The 2006-07 Basketball Season SUCKED!

[Big Red Ron]

I personally blame Calvin but I cannot remember ever having a season this bad.

Part of me wishes we would have hired a "Bob Huggins" type of coach for the short term but I think Capel will be fine down the road.

Thanks for all the hard work Seniors.

Now let's get better and forget this nightmare.

[Big Red Ron]

Dear Mr. anonymous neg spek giver...you're right, I wasn't around in 81' I was all of nine years old. You'll have to work pretty hard to dent my 7 million plus hammer.

[soonervegas]

Unfortunately we will probably have to go through one more year like this. I do place the majority of the blame on the cheater as well.

[Big Red Ron]

"The cheater," I like it.

[okienole3]

I don't think Capel was really left with much.

[John Kochtoston]

Why don't we blame Sampson for global warming and cancer as well? :rolleyes:

Look, I think Capel has done about the best he could with this buch. I think, in the long run, we'll be fine. But the incoming recruits left. Sampson left for a better job. The probation had nothing to do with our sub-par season.

I can't make anyone like Sampson, and that's fine. But he's been gone for a year. Someday, some people will have to find a new whipping boy every time we don't make the Final Four.

[Big Red Ron]

I don't think Capel was really left with much.Heck no! At least Tubbs leaft Simpson with a superstar in Ryan Minor, who seemed to will us to victories and into the NCAA Tourney. As a matter of fact, Ryan Minor won Calvin Simpson his National Coach of the Year award.

[Big Red Ron]

Why don't we blame Sampson for global warming and cancer as well? :rolleyes:

Look, I think Capel has done about the best he could with this buch. I think, in the long run, we'll be fine. But the incoming recruits left. Sampson left for a better job. The probation had nothing to do with our sub-par season.

I can't make anyone like Sampson, and that's fine. But he's been gone for a year. Someday, some people will have to find a new whipping boy every time we don't make the Final Four.You're a ****** bag. Sampson left OU holding the bag after HE cheated, when he "took a better job." Coincidence? I don't think so, thanks for playing.

[John Kochtoston]

You're a ****** bag. Sampson left OU holding the bag after HE cheated, when he "took a better job." Coincidence? I don't think so, thanks for playing.

1) I'm not the one whose feminine parts became irritated when I challenged your opinions on Kelvin Sampson. Look for a better epithet next time.

2) Holding the bag? Three recruits leaving was the biggest season wasn't good. They didn't leave because of probation. They left because they wanted to play for Sampson, and he was no longer here.

3) Indiana is a better basketball job than Oklahoma. That statement can't seriously be disputed.

Like I said, I can't make anyone like Kelvin Sampson, and I'm not going to try. But for how long will he be an excuse when OU loses a basketball game?

[okienole3]

1) I'm not the one whose feminine parts became irritated when I challenged your opinions on Kelvin Sampson. Look for a better epithet next time.

2) Holding the bag? Three recruits leaving was the biggest season wasn't good. They didn't leave because of probation. They left because they wanted to play for Sampson, and he was no longer here.

3) Indiana is a better basketball job than Oklahoma. That statement can't seriously be disputed.

Like I said, I can't make anyone like Kelvin Sampson, and I'm not going to try. But for how long will he be an excuse when OU loses a basketball game?

I think we have one more year of bitching left.

[John Kochtoston]

Heck no! At least Tubbs leaft Simpson with a superstar in Ryan Minor, who seemed to will us to victories and into the NCAA Tourney. As a matter of fact, Ryan Minor won Calvin Simpson his National Coach of the Year award.

Any particular reason his PPG went up by 7 when Sampson took over? Maybe it's because Sampson saw the star potential and made him the focal point of the offense.

[GrapevineSooner]

Actually, John's a ****** because he's a New York Rangers fan. :D

Seriously, I'm not going to play the blame game. The time to get mad at Kelvin occurred almost 10 1/2 months ago. Make no mistake, I wasn't pleased one bit with the state that Kelvin left the basketball program in.

But once Capel was hired, it was time to look forward. Today, I still feel the same way.

Our kids overachieved the first 10 games of the year. The last 6 was closer to what I expected out of this team for this season.

I think once we get some natural scorers on this team, we'll be fine.

[Ardmore_Sooner]

To say that this season wasn't a direct cause of Sampson leaving is totally asinine.

[okienole3]

I think recordwise we are about where I expected. What I didn't expect was to be in practically every game. Unfortunately, we continued to make stupid mistakes, but I think that comes with being a young team.

I like what the future has in store. Hopefully Blake Griffin is as good as advertised. Jai Lucas would be a huge pickup. We make the dance next year with Jai Lucas. If he doesn't come, then we will be on the bubble.

[Ardmore_Sooner]

This team most certainly overachieved

[SoonerStormchaser]

Guys, I cashed in my chips after ISU.

[KStatePike]

trust me, you guys have a great coach on your hands. Just give him time to pull in some talent.

[GottaHavePride]

To say that this season wasn't a direct cause of Sampson leaving is totally assinin.

And possibly asinine, as well. ;)

[Newbomb Turk]

Our kids overachieved the first 10 games of the year. The last 6 was closer to what I expected out of this team for this season.

I don't think this team played much differently the first 10 games than the last 6 games.

We had a relatively easy schedule early and a tough schedule late.

[Ardmore_Sooner]

And possibly asinine, as well. ;)

Dang you spell check! ;)

[OUstud]

The difference down the stretch was teams started focusing on Carter, and when he stopped getting to the line, we needed other means of scoring. L2 was VERY hot-cold (mostly cold) after the TT game, and our 3 point shooting got worse. Plus, it didn't help that we seemed to sleepwalk through first halves either.

[Soonerus]

First time OU has lost 6 straight league games since 1969...that's a Sean Sutton type statistic...bad year...

[OUstud]

nm

[John Kochtoston]

To say that this season wasn't a direct cause of Sampson leaving is totally asinine.

Oh, sure, Sampson's leaving had a lot to do with it. But, he got a better job offer, and he took it. That lead to three incoming recruits, who wanted to play for Sampson, changing their minds and not coming to OU, thus the bare cupboard. Probation had nothing to do with it.

[John Kochtoston]

Actually, John's a ****** because he's a New York Rangers fan. :D



Yeah, well, Potvin sucks. :D

[colleyvillesooner]

Oh, sure, Sampson's leaving had a lot to do with it. But, he got a better job offer, and he took it. That lead to three incoming recruits, who wanted to play for Sampson, changing their minds and not coming to OU, thus the bare cupboard. Probation had nothing to do with it.


