Dream scenario for Sooners
If Oklahoma wants a blueprint for success this postseason, all the Sooners need to do is pull out the film of Thursday’s game against Kansas.
The Sooners throttled the Jayhawks 76-59 in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 women’s basketball tournament, and while Courtney Paris’s 27-point, 14-rebound performance will be all the talk, OU blew out Kansas because of its balance.
Great outside shooting and dominant inside play.
Paris was fabulous, enthusiastic and energized. She played inspired basketball, like a senior who realizes her college career is winding down. Heck, she kind of played like someone who’d promised to repay her entire scholarship if her team failed to win the national championship.
(More about that later on NewsOK.com and in the Saturday Oklahoman.)
But as Paris was quick to point out, she had a much easier time of it Friday because of what her teammates did. Amanda Thompson and Danielle Robinson hit a barrage of mid-range jumpers to start the game and continued to have hot hands, which opened up the inside.
Kansas was slow bringing the double-team on Paris, but that’s because the Jayhawks had to respect the Sooners’ outside game. That made Paris even more effective than she would’ve been otherwise.
Truth is, the way she was playing, she might’ve turned in a great performance even if her teammates weren’t so good.
But here’s another truth — the Sooners won’t be long for the NCAA Tournament without a similarly solid inside-outside punch. As the teams get better, they’ll be more and more capable of double-teaming Paris and making her life difficult. That doesn’t happen if Thompson, Robinson and Co. keep opponents honest.
It’s the dream scenario for the Sooners, an absolute nightmare for opponents.
Get ready for Selection Sunday
Mike Slive will be the man in the cross-hairs this weekend.
He is the chair of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee. That means he oversees the selection committee for the NCAA Tournament.
Hence, the cross-hairs.
Slive answered questions earlier this week as part of a teleconference with media from across the country. Here are some interesting excerpts from it:
About the selection process: The conference tournaments determine 30 of the 31 automatic qualifiers and provide a chance for any of the 322 teams in Division I to make the championships. Everyone has a shot of making it to the Dance.
It is also a chance for teams to add meaningful wins to what they have already accomplished throughout the season. I emphasize the words ‘through the season’. A couple of wins this week can’t hurt, but it is certainly important that we look at the entire body of work for a team.
Wins in November and December count. Losses in November and December count, just as they do in January, February and March.
I commented earlier that the committee has put in the work to be prepared for this week. So have our coaches, whose input through the Regional Advisory Committee is one of the many tools we have to evaluate teams. So have conference offices, who provide us with an incredible amount of useful information that we have had access to throughout the season as part of our conference monitoring program.
We will take into consideration every piece of information that we have available and is relevant. That includes injuries and the status of injured players. It includes close losses, quality wins and a wide variety of circumstances that possibly could have affected results.
But, again, we are reviewing results from the entire season. Conference tournaments are exciting and serve a purpose. But it is important for the committee to not get so caught up in what a team does this week and overlook what it has done over the course of the last four months. That perspective is essential to right decisions.
It is our charge to pick the best 34 at‑large teams, regardless of conference affiliation. And that’s what we are here to do.
I have said it before, and it’s worth pointing out again. We look to answers to the three Ws and an H: Who you play, where you play, with whom did you play, and how you played.
If there’s one thing that’s been obvious about this season, it’s that there are a number of quality teams playing. Just looking at the coaches and media polls throughout the season, we have seen a revolving door, not only at the top, but throughout the top 25.
What that means is there are many good teams capable of beating other good teams, and that’s going to make the tournament as exciting as ever. It’s shaping up to be a memorable championship from start to finish. It is also shaping up to be a stressful week for the committee because we have a lot of tough decisions ahead of us. But we’re ready.
One final but important thought about the economy and its effect on the upcoming championships. These are trying times for all us here, for all of you on the call, and for the millions around the country. There’s no safe harbor from the effects of the current financial situation.
As we head into this selection weekend, we are reminded of the changes we implemented in 2002, which places teams, to the greatest extent possible, close to their national geographic area. Since that time, most teams and their fans are traveling shorter distances for tournament games. A savings in costs and missed class time.
We fully recognize that this is a national championship. Our 330 Division I member institutions are located throughout the country. The committee remains committed to this principle to the extent it does not adversely impact fair competition.
About evaluating a team who has had a key player injured: What we are going to do for all teams who have injuries, we will evaluate the team before the injury; we will evaluate the team during the injury; and if a player happens to return, we’ll make every effort to evaluate the team at that time.
But it’s the whole body of work and the quality of the team as it moves towards tournament time. We will continually, throughout the weekend, on any teams that have players that have been injured or who currently get injured, we will maintain constant contact with institutions and the conferences to make sure that we know exactly the current status of the student‑athlete at that particular time.
