Thoughts on the season, the program, and Capel

[OUSKINS]

Believe it or not, the college hoops season is well underway; OU is 3-0 with
all three wins coming at home against scrubs. Not going to waste time breaking down these games, but rather I wanted to share my thoughts on the state of the program and our prospects for this year.

I'm a Capel believer. Have been since day one and I'm glad Joe C stuck with him despite what could have been a "fireable" performance last year. Make no mistake; last year was as disasterous as a season can get, both on and off the floor. The dysfunction level was astounding and Capel obviously bears a lot of the blame for what happened. But I believe there is potential greatness in Capel and I think it's worth the risk to keep him. He took over an empty roster in his
first year and got that team to overachieve- the team did the same in his second
year. We won 30 games and went to the Elite 8 in his third year; meeting the
lofty expectations of that year. Through three years I gave Capel a solid "A"
grade. Then, disaster in year four. But I believe Capel is young enough and has
shown enough to earn a mulligan; we are starting from scratch again, but I
believe Capel deserves a chance to avenge last year; I'm willing to take our
medicine this year with the belief that Capel can get it back.

Which brings us to this team... No sunshine pumping from me, there are going to
be some ugly nights. Nine newcomers and ONE upperclassman with experience is
almost unheard of. But this team will play hard and they will play the right
way; that much is already obvious.

Fitzgerald clearly worked his tail off this summer- lost a ton of weight and
looks much better; he simply isn't overly skilled- not a natural banger at all;
plays hard but is not a great rebounder. Pledger has been impressive; looks much
more confident and athletic so far this year. Cameron Clark is the one guy on
the roster that might have a role at a school like KU, but he's still raw- very
talented though; clearly has the most upside on the roster. He will play a key
role for Capel going forward. The mass exodus from last year opens the door for
a guy like Nick Thompson; interesting player- a legit 6'8 and athletic; good
passer; always hustling- could get lost in the paint against big guys though.

Size is a major weakness...we just don't have any. Big teams will eat us alive.
Our guard (I like the freshmen Newell) might be able to hold their own, but our
frontcourt is small and we have no depth or experience there. The great to elite
teams will run us off the floor this year; those games will ugly. The key to the
season will be whether or not we will be able to steal any games from the
average to above average teams on the schedule.

The upside for this team? I'd say a few games over .500 and a trip to the NIT or
CBI. If Capel can manage that, it would be a successful year. The downside? It
could be REALLY down; we could potentially go 2-14 in conference or something
like that.

Team heads to Maui now... They play Kentucky on ESPN Monday at 4:30; I expect to take one on the chin. My goal would be to leave the island with one win- the
field is stout so it won't be easy. We are looking at a long year here, but as a
believer in Capel, I'm interested to see why he can get out of this group.

[Blue]

Good post. Hopefully we'll get a game w/ Chaminade. I think its possible we could win 2 out there.

I agree about Capel. The way college bball is these days all it takes is one recruiting class.

[Collier11]

Kentucky is supremely talented but very young as well, we can hang with them for a while before their athleticism takes over...the two things I see that worry me are turnovers and lack of size

[nebraskaSOONER]

I agree they will take more than a few on the chin this year BUT if Capel can get them to stay for the long haul it will only make them better, Very excited to see them play UK that will be a great tool to only make them better and I think they can scare them and even beat them on the right night. I am a "cup is half full" Sooner Hoops fan, LOVE watching them play, totally on board with Jeff C. Good Luck to them this year! BOOMER!!!

[GDC]

Anyone could have coached a team with Blake Griffin to the elite eight. Capel has shown zilch otherwise. Joe C needs to man up and admit he made a mistake.

[OUSKINS]

Anyone could have coached a team with Blake Griffin to the elite eight. Capel has shown zilch otherwise. Joe C needs to man up and admit he made a mistake.

Disagree. Kevin Durant didn't make it that far at UT and he was surrounded by more talent; and one of the biggest wins in the Capel era was in stillwater- minus Blake. Capel's first three years were very good.