About to go on probation made it alot easier leave. You telling me he wouldn't of like to of had a starting 5 of Reynolds, James, Longar, Carter, and Godbold/Griffin to build on?

[Frozen Sooner]

Personally, I blame Barry Switzer for Gary Gibbs only beating Texas once.

Longar Longar was a national top 100 recruit.
Nate Carter was the Big West freshman of the year.
Mike Neal was a proven shooter returning for his senior season.

Scottie Reynolds is likely the Big East Freshman of the Year. When Capel took over, OU had a signed letter of intent with his name on it.

The cupboard wasn't totally bare when Capel took over. It wasn't particularly deep, but it's not like we were throwing out a collection of guys who couldn't play D-1 basketball every night.

However, I thought we'd have some problems at the beginning of the year, and we ended up having them. I think I predicted .500 for the year, and that's where we are if we lose our opening round game.

We've got a young coach. He's made a few mistakes this year, and it looks like he's lost the team a bit right now. He'll get better.

[OU_Sooners75]

I personally blame Calvin but I cannot remember ever having a season this bad.

Part of me wishes we would have hired a "Bob Huggins" type of coach for the short term but I think Capel will be fine down the road.

Thanks for all the hard work Seniors.

Now let's get better and forget this nightmare.

Sampson is no longer our coach, dont blame him. Blame the man that is calling the shots now....Jeff Capel.

Of course, as of right now, I am his biggest critic.

I cannot remember the last time we had a 6 game losing streak!

[okienole3]

Personally, I blame Barry Switzer for Gary Gibbs only beating Texas once.

Longar Longar was a national top 100 recruit.
Nate Carter was the Big West freshman of the year.



These things were true 4 years ago. What were they actually coming into this year?

[LittleWingSooner]

Last year sucked. There wasn't much to expect this year with a young coach.

[PrideTrombone]

Jeez, you guys got WAY too caught up in that little winning streak we had in the middle of the year against ****ty teams. The fact is, we just don't have many players that would start for anyone in the upper half of the conference. The only team we played in the last 6 games that we SHOULD have beaten was Iowa State. We've played some teams much better than us very close. I was the one of the very vocal "WHO THE HELL IS JEFF CAPEL" people, but for him to be accomplishing even this much with the talent he's got is a damn fine coaching job.

[SoonerStormchaser]

Honestly, and seriously...I thought it was a mistake to let the three recruits (Reynolds, et al) go.

Part of me believes that, once you sign on the dotted line, you owe that team AT LEAST a year.

[John Kochtoston]

About to go on probation made it alot easier leave. You telling me he wouldn't of like to of had a starting 5 of Reynolds, James, Longar, Carter, and Godbold/Griffin to build on?


Sure, he would have liked it. But, he couldn't convince them to stay, and I really don't feel probation had a thing to do with it. Wasn't like OU couldn't go to the tournament, or could only play road conference games, or something.

None of this is to rip Capel, or even criticize. The players wanted to play for Sampson, and he left (just like Capel very well might if he has a really good run here at OU, and Duke comes calling). I think Capel has shown that he can/wil recruit well, and that he can get his players to paly above their heads at times.

[Big Red Ron]

http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/images/reputation/reputation_balance.gifThe 2006-07 Basketball S... (http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1817428#post1817428)3/3/2007 05:39 PMSincerely, John Kochtoston

Heh, noobalicious grey spek is so darn cute.

[LittleWingSooner]

I think next year could be even worse for OU basketball. I don't see a single consistent 3 point shooter on the roster. And I don't think there's anyone outside of Longar and maybe Crocker that can average 10 a game.

[Big Red Ron]

Honestly, and seriously...I thought it was a mistake to let the three recruits (Reynolds, et al) go.

Part of me believes that, once you sign on the dotted line, you owe that team AT LEAST a year.I think you have a solid point, IF we weren't going on probation. The fact that Simpson was leaving AND we were going before the NCAA infractions committee (haggling over the term "Lack of Institutional Control") were combine to force us, out of honor to allow those players out. We cannot blame 18 year old kids from not wanting to come to a situation like that. I doubt Calvin told them, "I personally committed 500 plus illegal calls and I'm going to leave if I get a better offer, leaving OU and you to hold the bag for my personal cheating."

He lied to them, us, and the NCAA then he sneaked out the back door.

Sleazy if you ask me.

Is Calvin a good coach? Hell yes!

Is he an honest person? I'll let you decide.

[LittleWingSooner]

We weren't going to be in serious trouble for a few phone calls.

[Big Red Ron]

We weren't going to be in serious trouble for a few phone calls.That ruling was in question at the time and the NCAA did mention Lack of Institutional Control in it's initial assessment. If I were a recruit and that is what I knew, I'd have gone elsewhere too.

You never know what the NCAA will do. Fact is, we had a HC that was not going to be allowed to recruit and lost a couple scholarships and that has hurt an already crappy situation (all the making of Kelvin).

[Newbomb Turk]

http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/images/reputation/reputation_balance.gifThe 2006-07 Basketball S... (http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1817428#post1817428)3/3/2007 05:39 PMSincerely, John Kochtoston

Heh, noobalicious grey spek is so darn cute.

at least it is signed.

[Big Red Ron]

at least it is signed.Darn right! I disagreed with him but gave him some green anyways, just to be a nice guy.

;)

[Rock Hard Corn Frog]

All and all it has been a frustrating year, theres no denying that. The blame game gets a little old to me. Point taken from Mike Rich that we don't blame Gary Gibbs losses on Switzer but in 3 links we can tie poor basketball attendance to Chuck Long.

I generally speaking was a Sampson fan but it I think the situation was likely one that we either took a year or two of probation and more likely kept recuits like Reynolds and James if Sampson didn't leave for Indiana but once he did I think Capel did what he could to bring those guys in but it was a nearly impossible task and I don't think playing hardball would have been the way to go.

Once we went forward and got a new coach I'd like to ask how many people are disappointed we didn't get someone like Mark Turgeon now? I believe in Capel and I think he will get it done here.

On the defensive end and from an effort standpoint this team is good enough to be in the tourney. I think really we are a top point guard away (Lucas?) from taking a big step forward. I like how Carter came on and Neal definitely hit some clutch shots but Carter essentially was effective as an undersize 4 based pretty much on 2 things. 1. the ability to get to the foul line 2. the ability to hit free throws when he got there. When teams turned him into a jump shooter we couldn't generate any offense. Neal is a great clutch shooter but he shot 31% this year from 3-pt range. That's worse than AJ, Crocker,Godbold and Carter. Now I realize a lot of that comes from shots being contested and that is where a top PG and a true low post scorer comes in getting open shots.

