About a month in, and we're down to four.
Whitney Hand
It seems like Whitney is smiling (or grimacing, as was the case last week) every picture I find, so I sought out a serious face for a serious topic that needs to be silenced once and for all:
Whitney never never told Landry that he looked ugly in it. She even participated in the fun of it all, wearing an "I date the 'Stache" shirt to a football game while the rest of us were telling opponents to "Fear the Stache."
But... did she hate it?
"I really did," Whitney said in an interview before the KU football game last season. "I just (pause) wasn’t a fan of it. But, I don’t know. It’s fine.
"I think it’s great that the students have embraced him so much in that. I think it’s fun. It’s kind of taken the pressure off a little bit. I think it’s a good thing."
It was laziness that started the stache craze... that and an unexpected amount of TV time at the BYU game, Whitney said.
"He’s an outrageous dresser. Why couldn’t one of his jackets with fur have caught on or something? (laughs) But I guess it definitely could be worse, so I’m OK with it."
Sherri Coale
I think you've heard every single Sherri story there is to be told, so I decided to find the oldest picture of Sherri on a Sooner sideline that I could. Looks like something outta Saved by the Bell or Full House, eh?
It is really amazing to think about how long Sherri's been at OU. Ever since 1996, when she got a big raise to go from being a Norman High teacher and coach to lead the Sooner program outta the dumpster, she has gone from a 5-win season (96-97) to a 5-loss season (08-09). Actually, several five-loss seasons (05-06, 06-07) and even a 4-loss season (01-02).
If you've caught any of our recent postseason runs, I think you've all seen how emotional Sherri can be. Officials said that she used to cry after repeated losses (her first three seasons had 55 of 'em). However, there's one story of tears of joy that I don't think I've mentioned before that I'd like to share.
In addition to being emotional, you'll never see Sherri underappreciate the fans, most likely because there haven't always been thousands strong in attendance. Sherri brought winning seasons back to OU by her third year, but the fans had yet to show up. So, an associate athletic director decided to give her a Christmas present one late 90s December, spreading the word that everyone absolutely needed to show up to LNC for Sherri and her team.
It was said that the moment Sherri looked at the stands, nearly full for the first time in her Sooner coaching career, cheering as the team took the court, her eyes started to tear up.
To this day, you'll hardly see any games where she doesn't wave to the crowd and mouth "Thank you" to those in attendance.
Krista Sanchez
Before the Springdale Mafia tried to take over Arkansas' football program, they honored Sanchez by making her the first high school athlete (male or female) to have his or her jersey retired as a senior.
Alas, after her accolades in high school, she only started two games her entire OU career, including the mandatory Senior Night start her final year.
So... why did the crowd make so much noise every time she stepped on the court - an average time of only about 5 minutes per game her final season?
Some might say that it's the reason she's in this poll. But let's be honest - how can you not cheer loudly when players that have supported their teammates the entire game get their own moment to shine?
Alas, Krista did not get many moments on the court, and she also holds the distinction of being the only player/coach this round to not experience a Final Four as a player/coach. Her 2004-2007 career put her just after the first, just before the next.
But we still love her as a Sooner, dedicated to the program despite few stats on the record books... even if she's from the same school as Mitch Mustain
Stacey Dales
Oklahoma's been to three Final Fours now, has become a Big 12 championship regular and a threat to any team in the postseason... even almighty UConn.
It's done it with only four first-team All-Americans in it's entire history, and Stacey Dales is one of them. Courtney Paris later joined Stacey as the only consensus first-team All-Americans in Sooner history, something Stacey did twice.
We all love Sherri, yes, but it took a player like Stacey Dales to get OU to its first Final Four and be able to continue recruiting the players to make OU a future title contender. It still amazes me how Sherri could have found Stacey and got her to come to Oklahoma... the opportunity to build a program without the nonstop title tradition that the UConns, Tennessees and (arrrrgh) Stanford have was exactly what brought her so far south of the border.
"For a girl from Canada, I sure thought that way," Dales said. "I saw the opportunity, I saw the Big 12 Conference, I saw Sherri Coale and her vision, I saw the chance to go in and play immediately and have an impact, and I saw a style that fit my style – fastbreak, run-and-gun.
"And all those things combined and meshed together and said let’s go to Oklahoma and see what we can do with it. And it turned out to be probably the greatest decision I’ve made in my basketball career."
It was a shame that her brilliant career couldn't end with a title. It's also a shame that ESPN couldn't afford to give her good plane tickets to keep her on college football sidelines.
Voting time!
You can vote for all four, you can vote for just one (and if you're a prick that thinks that the choice "none" should be available, then you can just redirect yourself to OrangePower.com).
The top two will move on to the final, final, FINAL round of this 'hottest' poll (sorry, but this is a lot of work and unless the demands are never-ending, this will be the only one of these that I ever do). So, I recommend voting for your favorite two.
I will post pics from previous rounds and makeshift bracket shortly. Voting will last seven days.
Originally Posted by Boomer.....
I'm not voting...
