Final Season Grades/Wrap-Up/Look Ahead

[OUSKINS]

Second year to do this, here is the link to what I had to say last year and then a link to this year (sorry, too lazy to copy, paste and resize everything :) )

http://edkleese.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html

2008-2009: www.edkleese.blogspot.com

[OUSKINS]

Finally got around to just posting the text...

It’s not often that a team in any sport manages to meet pre-season expectations to a tee. But that’s exactly what the OU men’s basketball team did in 2008-2009. Coming in to the season, most fans and hoops pundits considered OU to be a Final Four contender, but perhaps just a notch below the elite teams in the country. In the end, this is almost exactly how things wound up.

This season will always be remembered in Norman as the season where Blake Griffin dominated the college basketball world. He left Sooner fans with enough memories this year to last a lifetime. Assuming Griffin bolts for the NBA in the coming weeks, he should go down as one of the most impactful two-year players in college history. While Wayman Tisdale may remain the gold standard in OU basketball lore, Blake Griffin made his mark as the most dynamic player to ever don the crimson and cream. He will be missed.

However, the best news to come from the season is that Griffin’s departure does not appear to be a death knell for the program or even next season.

Jeff Capel is still transitioning from the Sampson era. Against North Carolina, OU had three starters that would not have even been in the rotation for the Tar Heels. Starting next year, there will be only player on the roster (Tony Crocker) that wasn’t brought in by Capel and his staff. The five-man incoming freshmen class includes two McDonalds All-Americans, who will join Willie Warren (assuming he returns) as the key to 2009-2010.

There will never be another Blake Griffin in Norman—at least not for a very long time. But that doesn’t mean the program won’t continue to grow and flourish under Capel’s leadership.

Final Season Grades:

(Grades are based on performance vs. expectation, with a dash of “intangible” mixed in. Seniors get two grades—season and career.)

Capel/Coaching Staff: A-. I gave them an “A” last year and decided to drop it just a tad this year due to the late season malaise the team suffered following Blake’s concussion. That little slump may have cost them a #1 seed and whenever a team looks as disinterested as they did, the coaching staff deserves some blame. Having said that, the bottom line was a 30-win season and an appearance in the Elite 8, losing to the eventual National Champions. The Sooners played very well in the NCAA Tournament, which is a feather in Capel’s cap.

Austin Johnson: B. By far Johnson’s best year overall, but his late-season swoon was way too reminiscent of the enigma he’d been during his first three years in Norman. Midway through the year, he was on target for All Conference honors, but whether it was due to injury, fatigue, or whatever, Johnson dipped badly down the stretch.

Career: C. You never know what’s in a players head or his heart, but as a fan, I do wonder if Johnson left it all on the court during his career at OU. I don’t claim to know that answer, but at times I was turned off by his body language and perceived effort level. There were persistent rumors that Johnson played hurt, which is admirable and may have contributed to this perception, but all in all, his was an average career.

Omar Leary: C+. His minutes dwindled this year, but Leary always did what was asked of him. Quite simply, he was an under-talented player, going against guys that were generally on a level or two above him. But he did has his moments, and was a major factor in OU’s great comeback attempt against Kansas.

Career: C+. Got the most out of what he had, but ultimately, his lack of size and skill limited him to a minor role.

Taylor Griffin: A-. Really struggled early in the year, but went nuts down the stretch. Taylor raised his level of play late in the season when many of teammates were dragging and he was superb in the Big Dance. The guy played the best basketball of his career during his final games—doesn’t get much better than that.

Career: A. As I said in my entry last week(http://edkleese.blogspot.com/2009/03/farewell-to-true-sooner.html), Taylor was a true Sooner, representing the school in a perfect fashion during his four years. It was a real joy to see him play with his brother and his consistent effort and leadership should be appreciated by all fans.

Tony Crocker: C. TC dropped a full grade from last year, when I thought he had somewhat of a breakout year. As always, Crocker had his moments of his greatness and his performance against Syracuse in the Tournament helped keep this grade from being even lower. But his “bad moments” were entirely too frequent this year. He seemed to struggle not only with his shot, but his confidence level, compounding mistakes with more mistakes. Crocker always plays hard and his defensive effort against Michigan should be a model for struggling players, but it’s simply too much of a detraction to have a starter give you those kinds of inconsistent performances. Looking for Crocker to become more balanced as a senior.

