Why Panic?

I understand that right now it feels like we're the last kid on the playground to get picked and we're worried if we're going to get in the game at all. However, silence doesn't necessarily mean that nobody wants the OU men's basketball job, it just means that Joe Castiglione is keeping a tight lid on the search.

We've already learned that Buzz Williams and OU had mutual interest, so there's at least one coach that's interested in the job. The issue with Buzz continues to be the buyout, and by all accounts it looks like he'll stay in Milwaukee. 

Because of the silence, people are throwing out all kinds of innuendo and rumor and maybe 15% of it is true. At this point everyone is just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. It's human nature. We want to know. I'm guilty of it too.

However, let me propose a few thoughts as to why this may be taking longer than what most of you wanted:

• Joe Castiglione felt like he rushed into the hiring decision with Jeff Capel, and doesn't want to make the same mistake twice. He wants to fully vet all the candidates and make sure that he makes the correct decision.
• Perhaps we are waiting for someone whose team is still playing.
• The Final Four is one of the biggest annual gathering spots for coaches around the country. If you're an athletic director and you want to have a chance to work your magic, it's the perfect time to do it.

Someone at OUHoops who seems to have a good dose of inside info, or a sense of what is going on, said that a lot of the names being thrown around are in the mix, but that Joe is just taking his time to make a good hire. Perhaps we should put a little more faith in our athletic director who has generally made excellent hires.