I mean, there’s not many OU basketball fans left standing with me who watched the John MacLoud days back in the 70’s at the old Fieldhouse. In my junior high days was when I started my OU hoops fandom. And through it all… I’m not if I’ve sure if ever been as confused about a team or a coach as I am currently.
OU’s loss to West Virginia in the championship game of the sketchy MGM Crown Invitational only tells one thing I already knew and admitted on here before…that being, OU being the last team out is irrelevant because its apparent with their loss to West Virginia the Sooners would have been an early exit in the NCAA Tournament.
I’m not sure whether to be happy or sad that new OU athletic director has given Porter another year with even more money than the $6.5 million he was budgeted this past season to get OU more transfer portal talent to get to the NCAA Tournament.
I’m not on Roger Denny at all because he inherited this situation from Joe C. This hire is on Joe C’s legacy books. I do like the fact though Roger D hired a mens’ basketball general manager this previous week from Clemson by the name of Lucas McKay. Clemson was a postive story this season in mens’ hoops.
I also like the fact Roger D didn’t piss away money on a buyout of Porter Moser before he exhausted the process of making sure Porter indeed gets the resources to be successfull in this Wild West era of college basketball.
I like the calm and nuance Roger D has shown so far.. If only the crazy person in the White House could display such calm would be refreshing.
We cannot be naive at this point…mens’ college football and basketball for the most part have become a whore-money games with no real guard-rails.
If OU did indeed spend $6.5 million on this team which just finished at 21-16 overall and 9-12 in SEC games with a season ending NCAA Net ranking of No. 47 in the last poll …a new standard of success needs to be proven next season by Porter Moser and his staff.
As per the Portal right now…OU potentially has four players left who could give the Sooners some semblance of a returning core next season. Those four would be point guard Xsayvier Brown, forward Derrion Reed, hybrid guard Dayton Forsythe, and freshman center Kai Rogers.
So in closing let me say… I like Porter. I think he’s a good man and a decent coach. I do. But in this era of college sports I sadly realize sometimes just being a good human and decent coach isn’t enough.
A week ago who would predicted former Denver Nugget coach Mike Malone would be the next head coach at North Carolina to match with their football hire of Bill Belichick. And right there illustrates what I’m saying…Hubert Davis got North Carolina to NCAA Championship game just several seasons ago with Brady Manek as one of his best players and is now gone because he didn’t win enough to satiate the fandom in Chapel Hill.
I would suggest to Porter to at the very least get to the NCAA Tournament and the Sweet 16 in Year 6 in Norman.
Mike J