[ouleaf]

I'm on board with Capel through at least next season. We are off to nice start this year with what is pretty much a brand new team. The attitude of the team is much more positive and the guys are seeming to respond to Capel much better. If they can continue this trend and by the end of next year they aren't back in the top half of the conference, and be knocking on the door of the NCAA tourney, then I might be more skeptical about bringing Capel back.

As far as the team this season goes, i'm encouraged by this attitude, hustle, and the fact that there is a real effort to play team basketball. It really looks like these guys went to work this Summer and it is paying off early. Granted we haven't been playing elite competition, it has still been quality basketball for the most part.

[waynepayne]

After last year ALL I CARE ABOUT is they play hard and give it their all, which I have seen in all 3 games so far. That is what this team needs to show each and every night if they are to win back fans who were really turned off after that primadonna meltdown last year.

I for one am in.

[GDC]

Disagree. Kevin Durant didn't make it that far at UT and he was surrounded by more talent; and one of the biggest wins in the Capel era was in stillwater- minus Blake. Capel's first three years were very good.

Durant was one and done, Blake didn't make it to the elite eight until his sophomore year.

Sooners should not count wins over OSU as big, these wins should be expected.

Capel is 42-35 minus the elite eight year, hardly what most would consider good.

The sunshine pumpers are throwing around words like "heart" and "hustle". We should have a coach who gets talented players who have heart and hustle. The university and its supporters deserve better than this bunch of cast-offs and fill-ins. Capel must go.

[caseysooner]

Looks like Capel needs to hit the recruiting trail a little harder this year considering we only have one commit for the upcoming season.

[usaosooner]

Looks like Capel needs to hit the recruiting trail a little harder this year considering we only have one commit for the upcoming season.

We only have one scholly to give I believe barring people leaving

[wilson63]

Anyone could have coached a team with Blake Griffin to the elite eight. Capel has shown zilch otherwise. Joe C needs to man up and admit he made a mistake.

Yes. but often was Blake hurt? Did They lose every game he was out. Hey anybody can coach teams like Kentucky, Duke, etc... with the talents they have..

[oulucas]

Anyone could have coached a team with Blake Griffin to the elite eight. Capel has shown zilch otherwise. Joe C needs to man up and admit he made a mistake.

I respectfully disagree. What is interesting to me is that I see more of a set offense this year with much less talent than the past couple of years.

I expect him to get criticized for what is happening vs. Virginia right now and that is ok, AS LONG as he also gets credit with coaching an inferior team within 6 points of Kentucky with 90 seconds to go (I don't mean we are inferior, I mean our talent is less than Kentucky's by a long shot).

[OUstud]

He HAS to be gone now. No way should we lose to a D-II school. I will continue to support the team and won't miss a home game, but I'm done supporting Capel. He's not the guy.

[TopDawg]

Hopefully we'll get a game w/ Chaminade.

Careful what you wish for.

[WuDrWu]

Betcha wish Mark Turgeon would have said yes.

[GDC]

Rock. Bottom.

Has any program ever fell so far, so fast?

[badger]

Rock. Bottom.

Has any program ever fell so far, so fast?

Looking at your avatar, Texas football this year, perhaps? Hook em

[GDC]

Looking at your avatar, Texas football this year, perhaps? Hook em

Well played!:D

[StoopTroup]

I wish Jeff was the one to put this program back on track as much as anyone. He's not the guy though. If he doesn't start winning games once we're a 1/4 way through the Conference, Joe Castiglione better let him know it's over and get to shopping around for a new HC. It's tough to say this as I really thought Jeff was gonna be another one of those King Midus type hires we see Joe make. It's not and it's probably time for him to go unfortunately.

[KABOOKIE]

It's gonna be long, OU bball is dead, Capull sucks.

[kevpks]

I don't want "Capull" coaching my team either. Bring back Calvin Simpson!

[KABOOKIE]

Capull, Crapel what's the difference? :D

[OUSKINS]

Hard to stay on board when you lose Chaminade. I expected a rough year, but that is unnacceptable.

