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  1. #1
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    Capel on Blake Griffin

    I can say that none of us are big fans of Capel, but this was an interesting read:

    Quote Originally Posted by Progression of Blake Griffin by Jeff Capel
    With the NBA playoffs going on, our communications coordinator suggested I write about my favorite player in the league to start my blog off. I was fortunate to coach Blake Griffin in college for two years and he remains a good friend. I think talking about Blake and sharing some of his journey will help you guys understand what it takes to be a great player.

    The first thing I’ll say is I am not surprised by Blake’s success. Seeing him on TV commercials, at the All-Star Game dunking over a car, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year, helping the Clippers make the playoffs — none of it ever comes as a shock to me. I remember when I got the job at Oklahoma and started recruiting Blake, I hadn’t seen him play. I had just heard about him. In our first conversation, I talked to him about his goals. About a week later, I saw him play in person for the first time. It was at the Kingwood Classic down in Houston. After watching him play on that Saturday, I texted him Sunday evening. Back then, we could still text kids so I texted him and told him he needed to call me. He called back and I told him right away, “You need to change your goals. You have no idea how good you can be. You need to think bigger. With your talent and work ethic and how hard you play, you can become one of the greats.” That was after seeing him one time.

    At the start of his freshman year, we took a team trip to Canada. During the first half of the first game, I turned to my staff and told them Blake would have a decision to make at the end of the year because he would be good enough to enter the NBA Draft. Ever since that first time seeing him at the Kingwood Classic, I knew how good he was and told him how much I believed in him. His combination of talent and ambition was rare from the first time I saw him.

    Our first conference game that year was against Michael Beasley so it was a huge matchup against Kansas State. After that game, his whole world changed. I spoke to his parents about it right after because we needed to figure out a way protect him. I spoke to Blake about staying focused. We moved forward from there and eventually lost in the second round of the tournament to Louisville. That night when we got back, I sent him a text and told him we should meet. There were a lot of rumors about both of us. I was rumored to be leaving for another job and obviously everyone was wondering what he was going to do. We agreed to meet the next Wednesday to let some of the sting from the loss wear off.

    I remember he came in my office and the first thing I said after some small talk was, “You and I have to be connected. I know how this thing works. People will tell you not to trust me. People are gonna say to you that I am going to get you to try to stay.” At that time, OU had offered me a new contract which I actually had on my desk. I highlighted what my salary was and told him that I was staying. I said, “You need to do what is best for you and your family. Whatever you decide, I am behind you 100 percent. If you want to go pro, let’s do it. If you want to stay, let’s do it. You have done more than enough for the Capel family. This is what you helped do — you and your brother and everyone else.” I showed him the contract again and said I was fine.

    In the days following, we went through the process and I called all the teams in the lottery. I took detailed notes and shared all the information with Blake and his family. He made the decision that he felt like it was best for him to come back and asked me what I thought. I said, “Physically right now you are ready for the NBA. You can go in and be an elite-level rebounder right now. When you are a high draft pick, people look at you as a face of a team and a city. That’s the part if you come back you will be more prepared for because you will be the face of college basketball next year.”

    One of the things we talked about in the recruiting process and when he was setting his goals was him being National Player of the Year and a potential No. 1 pick. We came back with those two goals and collectively as a group we wanted to win a national championship. Two of those three came true. He was National Player of the Year and the No. 1 pick and he helped us get to the Elite Eight. The process worked for Blake because he trusted me and believed in us and what we were doing. He had a magnificent sophomore year and has made a huge impact in the NBA right away in LA.

    Since I started recruiting Blake, we’ve talked just about every day and still do now. To see his development and how he’s handled adversity with injury and continued to improve, it’s been very rewarding for me. Watching the Clippers comeback in the opening game at Memphis was incredible. It was weird. I was nervous watching on TV. I felt like I was on the sideline. My heart was pounding. I was excited. The comeback was the best I’ve ever seen. But again, nothing Blake ever is involved in really surprises me because he is so focused, driven and talented.