Juan Patillo: B-. Not a huge sample size and the whole redshirt thing is still very odd, but there is no doubt that Patillo has the physical tools to be a highly effective player. He was fantastic in his first few games, then virtually vanished down the stretch. However, against North Carolina, he was one guy on the team that didn’t seem overmatched by Carolina’s size and athleticism. An extremely gifted athlete who only has one more year to make his mark.

Blake Griffin: A+. There’s nothing more to say. He was brilliant from start to finish and was clearly the best player on the floor in every game he played this season—including the finale’ against Carolina. His future in the NBA is seemingly as bright as his past in Norman. If for some crazy reason he decided to return, he could cement his legacy as an all-time great in the college game.

Cade Davis: C-. Davis struggled in his sophomore year. He got off to a good start with a good showing in NYC in the pre-season NIT, but he battled to find his shot all year. He does get major kudos for a being a great rebounder per minutes played player, but OU needs Davis to hit shots—and quite simply, he didn’t do much of that this year. I do think he was probably a bit affected by his inconsistent minutes—I’d like to see Capel commit to him a bit more next year.

Willie Warren: A-. A bit troubled by his lack of production over the final few games of the season, but even in the loss to UNC Warren showed flashes of what was a times a brilliant freshmen season. His game is mature—his sense of timing is excellent and he seems to have a knack for knowing when his teams needs him to pick it up and when he can hang back a bit. On the floor, Warren deferred to Blake all year (which was a smart move) and I’m very excited to see what he does as the #1 option next year. Has potential to be a first team All-American type of player. He holds the key to success in 2009-2010.

Orlando Allen/Ray Willis: Incomplete. Willis just might lead the nation in shot attempts per seconds played. The guy truly has a scorer’s mentality and in his brief moments of action, showed that he does have legitimate potential to be a player on this level. However, he was wild and his off the court issues are discouraging. I could see him being the type of guy that gets buried on the roster or transfers—which would be a shame because I think there’s something there. Very unimpressed with Allen for 90% of the year, but was very impressed with him during his brief action in the Tournament. He’s very big and word has it that he’s a hard worker—could be a surprise player for OU next year, but needs to work on his conditioning and footwork.

Awards:

MVP: Blake Griffin. No explanation necessary.

Defensive MVP: Juan Patillo. Yep, all five starters struggled at times on the defensive end of the floor, and even though he arrived late, Patillo made his biggest impact on the defensive end of the floor. Tony Crocker would be second on my list.

Worst Individual Moment: The end sequence against OSU in the Big 12 Tournament was very frustrating. A bad call by the refs against Blake didn’t erase the fact that Byron Eaton scorched our guards all night long.

Best Individual Moment: Even though it was against a lousy team, OU’s second half exhibition against *Texas* Tech in Norman was a sight to see. It was a dunk-a-thon of major proportions. Looked like the Globetrotters against the Washington Generals—a true thing of beauty.

Worst Loss: There’s no shame in losing at Missouri this year, but there was shame in the way OU played that night. A truly disgusting effort. The loss in Fayetteville would be a close second .

Best Win: No doubt, the Sweet 16 victory over Syracuse. Very encouraging that our very best performance of the season came on such a big stage when many people (including myself and other fans) were expecting Syracuse to pull the mini-upset. Capel deserves a ton of credit for having the team ready for the zone that night. Our defense was also outstanding. As a runner-up, I’m actually going to go back to November and say the win over Davidson—not because we beat such a great team, but because it was a real treat to see Blake and Stephen Curry both have career nights. A highly entertaining game that had a real “showcase” feel to it.


Overall Season Grade: A-. A slight drop from last year, but not by much. The little lull late in the season kept this from being a solid A—not the loss to UNC. No shame in losing to a superior team that throttled everyone they played in the Tournament. Overall, a memorable year—OU can hang the Elite 8 banner next year and be proud.

[the_ouskull]

I wish that I could be as positive as you are, man. I honestly and truly do. Good read, regardless...

the_ouskull

[OUSKINS]

I wish that I could be as positive as you are, man. I honestly and truly do. Good read, regardless...

the_ouskull

Do you mean that in response to the grade I gave them for this year or my outlook for next year?

I'm not sure how anyone could really argue the grade from this year.

[badger]

I can do wimmen's later today if I have time... unless there's another volunteer out there.

As for your grades, I think Blake caused everyone around him to look a lot better, coaches included. When he was out, everyone looked worse. It makes me worry slightly about next year.

Well, I guess they don't give OU's No. 23 jersey to just anybody :D

[NormanPride]

Do you mean that in response to the grade I gave them for this year or my outlook for next year?