[EatLeadCommie]

Could be worse. You could be Wake Forest.

[nebraskaSOONER]

Durant was one and done, Blake didn't make it to the elite eight until his sophomore year.

Sooners should not count wins over OSU as big, these wins should be expected.

Capel is 42-35 minus the elite eight year, hardly what most would consider good.

The sunshine pumpers are throwing around words like "heart" and "hustle". We should have a coach who gets talented players who have heart and hustle. The university and its supporters deserve better than this bunch of cast-offs and fill-ins. Capel must go.

HECK YEAH I AGREE, We should get rid of Jeff and put you in the spot, You have it all figured out! Get a load of talent and no heart or hustle! Ask Kentucky how many national titles that has gotten them lately, Oh wait, YOU just want that strong run to the elite 8 and done with a few final fours here and there, who cares if the players are just there for a tune up to go to the NBA and just a bunch of ego junkies.

I like this TEAM JC has put together, and what he is building on. A TEAM not a ALL STAR group thinking about their paychecks in the future. BOOOOMER!

[soonervegas]

I beginning to wonder how far a better division 1 coach would have taken Griffin, Griffin, Johnson, and Crocker in 2009.

[tulsaoilerfan]

I beginning to wonder how far a better division 1 coach would have taken Griffin, Griffin, Johnson, and Crocker in 2009.

well considering they lost to the eventual champions i'm not sure they could have went much further than they did

[BudsBoy]

If Blake goes somewhere besides OU he would have been gone already. That was a spike of wins which would not have been there without Blake.

[caesarscott]

Good post. Hopefully we'll get a game w/ Chaminade.
lol, wut. :pop:

[Eielson]

I beginning to wonder how far a better division 1 coach would have taken Griffin, Griffin, Johnson, and Crocker in 2009.

Blake is probably the best college basketball player on this side of the century, but UNC's team that year is probably the best basketball team on this side of the century. They had us beat head-to-head at every position except Blake's, and that includes the bench. Even Obama was able to correctly pick that they were going to win the NC.

When it comes to judging how good of a coach Capel is, I think it's more difficult to judge than quite a few of you make it out to sound. Sure, he was fortunate to have had Blake, but he was as equally unfortunate to run into what occurred when Tiny and TMG stepped onto campus. If Castiglione decides to give Capel another year or two, I'll support that. If he decides to let him go, I'll understand that. However, I doubt that there are any great coaches that are just slobbering at the chance to coach here at Oklahoma. If there were, I'd be all for letting him go. No matter what you wish to say, he took a mess of a program and took them to the Elite 8 far faster than anybody had dreamed.

[soonervegas]

Blake is probably the best college basketball player on this side of the century, but UNC's team that year is probably the best basketball team on this side of the century. They had us beat head-to-head at every position except Blake's, and that includes the bench. Even Obama was able to correctly pick that they were going to win the NC.

When it comes to judging how good of a coach Capel is, I think it's more difficult to judge than quite a few of you make it out to sound. Sure, he was fortunate to have had Blake, but he was as equally unfortunate to run into what occurred when Tiny and TMG stepped onto campus. If Castiglione decides to give Capel another year or two, I'll support that. If he decides to let him go, I'll understand that. However, I doubt that there are any great coaches that are just slobbering at the chance to coach here at Oklahoma. If there were, I'd be all for letting him go. No matter what you wish to say, he took a mess of a program and took them to the Elite 8 far faster than anybody had dreamed.

Agreed 100% on Carolina, but I didn't say a different coach just for the tourney. I said a different coach period. I believe many, many coaches would have had Blake and Co. better than the worst #2 seed. If that happens, then may be lose to them in the the final four or national title game.

On your 2nd point.....you are right on target. No known coach is going to come to the smouldering ruins that is this b-ball program. We would have to get lucky with an assistant. But I am willing to trade the worst talent evaluator I have seen at OU for someone new....