About the selection committee only having four members who’ve played or coached Division-I basketball: I think what you have is a group of committed, dedicated, knowledgeable, experienced administrators, some of whom have coached, some of whom have created basketball leagues, some of whom have spent their lives in one form or another related to the game, who appreciate the game, who love the game, and know it, and who can bring ‑ by virtue of observation, study and analysis ‑ just what is needed to create the kind of field that makes this tournament great.
It’s evolved from a small tournament to one of the world’s premiere athletic events with these same kinds of people, the same composition of people throughout the country. This year’s committee is the same committee we had last year with only one change. I think the world was pretty happy with last year’s tournament, with the exception of a few teams who didn’t make it.
The other thing is that we have access to a lot of people, a lot of expertise, people who have been in the game, people who have coached the game. We get input from 31 coaches from around the country with their regional advisory groups.
I can tell you this. If you spend time with any one of us or all 10 of us in this room, you would have no doubt about the level of basketball expertise and knowledge that’s going to create this year’s tournament.
About being concerned as the committee chair that something will slip through, ala BYU a few years ago: We have a bracketing mantra. You remember the old saying: ‘Remember the Alamo.’ Here instead of the Alamo, it’s ‘Remember BYU’
Biggest surprise not CP3’s guarantee
So, Courtney Paris surprised quite a few folks during Senior Night when she announced she would repay her scholarship if Oklahoma didn’t win a national championship.
The biggest surprise to me — it took almost a week for the national media to pick up the story.
On Monday, the story was part of the looping scroll on ESPN and the talk of national sports talk radio. The way it was being played up, you’d have thought it had just happened. You’d have thought it was either the hottest of breaking news or the biggest of news scoops.
It was neither.
It had happened five days earlier, for goodness sake.
In this day and age of instant news, the whole thing was perplexing. It’s not like the news of her guarantee didn’t go out on the national wires last Wednesday night; I was sitting next to Associated Press writer Jeff Latzke, and having seen his story, I know that he lead his copy with what Paris said.
I’m just not sure what happened Monday to make all the national types sit up and take notice of 5-day-old news.
Odd.
As unexpected as Paris’s scholarship-back guarantee was, the way the story played nationally was even more unexpected.
Ford and Cowboy Nation together again
Travis Ford has recaptured the magic and rekindled the love.
Earlier this season, the honeymoon was over between the Oklahoma State coach and the Cowboy Nation. No one ever sensed an annulment was coming. Still, with the team struggling and the TV cameras catching profanities, Ford had all but emptied the well of good will that all coaches receive when they take a new job.
But credit Ford — he has endeared himself to the OSU faithful once again.
The reasons are simple: his antics have cooled off and his team has heated up.
The Cowboys enter the Big 12 Tournament this week as the winners of six of their last seven games. That was a streak that seemed almost impossible less than a month ago. When OSU went to Texas and got blitzed by 20-plus, it was difficult to see the Cowboys winning many of their remaining games. Didn’t matter that the schedule got easier. Didn’t matter that they had winnable games. They just didn’t look like a team capable of winning many games the rest of the way.
Then, Ford juggled the lineup, making Obi Muonelo a reserve and stressing the importance of defense. Ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom, the Cowboys became an NCAA Tournament team.
Ford transformed them. Obviously, the players have gone out and played the games, Byron Eaton and James Anderson and Marshall Moses all coming up big along the way.
But it’s a testament to Ford and his growth as a coach that he was able to turn this season around mid-stream. That isn’t an easy thing to do, to take a train that’s going down one track and put it on another track all together. That’s what Ford has done.
That has helped improve his image, as has his actions. He is managing his emotions better on the bench, and he is reaching out to the fans. Ford took the microphone and addressed the Gallagher-Iba Arena crowd after several home games. Those kinds of things resonate with fans.
Ditto for wins on the basketball court.
The bond between Travis Ford and the Cowboy Nation is getting stronger by the day. Who knows what a trip to the NCAA Tournament could do for their relationship? It might feel a little like a second honeymoon.
More from The Q&A: Charlie Heatly
Everyone knows Charlie Heatly as the guy who plays the music at The Big House during the state basketball tournaments.
The former basketball coach at Lindsay High School has been around the state tournaments for five decades, so he has plenty of great memories and lots of fantastic stories.
Jenni Carlson: You got to see some great things as a coach here, but you’ve got to see some pretty special stuff from this seat, too.
Charlie Heatly: Gosh, last year, some of those games … last year watching (Keiton) Page and (Rotnei) Clarke, oh, what a treat that was. I don’t know whether we’ll ever reach that again or not.
JC: Then, there was Pocola-Walters and that crazy finish.
CH: It was probably the most miraculous. I’ve never seen anything quite like that. But as far as enjoyment, I think I enjoyed watching Page and Clarke more than anybody else.
JC: What were your early days as The Big House deejay like?
CH: I’m not sure if it was the eight-tracks … but I’d have to rewind back in those days. I’d play a song then have to rewind it. I had them all scattered out.
JC: Wish I’d been here in one of those early years to see you in action.