I'm not sure how anyone could really argue the grade from this year.

Well, you can argue, especially if you have ridiculously high standards like skull does. :D

[ouleaf]

Capel/Coaches: B......never felt they utilized WW's strengths. Offense became stagnate and predictable at times

AJ: B-.....Great start to season, but after that was good for about 9 points and a 1 to 1 assist to turnover ratio. Not the production you need out of your PG.

Omar: C.....Did about what you could expect of the guy. Appreciate his hard work

Taylor: B-......His numbers we up from last year, but for someone that averaged 30 mins a game, and a fg pct of over 50%, I'd rather hoped he'd avg more than 9 ppg. Also led the team in fouls committed.

Crocker: D-.....Probably would be an F, but the Syracuse game and those 2 charges against Michigan saved him. It's not b/c he struggled with his shot that bothers me, but for him to only average 2 trips to the free throw line a game when he is a pretty good FT shooter is dissapointing. As well is his negative Assist to Turnover ratio. He has a lot of work to do this off season.

Juan: C.....Started off nicely but disappeared after a few games. I do worry about him being undersized and having to guard legit big men next year. Has the potential to be avg about 12 and 8 for us next year

Blake: A.....Would be an A+ if he could shoot better than 59% from the free throw line and consistent mid-range jumper to his arsenal. Despite that, it was a great season for him.

Cade: D+.....I really felt he under-achieved on the floor this year. One of the worst FT shooters on the team. Needs to develop a more consistent jumper. Also guilty of picking up quite a few fouls while he is in the game. I wonder if he has what it takes mentally to be a productive player at this level. The only reason i gave a plus was because of the almost 3 to 1 assist to TO ratio.

WW: B+.....Probably a B if it weren't for his insane games against Texas and Kansas. A good freshman year, but not a great one. In fairness I don't think the coaches utilized him to his potential. A guy like that can't go missing in games. Great ability to get by the first guy, but has trouble when the 2nd and 3rd guys close in. Passing needs to improve for next year. Shooting form could use some re-tooling as well.

Ryan Wright: C-......I think you forgot to mention him. I'm actually really hoping he gets more minutes next year. Seems to have a knack for the offensive rebound. Over half of his rebound total last year was an offensive rebound. Needs to work on his shooting for next year. Not sure if he is much of a post up guy.

Allen/Willis/Cannon/Gerber/Franklin: Incomplete

[Rock Hard Corn Frog]

Gerber really let me down this year. Bring back Yannish! That is all. ;)

[Salt City Sooner]

Gerber really let me down this year. Bring back Oleg! That is all. ;)
Fixed. :D

[Curly Bill]

Cade: D+.....I really felt he under-achieved on the floor this year. One of the worst FT shooters on the team. Needs to develop a more consistent jumper. Also guilty of picking up quite a few fouls while he is in the game. I wonder if he has what it takes mentally to be a productive player at this level. The only reason i gave a plus was because of the almost 3 to 1 assist to TO ratio.


It's his feet, he's not quick enough to defend many of the players similar in stature to him that he ends up guarding.

[badger]

All stats used in the following OU women's basketball report card are courtesy of Soonersports.com! (http://soonersports.com/sports/w-baskbl/archive/okla-w-baskbl-stats.html)

Highlights: 20-game winning streak; 16-1 home record (loss to UNC); 15-1 conference regular season record (loss @ Thuggy A&M); 32-win season; Big 12 regular season champions; No. 1 seed in Big 12 and NCAA tourneys; Final Four berth; Courtney Paris becomes first-ever (women's basketball) four-time All-American

Lowlights: CP3's double-double streak ends (vs. Tennessee @ Ford Center in OKC); Losing at home to UNC; Losing in second round of Big 12 tourney (in Oklahoma City to Thuggy A&M); Blowing first half lead to L'ville in Final Four; starting the season with Plumley's dismissal; injuries to Amanda Thompson and Whitney Hand.

Coale/Coaches: A-
Good: An outstanding season with 32-5 record resulting in the second Final Four berth of program history (2002 was first). Outstanding recruiting brought in a starter, Whitney Hand, to help cope with the loss of the starting point guard in the offseason. The conditioning of players such as AP5 really helped. Having a 16-1 conference record in the regular season is impressive considering the competition.
Bad: Disappointing losses in the Final Four after having a double-digit lead in the first half, losing in the second round of the Big 12 tourney when it was in OKC.
Ugly: Turnovers continue to plague the team and have not really improved during the past few seasons. Really puts the "minus" in "A-minus."

