Jay C. Upchurch
5/1/2007, 06:31 PM
NORMAN — Oklahoma men's basketball head coach Jeff Capel
announced the hiring of Oronde Taliaferro (o-RON-day tal-uh-FAIR-o) as
an assistant coach today. Taliaferro fills the spot vacated by former
OU assistant Rod Barnes, who was named head coach at Georgia State in
March.
The 35-year-old Taliaferro, who spent the past six seasons as an
assistant coach under head coach Stan Heath at Arkansas (five years) and
Kent State (one), hails from Detroit, Mich. He was Arkansas' recruiting
coordinator and was labeled by Rivals.com in 2006 as one of the top 25
recruiters in the nation.
The Razorbacks made NCAA Tournament appearances each of the last two
years, going 21-14 overall last season and 22-10 in 2005-06. With
Taliaferro on Kent State's 2001-02 staff, the Golden Flashes posted a
30-6 record, won Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament
titles, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight.
Said Capel, "As I went through this search I talked to a lot of people
about different candidates - former college coaches, current college
coaches, AAU coaches and people at the grass roots level. The one
common name I kept hearing was Oronde Taliaferro.
"Oronde brings recruiting experience in areas such as Arkansas, Texas,
Mississippi, Chicago - some are regions we recruit now and some are
regions we want to start tapping into. He's a very good recruiter
because of a tireless work ethic and a strong ability to communicate.
But he's also very respected as a coach. So, in Oronde, we're getting a
great recruiter and a great teacher. I'm very excited to welcome him,
his wife and his children to the University of Oklahoma family."
Taliaferro said that, in a way, he actually has been a part of the OU
family for years.
"I'm really excited to be here at Oklahoma for several reasons," he
began. "First, Coach Capel is one of the upcoming stars in this
business. He and his staff are really nice people and are well-liked
across the country. I'm very happy to be working with a bunch of good
guys.
"Second, my dad was born in Oklahoma City. I spent several summers
coming here for family reunions and the Sooner tradition sunk into my
blood a little bit. I grew up liking Billy Sims and the 'Boz,' and I
was sick in '88 about losing to Kansas in the national championship
game. I've always been a Sooner fan and so I'm really happy to be
here."
Prior to his one-year stint at Kent State, Taliaferro spent five seasons
as boys' varsity head coach at Detroit Central High School where his
teams posted a combined record of 101-25. During the 1997-98 season, he
guided Central to a 23-4 record and the Class A state championship. He
was also named Detroit News & Free Press "Dream Team" Coach of the Year.
A two-time Public School League Coach of the Year, he also coached
Central to the state semifinals in his first season (1996-97) while the
2000-01 squad went 20-4 for his second 20-win season in five years. One
of his stars at Central was Antonio Gates, who set an NFL record for
tight ends in 2004 by scoring 13 touchdowns for the San Diego Chargers.
Taliaferro attended Wayne State University (located in Detroit) and led
the program to three Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference titles,
three NCAA Division II Sweet 16 appearances and a combined record of
71-20. He helped the Tarters reach the Final Four in 1993 and set a
school record for victories in 1993-94 (25-5). Taliaferro began his
playing career at Albion (Mich.) College, playing as a freshman before
transferring to Wayne State.
Taliaferro prepped at Detroit Mumford High School where he was an
honorable mention all-city selection as a senior after helping his team
reach the city playoffs for the first time in 24 years. He was coached
at Mumford by the late Jim Boyce, a former Eastern Michigan University
head coach.
Taliaferro and his wife, Kim, are the parents of three daughters (Errin,
Kaela and Lynsey).
OU SID Report
announced the hiring of Oronde Taliaferro (o-RON-day tal-uh-FAIR-o) as
an assistant coach today. Taliaferro fills the spot vacated by former
OU assistant Rod Barnes, who was named head coach at Georgia State in
March.
The 35-year-old Taliaferro, who spent the past six seasons as an
assistant coach under head coach Stan Heath at Arkansas (five years) and
Kent State (one), hails from Detroit, Mich. He was Arkansas' recruiting
coordinator and was labeled by Rivals.com in 2006 as one of the top 25
recruiters in the nation.
The Razorbacks made NCAA Tournament appearances each of the last two
years, going 21-14 overall last season and 22-10 in 2005-06. With
Taliaferro on Kent State's 2001-02 staff, the Golden Flashes posted a
30-6 record, won Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament
titles, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight.
Said Capel, "As I went through this search I talked to a lot of people
about different candidates - former college coaches, current college
coaches, AAU coaches and people at the grass roots level. The one
common name I kept hearing was Oronde Taliaferro.
"Oronde brings recruiting experience in areas such as Arkansas, Texas,
Mississippi, Chicago - some are regions we recruit now and some are
regions we want to start tapping into. He's a very good recruiter
because of a tireless work ethic and a strong ability to communicate.
But he's also very respected as a coach. So, in Oronde, we're getting a
great recruiter and a great teacher. I'm very excited to welcome him,
his wife and his children to the University of Oklahoma family."
Taliaferro said that, in a way, he actually has been a part of the OU
family for years.
"I'm really excited to be here at Oklahoma for several reasons," he
began. "First, Coach Capel is one of the upcoming stars in this
business. He and his staff are really nice people and are well-liked
across the country. I'm very happy to be working with a bunch of good
guys.
"Second, my dad was born in Oklahoma City. I spent several summers
coming here for family reunions and the Sooner tradition sunk into my
blood a little bit. I grew up liking Billy Sims and the 'Boz,' and I
was sick in '88 about losing to Kansas in the national championship
game. I've always been a Sooner fan and so I'm really happy to be
here."
Prior to his one-year stint at Kent State, Taliaferro spent five seasons
as boys' varsity head coach at Detroit Central High School where his
teams posted a combined record of 101-25. During the 1997-98 season, he
guided Central to a 23-4 record and the Class A state championship. He
was also named Detroit News & Free Press "Dream Team" Coach of the Year.
A two-time Public School League Coach of the Year, he also coached
Central to the state semifinals in his first season (1996-97) while the
2000-01 squad went 20-4 for his second 20-win season in five years. One
of his stars at Central was Antonio Gates, who set an NFL record for
tight ends in 2004 by scoring 13 touchdowns for the San Diego Chargers.
Taliaferro attended Wayne State University (located in Detroit) and led
the program to three Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference titles,
three NCAA Division II Sweet 16 appearances and a combined record of
71-20. He helped the Tarters reach the Final Four in 1993 and set a
school record for victories in 1993-94 (25-5). Taliaferro began his
playing career at Albion (Mich.) College, playing as a freshman before
transferring to Wayne State.
Taliaferro prepped at Detroit Mumford High School where he was an
honorable mention all-city selection as a senior after helping his team
reach the city playoffs for the first time in 24 years. He was coached
at Mumford by the late Jim Boyce, a former Eastern Michigan University
head coach.
Taliaferro and his wife, Kim, are the parents of three daughters (Errin,
Kaela and Lynsey).
OU SID Report