You may be surprised to see Oklahoma this high in our rankings. But please remember that the Sooner State was home to the 2008 Champions of the College Basketball Invitational. Did you know people storm the floor for that? I think we may need to issue a ruling on that. Then again, the odds of Tulsa winning the NCAAs is slim, so you take what you can get. The Golden Hurricane can take some solace in the knowledge that their program jump-started the careers of National Championship coaches like Tubby Smith and Bill Self, however.
In other news, the player most pundits believe will be the top pick in the next NBA draft plays for Jeff Capel at OU. Blake Griffin is a monster, and if you get a chance to watch him in the upcoming season, do yourself a favor and tune in.
Oklahoma State was a bit of a letdown, which led to the firing of Sean Sutton and the hiring of Travis Ford. We'll look on with interest as the Cowboy rebuilding project gets underway.
Finally, we have the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, who have become a regional powerhouse under yet another Sutton, this one named Scott. The University was founded by a televangelist, and is currently embroiled in an administrative scandal, but basketball keeps humming along. I wonder if we can get ORU to play Liberty every year in the Televangelist Shootout? Something to consider.
2008 Breakdown
State winning percentage: .635
Number of teams: 4
NCAA Tournament teams: Oklahoma, Oral Roberts
Conference champions: ORU
Most wins: Tulsa (25)
Least wins: Oklahoma State (17)
Teams with winning records: OSU eked out one extra victory to make sure all four were above .500 this past season.
Teams with single digit wins: None
Historical breakdown
Most Memorable Team: My own most memorable from the state is the 1988 Oklahoma Sooners. Billy Tubbs had the team absolutely loaded with stars, and had the Sooners running and gunning their way through the Big 8 and the postseason. Led by Stacy King and Mookie Blaylock, this team was brash and unapolagetic, presaging the UNLV teams that would soon dominate the scene.
The Sooners beat an underachieving Kansas team twice in the conference season, and probably figured they were done with the Jayhawks. But, against all odds, Larry Brown brought Danny Manning and his cast of unknowns around for a third go, and somehow prevailed. I was a student at Kansas then, and as much as I treasure that win, I still don't know how it happened.
Somewhere down the line, the basketball gods probably owe the Sooners a national title to replace the one they deserved in 1988. With Blake Griffin in the fold, it could be this year.
Top Player All-Time: Wayman Tisdale from OU makes the strongest case. He was All-America as a Freshman in 1983, and made the list two more times during his career. He also won an Olympic gold medal in '84, and was the second pick in the '85 NBA draft.
Most Amusing Player All-Time: Bryant "Big Country" Reeves. In college, his battles with Greg Ostertag were legendary and fierce. Fans of the pro game are probably laughing their asses off right now. Luke Harangody at Notre Dame copied the haircut - we hope he doesn't copy the rest of Country's career.
Favorite Coach: All-time, it's Henry Iba. OSU was Oklahoma A&M when Mr. Iba started out, and he transformed the program into one of the toughest outs ever to play the game. The Cowboys won back-t0-back titles in 1945 and '46, and Coach Iba ran the Olympic team in the 60's and early 70's as well. His coaching tree produced three national champs (see below).
Cradle of Coaches: Playing for Hank Iba led to some great coaching, but the ultimate mid-major escalator to the high majors in this state has been Tulsa. Hank Iba's brother Clarence started the tradition, and Nolan Richardson blew the lid off in the 80's. After a slight bobble with J.D. Barnett, the Golden Hurricane turned to, in order: Tubby Smith, Steve Robinson, Bill Self, and Buzz Peterson. All went on to higher profile jobs, and a couple happen to have won titles.
Top Player 2008: Blake Griffin is shaved head and enormous shoulders above the rest. He puts in 14 ppg, nearly 10 rpg, and shoots 57% from the floor. He's the real deal, and Capel is lucky to have him back for a second season - he could have easily gone pro.
Best On-Campus Venue: OSU's Gallagher-Iba Arena is the pick. It has history and a close, intense atmosphere. OU's Noble Center used to blow the top off of the noise meter in the Tubbs era, but hasn't been quite as special in recent years.
Best NCAA Venue: We have a couple of contestants here. The Myriad Convention Center was the site of Valpo's version of "the shot", hit by Bryce Drew. The Ford Center hosted Bucknell's epic upset of Kansas. Pick 'em.
Most Prestigious Program (ESPN Style): #12 Oklahoma Sooners.
Best Nickname: Tulsa Golden Hurricane. And you thought a Golden Shower was disgusting.
STF’s Favorite Program: I'll be the first to admit that my appreciation for programs from this state is highly tinged with dislike born of proximity and a shared conference with my hometown team. So picking a favorite is going to be a heroic exercise in setting all of that aside.
So, in a result that shocked even me, I have to pick the OSU Cowboys. Hank Iba is a bona-fide legend, and his influence is felt throughout college basketball today. National Championship winners Eddie Sutton, Don Haskins, and Bill Self all learned the game under his tutlage. Can't argue with that. The Sutton era was a bit of an off-court mess that became an on-court mess, but that doesn't touch the bedrock laid by Iba.