    One of the lessons that you can take away from Blake is that he is constantly trying to get better. As a freshman in college, you saw how explosive he was with the plays he had around the rim and the dunks and the rebounds in traffic. He could have easily gone to the NBA and been a top five pick but it was bigger than that to him. He wanted to make sure his game was more complete. I remember when we were getting ready for his sophomore season, I told people he had become even more athletic. He was a kid who completely changed his body which was already great. He changed how he worked out, he changed how he ate. His dedication to improve is what I talk to our guys about all the time.

    You see Blake with his crazy athleticism and dunks on YouTube but what really defines him to me is his work ethic and character. He respects the game, earns everything, stays humble and embraces the process of getting better. He’s never satisfied. Young players all over the country have posters up of Blake dunking on people, but the best reason to emulate him is his work ethic.

    Thanks for reading. Hit me on Twitter with ideas for my next blog @jeffcapel.

    Coach Capel

  2. #2
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    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    You have done more than enough for the Capel family. This is what you helped do — you and your brother and everyone else.” I showed him the contract again and said I was fine.
    And here I thought Blake and Tay Tay loved their university. How could they




  3. #3
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    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    Quote Originally Posted by badger View Post
    And here I thought Blake and Tay Tay loved their university. How could they



    Funny, when I read that line, I was thinking "what about...you've done more than enough for the Sooner family!"...Just a reminder that in coaching, a lot of it is all about the money. Mo money, mo problems...is what I always say.

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    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    At least Capel understands he had nothing to do with getting a big contract on his own merit.
    "The choices we discern as having been made in the Constitutional Convention impose burdens on governmental proceses that often seem clumsy, inefficient, even unworkable, but those hard choices were consciously made by men who had lived under a form of government that permitted arbitrary governmental acts to go unchecked." INS v. Chadha, 462 U.S. 919 (1983) (Burger, C.J.)

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    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    Quote Originally Posted by Frozen Sooner View Post
    At least Capel understands he had nothing to do with getting a big contract on his own merit.
    Good point! I'm venturing a guess that coaching Blake was/is/will be the highlight of his head coaching career. Still, not to shabby.

  6. #6

    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    I still don't see much improvement in his game. Always been a phreak athlete, dunker, and rebounder. That's still what he is now.

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    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    He went from a great player his freshman year to a superstar his sophomore year. His numbers went up 8 ppg, 5 assistsper game, and 8% field goal percent. Actually, all of his numbers improved from his freshman season.

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    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    Quote Originally Posted by kbsooner21 View Post
    I still don't see much improvement in his game. Always been a phreak athlete, dunker, and rebounder. That's still what he is now.
    I agree, I don't see much improvement since he joined the Clippers. His post game is as good as any forward in the league (if not better), but I haven't seen anything as far as his range, jump shot or free-throws are considered.

    The upside is that he's only in year two (not counting the injury year), so he can continue to develop other areas...and they made the playoffs. The down side is the Clippers coaches are not good, and since they made the playoffs, they're not going anywhere (for now anyway). Hopefully, in time, Blake will get a good coach to help him take his game to the next level...which is a level few have reached.

  9. #9
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    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    Capel acts like it was some big revelation known only to him and his high-powered coaching brain that Blake was a good basketball player.

  10. #10

    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    Quote Originally Posted by 8timechamps View Post
    I agree, I don't see much improvement since he joined the Clippers. His post game is as good as any forward in the league (if not better), but I haven't seen anything as far as his range, jump shot or free-throws are considered.

    The upside is that he's only in year two (not counting the injury year), so he can continue to develop other areas...and they made the playoffs. The down side is the Clippers coaches are not good, and since they made the playoffs, they're not going anywhere (for now anyway). Hopefully, in time, Blake will get a good coach to help him take his game to the next level...which is a level few have reached.
    Yep, he had 30 alone last night, yet still has yet to score outside of the paint (minus the ft line) all series long. He's got to develop a 15-18 foot jumper before too long.