Bottom line I think our frontcourt is stronger next year. AJ, Crocker and Godbold will be good 2-3 players, Clark might be able to play some wing as well. Maze can improve as a PG but he has a learning curve. If we land someone like Lucas and Maze can be a back-up PG and play some 2 guard we can improve immensly. If Maze is the primary PG I think we have some improvement but not a huge leap.

While Sampson relied heavily on bringing Jucos as more of a quick fix, with pretty good success, Capel has definitely shown to prefer the high school route. That might mean the team doesn't make a huge one year jump next year but it bodes well for the program 2 years from now and on down the road.

In all likelihood our nations longest postseason streak it over and we need a win to finish over .500. Was this year fun? Hell no. I think the foundation is there though and we can get back to where we were and maybe exceed it.

[LittleWingSooner]

Clark can't be a wing. He's not quick enough.

[Big Red Ron]

Clark can't be a wing. He's not quick enough.I think he'll be a back up at the 4 behind Taylor Griffen. I didn't see a ton of talent from him this year but I do think he has room to improve. He just isn't super talented. Good size though.

[okienole3]

I think he'll be a back up at the 4 behind Taylor Griffen. I didn't see a ton of talent from him this year but I do think he has room to improve. He just isn't super talented. Good size though.

He looked pretty disinterested on the bench. I question his work ethic.

[Frozen Sooner]

There's going to be some ankle-kicking in this thread soon.

[Big Red Ron]

He looked pretty disinterested on the bench. I question his work ethic.I dunno, he is injured or was that sarcasm?:O

[Big Red Ron]

There's going to be some ankle-kicking in this thread soon.I thought she was banned. :D

[Soonerborn03]

He looked pretty disinterested on the bench. I question his work ethic.Our team doctor said that, after his injury, he was extremely impressed with Clark's hard work and attitude. Apparently, he's not big on giving out compliments so that must mean something.

[soonervegas]

Oh how quickly we forget that "the cheater" was out pimping himself for the Arizona State job. Fact is once he knew probation was on its way in some form....he was looking for a way (any way) out. He got lucky that Indiana opened at the right time. Fact is, he is a direct result of this season being mediocre.

I was a big fan of the man till I saw what happened at the end. It's a shame.....because you can look at my post history from last year and before....I was a big Kelvin is just as good as Tubbs guy. But in the end, he wasn't. One could get it done the right way the other had to cut corners.

[LittleWingSooner]

I don't have any problem with Kelvin and I hope he does well at Indiana. If you want to blame a coach for this season it's Capel not Sampson

[Big Red Ron]

Oh how quickly we forget that "the cheater" was out pimping himself for the Arizona State job. Fact is once he knew probation was on its way in some form....he was looking for a way (any way) out. He got lucky that Indiana opened at the right time. Fact is, he is a direct result of this season being mediocre.

I was a big fan of the man till I saw what happened at the end. It's a shame.....because you can look at my post history from last year and before....I was a big Kelvin is just as good as Tubbs guy. But in the end, he wasn't. One could get it done the right way the other had to cut corners.My exact same story!

[Big Red Ron]

I don't have any problem with Kelvin and I hope he does well at Indiana. If you want to blame a coach for this season it's Capel not SampsonMan, take the blinders off.

[Ardmore_Sooner]

I don't have any problem with Kelvin and I hope he does well at Indiana. If you want to blame a coach for this season it's Capel not Sampson

Did you watch any games this season? :pop:

[LittleWingSooner]

I was responding to vegas. Look I'm not saying Capel is a bad coach. He's done a decent job this year but he's only been a coach for 8 years and he hasn't had to coach against this level of competition. I thought he would have a tough year and he did. We weren't prepared to play against some of the teams our last 6 games. That's why we trailed by so much at the half in those games.

I think Capel could be a really good coach but to compare him with Tubbs and Sampson is stupid right now. Those 2 coaches are the best OU will ever have. If Kelvin were coaching this same team and winning 20 games we would be complaining about how bad a year it was also.

[Big Red Ron]

I was responding to vegas. Look I'm not saying Capel is a bad coach. He's done a decent job this year but he's only been a coach for 8 years and he hasn't had to coach against this level of competition. I thought he would have a tough year and he did. We weren't prepared to play against some of the teams our last 6 games. That's why we trailed by so much at the half in those games.

I think Capel could be a really good coach but to compare him with Tubbs and Sampson is stupid right now. Those 2 coaches are the best OU will ever have. If Kelvin were coaching this same team and winning 20 games we would be complaining about how bad a year it was also.FYI Samson couldn't be compared with Tubbs when he first got here and he still can't. Samson had a very good three year run at OU but his career at OU is mostly one and done in the NCAA and that was usually to the lower seed. Capel comes to OU with equivalent credentials as Sampson did.

[tommieharris91]

FYI Samson couldn't be compared with Tubbs when he first got here and he still can't. Samson had a very good three year run at OU but his career at OU is mostly one and done in the NCAA and that was usually to the lower seed. Capel comes to OU with equivalent credentials as Sampson did.

Nahhh. Wazzu is a little better school than VCU.

BTW, VCU get George Mason in thier conference finals tomorrow. They probably don't need to win to get a bid either.

[lubbocksooner]

I am dissapointed but not supprised at where we are at. I figured somewhere around a .500 record but was hoping for a little better and a NIT bid. One of the big things that I did not see mentioned in the other posts whas the difference in number of minutes played by our players this years vs. last year. Basically we had a lot of guys who filled in for Bookout,Gray and Everret when they were in foul trouble. Now this year rolls around and they have to be the "Man". Sometimes hard to work into that mentally and physically. I think the young guys are just worn down and Neal and Clark have been hounded like escaped murderes from Big Mac the last several games.

Something else contributing to our slide has been the level of teams we have faces. Much better and much more physical. I won't give our guys a complete pass because I think they have kind of given up at times because they feel the post season is out of reach but I can understand it and won't ride them hard about it. They are young and will get tougher over the summer when they have to think about not giving all they had.

All in all between injuries, youth and losing some really good players when Sampson left it was just bound to happen. I think Capel has done a good job and things WILL be better next year. With a little luck on the reqruiting trail. Will be good to go if we can get Lucas, him working with Neysmith will allow Johnson and Maze to go back to their natural positions. So I look forward to next year one way or another.

