william_brasky
10/23/2006, 04:56 PM
Oh no you didn't Big 12 Coaches.
OU’s Neal insulted by Big 12 picks
By John Shinn CNHI News Service
NORMAN — Some players enter the season confident, while others are cautious.
Oklahoma guard Michael Neal fits into the former category. And you can add another category he fits in: Insulted.
The Sooners were picked by the Big 12 coaches to finish ninth in the conference. It’s a label that has Neal seeing red. He made sure anyone within earshot got his take on it Thursday at Big 12 Men’s Basketball Media Day at Cox Convention Center.
“This was just a slap in the face,” Neal said the first time a reporter asked him about the preseason poll. And he repeated for anyone who wanted to hear it again.
Unlike past seasons, the Sooners, who open exhibition play Oct. 31 against Oklahoma Christian, have virtually no buzz going into the season. The lofty preseason accolades that have surrounded them for several years are absent.
The usual heavyweights like Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas are up there. But seeing schools like Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor and Kansas State pass OU in the expectations game hurts.
All those teams were picked ahead of Neal and his chums.
Neal was the Big 12’s best 3-point marksman last season, shooting 49.5 percent from beyond the arc in conference games. He believes most are missing the mark when considering the Sooners’ potential.
He acknowledges Taj Gray, Kevin Bookout and Terrell Everett are gone and their departure leaves OU without the constants of the past two seasons. But no building in college basketball is ever complete and no foundation is permanent.
The predicted swoon of Sooner basketball is a huge topic in the locker room.
“We heard it a couple days into practice,” Neal said. “When we heard it, we came into the locker room and were like, ‘Did you see what they wrote about us?’
“We talked about that as a team. We don’t address that with the coaches. They know it. We just show it to them in our drills and in how hard we work.”
Sooners coach Jeff Capel never mentioned a word about it to his team. Probably because no one mentioned it to him.
“I didn’t know we were picked ninth,” he said. “That’s the honest to goodness truth. I didn’t know until today.”
Perhaps, the slap the Sooners received a few days ago has lit a fire that won’t burn out.
“I know our guys have seen it,” Capel said. “If they want to use it as motivation, good for them. Whatever you can use to play better or work a little bit harder, that’s fine.”
OU’s Neal insulted by Big 12 picks
By John Shinn CNHI News Service
NORMAN — Some players enter the season confident, while others are cautious.
Oklahoma guard Michael Neal fits into the former category. And you can add another category he fits in: Insulted.
The Sooners were picked by the Big 12 coaches to finish ninth in the conference. It’s a label that has Neal seeing red. He made sure anyone within earshot got his take on it Thursday at Big 12 Men’s Basketball Media Day at Cox Convention Center.
“This was just a slap in the face,” Neal said the first time a reporter asked him about the preseason poll. And he repeated for anyone who wanted to hear it again.
Unlike past seasons, the Sooners, who open exhibition play Oct. 31 against Oklahoma Christian, have virtually no buzz going into the season. The lofty preseason accolades that have surrounded them for several years are absent.
The usual heavyweights like Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas are up there. But seeing schools like Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor and Kansas State pass OU in the expectations game hurts.
All those teams were picked ahead of Neal and his chums.
Neal was the Big 12’s best 3-point marksman last season, shooting 49.5 percent from beyond the arc in conference games. He believes most are missing the mark when considering the Sooners’ potential.
He acknowledges Taj Gray, Kevin Bookout and Terrell Everett are gone and their departure leaves OU without the constants of the past two seasons. But no building in college basketball is ever complete and no foundation is permanent.
The predicted swoon of Sooner basketball is a huge topic in the locker room.
“We heard it a couple days into practice,” Neal said. “When we heard it, we came into the locker room and were like, ‘Did you see what they wrote about us?’
“We talked about that as a team. We don’t address that with the coaches. They know it. We just show it to them in our drills and in how hard we work.”
Sooners coach Jeff Capel never mentioned a word about it to his team. Probably because no one mentioned it to him.
“I didn’t know we were picked ninth,” he said. “That’s the honest to goodness truth. I didn’t know until today.”
Perhaps, the slap the Sooners received a few days ago has lit a fire that won’t burn out.
“I know our guys have seen it,” Capel said. “If they want to use it as motivation, good for them. Whatever you can use to play better or work a little bit harder, that’s fine.”