A couple weeks ago I heard Al Eschback mention on the radio that Keith was FAR from qualifying. Has anyone else heard this or does anyone have any inside info?
TIA
A couple weeks ago I heard Al Eschback mention on the radio that Keith was FAR from qualifying. Has anyone else heard this or does anyone have any inside info?
TIA
That's been the rumor lately.
Haven't heard any specifics.
I've heard the same.
I read it here.
Doesn't read books, and (unlike Dusty Dvoracek), doesn't stare at them until he gets the information he wants.
This is very disappointing.
Maybe we can get Chris Patterson to tutor him.
hopefully this will allow us to make a run at Darrell Arthur.
Am I the only one that won't be upset if Clark doesn't qualify?
I don't believe so.Originally Posted by Newbomb Turk
good, cause I kind of felt bad about that.
No, I'm concerned too but my concern is secondary to what the NCAA decides. I like our team (on paper) even without Clark but with Clark even more.
I'm just hoping the NCAA doesn't hand us our a$$.
Owen '05-'26 122-54-16 .677 (Foundation)
Wilkinson '47-'63 145-29-4 .829 (DYNASTY 1) 3 NC
Switzer '73-'88 157-29-4 .837(DYNASTY 2) 3 NC
Stoops '99- PRESENT 179-46.793 (DYNASTY 3) 1 NC and still WAITING
At OU tradition is about more than just one coach 861-319-53 .720
Scattergun toting Posse member
Were after a couple of JUCO's. A couple of posts named Habel (#1 JUCO recruit) and White, and a guard named Smith.
.Men: Sooners still happy with their recruiting class
By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer
3/27/2006
The group was ranked in the top 5 by Rivals and Scout recruiting services.
NORMAN -- Last November, Oklahoma basketball coach Kelvin Sampson signed a five-member recruiting class rated in the top five nationally by recruiting services Rivals and Scout.
The class had representatives at every position. Sampson had signed scorers and rebounders and the group had lots of raw athletic ability.
Sampson was practically giddy at the thought of putting the kids on the court.
"As good a class as we've had since I've been here," he said on signing day. "Our staff is very, very happy with this class."
Five months later, the Oklahoma coaching staff is still happy with the group of recruits.
One of their signees, Scottie Reynolds, a point guard from Herndon, Va., was named to the McDonald's All-American team.
Another, Nacogdoches, Texas, forward Damion James, didn't make the team, but made what Scout national recruiting director Dave Telep called "a legitimate case" toward doing so.
At the same time, Sooner coaches are also a little nervous about the future of two of the recruits.
Two members of their recruiting class, Putnam City forward Keith Clark and Dallas post
Jeremy Mayfield, are trying to resolve academic issues.
"Jeremy took the (ACT) a month ago. I think he's right there," said Craig Roberts, who coaches Mayfield on a Dallas-Fort Worth AAU team. "Hopefully we'll know something in a week or two."
OU is playing the waiting game with Clark, as well.
"His GPA is around a 2.7 or 2.8, so he's OK in the classroom," said A.D. Burtschi, who coached Clark-led Putnam City to the 6A state championship a couple weeks ago. "If he has done anything wrong, it's that he put off (standardized test-taking) until his senior year.
"We like for our kids to start that process earlier, around their sophomore year even," Burtschi said.
"Keith has taken it just once to my knowledge, so it's a work in progress," Burtschi said. "He should be getting the result soon. I'll be anxious to see where he is. I just do not know."
The Sooners had plans for both Clark and Mayfield to come in and pick up some of the slack left by Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout, their starting frontcourt of the last two years.
And both may yet be able to do just that.
The situation among OU's perimeter recruits is more stable.
Reynolds and James are coming off senior seasons in which they lived up to their All-America billing.
Reynolds averaged 27 points, six assists and five rebounds for Virginia's 3A runner-up.
James averaged 24 points, 16 rebounds, eight blocks and six assists while spending a lot of time as point guard, despite his 6-foot-8 size, for a 22-win team.
Just as important for OU's purposes, Reynolds and James are on track academically.
"All (James) has to do is maintain his GPA, and he's doing that," said Nacogdoches coach Mark Richardson. "He's around a 3-point (GPA) right now."
Tony Crocker, the Sooners' 6-5 shooting guard signee, firmed up his academic situation after spending a year at The Patterson School, a preparatory school in Lenoir, N.C.
"He's doing what he needs to do in the classroom," Patterson coach Chris Chaney said. "Tony's problem was he hurt his knee at the beginning of the season, after the first five games.
"He healed up, then his first game back in early January he sprained his ankle," Chaney said. "He came back and played the last five games.
"Before the injury, he was one of our top kids, by far," Chaney said. "There's nothing he can't do on the court."
Chaney says Crocker will be dominant again once he's fully recovered. Chaney also says that, playing alongside Reynolds, Crocker can relieve the stress from what appears to be a major transition in OU basketball.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guerin Emig 581-8355
[email protected]
.Sampson surprises signees
By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer
3/29/2006
One recruit "hurt" when he found out the coach had quit.
NORMAN -- News of Kelvin Sampson's sudden departure as Oklahoma basketball coach may have hit hardest with the Sooners who never got the chance to play for him.
The five-member recruiting class Sampson signed last November was hyped as the nation's fourth-best by national recruiting service Rivals.
"Hey, it happens, but I don't feel too good about it," said Damion James, the 6-foot-8 Nacogdoches, Texas, forward ranked as the nation's No. 16 prep prospect. "I don't want to talk to (Sampson)."
James, like Tony Crocker, Keith Clark, Jeremy Mayfield and McDonalds All-American Scottie Reynolds, signed na tional letters of intent with the Sooners. That binds them to OU for a scholarship year, unless the school agrees to release them from their agreement. If they decide to transfer, they would also lose eligibility.
The question the group will have to answer is: Did they sign to play for Sampson, or for Sampson's program?
"The coach has a major role, because that's who you're putting your trust in," said Gary Hall, Reynolds' coach at Herndon (Va.) High. "It's hard to say."
"Only time will
tell," James said when asked about his future plans. "I love the Sooners. Me, Scottie, Tony and them, we're looking forward to coming.
"But I don't know, my feelings are hurt."
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Guerin Emig 581-8355
[email protected]
Kelvin Sampson, Mr. Third Choice.
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