[LittleWingSooner]

FYI Samson couldn't be compared with Tubbs when he first got here and he still can't. Samson had a very good three year run at OU but his career at OU is mostly one and done in the NCAA and that was usually to the lower seed. Capel comes to OU with equivalent credentials as Sampson did.

Tubbs had a different style but he came up against worse competition in the Big 8. Mizzou was good but Kansas wasn't the program in the 80's that they are today. There was not a team as good as Texas has been in the Big 12 also.

Also Sampson was left overall with a lot less then Capel is today. I think next year and the year after will show this more because so much of what Capel has is so young. Most of what Tubbs left was gone after 1 year. I give so much respect to Sampson for starting from basically nothing but Ryan Minor and making a solid program out of it.

Tubbs had even less and he made a great program out of it but he was lucky the Big 8 wasn't really good. Kansas wasn't even close to what they are today and Mizzou and KSU weren't at the level of Texas today and the last 5 years. Oklahoma State and Iowa State were pretty bad programs in the 80's. Colorado was pretty bad most years.

[crawfish]

Sampson was a coach who got the best out of one-dimensional players. He built his teams around toughness and work ethic. He did not really need to recruit particular players for his system, ala Tubbs - he could take a rag-tag group of role players and make 'em competitive. Of course, this also worked against him when recruiting the big boys - he wasn't able to (completely) make the leap from mid-major coach to big-school coach. I think he'll have much more success at IU, where the tradition helps him get the better players.

Capel is different. Regardless of what the talking heads on TV say, he's NOT a "blue-collar" coach. He is a player's coach, a recruiter. Given some success he should be able to amass a depth of talent we've never seen at OU, and his style should get the most out of that talent. Think about it - should Capel land Lucas, we'll have landed two McD's AA's for the first time ever; we've rarely even had two on one TEAM, much less in one class. That is remarkable in itself.

I think we'll be slightly better next year, and competitive in two. After that, the sky's the limit.

[Big Red Ron]

Tubbs had a different style but he came up against worse competition in the Big 8. Mizzou was good but Kansas wasn't the program in the 80's that they are today. There was not a team as good as Texas has been in the Big 12 also.

Also Sampson was left overall with a lot less then Capel is today. I think next year and the year after will show this more because so much of what Capel has is so young. Most of what Tubbs left was gone after 1 year. I give so much respect to Sampson for starting from basically nothing but Ryan Minor and making a solid program out of it.

Tubbs had even less and he made a great program out of it but he was lucky the Big 8 wasn't really good. Kansas wasn't even close to what they are today and Mizzou and KSU weren't at the level of Texas today and the last 5 years. Oklahoma State and Iowa State were pretty bad programs in the 80's. Colorado was pretty bad most years.Sampson was lefy better talent than Capel. That isn't even debatable. Ryan Minor was one of the best Sooner players ever to play at OU. If Capel had a "Ryan Minor" type this season, we'd be in the NCAA Tourney.

[LittleWingSooner]

I agree but I think we'll have more Kelvin players left over and they will do well the next few years. Crocker, Griffin, Longar, Godbold, and are all Sampson guys and will all do pretty good. Also Blake Griffin got his offer from Sampson so he could be considered a Sampson recruit also.

Outside of Minor OU didn't have any really good Tubbs guys. And after 2 years they had only 1 guy left from the Tubbs era in Wiley. Also only 3 Tubbs guys not named Minor averaged 10 a game in a season. 2 in the first season with Barnes and Ontjes, Wiley would average 10.7 in 98. Our talent level under Tubbs was really depleted. It is amazing those first Kelvin teams even made the NCAA Tourney.

But lets not make this a Tubbs vs Sampson thing. Both were damn good coaches and I would rather have them coaching this team then a young coach like Capel. Capel has been coaching about 8 years. You put a Sampson who has been coaching for about 30 years with this roster he gets them into the NCAA Tourney.

[John Kochtoston]

I think he'll be a back up at the 4 behind Taylor Griffen. I didn't see a ton of talent from him this year but I do think he has room to improve. He just isn't super talented. Good size though.

Clark's got the tools to be better than Taylor G. We'll see about the heart.

Blake G. is going to be our premier post player by his sophomore year, IMHO.

[LittleWingSooner]

Blake G. is going to be our premier post player by his sophomore year, IMHO.

I wouldn't disagree with that but I think the hype on him right now is a bit too much. Think about this fact. In Sooner history only 4 players have scored more then 10 points a game as true freshmen. Tisdale is the obvious one. Tim McCalister is another one. The other 2 were Humphrey and Lavender both under Sampson.

[GoState]

Did Prince Fowler play a year for Sampson before transferring to TCU?

[LittleWingSooner]

Yep, and he started some. Played about 20 minutes a game.

[Rock Hard Corn Frog]

I wouldn't disagree with that but I think the hype on him right now is a bit too much. Think about this fact. In Sooner history only 4 players have scored more then 10 points a game as true freshmen. Tisdale is the obvious one. Tim McCalister is another one. The other 2 were Humphrey and Lavender both under Sampson.

I like Nate Carter but I think collectively Blake Griffin + Keith Clark will have just as good if not more offensive production while giving us more size and obviously more depth.

I don't think Blake needs to score 12ppg to have an impact. If he is good enough to draw some double teams inside then we will have open looks outside.

Not worried at all about our front line. PG is the big question.

[Big Red Ron]

Clark's got the tools to be better than Taylor G. We'll see about the heart.

Blake G. is going to be our premier post player by his sophomore year, IMHO.I dunno but I did get the names in my initial post mixed up. I hope we'll sign a bigger man to play the post because I think Blake would be an awsome 4 with his game. He wont play in the NBA as a five but a could be a four. Anyway the future looks bright.:cool:

[badger]

give him time. there's been other historically top teams that have had rough years, also. look at connecticut. just a few years removed from championship contention--- now 17-13 and ranked 12th in the big east.

we have seen the emergence of longar longar (who knew that he could play as well as he has been this year) and the signing of a fair recruiting class. we'll get there.

[Salt City Sooner]

I wouldn't disagree with that but I think the hype on him right now is a bit too much. Think about this fact. In Sooner history only 4 players have scored more then 10 points a game as true freshmen. Tisdale is the obvious one. Tim McCalister is another one. The other 2 were Humphrey and Lavender both under Sampson.
Humphrey didn't. Drew's the only one to turn that trick since TMac back in '84.