CH: I was busy — “Don’t call timeout; I haven’t got the music ready.” … I enjoy it. It’s the most exciting two weeks of my year. I went to Tulsa the last two years and played the music for the Tournament of Champions. That’s fun to do.
JC: You keep picking up gigs, and you’re going to be a full-time deejay. You’ll be playing weddings, proms.
CH: I can’t imagine that. (Laughs.) That’s not my cup of tea.
JC: If times get any tougher in the economy …
CH: Now you’re talking. I might need to think about that.
JC: If things don’t improve, I might be trying to take your job.
CH: I know, I know. (Laughs.)
Thunder win now, cultivate hope for future
Kevin Durant? Jeff Green? Who needs those bums?
Oh, I’m just kidding. Durant and Green are no bums, of course. What’s more, their team definitely needs the two young stars to get healthy and return to the line-up.
It just doesn’t seem that way.
Now, that I’m not kidding about.
The Thunder is on a three-game winning streak — yes, winning streak — without Durant and Green. It won the first of the three games with Green, but the last two have come without the services of either player. Durant has been hobbled by an ankle sprain, Green by a bad back.
With those two on the bench, it was impossible to think that the Thunder would be competitive, much less win a few games. But then, it beat Dallas on Monday and Washington on Wednesday. Neither opponent is an NBA juggernaut, but the Thunder have trotted out a few line-ups during these past couple of games that looked like NBA Developmental League squads.
And still, the Thunder has won.
Sure, it’s a testament to the guys who are available. Russell Westbrook. Nenad Krstic. Nick Collison. Kyle Weaver. Thabo Sefolosha.
It’s a testament, too, to the coaches. Scott Brooks continues to impress.
But really, this is a reminder about just how slim the differences are in the NBA. Teams aren’t that far apart, not even the best and the worst teams. The difference might be one player, maybe less. The Thunder may look light years behind the Lakers or the Cavaliers or the Celtics, but in reality, this squad isn’t nearly that far behind. Add another piece to the puzzle, or improve a piece that’s already here, and this could be a playoff team in the next year or so.
I’m not kidding about that either.
Maybe this three-game winning streak has me a bit overly optimistic. But the truth is, what this little run should have everyone is hopeful. In these games lies hope. Hope for the Thunder. Hope for the future.
Women’s sports-travaganza
It’s Women’s History Month.
What? You didn’t have it on your calendar?
Well, ESPN has you covered. The Worldwide Leader will start a month-long celebration of women’s sports on Sunday morning during Outside the Lines (8 a.m. Oklahoma time) with an investigation about the under-reporting of concussions in young female athletes. That will be the first of many stories, including an interview with Oklahoma women’s basketball players Courtney and Ashley Paris.
There will also be a women’s sports marathon on ESPN Classic on March 14. The shows will explore everything from Title IX to Danica Patrick.
Already, ESPN.com has a page dedicated to women’s sports. On it, you can read stories about well-known female athletes Billy Jean King and Michelle Wie as well as lesser-known ones such as Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir and Melanie Oudin.
Check it out, and celebrate Women’s History Month.
Another impressive stat from CP3
The superstars in our midst have been a bit hobbled of late.
First, Blake Griffin suffered a concussion that sidelined him a week. Then, Kevin Durant twisted an ankle that could keep him out of action for a couple weeks. Both were freak injuries, Griffin taking a nearly imperceptible blow to the face, Durant coming down like he has millions of times before but this time hitting the ground awkwardly.
It doesn’t take much sometimes, even when you’re a superhero of sport.
Which brings us to Courtney Paris.
The injuries to Griffin and Durant got me thinking about the Oklahoma women’s basketball star. Paris is nearing the end of her senior season. She is a center in the rough-and-tumble Big 12. She is a stout, physical player.
And she has played every single game of her college career.
It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. Thirty-six games as a freshman. Thirty-three as a sophomore. Thirty-one as a junior. And now, 28 and counting as a senior.
That’s 128 games without a miss. As many remarkable numbers as Paris has posted in her Sooner career, none is much more impressive than that.
You know, after all, that Paris has taken a beating. She is the player that every opponent has schemed for since she stepped onto campus four years ago. She is the one that they’ve double-teamed, triple-teamed, sometimes more.
There have no doubt been times that she’s been bumped and bruised and knocked around, and still, Paris has played on.
Maybe she’s been a little lucky. Goodness knows, the injuries that Griffin and Durant suffered this past week or so were the unluckiest of breaks. There were no major collisions. There were no big hits. And still, they went down.
Lucky or not, Paris has been a Sooner stalwart. You have to think there were times that she was sore or worse. Times when she could’ve asked to sit out. Times most players would’ve done just that.
Still, that never happened.
As her Sooner career comes to a close, Courtney Paris will no doubt be remembered and celebrated for many things. That she missed no games is a testament to her toughness and her fortitude. That, too, should be appreciated.
