I love hoops being played the right way. Same thing with hockey and football. A team should be pulling the proverbial chain in unison as one. It should be a tight knit family who in one hate to lose. Literally despise the notion of losing and ever being outworked or out-thought on the court. That’s exactly what men’s coach Porter Moser is still trying to get across to his team currently twenty-one games into the season.
When OU’s legendary Sheri Coale stepped down as the women’s basketball coach it was time. It was like watching a relationship which had grown stale over the last few years of her tenure.
Not horrible, but clearly the years had eroded earlier glory years as to what the expectations should be for OU women’s basketball.
Joe C went out and found his next OU women’s hoop coach in Jennie Baranczyk.
Long story short…OU’s women beat Baylor this week 78-77 for their second win over the Bears this season. These wins mark OU’s first wins over Baylor in women’s basketball since 2014. Think about that.
The nationally ranked Sooners are 18-3 overall, 8-2 in conference and tied for first place in the rugged Big 12.
This is me just thinking out loud…if I were Coach Moser I’d take a page from Coach B’s bench-side demeanor right now…and tone down all the forty-five second shifts I’m seeing being made. Basketball isn’t hockey. There is a point in basketball you can over-coach. Maybe even out-think yourself if you’re not careful.
You identify the soul of your team and that soul in essence helps you coach your team on the practice court and in the locker-room.
I really didn’t like the way Coach Moser humiliated EJ Harkless last week in those two road games. I think there’s way as a coach you do that in private if you feel a message needs to be conveyed.
It’s all about your individual coaching personality and character.
2nd Rule of Coaching…”You coach thru your own individual personality and character.”
So in Norman right now…the men are struggling while the women are soaring under their respective first year basketball coaches.
Both teams have tough road assignments in front of them this weekend. The men at Stillwater in Bedlam I… while the women are at Ames against the very good Cyclones in a battle for first place in the Big 12.
Can’t wait to watch both games.