunch of people who just can’t concede that their team actually lost fair and square?”
I think Larry is trying to start something.
John: Every OU fan going to the OU-Texas game this season should wear a t-shirt that says Big 12 Champions.”
Winning the game would be a more impressive statement.
Steve wrote, “I am certainly glad I am not from Oklahoma, but just live here. I have a heart problem and I feel all the angst Oklahomans are feeling over the asterisk might cause me another heart attack, if I cared. I guess it is good for space filler. I wish the sports writers at the Oklahoman would realize that not everybody that reads the sports section cares one bit about Oklahoma football or basketball or any of their sports. I am a sports writer who has covered national sports from World Series games in Florida and Minnesota, when the Marlins and Twins were champions, to college hockey championships and professional hockey in Minnesota. And Shaquille O’ Neal when he was a kid with Orlando and was being schooled by Michael Jordan in the NBA playoffs. I am a huge college football fan but could care less about the U of Oklahoma and would like to read more about the entire world of college football, not just the little piece of it occupied not very well by the Sooners. I am now covering a little high school softball, track and football, while waiting to die from congestive heart failure. I am being kept alive by the great cardiologists at the OU Health Center. More should be written about theses great physicians and the work they do than the football and basketball teams. At least the doctors are successful. All my friends all over the country and world are amazed that it took my coming to Oklahoma to have my problems diagnosed and treated properly. Doctors in Florida were treating me for TIA’s or small strokes, instead of heart trouble. I have a major wish which is probably a pipe dream. It is that the next time Oklahoma is offered a spot in the national championship football game, they either decline the invitation, or in a perfect world, the invitation is never made again until the once-mighty Sooners can prove they can win a low level college bowl game a couple of years in a row.”
Wow. Nothing like dying bitter.
Roger: “Three years ago, Kelvin Sampson signed some highly rated high school players but left for Indiana before they got to play for OU. Because of the coaching change, the players were permitted to void their written letters of intent. One of the players who left OU was Scottie Reynolds. Ironically, point guard was probably OU’s weakest position this year. Imagine if Reynolds was teamed with the Griffin boys this year, and Austin Johnson was just a good sixth man. That change alone would be enough for OU to make the Final Four. It seems wrong when a player is allowed to change his mind after he has signed a letter of intent. To change his mind after a verbal commitment is much like breaking off an engagement; voiding a written letter of intent seems more like being left at the altar. There must be a logical way to ensure that coaches are not recruited until after their last game is over or until the Final Four is over. Let schools have the months of April thru June to hire a new coach who is currently with another school. Players can sign a binding letter only after July 1. Similar rules of course are needed for football.”
How about this for an idea. Coaches honor contracts. Then all problems are solved.
Bill wrote about the OU women’s loss to Louisville. “Stevenson’s shot didn’t go in, for sure. but something else didn’t happen and that was not one foul was called on Louisville on their offensive end, and if you check your TIVO will see that the Cardinals fouled just about every time. and the foul called on Hand after she got an offensive rebound and was mugged, with the score 58-58, was a referee-initiated turning point in the game. As was the traveling on Ashley Paris a minute later.”
Blaming refs is for losers.
Greg: “Frankly, I thought the game came down to allowing the Louisville star, McCoughtry to run track on the next to last basket for Louisville, and then, at the other end of the floor, call traveling on Ashley as she made a basket getting judo chopped to the face by not one, not two, but three Louisville players. Not to mention they pushed her about two feet from her initial shooting stance. Women’s officiating, even in the Final Four, lags so far behind the men at this level. The Courtney phantom foul on her third was just another instance.”
Blaming refs is for losers. But women’s basketball officiating does stink.
Bob: “My opinion in brief is that Courtney Paris should have kept her mouth shut to begin with. Talk about providing motivation for Louisville! Joe Namath is the only person I recall who delivered on a guarantee of this magnitude. Even more disappointing was Bubba Paris’s comments calling out Sherri Coale. Great way to show your support for the team and promote cohesiveness. He is all about what is wrong with sports, and the meism present in athletics today.”
So, Bob, is it your stance that if Courtney had said nothing, Louisville would have played in its first Final Four with something less than 100 percent motivation?
Leonard: “Bill Russell used to say that he could always get a sense of a game, and how it might turn, a few minutes into the second half. What do you think accounts for OU’s slump/demise in the second half as compared with the way they started? Coaching? Discipline? Toughness? Disappearance of Hand as a key factor (or leaving that Louisville guard open at the end for 3-pointers)?”
I think it was Courtney Paris on the bench with three fouls.
Jack: “Good story on OU’s loss to Louisville. One line jumped out at me about midway through the story. ‘Lousiville won because on a cold shooting night for both teams, it made one more basket, 22-21.’ Oh no. Louisville won because OU once again got bitten hard by the same bug-a-boo that has nailed them for the last two years in big games. Turnovers. They gave up 17 and it cost them 16 points that Louisville got off turnovers. You aren’t going to beat any good team like that. Turnovers has cost them games time and time again, and Coale has not been able to correct it. Robinson and Stevenson are the primary reasons with poor judgment passes and just sloppy or overly casual ball possession and passing at times.”