In jersey score order...
Stevenson (Junior): C
Good: Added speed and versatility to an offense known mostly for Courtney. In nine starts and playing every game, shot 44 percent from the field, 35 percent from the 3. Averaged an acceptable 9.2 ppg. Despite not starting most games, was third on the team in steals behind Amanda and D-Rob.
Bad: The shot that made the entire state of Oklahoma cry, but again, I am happy that she didn't hesitate to take it... I just wish she went in for an easy 2.
Ugly: Despite not starting most games, is among the many culprits on the team guilty of turning the ball over, with 65. Her FT percentage hovers at 60 and must improve.

CP3 (senior): A-
Good: Started all 37 games, longing third-most minutes on the team (behind D-Rob and sister Ashley); shot 56 percent from the field (led the team), shot 200+ free throws (led the team), averaged 13.6 rebounds (team leader again), and averaged 15.9 points (again, leading the team). She also managed triple figures for blocks (108) while assisting her teammates 57 times (fourth on the team). She became women's basketball's first four-time All-American.
Bad: Despite getting all the game-time practice for shooting FT's, she shot 57 percent from the line (which is not a team worst, more on that later).
Ugly: A large contributer to the team's turnover woes with 65 (third on the team).
Awesome: The promise to win a championship didn't get carried through, but her promise to continue philanthropy in Oklahoma was wonderful news.

Abi (junior): C+
Good: Became a good backup for both Paris sisters when foul trouble became troublesome and has showed signs of being ready to take over for the sisters next year.
Bad: I hope that her 55 percent free throw shooting stat will not linger next year when more minutes will mean more free throws to shoot.
Ugly: She only averaged 6 minutes per game in 27 games last season. Some off season conditioning a la Ashley will probably help when that number undoubtedly increases in 2009-10.

Ashley (senior): A
Good: Offseason work ethic proved to help her WNBA stock tremendously; ranked second on the team in minutes (behind D-Rob) starting all 37 games; shot 52 percent from the field; averaged 9.6 rebounds and 12.6 points, second and third on the team, respectively.
Bad: 62 percent from the line.
Ugly: Has twin statistics for turnovers with her twin at an attrociously-high 65.

Carly (soph): C
Good: Played in all 37 games while shooting 29.7 percent from the 3 (fourth on team). Did not get angry when pestering reporters keep asking about her brother, nor did she demand to go to the Super Bowl, but instead, made it into a team bonding watch party.
Bad: She will need to work on her FG percentage (41 percent) and FT shooting (64 percent) to get more playing time next year.
Ugly: She seems to commit more foul per minute than her teammates. Must be because she's Ben's sister, football this, football that, ok I'll stop.

D-Rob (soph): B+
Good: A star from the line on a team of bad FT shooters (90.2 percent!); ranked second to CP3 in FG percentage (55.6), led the team in steals (82) and second to CP3 in points with 12.9 ppg. Her quickness and ability to move to the basket for easy layups was what OU was missing in the tourney for years. 217 assists and starting all 37 games means good things for OU next year.
Bad: Committed almost as many fouls as CP3 (98 to CP3's 99) and amazingly only shot one 3 the entire season. She could expand her game greatly if she developed that shot.
Ugly: She is the turnover queen of Turnover Kingdom with an atrociously bad 149.

Willis: inc.
Overall: Played very little (10 games, averaging 4 mins) but provided the story of the holidays by earning her scholarship. Watch the amazing story unfold here (http://www.cstv.com/allaccess/player/07-oas-mediaplayer-okla.html?content=mms://a1981.v8108e.c8108.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/1981/8108/v0001/cstvcbs.download.akamai.com/8108/open/okla/08-09/video/w-baskbl/12dec/20081221_willis.wmv&school=okla&','VideoPlayer','toolbar=no,resizable=no,scrollbar s=no,width=750,height=460');%20void(''))..

Winchester (senior): inc.
Overall: Played even less than Lauren Willis, but got to start senior night alongside classmates CP3 and AP5. Reading about her on the Paris sister excursions was fun via the CP3 blog.