[meoveryouxinfinity]

I thought Capel should have handled the Tiny Gallon situation differently. ie, kicked him off the team for good about 6 months before he was caught..
Tiny Gallon=super ******y

[Romulus]

Capel is in way way over his head. Joe C went elcheapo with Capel and hired an asst coach. I hope Capel is sending his money from the raise he bent OU over for to Blake Griffin

[waynepayne]

:rolleyes:

[Collier11]

Capel is in way way over his head. Joe C went elcheapo with Capel and hired an asst coach. I hope Capel is sending his money from the raise he bent OU over for to Blake Griffin

I guess the guy can coach afterall...I mean, we may not be tourney bound but what he is doing with this team is impressive

[Rock Hard Corn Frog]

I guess the guy can coach afterall...I mean, we may not be tourney bound but what he is doing with this team is impressive

I think Capel is largely responsible for digging the hole that the program is currently in but has done a very good job thus far of digging his way out of it. I can blame it all on Capel because Gallon and TMG did a lot to put in the hole as well.

I still don't see us winning a Big 12 title or in the mix for a spot in the Final 4 anytime soon but you can see a young team improving that with a couple players could be back to being an NCAA tourney team in a couple years.

Now if finish like we did last year and drop out last 9 or 10 games then Capel is back on the hot seat. Another 2-3 wins could go a long way toward the program turning the corner.

[yankee]

I think Capel is largely responsible for digging the hole that the program is currently in but has done a very good job thus far of digging his way out of it. I can blame it all on Capel because Gallon and TMG did a lot to put in the hole as well.

I still don't see us winning a Big 12 title or in the mix for a spot in the Final 4 anytime soon but you can see a young team improving that with a couple players could be back to being an NCAA tourney team in a couple years.

Now if finish like we did last year and drop out last 9 or 10 games then Capel is back on the hot seat. Another 2-3 wins could go a long way toward the program turning the corner.

If this team keeps improving like they have and stays healthy, along with the players we're getting for next season, we will definitely be an NCAA tourney team next season IMO. Which is remarkable because so many claimed that OU bball is dead, even dedicated fans like sooner04.

[Collier11]

I think Capel is largely responsible for digging the hole that the program is currently in

I agree simply because he is the Big Dog but I also think that some perspective is required...he had 3 guys (WW, TMG, TG) who most everyone in the country wanted and he got them. Now should he have been a better judge of character, absolutely, but also understand that any coach thinks that he can get thru to players.

I dont fault him for going after the best, I just fault him for not knowing them as a person better. You can dig up any post from around that time and everyone was pumped about TMG and TG.

I think if we can win 6-8 conf games and be competitive overall, Capel has done an outstanding job. Now we are playing roulette here but the guys he potentially has coming in mixed with some of the guys we have now could make for a pretty good team next season

[starclassic tama]

4 straight conference wins with this roster is impressive no matter how much you people hate capel or whatever.

[stoopified]

There are a lot of posts in this thread that remind me of the old Chinese adage BETTER TO REMAIN SILENT AND BE THOUGHT A FOOL THEN TO OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND REMOVE ALL DOUBT.

[Soonerjeepman]

I'll admit he is doing something right...motivating the kids or something...putting the right guys out there...I still hold true that most of the guys (the bottom 5 guys) that wouldn't be playing major D1 anywhere else...which will kill us as the season progresses.

2 wins against the bottom 2 teams and 2 wins against the middle of the road teams...(we are 1/2 a game up on those 2) doesn't constitute a great season.....we have the hardest games left...we'll see...and hope the team keeps improving and building.

With 3 soph and 1 fr starting we definitely have 4 guys to rebuild the program around...

Am I excited the team is winning...hell yes...am I ready to crown Capel a great coach...not yet...but the season is definitely improving..

[stoopified]

I'll admit he is doing something right...motivating the kids or something...putting the right guys out there...I still hold true that most of the guys (the bottom 5 guys) that wouldn't be playing major D1 anywhere else...which will kill us as the season progresses.

