Collier11
2/23/2010, 12:54 AM
Sooners going through growing pains after signee exodus
By BLAIR KERKHOFF
The Kansas City Star
The ankle injury to Willie Warren has slowed Oklahoma, but the emergence of point guard Tommy Mason-Griffin has lifted the Sooners. And fellow freshman Tiny Gallon seems to be coming along.
But as it’s been throughout their Oklahoma careers, the strength of the Sooners club visiting Kansas tonight are Scottie Reynolds and Damion James.
If only.
Reynolds and James were Sooners, for a few months. They signed to play for coach Kelvin Sampson, but when Sampson stunned Oklahoma by leaving for Indiana after the 2006 season, Reynolds and James wanted out of their agreements.
Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione was faced with a difficult decision.
He could have held Reynolds and James to their bonds. After all, student-athletes sign with a school, not a coach.
Think of where Oklahoma might be with Reynolds, who is having an All-America season at Villanova, and James, Texas’ top scorer. The Wildcats, despite Sunday’s loss at Pittsburgh, remain in the hunt for a top seed, and the Longhorns reached the No. 1 ranking for the first time in school history last month.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma is on the slow boat to nowhere. The Sooners drag records of 13-13 overall and 4-8 in the Big 12 to Lawrence tonight.
Had Reynolds and James been held to their agreements, they might have believed Jeff Capel was precisely what they sought as a coach. But Castiglione, one of college sports’ most respected athletic directors, did the right thing by letting the signees out of their letters of intent even if it cost his basketball program.
“I’ve been criticized by some for doing that,” Castiglione said.
He and Capel tried to keep the signing class intact. It also included current Sooner Tony Crocker and Jeremy Mayfield, who went to Alabama-Birmingham and became a starter. Castiglione kept the families abreast of the coaching search, and Capel took re-recruiting visits to each home.
But to the anguish of the Sooners, all but Crocker reopened the process.
“If we had fought it out of principle, I think it would have hurt us even more in the long run,” Castiglione said. “It would have hurt us in recruiting, with high school coaches. We had to look at the bigger picture here.”
There are no easy answers. Schools can’t stop coaches from leaving. After last football season, Lane Kiffin bolted Tennessee for Southern California and Brian Kelly jumped Cincinnati for Notre Dame in the highest-profile moves, leaving behind angry recruits and fan bases.
They’re not wrong to chase jobs, but there are no rules for coaches. Student-athletes are expected to honor their pledges. Once enrolled, they have to sit out a year if they decide to transfer.
Castiglione said letting the bulk of that recruiting class walk away was “gut-wrenching.”
“But as difficult as it was,” he said, “we were convinced it was the right thing to do.”
The Sooners have traveled a peaks-and-valleys path since. When he took the job, Capel had the great fortune of having on the roster a talented player who would become an NBA second-round draft selection. The bonus of Taylor Griffin was having a younger brother, Blake, who signed with the Sooners and led them to a regional championship game in his national-player-of-the-year season.
The Griffins are gone, but expectations remained high this season with a touted recruiting class. Capel knew there would be growing pains, but nobody expected ache like this. At different times, Capel has had to deal with leadership and discipline issues. He’s called out his big man, Gallon, for lethargic play, benched some and suspended others.
It’s added up to a miserable season that could end hideously. Saturday’s loss to Kansas State was the Sooners’ fourth straight. Tonight is the biggest challenge, and the regular season ends with games against NCAA Tournament-bound Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M.
Would hiring a different coach have changed Oklahoma’s history? K-State promoted Frank Martin from assistant after Bob Huggins left, and a recruiting class that included Michael Beasley remained.
That move has paid off handsomely for Kansas State. Castiglione said his first order was to find the right coaching fit, and nobody expected the signee exodus.
It was the price Oklahoma paid for taking the high road. And it was worth it.
By BLAIR KERKHOFF
The Kansas City Star
The ankle injury to Willie Warren has slowed Oklahoma, but the emergence of point guard Tommy Mason-Griffin has lifted the Sooners. And fellow freshman Tiny Gallon seems to be coming along.
But as it’s been throughout their Oklahoma careers, the strength of the Sooners club visiting Kansas tonight are Scottie Reynolds and Damion James.
If only.
Reynolds and James were Sooners, for a few months. They signed to play for coach Kelvin Sampson, but when Sampson stunned Oklahoma by leaving for Indiana after the 2006 season, Reynolds and James wanted out of their agreements.
Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione was faced with a difficult decision.
He could have held Reynolds and James to their bonds. After all, student-athletes sign with a school, not a coach.
Think of where Oklahoma might be with Reynolds, who is having an All-America season at Villanova, and James, Texas’ top scorer. The Wildcats, despite Sunday’s loss at Pittsburgh, remain in the hunt for a top seed, and the Longhorns reached the No. 1 ranking for the first time in school history last month.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma is on the slow boat to nowhere. The Sooners drag records of 13-13 overall and 4-8 in the Big 12 to Lawrence tonight.
Had Reynolds and James been held to their agreements, they might have believed Jeff Capel was precisely what they sought as a coach. But Castiglione, one of college sports’ most respected athletic directors, did the right thing by letting the signees out of their letters of intent even if it cost his basketball program.
“I’ve been criticized by some for doing that,” Castiglione said.
He and Capel tried to keep the signing class intact. It also included current Sooner Tony Crocker and Jeremy Mayfield, who went to Alabama-Birmingham and became a starter. Castiglione kept the families abreast of the coaching search, and Capel took re-recruiting visits to each home.
But to the anguish of the Sooners, all but Crocker reopened the process.
“If we had fought it out of principle, I think it would have hurt us even more in the long run,” Castiglione said. “It would have hurt us in recruiting, with high school coaches. We had to look at the bigger picture here.”
There are no easy answers. Schools can’t stop coaches from leaving. After last football season, Lane Kiffin bolted Tennessee for Southern California and Brian Kelly jumped Cincinnati for Notre Dame in the highest-profile moves, leaving behind angry recruits and fan bases.
They’re not wrong to chase jobs, but there are no rules for coaches. Student-athletes are expected to honor their pledges. Once enrolled, they have to sit out a year if they decide to transfer.
Castiglione said letting the bulk of that recruiting class walk away was “gut-wrenching.”
“But as difficult as it was,” he said, “we were convinced it was the right thing to do.”
The Sooners have traveled a peaks-and-valleys path since. When he took the job, Capel had the great fortune of having on the roster a talented player who would become an NBA second-round draft selection. The bonus of Taylor Griffin was having a younger brother, Blake, who signed with the Sooners and led them to a regional championship game in his national-player-of-the-year season.
The Griffins are gone, but expectations remained high this season with a touted recruiting class. Capel knew there would be growing pains, but nobody expected ache like this. At different times, Capel has had to deal with leadership and discipline issues. He’s called out his big man, Gallon, for lethargic play, benched some and suspended others.
It’s added up to a miserable season that could end hideously. Saturday’s loss to Kansas State was the Sooners’ fourth straight. Tonight is the biggest challenge, and the regular season ends with games against NCAA Tournament-bound Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M.
Would hiring a different coach have changed Oklahoma’s history? K-State promoted Frank Martin from assistant after Bob Huggins left, and a recruiting class that included Michael Beasley remained.
That move has paid off handsomely for Kansas State. Castiglione said his first order was to find the right coaching fit, and nobody expected the signee exodus.
It was the price Oklahoma paid for taking the high road. And it was worth it.