Amanda (junior): B
Good: Despite nagging foot injury, played 36 games, starting 31 times. Her ability to shoot mid-range was sorely missed come tourney time. Second on the team in assists (67) and will be welcomed back to the starting lineup come next season.
Bad: I was surprised to see her points (6.8 ppg), rebounds (4.6 rpg) anf FG percentages (41.3) were all so low. Some of this probably comes from having the Paris twins, but with them gone next year, I would expect her to improve these stats significantly.
Ugly: The dishonor of second on the team in turnovers (66) is quite awful, but I was also struck by the 7-30 record for 3-shooting. I would like to see her take mid-rangers more than 3's next season.

Hand (freshman): A+
Good: If Bobby Knight is in love, you know she must be that d@mn good... and a freshman too?! Started all 33 games she played in (boo to finger injuries) and 37 percent from the 3-point line (would probably be higher without some of those post-injury shots); 9.2 ppg average and averaged 28 minutes per game. The SS.com stats page won't show how much of a presence she was on defense, but I think we all remember.
Bad: How does such a good shooter shoot 82.9 percent from the line? Her 39.6 shooting percentage from the field suggests that most of her shots are 3's, but hopefully, she'll develop mid-range shots and the ability to drive to the basket, too.
Ugly: Goodness, maybe 64 turnovers means I should bedowngrade her A+? Nah, but you're on notice to improve this stat next season.

Rose: inc
Overall: Only played 18 games, but was still third on the team in FT percentage (75 percent). We can also say that she has a 7-1 assist-to-turnover ratio... as those are her total season-long stats.

Hartman (fr): C
Good: Led the team in 3-point percentage (yes, even ahead of Whitney) with 38.5 percent shooting; seems to show hints of ball thievery despite less minutes than others on the team.
Bad: She's a freshman, so I will not critique her further.
Ugly: Ok, I will just because I'm giving all of her teammates hard times here - I really expected more out of her considering her reputation in high school, but I know that SHE. IS. A. FRESHMAN. and not everyone can be CP3 or Whitney Hand their freshmen years. Hoepfully, she'll step up her game next year.

Vining (soph): C-
Good: Second on the team in free throws (80 percent) and played in 35 games.
Bad: Was one of three players to shoot more than 100 three pointers, but only made them 27.5 percent of the time.
Ugly: Was among the worst shooters from the field at 31 percent (ranks ahead of Rose, Willis and Carolyn). I remember some of these bad misses as the thing that sent her to the bench... that and ill-timed turnovers. She must improve her shooting and TO's to get more minutes next season.

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And with that, I think I have just surpassed my previous longest post by a few words! Overall, this was a very successful season and everyone on the team should be proud.

[the_ouskull]

Okay, I'll play, but I'm NOT going to sit here and type a whole lot about everything... I'm just going to give quick (for me) summaries and then get out.

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Blake: A. He faced double and triple teams every night like his last name was Jameson, and he still managed to be the POY. He (literally in some cases) took every team's best shot, and maintained his composure like the professional he has always expected to become. He is what you want out of a college superstar. This isn't the forum in which to delve into what he'll need to do to succeed at the next level, so I won't go into it... but his free throw shooting did hurt our team at times.

Willie: B. At times, he was exactly what we needed him to be - a slashing, attacking wing with a "you can't stop me" mentality. Other times, he was exactly what the other team needed him to be - timid, passive, and a jump shooter outside of his range. In other words, he was a freshman. He needs to be a sophomore. I'm not saying that as a Sooner fan. I'm saying that as a basketball fan. If he tries to make the jump to the L now, I have a feel he will be sorely disappointed with the results, even WITH it being a (very) weak draft. He lost his legs... BADLY... at the end of a college season. The rookie wall he'll hit in the NBA is going to be big enough that he's going to have to invoke the spirit of Zombie Reagan just to try to tear it down. Anyway, he was much too inconsistent to merit anything higher than a 'B' in my book.

Taylor: B. Hard to believe that he was a better player for us than Crocker was, eh? But, compare their numbers side-by-side...

(Literally... http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/teams/stats?teamId=201)

Taylor scored as many points per game, on MUCH better shooting. He was our grit, and our determination... not to mention a big brother to the entire team, not just to our superstar. I think that his leadership should not be overlooked... especially given the lack of it from our guards. I think that he was the last REAL player left over from the Heart, Hustle, Hardwood days, and he really went out of his way to show it this season. Thank you, Taylor, for a great Sooner career.

