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View Full Version : Evidence suggest Capel CAN coach, but something is horribly wrong



OUSKINS
1/10/2010, 11:44 AM
Not going to spend a lot of time disecting the Baylor game because there isn't much to disect-- plus it might make me ill having to go over that game again. The first 8-9 minutes were great and then it became an embarrassing debacle. A 30-6 run to end the half? Really?

There's no point in analyzing the team as it stands now-- honestly and without exxageration, if we stay on our current trajectory, I see us winning 3 or 4 games in conference and having a losing season. I certainly hope that changes and I'm mildly hopeful that we'll play better at home, but right now, there is really no evidence to suggest we're going to improve at all.

My thoughts right now are on the big picture....my brother-in-law and I have debated this a bit...he thinks Capel might be a good recruiter/bad coach. I disagree and here's why:

This is Capel's 4th season. In his 1at season, he had an empty cupboard-- a team completely void of talent. That team did play tough though and somehow managed a winning record. Nate Carter was by far as our best "big man" and he stood all of 6'4.

In year two, Capel got Blake, but most still expected NIT at best. Instead, we pulled off some great early wins (at West Virginia) and surprised most people by getting a #6 seed in the Dance. Again, most people picked St. Joe's to upset OU in the first round, but we beat them handily before gettting toasted by Louisville. And remember, one huge win from that year came in Stillwater when Blake was hurt.

Year three played out as most expected....OU was a consistent top 10 team all year. #2 seed in the Dance and made the Elite 8, bowing out to the eventual champs. And that team did have a stroke of bad luck when Blake missed our two biggest regular season games (UT and KU)-- and in those games, OU still held firm and gave respectable efforts.

So, for three years I think the evidence is strong to suggest that Capel can coach. He did well with the scraps left behind from Sampson and he did well with the first batch of players he brought through.

Now, something has gone terribly wrong. Capel has made a major error somewhere along the line in either recruiting, coaching, or both. This team is a mess right now. Capel certainly isn't in the dark about the problems. He has routinely called them out, referenced "spoiled AAU" players, and we all read about how he's kicked them out of the lockeroom and refuses to let them wear OU gear in practice. He's put guys on the bench and he's done everything in his power to "break them down." It appears nothing is working.

One thing might be that the talent is overrated-- maybe some of these guys aren't as good as advertised? But even if that's true, it really doesn't explain a 31 point loss to a team that has never beaten you before. If OU was struggling a bit, showing signs of youth, and a little behind the learning curve, I think we could all accept that. But to be so utterly non-competitive is unnaceptable no matter the circumstances.

Capel needs to do WHATEVER he needs to do to remove the current toxic atmosphere. Probably not a whole lot he can do the rest of THIS year, but if things don't improve, and if certain players don't clean up their act, then Capel might need to cut some people loose after this year. Even if it means setting ourselves back a season or two, I'm all for it, if Capel deems it necessary.

If Capel has indeed made judgement errors on these players, then he can hopefully recognize that and do what he needs to do to rectify the situation.

I hope it doesn't come to that. I still have hope that maybe we've got some immature guys that just need to be taught "how" to play and that it's simply going to take time to get things fully ironed out.

If this season has ANY chance of being salvaged (which is highly doubtful in my opinion) we pretty much must beat OU in Norman Monday night. If we manage to get a W against the Pokes, then maybe we can start talking. But right now, I'll be surprised if we get within 10.

badger
1/10/2010, 01:35 PM
Capel was blessed the last two seasons with an incredibly talented player as well as some very talented role players. The same could be said for Coale's first Final Four run back when she has Stacey Dales as well as two other WNBA first-rounders.

Unfortunately, players graduate or head to the pros in the college game, so the key to Capel succeeding will be to find more players like Blake, more Taylors, or even better, more Hollises or Mookies or God willing, someone like Wayman.

Eielson
1/10/2010, 01:56 PM
Most people on here act like they want somebody who recruits less talented players and gets them to play hard or sends them packing. Anybody saying they want this is a liar. We already had Kelvin Sampson. I personally liked him, but he was not popular around here, so why is basically everybody asking for somebody that coaches like him?

Rock Hard Corn Frog
1/10/2010, 02:05 PM
I'm still totally confident in Capel's ability to recruit AND coach. Coaches generally get too much credit and too much blame. I see it as a team chemistry issue and the only thing Capel can do is bench,suspend or remove players that don't "get it". That might very well not make a positive difference on the won/loss record until next year. 2-3 players could fix this problem tomorrow if they wanted to.

soonervegas
1/10/2010, 02:43 PM
This isn't a capel issue other than he may have brought in some bad seeds. capel has taken two different schools to the big dance......he can coach.

OUSKINS
1/10/2010, 06:10 PM
Here is a take from a friend of mine, who emailed me earlier....it is scathing regarding Willie, but it's also a distinct possibility, IMO.

"It's bizarre to write this, but I miss Austin Johnson. Every player except for Crocker, who is older and noticeably not affected, has probably been influenced by WW since the first day they walked on campus. He has all the talent in the world, but is a complete headcase. I don't see Capel ever getting complete effort out him for an entire game. The difference from last year and this year is he was held accountable by a player with more talent and desire. Now it's his ball, his team, and we're seeing the results. I have been watching OU basketball since the Wayman Tisdale days, and cannot remember a player, a possibly great player like Warren, bringing a team down to this extent. We will have moments, in big games and against big talent where WW will find motivation, but that will be it. We will see flashes of his talent, but he has killed our season, I think the day Blake and Taylor left.

Next year he will be gone, and it will be fun watching college basketball again. And, I think we could possibly be good. I was really looking forward to this year, with the supposed talent we recruited. But, we will never live up to our potential with WW sucking the life out of us.