[Get Acquainted with the STF State Project Concept]
See right-hand sidebar for previous entries.
In other news, the player most pundits believe will be the top pick in the next NBA draft plays for Jeff Capel at OU. Blake Griffin is a monster, and if you get a chance to watch him in the upcoming season, do yourself a favor and tune in.
Oklahoma State was a bit of a letdown, which led to the firing of Sean Sutton and the hiring of Travis Ford. We'll look on with interest as the Cowboy rebuilding project gets underway.
Finally, we have the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, who have become a regional powerhouse under yet another Sutton, this one named Scott. The University was founded by a televangelist, and is currently embroiled in an administrative scandal, but basketball keeps humming along. I wonder if we can get ORU to play Liberty every year in the Televangelist Shootout? Something to consider.
2008 Breakdown
State winning percentage: .635
Number of teams: 4
NCAA Tournament teams: Oklahoma, Oral Roberts
Conference champions: ORU
Most wins: Tulsa (25)
Least wins: Oklahoma State (17)
Teams with winning records: OSU eked out one extra victory to make sure all four were above .500 this past season.
Teams with single digit wins: None
Historical breakdown
Most Memorable Team: My own most memorable from the state is the 1988 Oklahoma Sooners. Billy Tubbs had the team absolutely loaded with stars, and had the Sooners running and gunning their way through the Big 8 and the postseason. Led by Stacy King and Mookie Blaylock, this team was brash and unapolagetic, presaging the UNLV teams that would soon dominate the scene.
The Sooners beat an underachieving Kansas team twice in the conference season, and probably figured they were done with the Jayhawks. But, against all odds, Larry Brown brought Danny Manning and his cast of unknowns around for a third go, and somehow prevailed. I was a student at Kansas then, and as much as I treasure that win, I still don't know how it happened.
Somewhere down the line, the basketball gods probably owe the Sooners a national title to replace the one they deserved in 1988. With Blake Griffin in the fold, it could be this year.
Top Player All-Time: Wayman Tisdale from OU makes the strongest case. He was All-America as a Freshman in 1983, and made the list two more times during his career. He also won an Olympic gold medal in '84, and was the second pick in the '85 NBA draft.
Most Amusing Player All-Time: Bryant "Big Country" Reeves. In college, his battles with Greg Ostertag were legendary and fierce. Fans of the pro game are probably laughing their asses off right now. Luke Harangody at Notre Dame copied the haircut - we hope he doesn't copy the rest of Country's career.
Favorite Coach: All-time, it's Henry Iba. OSU was Oklahoma A&M when Mr. Iba started out, and he transformed the program into one of the toughest outs ever to play the game. The Cowboys won back-t0-back titles in 1945 and '46, and Coach Iba ran the Olympic team in the 60's and early 70's as well. His coaching tree produced three national champs (see below).
Cradle of Coaches: Playing for Hank Iba led to some great coaching, but the ultimate mid-major escalator to the high majors in this state has been Tulsa. Hank Iba's brother Clarence started the tradition, and Nolan Richardson blew the lid off in the 80's. After a slight bobble with J.D. Barnett, the Golden Hurricane turned to, in order: Tubby Smith, Steve Robinson, Bill Self, and Buzz Peterson. All went on to higher profile jobs, and a couple happen to have won titles.
Top Player 2008: Blake Griffin is shaved head and enormous shoulders above the rest. He puts in 14 ppg, nearly 10 rpg, and shoots 57% from the floor. He's the real deal, and Capel is lucky to have him back for a second season - he could have easily gone pro.
Best On-Campus Venue: OSU's Gallagher-Iba Arena is the pick. It has history and a close, intense atmosphere. OU's Noble Center used to blow the top off of the noise meter in the Tubbs era, but hasn't been quite as special in recent years.
Best NCAA Venue: We have a couple of contestants here. The Myriad Convention Center was the site of Valpo's version of "the shot", hit by Bryce Drew. The Ford Center hosted Bucknell's epic upset of Kansas. Pick 'em.
Most Prestigious Program (ESPN Style): #12 Oklahoma Sooners.
Best Nickname: Tulsa Golden Hurricane. And you thought a Golden Shower was disgusting.
STF’s Favorite Program: I'll be the first to admit that my appreciation for programs from this state is highly tinged with dislike born of proximity and a shared conference with my hometown team. So picking a favorite is going to be a heroic exercise in setting all of that aside.
So, in a result that shocked even me, I have to pick the OSU Cowboys. Hank Iba is a bona-fide legend, and his influence is felt throughout college basketball today. National Championship winners Eddie Sutton, Don Haskins, and Bill Self all learned the game under his tutlage. Can't argue with that. The Sutton era was a bit of an off-court mess that became an on-court mess, but that doesn't touch the bedrock laid by Iba.
[Get Acquainted with the STF State Project Concept]
See right-hand sidebar for previous entries.
1 comments:
I've heard that Tisdale rocks a mean jazz guitar.
I always remember seeing his CD "Power Forward" at Circuit City in the mid-90s and just chuckling.
Hope he gets better too.
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