Taking the campus tour
CAMPUS CORNER — Much appreciation today to my Norman/OU tour guides, SIDs David Bassity and Kenny Mossman.
Some impressions of campus, besides the obvious “it’s hot” sentiment. (It is, but this native Southerner is used to it. That doesn’t mean, however, that I’m not ready for it to go away.)
** I appreciate the intimacy of the stadium – both the building itself and its relationship to campus. Coming from South Carolina, where the campus is about a half-mile from the football stadium, I know an on-campus stadium is nothing to take for granted. For the football players, that applies any day. It’s easy for them to get from classes and dorm rooms to the football complex. For fans, gameday is a better experience when you’re tailgating and hanging out on campus, versus the alternative.
** It is an arms race, between schools at the top of the heap. And Joe C. and his staff deserve a lot of credit for bringing in the funds and constructing a top-notch athletic complex. That’s as a whole, not just the football area. As Mossman told me at lunch, the under-construction athletic dorm is the last piece of the puzzle (though we know there’s always something). How many schools can even see what the puzzle is supposed to look like?
I’ve already heard folks here sort of complaining about the arena, even if the practice facility is excellent. Plenty of schools around the country would love to play in the LNC. I’m thinking right now of LSU, which actually does have some hoops history.
** The people couldn’t be nicer. Adjusting to a new part of the country and a new athletic department – with all its quirks and nuances and philosophies – is tough. But the people here are certainly helping with my transition. It’s not like Stoops has invited me over for a cookout, but, being a Spurrier disciple, I think he can appreciate who I’ve been around the past few years.
** Interviews are handled differently at every school. I don’t think most in the SEC realize how good they have it. Here, defensive players/coaches speak Mondays and offensive players/coaches speak Tuesdays. Maybe there’s a stray coach on Wednesday, but that’s pretty much it for the week. With the Gamecocks, they’d alternate defense and offense throughout the week.
Now, it seems like they’re more giving of time here when you do get the players and coaches. But there’s less time over the course of the week. I’m fine with all that. It’s the same deck everyone’s playing with. And access is even more restricted, I’m told, at other Big 12 schools.
** I’m concerned about the players’ burnout level when it comes to media. I met QB Landry Jones a few minutes ago. He didn’t even seem to blink when told I was the new OU reporter for The Oklahoman. It was like, ‘Oh, really? Another reporter here? Geez.’ And then an eye roll. By the end of camp, these players have been asked everything under the sun and stars – a dozen times. Frankly, they need the season to get here, to provide fresh content and fodder.
But it’s different here than at a lot of schools, because the demand for their time is higher. For instance, Jones and WR Ryan Broyles (currently on a self-imposed gag order until the season) went to Big 12 Media Day, OU’s Media Day and spent time in the ESPN studios in Connecticut. What’s left to talk about? I get it. I think, as reporters, we need to value their time – get what we need, let them go – so they’ll be more apt to talk to us the next time. Don’t ask a question just to ask a question. Be intentional with what you’re doing and then let ‘em go.
If this is a national championship-type season, you don’t want the players burned out by December. Hopefully, in time, we’ll do the types of stories that transcend the standard questions they typically receive – and tire of.
** There’s still plenty of campus to see, but what I have seen is architecturally impressive. If it’s not new, it’s been recently redone. I’m told, too, this is the largest freshman class ever at OU. Maybe that has something to do with how long it’s taken me to get down Lindsey to I-35.
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On a personal note, I have been troubled today since learning that Tennessee women’s coach Pat Summitt has some form of dementia. I covered the Lady Vols for the Chattanooga and Nashville newspapers during my junior and senior years, and Pat could not have been any nicer to me. I was 20 or 21 years old, and she treated me the same as Dan Fleser, who had been on the beat for a decade or two.
She’s pure class. I hate this is happening. It’s difficult to understand, but, you know what, there are things that I believe transcend our understanding. Ours is not always to know why. But I do know my thoughts and prayers are with her today and with her son, Tyler, as well. Tyler was a walk-on at UT and I think he had recently joined Roy Williams‘ staff at UNC as a graduate assistant or student assistant. In any case, very tough day for anyone who knows or has been around Pat. The worst part about Alzheimer’s, too, is it only gets more difficult. She has a brilliant mind. I hope, against the odds, that it stays intact.
= Trav
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Comments
Curious how one would expect Laundry Jones to react when being told of a new reporter in the room? Probably acts no different than any other player that gets hounded by the media. Just another face in the crowd to him.
Welcome to the great state of Oklahoma! Don’t avoid Lindsey, just embrace it for all its awesomeness. Easily one of my favorite streets in the state of Oklahoma for many reasons. You have no idea how much I envy you for getting paid to be at the University every day covering the best football team or athletic department in the country.
Great blog. Welcome to Oklahoma and I look forward to reading your coverage of OU sports.
On the Lindsey issue, I just enrolled my only child ( a daughter) at OU–moving her in the dorms a couple of weeks ago for rush–and the first piece of advice I gave her about finding her way around Norman was, “Avoid Lindsey if at all possible.” (I am an OU Alum but my daughter has grown up in Texas so she still has to learn how to navigate Norman and OKC metro area)
Good luck!
You’ll learn to avoid Lindsey…