[OU_Sooners75]

Jeez, you guys got WAY too caught up in that little winning streak we had in the middle of the year against ****ty teams. The fact is, we just don't have many players that would start for anyone in the upper half of the conference. The only team we played in the last 6 games that we SHOULD have beaten was Iowa State. We've played some teams much better than us very close. I was the one of the very vocal "WHO THE HELL IS JEFF CAPEL" people, but for him to be accomplishing even this much with the talent he's got is a damn fine coaching job.


I disagree with most of this. LL could start or play at most schools in this conference. Griffin, Maze, Carter, and others could as well.

You make it sound as if the team this year was nothing more than scubs that shouldn't even be in D-1 Basketball

[Big Red Ron]

I disagree with most of this. LL could start or play at most schools in this conference. Griffin, Maze, Carter, and others could as well.

You make it sound as if the team this year was nothing more than scubs that shouldn't even be in D-1 BasketballGriffen and Maze are both still puppies and LL was a stiff until Capel got here. Remember the biggest knock on Kelvin was he didn't develop big men very well. He did do great with guards though.

[Ash]

I disagree with most of this. LL could start or play at most schools in this conference. Griffin, Maze, Carter, and others could as well.

You make it sound as if the team this year was nothing more than scubs that shouldn't even be in D-1 Basketball

Wow, you really don't watch Sooner mens basketball, do you?

It's not like the team has no talent, but if Sampson's recruits had decided to come here most of the starters on this team would have been bench players.

It's not even debatable. Either you're intentionally being an a$$ or you you're completely ignorant about the topic and should STFU.

[OU_Sooners75]

Wow, you really don't watch Sooner mens basketball, do you?

It's not like the team has no talent, but if Sampson's recruits had decided to come here most of the starters on this team would have been bench players.

It's not even debatable. Either you're intentionally being an a$$ or you you're completely ignorant about the topic and should STFU.


Nice flame job, seriously.

Just cause you disagree with what my opinion is, doesn't give you the right to flame me or anything else.

If you do not like my opinion, which you clearly don't, then 1. disagree with me in an adult manner. or 2. Don't respond and ignore the post.

I know had OU actually retained some players that were incoming or that were here, the story would be different...however, maybe your feeble mind should actually acknowledge that we were not left with Junior High players. We still had a roster full of kids that have the ability to play NCAA D-1 Basketball, which in return backs up my statement that any of our starters could have played for any team in the Big 12.

But tell ya what Ash, accept medicority all you want. I will not.

[ouradu]

LL could start or play at most schools
You've got to be kidding. I love the kid, and love the fact that any OU player chose to come to OU, but no matter how much we like the guy, Longar could not start at most Big XII schools. He might start at Baylor and Iowa State, but it ends there. The fact is he's just not very good, period, and Capel has gotten 120% of his potential out of him, and he's still not very good. He can't score against a team with any interior prescence, and he's nonexistent on the boards when we play a team that's not Longwood. And I shutter every time he puts the ball on teh floor because usually there's no point in him dribbling the ball and he often loses it. The fact that we are forced to put him on the court says something about the talent level Capel was stuck with.

[OU_Sooners75]

You've got to be kidding. I love the kid, and love the fact that any OU player chose to come to OU, but Longar could not start at most Big XII schools. He might start at Baylor and Iowa State, but it ends there. The fact is he's just not very good, period, and Capel has gotten 120% of his potential out of him, and he's still not very good. He can't score against a team with any interior prescence, and he's nonexistent on the boards when we play a team that's not Longwood. And I shutter every time he puts the ball on teh floor because usually there's no point in him dribbling the ball and he often loses it. The fact that we are forced to put him on the court says something about the talent level Capel was stuck with.


Now finish off the post I made instead of making it look the way it fits best for your post.

"I disagree with most of this. LL could start or play at most schools in this conference. Griffin, Maze, Carter, and others could as well."

Maybe start when it comes to LL is a stretch, but he definitely could play...and who knows since he was a top 100 recruit (so I heard), maybe in a different system he would be better.

[ouradu]

Now finish off the post I made instead of making it look the way it fits best for your post.

"I disagree with most of this. LL could start or play at most schools in this conference. Griffin, Maze, Carter, and others could as well."Since the only part I was concerned about was the LL part, that's where I stopped. My point has nothing to do with the rest of your post, just "LL".


Maybe start when it comes to LL is a stretch, but he definitely could play...and who knows since he was a top 100 recruit (so I heard), maybe in a different system he would be better.
I've never heard of Longar being that highly recruited, but maybe he was. The point is he's not good. I don't think the system matters. He's too weak to make an impact on the boards. There are so many times that we give up offensive rebounds that Longar isn't even making an effort on the ball. he's usually out of position when it's clear he's supposed to be filling that rebounding position or he simply gets dominated. He started the season well, and looked good, but that wasn't the system, that was the competition. I think he is much more suited for the competition in the MVC or OVC or Mid-Con type of team, mid-major type.

[OU_Sooners75]

Since the only part I was concerned about was the LL part, that's where I stopped. My point has nothing to do with the rest of your post, just "LL".


I've never heard of Longar being that highly recruited, but maybe he was. The point is he's not good. I don't think the system matters. He's too weak to make an impact on the boards. There are so many times that we give up offensive rebounds that Longar isn't even making an effort on the ball. he's usually out of position when it's clear he's supposed to be filling that rebounding position or he simply gets dominated. He started the season well, and looked good, but that wasn't the system, that was the competition. I think he is much more suited for the competition in the MVC or OVC or Mid-Con type of team, mid-major type.


To be honest, I dont know if he was that strong of a recruit either, just something I heard the other day.

I think LL could have been better had he actually had a coach that could develop big men, unlike Sampson.

[Ash]

Nice flame job, seriously.

Just cause you disagree with what my opinion is, doesn't give you the right to flame me or anything else.

If you do not like my opinion, which you clearly don't, then 1. disagree with me in an adult manner. or 2. Don't respond and ignore the post.

I know had OU actually retained some players that were incoming or that were here, the story would be different...however, maybe your feeble mind should actually acknowledge that we were not left with Junior High players. We still had a roster full of kids that have the ability to play NCAA D-1 Basketball, which in return backs up my statement that any of our starters could have played for any team in the Big 12.

But tell ya what Ash, accept medicority all you want. I will not.

Heck, I'm just trying to figure out why the fact that incoming frosh would start in front of most this years starters doesn't tell YOU the same thing it tells the rest of the world.