  11. #11
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    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    Felton J taught Blake free throws. Everything else likely came from big bro and daddy.

    Actually, I've heard that little brothers, having grown up always trying to keep up with an older, taller, stronger, smarter sibling teachers them to be better at everything in the long run. Go, younger siblings!

  12. #12

    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    Has also learned how to be one of the biggest floppers in the league by learning from the best in Chris Paul. This drives me freaking crazy...

  13. #13
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    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    Not a flopping fan either, but I've found that in contact sports, it can appear to be flopping if you are doing your best to avoid contact, which Blake would be if he had a severe injury he's playing through.

  14. #14

    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    Quote Originally Posted by badger View Post
    Not a flopping fan either, but I've found that in contact sports, it can appear to be flopping if you are doing your best to avoid contact, which Blake would be if he had a severe injury he's playing through.
    It's one thing to avoid contact, it's another thing to flop. He flops imo

  15. #15
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    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    Quote Originally Posted by badger View Post
    Felton J taught Blake free throws. Everything else likely came from big bro and daddy.

    Actually, I've heard that little brothers, having grown up always trying to keep up with an older, taller, stronger, smarter sibling teachers them to be better at everything in the long run. Go, younger siblings!
    Blake's dad was my high school Algebra teacher and also an assistant coach on my high school football and basketball teams. When we would show up for summer two and three-a-days for football, coach Griffin would sometimes have Blake and Taylor with him. Of course, at the time they were just a couple of little/annoying kids. Who knew?

    Anyway, after practice, coach would be in the gym with the boys shooting baskets...I'm sure that continued on for a while.

  16. #16
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    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    Quote Originally Posted by 8timechamps View Post
    Anyway, after practice, coach would be in the gym with the boys shooting baskets...I'm sure that continued on for a while.
    A game NP and I would play would be that every time the TV would cut to ma and pa griffin, I would say something in a high-pitched mommy voice ("Oh, I hope Blake didn't get hurt!") and NP would say something in a tough daddy voice ("Get up, son!").

    I've heard that ma and pa have largely stayed out of the spotlight and back in Oklahoma, even as Blake Griffin dunks over Kias and tries to speak Italian in Subway commercials. Some article said that they loved when Blake got them a big TV to watch his games and sent them a Kia since he has an endorsement deal with them, but it's not the typical NBA family dealios where everyone gets Escalades, new homes and the athlete is bankrupt a few years after retirement, methinks

  17. #17
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    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    Quote Originally Posted by badger View Post
    A game NP and I would play would be that every time the TV would cut to ma and pa griffin, I would say something in a high-pitched mommy voice ("Oh, I hope Blake didn't get hurt!") and NP would say something in a tough daddy voice ("Get up, son!").

    I've heard that ma and pa have largely stayed out of the spotlight and back in Oklahoma, even as Blake Griffin dunks over Kias and tries to speak Italian in Subway commercials. Some article said that they loved when Blake got them a big TV to watch his games and sent them a Kia since he has an endorsement deal with them, but it's not the typical NBA family dealios where everyone gets Escalades, new homes and the athlete is bankrupt a few years after retirement, methinks
    That's funny badj, because my woman and I do that a lot too (not always with people on TV either)...I'll say to her "what do you think [insert target person/people] is saying?", and that will start the game.

    Anyway, back to the Griffins, Coach Griffin was very soft-spoken (which does NOT match his appearance). I never heard him raise his voice (even in football practice/games). Just a very laid back guy.

    I love it when guys make it to the big time, and their parents don't want spot-light. However, if either of my kids were to make it to the big time (which is pretty much impossible), I'll be in front of the camera as much as possible saying things like "I taught him everything he knows".

  18. #18
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    Re: Capel on Blake Griffin

    If you're curious, here's the article:
    http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec...iffin-20111214

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