Tony: C-. The only thing keeping me from giving him a D (or worse) was his defense in the Michigan game. I was actually kind of upset about his shooting in the 'Cuse game after thinking about it for a while. I was worried (turns out, with cause) that, because he had one good (read: lucky) game, he would start jacking shots up with no conscience like his initials were A.J. and not T.C. Well, starting with about 14:00 to go in the second half of the Syracuse game, he started falling from that cloud he was on, and the free fall became very apparent to everybody who took off their crimson-colored glasses to watch the end of that game. By the time the UNC game rolled around, we were "treated" to the Tony Crocker we had watched all season: 2-8 shooting, including 0-5 from the arc, with 0 free throw attempts. He needs to hit the weight room, develop a (real) mean streak, and watch about 1000 hours of Bruce Bowen videos before next season. Embrace being a defender, not a shooter. 'cause I LOVED watching him guard people, but when it came to his having the ball in his hands behind the arc, it may as well have been Orlando Allen jacking them up... or at least Taylor. (.357 from the arc to Crocker's .349 -- yeah)

A.J.: C-. Someone else for whom that wall got a little too high to climb. He played way over his head in the first half of the season, like, enough so to make me wonder whether or not he got hurt in the second half, or if he just started playing teams that were worth a sh*t. I think it's more of the latter than the former, honestly... I tried to get on the bandwagon with many of you, even going so far as to say, "He's playing much better this year," which, honestly, is pretty high praise compared to some of the things he's drawn from me in the past... but I could never bring myself to get all the way on it. Then, late in the season, seeing him get lit up on one end and jack up A.J. shots on the other end reminded me why I felt the way about him that I did in the first place. I appreciate the four years that he gave the Sooners, but I'll always have questions about whether or not it was everything that he could have given. He's leaving Norman as basically the same player he was when he got here.

Patillo: C-. Well, thanks for showing up, sir. I am loving your energy. Your hustle. Your excitement about the... Hey, where'd you go? You were right here just a minute ago, making things happen on the court. Where did you go? If he'd have ended the (his) season the way that he started it, we're talking B+/A-. He didn't. He ended it with a combined 9 points and 7 boards in his last two games. I hope that he is able to find whatever he brought to the court with him in January before next season starts.

Cade: D. Does it speak volumes to anybody else that I typed these last two entries while sitting on the back of a milk carton...? If you have to add the phrases, "when he's hot," or "when he's open," when describing someone's ability to shoot the basketball, then they're not a great shooter. I don't care if you go 35% from the arc. If you go 38% from the field, you're not a great shooter. If you go 66% from the line, you're not a great shooter. Sorry. When you couple his shooting woes with the fact that he couldn't guard a motorcycle driver if he was riding in the sidecar, then it's a recipe for a big ol' Lou Brown sh*tburger. If he's supposed to be such a shooter/scorer, then why did he only put up 5 double-digit scoring games all year long...? Jus' sayin'. But, more importantly, he's GOT to learn to get himself in better defensive positions. At times, he's completely lost out there on D, and that is simply not acceptable at the college level. Being lost is one thing, but LOOKING lost is a problem. But, he's got two more years to improve.

Everybody Else: I'll worry about them when other teams do.

Coaching: (This is the one that's going to make me somewhat (more) unpopular...) C. Yes, I am aware that we made the Elite Eight. I am also aware that it took a game played well over Crocker's head to do it. In addition to that, I am ALSO aware that, almost every time we got out to a big lead against teams, we wound up letting them back in it. That's coaching. When your guards can't hit the side of a barn and you don't pull them out to talk to them about their two new choices: going to the basket or the bench, then that's coaching. Missing wide-open shots is on the players. Players missing shots from five feet behind the arc however, open or not, is on the coach. It's the fact that, for whatever reasons, we made the Elite Eight that kept his grade THIS high. I typed a C- initially, because that's closer to how I feel.

Do NOT get me wrong... I think that Jeff Capel is a great, young coach. I think that he has nothing but potential to continue the success that he has already gotten rolling here in Norman. I am extremely glad that he is the head coach of the basketball team that I love more than any other. BUT... I also think that the mistakes he made this season were very costly. We as fans are going to see great things from him in the future... That's part of the ride with a young coach, guys. Watching them grow and learn, just as their players do. It's one of the things that I still enjoy the most about the game, even to this day. But, a coach simply MUST keep his players motivated; INTERESTED in the game. At the end of the season, WAY too many of our players were playing like, "Hasn't the season ended yet?" That's on the coaches, every time... either for not better preparing the team, or for not keeping his pimp hand strong with regard to his players.

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That was way more than I wanted to type and now I'm starving, so see ya.

the_ouskull