I’m not buying it; 17 turnovers is a little high but not terrible. Danielle Robinson had three turnovers. Whitney Hand and Nyeshia Stevenson two each.
Bill: “Please see to it the Paris girls get the following message. I don’t know how to reach them otherwise. ‘I don’t know where fate will lead you in your pursuits, but I can promise you one thing: You will never be forgotten and you will always be loved in Oklahoma. Thank you for four great years’”
I think most people feel the same with you.
Shannon wrote about my column that questioned Courtney Paris’ lack of development over the years: “The lack of development in Courtney’s game is not discussed enough. What would be interesting is to discuss why it was not developed. That job falls not only on the player but also the coaching staff. The group as a whole appears to have failed here. Coaches could not push the right buttons? Player did not have the inner fire/discipline that we have recently discussed with Blake, Taylor, Whitney, etc. Coaches did not require enough — weight, stamina, etc. Player was afraid to find out how good she could be. Or maybe Courtney gave all she had. Some players peak early. I don’t know the answer but it is an interesting question. What I did find unfortunate was the timing of the article – if the article had been written after her sophomore or junior year, it would have been a challenge to her. If it had been written this summer, it would have been reflective. For it to be written the day of a Final Four game in her senior season just left a sour taste.”
That’s a legitimate complaint. But Bubba Paris opened the door.
Robert: “Your article said it all. I feel a lot better since I lost 15 pounds recently. I told my wife three years ago that the Paris girls would win a national title. Very sad, but I like what Bubba said a lot.”
I didn’t like what Bubba said. I thought he acted like a clown.
Nilo: “Your article about Courtney was awful and cruel. I hope someday you have the opportunity to comfort your child when somebody says something awful about them that breaks their hearts. I know people like you have no feelings for other people.”
Actually, Courtney would have been better served hearing straight talk long before her final weekend as a collegian.
Jay: “Why do you always have to write a negative article on the eve of big games? I hope the players and Sherri don’t read the paper. Stop being such a jerk.”
Sometimes I save negative articles for after big games. Like, say, in football.
Larry: “Another great column, really important and right on every point in Courtney’s Final Four opportunity. Just what I was thinking but no one else was saying out loud. It was arrogant and disrespectful to her teammates for Courtney to guarantee that she would personally bring a national championship to OU or she (meaning her dad) would pay back the scholarship. It was not only rude but totally classless of her father to blame Sherri Coale if OU loses. Sherri has shown her class and style by continuing to praise Courtney and refusing to comment on Bubba’s insulting comment. Courtney continues to remind me of Shaq these days. Both big bodies, but neither can jump. Not a good position to be in against very athletic Louisville.”
I love Courtney Paris. But the month of March was one big soap opera that didn’t need to be.
Hardy: “I saw your rating of the basketball programs. I thought OSU was low. I’m a longtime OSU fan and have trouble seeing OU at 19 and OSU 27. OSU has more NCAA tournament wins, more national titles (granted they were along time ago), over the last 10-15 years OSU has paid their coach more, I believe they have more fan support the majority of the time and the arenas they play in are not even comparable.”
Here’s what’s funny about the fans being so fired up. The fans are why OSU dropped in status. When Gallagher-Iba Arena was always full and rocking, OSU was at least as good a job as OU. Then the fan base fell off, and the No. 1 selling point for the Cowboys was gone.
Rating the NCAA basketball champions
We’ve completed another decade of college basketball. The ’00s are behind us, which means we’re two decades removed from the sport’s zenith.
The 1980s were the height of college basketball. That’s when we had great players and good parity. Before the ’80s, we didn’t have the parity, though we were getting there as the ’70s progressed. After the ’80s, we didn’t have the great players, most of whom had gone pro.
In the ’80s, eight schools won championships — only Indiana and Louisville did it twice, but each did it six years apart, which meant a completely different set of ballplayers. The ’80s had epic ballplayers like Isiah Thomas, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Ralph Sampson and Danny Manning.
So it’s not really fair to compare college basketball now to the 1980s. So let’s not do it. Let’s just take the last 20 years and rank the NCAA champions. Which are the best teams? Here’s a ranking, 20 to 1.
20. Arizona 1997: Wildcats had a great backcourt in Miles Simon and Mike Bobby. They were a fourth seed, went 25-9 and beat Kentucky 84-79 in the finals.
19. Syracuse 2003: Carmelo Anthony was great, Hakim Warrick and Gerry McNamara were solid. The Orange was seeded third, went 30-5 and beat Kansas 81-78 in the finals.