It's not about accepting mediocrity, it's about being realistic about what we've got in terms of talent on the team. Personally, I've still got high hopes that the younger players will develop into better players. And, you've got to be impressed with the fact that Capel was able to put pine riders like L2 in positions to put up considerably better numbers this year.

Clearly you've got some agenda to try and push here, though, so I'll stop trying to talk basketball with you like you asked.

[ouradu]

I think LL could have been better had he actually had a coach that could develop big men, unlike Sampson.
I think Capel has gotten more than his potential out of him. He has 6 feet and 11 inches, but that's about as far as the talent really goes. I'm shocked at how much Capel developed in his game, but necessity is the mother I guess. I will jsut think back on this team as being the one where Longar, the worse center I remember getting playing time at OU, actually had to play. Seriously, who else was worse? Derrick Gallion? It's close. Unless I'm forgetting someone.

[LittleWingSooner]

Longar's career high was 34 points and it was with Sampson as the coach not Capel.

[Collier11]

Longar's career high was 34 points and it was with Sampson as the coach not Capel.


That was against a team that was barely D1 if my memory serves me correctly. While Longar has a long way to go, he was nothing but a really tall cheerleader last year while he actually became a precense this year!!!

[ouradu]

Longar's career high was 34 points and it was with Sampson as the coach not Capel.
You left out the detail of who that was against. Nonetheless, I can't find his 34 pt outing. Last year his highest point total was 8 points in that meaningless game at the end of last year against Texas. The year before he pounded the power house Florida A&M for 27 points and had 11 against Texas Pan Am, which was his only other double digit game before this year. Prior to this year, 2 double digit games in two seasons, this year 15. The 27pt outing appears to be his highest Calvin Simpson-coached scoring. Looking at his gamelogs, I don't see a 34 pt game. Point is, despite the fact that he's not good, Capel's gotten way more out of him than I ever would have expected to see. Gives me a lot of hope for the next few years.

[LittleWingSooner]

I don't care if it was against air did he even come close to 30 this year? I know he scored 20+ a couple of times. I was wrong on the point total but it was 27.

Capel has gotten more out of him only because he has played more. We don't know how good he would have been this year if he played under Sampson. Anyone who thinks he would be better or worse with Sampson is an idiot. Sampson had a pretty good history of getting all he could out of big guys.

[Big Red Ron]

Sampson had a pretty good history of getting all he could out of big guys.Okay, you just lost all credibility with this statement. Our lack of EVER having a good five man was Sampson's biggest and most glaring flaw. He always ended up having a four play the five because big men never wanted to come to OU, BECAUSE Sampson was known nationally as a poor front court coach. Renzi Stone was probably the best center we had under Sampson and that isn't saying much.

[LittleWingSooner]

Aaron McGee was pretty decent, I don't know if you can call Najera a big guy, he was a hybrid, played some post some guard. Then there were the guys he got everything out of like Stone, Wiley, Gilbert, Selvey, and Abercrombie.

[OSUAggie]

The statement that LL could start or play for most Big XII schools is accurate... However, this isn't really saying that L2 is that good, but the conference (and college basketball) is really void of solid post players. Longar has made immense improvement in the last year. He's competent on offense, plays decent D, and rebounds with effort. That's more than the 5-position at Tech, Baylor, OSU, Missouri, K-State, Colorado or Iowa State can say.

[NormanPride]

McGee was a 4, wasn't he? Wasn't he only 6'8"?

[NormanPride]

The statement that LL could start or play for most Big XII schools is accurate... However, this isn't really saying that L2 is that good, but the conference (and college basketball) is really void of solid post players. Longar has made immense improvement in the last year. He's competent on offense, plays decent D, and rebounds with effort. That's more than the 5-position at Tech, Baylor, OSU, Missouri, K-State, Colorado or Iowa State can say.

Even in the NBA you can count on one hand the 5's that are any good at scoring. A great 5 in college averages about 10 and 10. L2 was our only post scoring threat, so he averaged more points and less rebounds (more shooting than cleaning up).

[Big Red Ron]

For those that have forgotten just how bad azz Ryan Minor was...

RYAN MINOR - 1,946
A two-time first-team All-Big Eight selection ... Named AP Big Eight Player of the Year in 1994-95 as a junior after averaging 23.6 points and 8.4 rebounds ... Named Big Eight Player of the Week three times that year ... Runner-up in conference player-of-the-year balloting his senior season ... Broke his own school record for consecutive made free throws with 30 in a nine-game stretch as a senior ... Ranks 10th on OU all-time rebounding list with 767 ... Made the fourth most three-pointers in OU history (170) ... Selected in the second round (32nd overall) of the 1996 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers ... Also a standout in baseball ... Member of 1994 College World Series champion team ... Played 46 games with the Baltimore Orioles in 1999 ... Replaced Cal Ripken Jr. in Baltimore's lineup Sept. 20, 1998, ending Ripken's major league record of 2,632 consecutive games played ... Competed for Montreal Expos during 2001 season.

[Big Red Ron]

Anyone that thinks Sampson is comparable to Tubbs. Have a look at the OU all century team.

9 out of the 15 player team were Tubbs'.

3 out of the 15 were Sampson's.



NORMAN, Okla. – In conjunction with its 100th-year-of-basketball celebration, the University of Oklahoma announced its 15-member men’s All-Century Team today. All voting was conducted by fans online at SoonerSports.com.

Center Wayman Tisdale (1983-85) led all vote-getters and was followed (in order) by guard Mookie Blaylock (1988-89), center Stacey King (1986-89), guard Hollis Price (2000-03) and center Alvan Adams (1973-75).

Other members of the All-Century Team are (in alphabetical order) forward Harvey Grant (1987-88), center Garfield Heard (1968-70), forward Darryl Kennedy (1984-87), forward/center Joe King (1956-58), forward David Little (1982-83), guard Tim McCalister (1984-87), forward Aaron McGhee (2001-02), forward Ryan Minor (1993-96), forward Eduardo Najera (1997-2000) and guard Brent Price (1991-92).

[Big Red Ron]

NORMAN, Okla. – The all-time winningest coach in University of Oklahoma basketball history, Tubbs, who presided over one of the most glorious eras of Sooner Basketball, compiled a 333-132 (.716) record from the 1980-81 season through the 1993-94 campaign. He took nine OU teams to the NCAA Tournament and piloted the 1987-88 squad to a 35-4 record and the national title game. Four of his teams advanced to the Sweet 16 or farther and his 1989-90 group finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll.