2 wins against the bottom 2 teams and 2 wins against the middle of the road teams...(we are 1/2 a game up on those 2) doesn't constitute a great season.....we have the hardest games left...we'll see...and hope the team keeps improving and building.

With 3 soph and 1 fr starting we definitely have 4 guys to rebuild the program around...

Am I excited the team is winning...hell yes...am I ready to crown Capel a great coach...not yet...but the season is definitely improving..iIUNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE SOME PLAYERS(tHOMPSON FOR ONE) THAT ARE NOT D-1 MAJOR TALENT BUT BEAR IN MIND cAPEL HAD TO SCRAMBLE TO REBUILD HIS ROSTER.tO FINF AS MUCH TALENT,AS LATE IN THE PROCESS AS HE DID IS REMARKABLE. While Newell,Blatr,Neal,Washington are not star material they are at the same level as much of the talent that OU has won with in the last 30 years.BILLY AND KELVIN MAINLY PLAYED WITH 7 MAN ROTATIONS, LIKE CAPEL.ON GOOD DAYS AN 8TH PLAYER IS ADDED.

[soonervegas]

There are a lot of posts in this thread that remind me of the old Chinese adage BETTER TO REMAIN SILENT AND BE THOUGHT A FOOL THEN TO OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND REMOVE ALL DOUBT.

Yes people defining missing the tourney 3 out of 5 years as unacceptable are true dumb arses.

Capel has done a good job of getting this team playing hard and as a team....but the jury is still WAY out. I think he is in the process of "earning" a 5th year in many fans eyes, but there is still a lot of ball to be played and if we finish 5-11 all this chest thumping will be long gone.

Regardless, next year is NCAA or bust for him. Hopefully he succeeds......

[GDC]

It is truly sad and pathetic how much Capel has forced us to lower our standards and expectations.

[Soonerjeepman]

iIUNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE SOME PLAYERS(tHOMPSON FOR ONE) THAT ARE NOT D-1 MAJOR TALENT BUT BEAR IN MIND cAPEL HAD TO SCRAMBLE TO REBUILD HIS ROSTER.tO FINF AS MUCH TALENT,AS LATE IN THE PROCESS AS HE DID IS REMARKABLE. While Newell,Blatr,Neal,Washington are not star material they are at the same level as much of the talent that OU has won with in the last 30 years.BILLY AND KELVIN MAINLY PLAYED WITH 7 MAN ROTATIONS, LIKE CAPEL.ON GOOD DAYS AN 8TH PLAYER IS ADDED.

I do bear that in mind...it's was unforeseen what would happen..$hit happens...but as far as putting Capel up there with tubbs and KS..(I know you aren't) isn't right...obviously he can coach..but at OU's level? who knows..we'll see.

Why offer all those guys..now we are stuck with them unless Capel wants to be viewed as a cutthroat guy and cut them after a yr...which is all legal but is it right?

I do disagree with you on the talent level of Newell, Blair, Neal and Washington and that Tubbs and KS won with guys like that..Tubbs had 3-4 guys go into the nba off of 1 team....did those guys turn down Kent/KU/Duke for OU ball, no...but we weren't beating out low D1 or D2 schools for their talents either.

I'm one of the biggest Sooner fans...I watch and cheer for ALL teams..unlike some who just do fball or even bball...I watch for scores of all the OU sports...even frickin track and field...LOL..I want OU and Capel to succeed..we'll see how the rest of the season goes...

[Ton Loc]

I have no doubt Capel can coach. Can he recruit, judge talent, and handle off court problems and attitudes? Last year seemed to put those things into question, but I never thought the guy couldn't coach.

He's got guys with the right attitude this year. Now he just needs to get a couple guys with that attitude that are difference makers and higher caliber players. He does that and we're right back where we belong. Winning 20+ games, NCAA tourney, and subsequently losing before we should (wait a sec - that was with Kelvin ;) )

[OU_Sooners75]

I'll admit he is doing something right...motivating the kids or something...putting the right guys out there...I still hold true that most of the guys (the bottom 5 guys) that wouldn't be playing major D1 anywhere else...which will kill us as the season progresses.