18. Florida 2006: Gators were a year away but won it anyway, with a lineup Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Taurean Green, Lee Humphrey and Corey Brewer. Florida was a No. 1 seed, finished 33-6 and beat UCLA 73-57 in the finals.
17. Duke 1991: Blue Devils had no business winning the title but pulled an epic upset in the semifinals, beating unbeaten UNLV. You remember the names — Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill, Thomas Hill, Billy McCaffery. Duke was a second seed, finished 32-7 and beat Kansas 72-65 in the finals.
16. Kentucky 1998: Tubby Smith’s makeover included no starters from the UK title team of ‘96. Scott Padgett, Nazr Mohammed, Allen Edwards, Jeff Sheppard and Wayne Turner started. Jamaal Magliore came off the bench. Kentucky, a No. 2 seed, went 35-4 and beat Utah 78-69 in the finals.
15. Michigan State 2000: The ultimate blue-collar team. Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson were the stars. Charlie Bell, A.J. Granger and Andre Hutson were role players, and freshman Jason Richardson came off the bench. The Spartans were a No. 1 seed, finished 32-7 and beat Florida 89-75 in the finals.
14. UNLV 1990: This was not the super team that would come along a year later, only to lose to Duke in the Final Four. This Runnin’ Reb team had Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Anderson Hunt and Greg Anthony. It was a No. 1 seed, went 35-5 and beat Duke 103-73 in the finals.
13. Kansas 2008: Jayhawks had Brandon Rush, Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers, Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson. They were top-seeded, finished 37-3 and beat Memphis 75-68 in overtime for the title.
12. North Carolina 1993: Tar Heels were strangely (for them) void of stars, with Donald Williams, Derrick Phelps, Eric Montross, George Lynch and Brian Reese comprising the starting lineup for a team that was No. 1-seeded, went 34-4 and beat Michigan 77-71 in the finals after Chris Webber’s infamous timeout.
11. Arkansas 1994: Deep Razorbacks had only two marquee players — Corliss Williamson and Scotty Thurman — but were top-seeded, finished 31-3 and beat Duke 76-72 in a title-game thriller.
10. Maryland 2002: Good in the backcourt with future pros Juan Dixon and Steve Blake, and good in up front with Lonny Baxter and Chris Wilcox, the Terrapins were top-seeded, went 32-4 and beat Indiana 64-52 in the finals.
9. UCLA 1995: Not much NBA impact, but Ed O’Bannon, Charles O’Bannon, Tyus Edney, Toby Bailey and George Zidek forged a memorable season — a No. 1 seed, 31-2 and an 89-78 win over defending champ Arkansas for the title.
8. Connecticut 2004: Huskies were loaded with NBA talent — Emeka Okafor, Josh Boone, Ben Gordon and, off the bench, Charlie Villanueva and Hilton Armstrong. UConn was a No. 2 seed, finished 33-6 and beat Georgia Tech 82-73 for the title.
7. North Carolina 2009: Tar Heels were almost unbeatable when healthy, with point guard Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and, off the bench, high draft pick Ed Davis. UNC was a No. 1 seed, went 34-4 and routed Michigan State 89-72 in the finals.
6. Florida 2007: The same lineup that led the Gators to the ‘06 crown returned and repeated. Brewer, Horford and Noah made the NBA. Florida was a No. 1 seed, finished 35-5 and beat Ohio State 84-75 for the title.
5. North Carolina 2005: A spectacular 1-2-3 punch of Sean May, Rashard McCants and Raymond Felton led the Tar Heels, who had the NBA’s No. 2 overall pick, Marvin Williams, coming off the bench. UNC was a No. 1 seed, went 33-4 and beat Illinois 75-70 for the title.
4. Kentucky 1996: Rick Pitino’s greatest team included Derek Anderson, Antonie Walker, Walter McCarty, Tony Delk and Anthony Epps. The Wildcats were a No. 1 seed, went 34-2 and beat Syracuse 76-67 in the finals.
3. Duke 2001: Amazing for this decade, but the Blue Devils had five NBA players — Shawn Battier, Chris Duhon, Jason Williams, Mike Dunleavy and, off the bench, Carlos Boozer. Duke was a No. 1 seed, went 35-4 and beat Arizona 82-72 for the title.
2. Connecticut 1999: Not as star-studded as Jim Calhoun’s 2004 title team, but plenty of firepower with Richard Hamilton, Jake Voskuhl and Khalid El-Amin. Huskies were a top seed, went 34-2 and beat a fabulous Duke team 77-74 for the championship.
1. Duke 1992: Loaded with veterans who won in 1991 — Laettner, Hurley, the Hills, Brian Davis — the Blue Devils were a No. 1 seed, went 34-2 and finished with three epic games. The regional final victory over Kentucky, 104-103 in overtime, in one of the greatest college games ever; an 81-78 Final Four win over Indiana; and a 71-51 rout in the finals of Michigan’s Fab Five.