:eek:

Starting with the 1987-88 season, Oklahoma averaged more than 100 points a game for three straight years. Tubbs’ teams scored at least 150 points in a contest on six occasions, including 173 points against U.S. International in the 1989-90 season opener (OU tallied 97 in the first half alone).

[John Kochtoston]

Anyone that thinks Sampson is comparable to Tubbs. Have a look at the OU all century team.

9 out of the 15 player team were Tubbs'.

3 out of the 15 were Sampson's.



NORMAN, Okla. – In conjunction with its 100th-year-of-basketball celebration, the University of Oklahoma announced its 15-member men’s All-Century Team today. All voting was conducted by fans online at SoonerSports.com.

Center Wayman Tisdale (1983-85) led all vote-getters and was followed (in order) by guard Mookie Blaylock (1988-89), center Stacey King (1986-89), guard Hollis Price (2000-03) and center Alvan Adams (1973-75).

Other members of the All-Century Team are (in alphabetical order) forward Harvey Grant (1987-88), center Garfield Heard (1968-70), forward Darryl Kennedy (1984-87), forward/center Joe King (1956-58), forward David Little (1982-83), guard Tim McCalister (1984-87), forward Aaron McGhee (2001-02), forward Ryan Minor (1993-96), forward Eduardo Najera (1997-2000) and guard Brent Price (1991-92).


So Sampson won just as much with inferior talent? Wonder how that happened?

P.S. Tubbs may have recruited Minor, but he blossomed under Sampson. John Blake could have been coaching the OU basketball team, and still only needed to beat out OSU and Tulsa for the services of Minor. Hammon doesn't exactly appear on the radar of most college coaches. Point being that when Tubbs sits around and tells recruiting stories, I'd bet the battle he waged to get Ryan Minor isn't one of the first stories he tells.

[Big Red Ron]

So Sampson won just as much with inferior talent? Wonder how that happened?

P.S. Tubbs may have recruited Minor, but he blossomed under Sampson. John Blake could have been coaching the OU basketball team, and still only needed to beat out OSU and Tulsa for the services of Minor. Hammon doesn't exactly appear on the radar of most college coaches. Point being that when Tubbs sits around and tells recruiting stories, I'd bet the battle he waged to get Ryan Minor isn't one of the first stories he tells.Wow, put the pipe down.

Sampson went to less final fours, less championship games and less sweet 16's and he won just as much?

[Big Red Ron]

:eek:

Starting with the 1987-88 season, Oklahoma averaged more than 100 points a game for three straight years. Tubbs’ teams scored at least 150 points in a contest on six occasions, including 173 points against U.S. International in the 1989-90 season opener (OU tallied 97 in the first half alone).Again WOW :eek:

[John Kochtoston]

Wow, put the pipe down.

Sampson went to less final fours, less championship games and less sweet 16's and he won just as much?

At least I can still count Final Four appearances when I take a hit. One each. Tubbs did go to the title game.

Sampson's winning % at OU .719. Tubbs .716

Tubbs had the better tournament record, 15-9 to 11-11. Tubbs had 3 Sweet 16s, Sampson 1. Each guy went to the Elite Eight once.

I think you can come down on whichever side of the argument you want. Tubbs' tourney numbers are a bit better, but it's not the blowout some think it is. But let's not make stuff up to make a point.

EDITOR'S NOTES: 1) I'm really not trying to rip Tubbs. I swear. I think he was a fantastic coach, and more innovative than he gets credit for. My point is that it's not an ice-cream-to-horse-manure comparison.
2) Tubbs may have a Sweet 16 I'm missing. I'm going off of http://soonerstats.com. I thought he went to four, but that site says otherwise. I'll be happy to stand corrected.

[Big Red Ron]

Tubbs had four sweet 16's an two final fours if I remember correctly. One may have only been an elite 8. I'll look around.

But Tubbs, imho is a far more successful coach than Sampson at OU.

[John Kochtoston]

Tubbs had four sweet 16's an two final fours if I remember correctly. One may have only been an elite 8. I'll look around.

But Tubbs, imho is a far more successful coach than Sampson at OU.

I have no problem with your opinion. I have a problem when you suggest that I have no valid reason for mine.

OU's been to 4 Final Fours. 1939, 1947, 1988 and 2002. Unless Tubbs is about 120 years old, he's only gone to one. Bruce Drake, perhaps the most underrated coach ever in any sport at OU, went to two.

EDIT: For horrible grammar on my part.

[LittleWingSooner]

Tubbs and Sampson are both great coaches. Both should be hall of famers. Favoring one over the other is fine but I got a ton of respect to both. I like defense a bit more then offense so I personally like Sampson's style a bit more. But Tubbs was fun and played great ball in his prime. The thing I give the nod to Sampson the most was consistently. At Tubbs best we were the best team in the country in 88. At his worst we barely make the NIT. Kelvin's teams were usually about the same type team outside of 2001-2004. We weren't as good in 04 because of injuries mostly. But for the 2 seasons before we were one of the best in the country. Outside of that we were about the same. The 2nd or 3rd best team in the Big 12/8 and pretty consistent.

[Ash]

The statement that LL could start or play for most Big XII schools is accurate... However, this isn't really saying that L2 is that good, but the conference (and college basketball) is really void of solid post players. Longar has made immense improvement in the last year. He's competent on offense, plays decent D, and rebounds with effort. That's more than the 5-position at Tech, Baylor, OSU, Missouri, K-State, Colorado or Iowa State can say.

Yes, Longar would start ahead of Boggan. :rolleyes:

well, maybe in the past few games where Boggan has played like dog **** and acted like he's never been in a basketball game before...but c'mon, even your aggot brain has to be more developed than your post implies.

Look, L2 has tons of potential but never seems to fully realize that potential. Against teams with good big men, he disappeared this year. I give it up to him and the other players for playing their hearts out for most games, but c'mon let's be real here.

[Big Red Ron]

I never said Sampson was a bad coach, he just isn't as good as Tubbs. I supported sampson through the bad (five 1 & done NCAA trips) and the good (Sweet 16 & final four). I stopped being a supporter of his after the NCAA probation and his search for a way out (Arizona) and ultimate departure because he knew he had gotten us in trouble.

[Big Red Ron]

I never said Sampson was a bad coach, he just isn't as good as Tubbs. I supported sampson through the bad (five 1 & done NCAA trips) and the good (Sweet 16 & final four). I stopped being a supporter of his after the NCAA probation and his search for a way out (Arizona) and ultimate departure because he knew he had gotten us in trouble.

[LittleWingSooner]

I respect that opinion. I disagree. Tubbs was a great coach too. So was Drake for that matter.