He is easily my least favorite player in OU basketball history. Hopefully he will still be considered a lottery and take his miserable *** to the NBA. Lets keep our fingers crossed."

bluedogok
1/10/2010, 06:38 PM
Most people on here act like they want somebody who recruits less talented players and gets them to play hard or sends them packing. Anybody saying they want this is a liar. We already had Kelvin Sampson. I personally liked him, but he was not popular around here, so why is basically everybody asking for somebody that coaches like him?
No, you can have exceptional players who aren't malcontents...if Warren (or anyone else) exhibits that type of behavior in high school (and they usually do) then more than likely they are going to bring it with them. There are quite a few exceptional players who do not act like that, you just have to weed them out in your recruiting process. Those type of players exist in many places, not just at the top level programs.

Didn't Warren pout some last season because he didn't come in as the "star" behind Blake? I seem to remember something like that.

StoopTroup
1/10/2010, 06:39 PM
We should probably give him a raise.

royalfan5
1/10/2010, 07:38 PM
Nobody is speculating on the Duke Curse yet? Look at Mizzou and Quinn Synder. When Willie Warren wrecks Boren's 4-wheeler you can start getting nervous.

the_ouskull
1/10/2010, 07:53 PM
Nobody is speculating on the Duke Curse yet? Look at Mizzou and Quinn Synder. When Willie Warren wrecks Boren's 4-wheeler you can start getting nervous.

Unless you mean a golf cart, I think we're good. :D

the_ouskull

ouleaf
1/11/2010, 10:25 AM
With how young this team is, I just don't think a lot of them know how to play as a team. While these guys might have been good enough to completely take over and dominate in HS, they aren't good enough to do it at this level. These guys just aren't on the same page mentally. Part of that falls on coaching, but a majority of it falls on the players. It's pretty disappointing to watch.

ndpruitt03
1/11/2010, 10:45 AM
Capel's first year problems were that his best player didn't play for the first half of the season. Look at his stats for the Pre Big 12 season. He averaged something like 4 points game in like 10 minutes per game. The problems with this team have nothing to do with youth really. It's that they don't like being around each other. It's not been a good environment to try and teach them how to be a team. Capel needs to get rid of some trash that he recruited to OU.

badger
1/11/2010, 11:16 AM
I suppose now would be a bad time to remind Capel et al that tonight is a nationally televised game against Poke State.

8 p.m. on ESPN.

Not to be my usual sunshine pumping self (after all, the Packers lost yesterday and I was not a merry sunshine for most of the last 24 hours or so, ever since I heard Kurt was retiring to motivate his team... arrrrrgggggh), but there's lots of basketball left to be played.

And... if there isn't, there's lots of wimmens basketball left to be played. :D

Bourbon St Sooner
1/11/2010, 01:19 PM
I think what is killing us is the blowing up of Kelvin's last recruiting class. We just have no senior leadership. Crocker is obviously not a vocal leader. Willie is the leader of this team and he's clearly not a positive leader. It's time to part ways with Willie, I don't care how good he is. If he's the team leader again next year we're going to be in the same boat.

FREE WILLIE!

badger
1/11/2010, 01:25 PM
Scottie Reynolds and Dameon James on this team would be a godsend... but since they didn't want to be at OU, I don't want them at OU either.

If that means that we tank a season, well, there's not much I can do about it.

Ton Loc
1/11/2010, 01:29 PM
Here is a take from a friend of mine, who emailed me earlier....it is scathing regarding Willie, but it's also a distinct possibility, IMO.

"It's bizarre to write this, but I miss Austin Johnson. Every player except for Crocker, who is older and noticeably not affected, has probably been influenced by WW since the first day they walked on campus....

He is easily my least favorite player in OU basketball history. Hopefully he will still be considered a lottery and take his miserable *** to the NBA. Lets keep our fingers crossed."

Please please tell me your friend's name is ouskull - ;)

Also - my wife bought me tickets to the rest of the home games this year for xmas. I'll let you all guess how excited I am for them now.

Sooner04
1/11/2010, 01:39 PM
I think what is killing us is the blowing up of Kelvin's last recruiting class. We just have no senior leadership. Crocker is obviously not a vocal leader. Willie is the leader of this team and he's clearly not a positive leader. It's time to part ways with Willie, I don't care how good he is. If he's the team leader again next year we're going to be in the same boat.

FREE WILLIE!
Don't blame any of this on Kelvin. Not a drop.

Bourbon St Sooner
1/11/2010, 01:46 PM
Did I blame anything on Kelvin. I said we had no senior leadership and the de facto "leader" of the team is toxic. I also said free Willie.

Sooner04
1/11/2010, 01:48 PM
You know, I misread your post. I'm sorry. I thought it was the blaming of Kelvin's class but instead you were saying it was the blowup of Kelvin's last class that did us in. My aplogies.

It's a myriad of things right now, but the simplest thing I can say is this: last year our best player was our hardest worker. This year our best player is our mental weak link.

NormanPride
1/11/2010, 02:11 PM
I haven't been watching college ball for long, but I don't remember a team ever self-destructing like this.

the_ouskull
1/11/2010, 02:15 PM
If this team can't get their sh*t together for OSU, can we at least have a couple of walk-ons take some pot into the Aggie locker room before the game? It might level the playing field a little bit...

the_ouskull

Bourbon St Sooner
1/11/2010, 02:16 PM
No I wasn't blaming Kelvin and I don't even blame Dameon James and Scottie Reynolds. Those guys made the decisions that they thought were best for them. I mostly blame WW. Maybe our expectations for this season were overwrought, but there's no reason for us to be so non-competitive.

I'll continue to watch, but as of Saturday I really no longer hold any hope of seeing improvement in this team.