Basketball News

Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that Blake Griffin, former Oklahoma Sooner and the projected top pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, will be the new face of EA SPORTS(TM) NCAA Basketball 10. Griffin has an explosive presence, exciting college stadiums with massive dunks, huge blocks, and aggressive rebounds, and was a natural choice to represent the college game as cover athlete for NCAA Basketball 10. Griffin is the consensus national Player of the Year, winning the Big 12, Associated Press, Naismith, Sporting News, and John Wooden Player of the Year awards, and led his team to an Elite Eight appearance in the 2009 March Madness Tournament, where they lost to eventual champions, UNC. The 2009 NBA Draft is presented by EA SPORTS.

Freshman phenom Willie Warren  has confirmed his decision to stay for atleast one more year at OU. Warren who was Big 12 Rookie of the Year and a Mcdonald's All American coming out of High School had earlier indicated he wanted to stay but with some projections having him in the top 10 of the upcoming NBA draft.   Sooner Fans became nervous once it become public knowledge that he planned to sit down with Sooner coach Jeff Caple III and his mother to discuss his future.

After the meeting, he confirmed that he plans to remain with the Sooners for another season.

He says his conversation with Capel was more about setting expectations for next season and that he never seriously considered entering this year's NBA draft.

Warren set an Oklahoma freshman record with 67 3-pointers last season and will be joined nect year by two more mcdonald's All-Americans in PG Tommy Mason Griffon and C Keith "Tiny" Gallon.

 

Now, before everyone of you jump to conclusions, just stop, relax, and read on.

 

Arizona has had a ton of success under their longtime coach, Lute Olson.

Coach Olson went on to win 598 games for the Wildcats. In my opinion, he is one of the best teachers to ever coach the game. However, that is not what this topic or this article is about.

 

I am wondering what everyone's opinion is when it comes to the different jobs. I know most of you will think Arizona is far and away the better job. I will not argue with your opinions on that. However, numbers do not lie.

Capel has been amazing in his coaching career thus far.

While OU was by no means devoid of history before his arrival. He has managed to remove all stains left on the program by Kelvin Sampson in just three short years and is giving all Duke fans hope that they have a talented coaching replacement waiting in the wings.  

While he has yet to win a Big 12 conference championship, he has proved two things: He can recruit and he can coach. He has managed to pull a Macdonald's All-American the last two years and for those who say he is not a good recruiter and had Blake Griffin gift-wrapped for him, he has two more All-Americans coming next year In Tommy Mason-Griffin and and Keith Gallon.

Obviously, he can coach as well, Villanova's Scotty Reynolds and Texas' Damien James both decommited from OU after his hiring. Losing most of the initial recruiting class did not phase him much, he posted winning seasons in all three of his years despite losing an immense amount of talent the second he walked through the door.

This season he was 25-1 before the Griffin Injury and poorly coached teams do not go 25-1 no matter how much talent they have. Yes, Griffin may be making him look better but their is no doubt he is talented.

He has also showed he can discipline by kicking two players off the team this season, one late in the season, and sitting down starters like Willie Warren or suspending the #3 post Juan Patillo in important games down the stretch despite what it may have done to the team's chemistry.

But now it is time for his next big step to inmproving his resume beating legendary coaches and teams in the NCAA Tournament.  Last year, he met Louisville and Pitino and it was an ugly blowout but they were the lesser team and it showed. This year, the Sooners get Boeheim and Syracuse and should be the favorite to win at tip-off. 

So, is a great young coaching star ready to take his next big step?  OU may be a year away from being a championship team but Capel does not have that luxury.  There is a good chance that Blake is gone next year and Willie Warren may leave early as well. So, as a coach you have to look at this as your best opportunity to win it all. 

Capel can learn a lot from Boeheim, though T.J. Ford was the player of the year in 2003, their is little doubt that Carmelo Anthony was the best player in the tournament and Carmelo was the difference in game after game for Syracuse.

So Capel can use Boeheim's model of having the best player in the tournament and utilizing him properly to win it all.

I certainly hope OU does win in order to set up a match-up with the Player of the year to be and the current reigning POY between Blake and Tyler in the next round.

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