[Ash]

The bottomline for me is this:
With a young, first-year coach that nobody had heard of, the Sooners, with a thin roster (but not completely devoid of talent as some have implied) scrapped their way through a relatively tough schedule. The record is pretty much as I might have suspected. However, I was impressed with the level of play that was exhibited by players that in the past played minimal roles on the team. Overall, the team fought as hard as I could expect and played great defense the majority of the time. Offensively, the woes continued most of the time. This is clearly a combination of coaching and player execution, both good and bad. However, I was doubtful of the hiring of Capel, but after this season I can see the positives and I'm very optimistic.

[Big Red Ron]

The bottomline for me is this:
With a young, first-year coach that nobody had heard of, the Sooners, with a thin roster (but not completely devoid of talent as some have implied) scrapped their way through a relatively tough schedule. The record is pretty much as I might have suspected. However, I was impressed with the level of play that was exhibited by players that in the past played minimal roles on the team. Overall, the team fought as hard as I could expect and played great defense the majority of the time. Offensively, the woes continued most of the time. This is clearly a combination of coaching and player execution, both good and bad. However, I was doubtful of the hiring of Capel, but after this season I can see the positives and I'm very optimistic.Agreed

[Big Red Ron]

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[OSUAggie]

Yes, Longar would start ahead of Boggan. :rolleyes:

well, maybe in the past few games where Boggan has played like dog **** and acted like he's never been in a basketball game before...but c'mon, even your aggot brain has to be more developed than your post implies.

Look, L2 has tons of potential but never seems to fully realize that potential. Against teams with good big men, he disappeared this year. I give it up to him and the other players for playing their hearts out for most games, but c'mon let's be real here.

I think the original post said something along the lines of Longar would start or play a substantial amount for most teams in the Big XII. Other than KU, aTm, Nebraska and Texas, who would not start him?

I'm not saying Longar is great, by any means, but he's more than adequate at his position and if surrounded by a better cast I can see him as at least a 13 and 10 guy.

And if you really want to be realistic about it.... He would start over Cooper/Monds, not Boggan. Plus, if he were at Nebraska, they'd probably scrap the 4-guard lineup and start him alongside Maric. He might start ahead of the Euro at aTm. He might start ahead of James in Austin. Hell, he's comparable to Sasha as well.

[OU_Sooners75]

Okay, you just lost all credibility with this statement. Our lack of EVER having a good five man was Sampson's biggest and most glaring flaw. He always ended up having a four play the five because big men never wanted to come to OU, BECAUSE Sampson was known nationally as a poor front court coach. Renzi Stone was probably the best center we had under Sampson and that isn't saying much.


Well that statement is partially true, so you shouldnt be so quick to judge him.

Bookout, he was nothing special to be honest. He worked his arse off and had a very big heart. He was a big man, though better than L2. Was a role player

Ryan Minor, again, he was better than L2, but he was coached very well. At the time he played he was a force. One of the best in OU history. Chose Baseball over basketball.

Najera, made some money in the NBA, some considered him an hybrid, big and small forward. He was a good rebounder. Played with tremendous heart.

There were others, like Wiley, Gilbert, and Abercrombie. I would say that Sampson could coach the big men too.

I know some of you will disagree with my post here, but this is honestly how I viewed these big men.

[Big Red Ron]

Minor played two seasons for tubbs, and he played the 2/3. He was a guard and 6'5ish.

Bookout was one of the most highly recruited players in Oklahoma and he never seemed to get any better from his freshman to senior year.

Najera was Sampson's best "Big man" but at 6'7 can hardly be called a "Big Man."

[OU_Sooners75]

Minor played two seasons for tubbs, and he played the 2/3. He was a guard and 6'5ish.

Bookout was one of the most highly recruited players in Oklahoma and he never seemed to get any better from his freshman to senior year.

Najera was Sampson's best "Big man" but at 6'7 can hardly be called a "Big Man."

Exactly, I remember Minor playing a lot at the forward spot.

Bookout was from Stroud. There is a reason he was so highly recruited. He didnt have to play against any noteworthy HS teams. He was decent, but that is about it.

Sampson was able to coach his big men as well, though L2 is probably bigger than most of them.

I do not like Sampson anymore either. He made a mockery of the OU athletic department and how the OU AD tries very hard to run clean programs. However, he was a decent, not great coach to replace Tubbs.

[skycat]

I think the original post said something along the lines of Longar would start or play a substantial amount for most teams in the Big XII. Other than KU, aTm, Nebraska and Texas, who would not start him?

I'm not saying Longar is great, by any means, but he's more than adequate at his position and if surrounded by a better cast I can see him as at least a 13 and 10 guy.

And if you really want to be realistic about it.... He would start over Cooper/Monds, not Boggan. Plus, if he were at Nebraska, they'd probably scrap the 4-guard lineup and start him alongside Maric. He might start ahead of the Euro at aTm. He might start ahead of James in Austin. Hell, he's comparable to Sasha as well.

I don't think there's any doubt he'd start alongside Maric at Nebraska, and I think it's likely that he'd start ahead of James at Texas. Less chance at aTm, and I don't think he'd start at KU, although i do think he'd pick up some minutes.

And yes, there is no doubt that he'd start for every team not mentioned in that post. (I'd love to have him at K-State.)

[Rock Hard Corn Frog]

I'm not sure where this thread is going but I'm sure why so many people are knocking L2 when he overall has played pretty well. I think he has come a long way from where he was and I NEVER expected him to be a go-to guy. Sure he had some issues not being aggressive enough at some times and against some other top post players he hasn't had big games. If you are comparing him to Taj Gray or Ace McGee late in his career he won't measure up. He is a big upgrade offensively from Hootie Wiley, Victor Avilla or Johnny Gilbert and he certainly isn't a headache like Jabahri Brown. He has progressed pretty well and he will be solid next year. We will probably be better and deeper in our front line next year than we will be most years.

I also think AJ and Crocker are more than capable of scoring. Maze has potential as well but he has little experience at PG and I think it is way to early to say he can't succeed but it might take a while before he cuts down his mistakes enough to make a big difference. Our biggest chance for the team to leap forward is to add a top PG. Throw someone like Jai Lucas out there and I think a number of players will suddenly look better.

Sure, this season sucked. The team isn't that far off though.

[LittleWingSooner]

I think McGee was probably Sampson's best big man. Najera can't be called a true big man although he was closer to a big man then he was a guard. I think you can best call Najera a basketball player.