2 wins against the bottom 2 teams and 2 wins against the middle of the road teams...(we are 1/2 a game up on those 2) doesn't constitute a great season.....we have the hardest games left...we'll see...and hope the team keeps improving and building.

With 3 soph and 1 fr starting we definitely have 4 guys to rebuild the program around...

Am I excited the team is winning...hell yes...am I ready to crown Capel a great coach...not yet...but the season is definitely improving..

Yes our hardest games are still ahead of us. However, before the season began how many here, including yourself, thought we would win 4 games in conference play this year?

I Personally thought we would be lucky to win 2, so this team has already exceeded my expectations.

If we can stay competitive against Texas, Kansas, Texas A&M, and Missouri, which I think we will, it will say a lot about this team.

Against almost every remaining team we face, we will be undersized and out-talented.

We should beat OSU, hell maybe even twice. We should be able to beat Texas Tech again. and who knows, maybe even beat Nebraska.

I think we win 2 of our remaining games, with the possibility of 1 or 2 more wins in there somewhere.

This team is by far the least talented team we have produced in the last 30+ years, but it is one the hardest working and disciplined teams I have seen in a long time.

This team could have folded like a paper sack and just gave up...but they havent. They have come together as a team, and they are playing as a team.

But they damn sure need to learn how to make free throws!

[OU_Sooners75]

I have no doubt Capel can coach. Can he recruit, judge talent, and handle off court problems and attitudes? Last year seemed to put those things into question, but I never thought the guy couldn't coach.

He's got guys with the right attitude this year. Now he just needs to get a couple guys with that attitude that are difference makers and higher caliber players. He does that and we're right back where we belong. Winning 20+ games, NCAA tourney, and subsequently losing before we should (wait a sec - that was with Kelvin ;) )


There is no question he that he can recruit...he can definitely do that. I just hope he has learned how to evaluate character moreso than he has shown us.

[bigfatjerk]

There is no question he that he can recruit...he can definitely do that. I just hope he has learned how to evaluate character moreso than he has shown us.

Why do people say that. Look at what his recruits have done overall and it's pretty poor. I don't care where these players were ranked coming out of high school. Based where it should be on what the players actually do in games. His third best player might be Cade Davis. That's a pretty big drop off from Blake Griffin and maybe Willie Warren.

[OU_Sooners75]

Why do people say that. Look at what his recruits have done overall and it's pretty poor. I don't care where these players were ranked coming out of high school. Based where it should be on what the players actually do in games. His third best player might be Cade Davis. That's a pretty big drop off from Blake Griffin and maybe Willie Warren.


When he first got here, he had to deal with a depleted roster thanks to recruits like Scotty Reynolds and others going to other schools due to Sampson leaving.

He also had to deal with some sanctions thanks to being on probation.

The man has had some very bad situations dealt to him, before and while he has been here.

Capel's first real recruiting class did not show up until his second year in Norman. by his third year he took us to the Elite 8.

He then recruited 3 players that had some minor to major character flaws. Would those players have done what they did at other schools? Who knows, but judging by their character, one could say yes they would have likely behaved the same no matter where they were or who their coach was.

Right now, he has a bunch of role players (support players) on his squad. We are a very young team. We are undersized and against most teams we are less talented.

Look at the players he has interested in coming to OU, or that are coming to OU. There are some very talented players on that list.

Capel may have had a major part in digging this hole we are in, but he is also a major reason it seems that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

It speaks volumes for Capel when coaches like Bill Self and Rick Barnes can say publicly that Capel seems to be doing just fine and is building a very solid foundation for what has happened in the past with OU.


Before conference play started I said, if he can match what we did last season with the players we have, then we should keep him around a little while longer. If he couldn't, then we need to get rid of him.

IMHO, he ahs exceeded expectations this season as our coach.

To say otherwise is just being a fan that is only for a coach that never goes through tough times or growing pains as a coach.....and you fit that bill quite well.