Lon Kruger Hired As Oklahoma's New Basketball Coach
by ccmachine on Apr 1, 2011 1:24 PM CDT
in Basketball
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PrintLooks like this time its much more than a rumor as Joe Castiglione and a Sooner contingent are currently in route to finalize a deal that would pay UNLV Head Coach Lon Kruger $2 million dollars a year to coach men's basketball at Oklahoma. Only the pending final approval of University President David Boren is holding up the official announcement and that could come as early as today.
The Oklahoman's Berry Tramel breaks down Kruger's coaching tenures in terms of wins and losses.
Kruger coached Texas-Pan Am from 1982-86 and went 52-59; Kansas State from 1986-90 and went 81-46, including a trip to the 1988 NCAA regional final; Florida from 1990-96 and went 104-80, including a trip to the 1994 Final Four; Illinois from 1996-00 and went 81-48; the NBA Hawks from 2000-02 and went 69-122; and now UNLV since 2004, going 161-71.
Kruger's teams have made 13 NCAA Tournaments. His overall college record is 479-304.
After the circus that this coaching search had become I have to tell you that I'm very pleased with the hire. Thoughts?
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Safe hire.
But I don’t think he adds very much interest and excitement to Sooner Basketball. I don’t expect very much out of Kruger.
April Fools?
of course there is this denial in the Vegas paper
Kruger is in Houston for the Final Four. Before boarding a flight Thursday, he turned down an opportunity to move beyond informal discussions with Oklahoma about filling the school’s coaching vacancy.
When I write: Rockies Reporter (www.rockiesreporter.wordpress.com)
"Suck it monkeys, the Rockies will win this year"
I should add
this is from this mornings paper…..so thing could have changed since it went to print
When I write: Rockies Reporter (www.rockiesreporter.wordpress.com)
"Suck it monkeys, the Rockies will win this year"
From Jeff Goodman on Fox Sports on Twitter
goodmanonfox Jeff Goodman
Oklahoman reporting Lon Kruger taking Sooners job. My source: ``Not done yet; Kruger has turned it down twice. OU won’t take no for answer."
When I write: Rockies Reporter (www.rockiesreporter.wordpress.com)
"Suck it monkeys, the Rockies will win this year"
i am quite sure
I will be roundly criticized by our resident experts, but this is a massive failure IMO. Our basketball program just became totally irrelevant. Every team in this league already had their guy or has recently upgraded and now we’ve just scraped the bottom of the retread barrell. Yippie!
"I don't like Texas. I don't like the city of Austin. And I don't like the color orange. It reminds me of puke." The Boz
Crimson and Cream Machine - There's only one Oklahoma!
Listen to Sooner Nation, the #1 podcast for OU fans
by Jordan Esco on Apr 1, 2011 1:59 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
Absolutely terrible hire
This is the most boring, blah hire they could have possibly made. Say hello to consistent 500-1000 crowds next year Joe!
"I don't like Texas. I don't like the city of Austin. And I don't like the color orange. It reminds me of puke." The Boz
Crimson and Cream Machine - There's only one Oklahoma!
Listen to Sooner Nation, the #1 podcast for OU fans
Really?
Think about what you just wrote for a second. You just wrote “I’d rather lose games with a packed house than win with that many people (meaning 500-1,000) there.”
That is a bunch of loser talk.
If we are not excited about winning then why are we playing?
by dasoonerman on Apr 1, 2011 3:31 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Who's not excited about winning?
Of course we are excited about winning, but your statement reads like you okay with losing as long as there as plenty of butts in the seats.
What I'm satin is that
If we are only getting 500 people in the LNC to see us win then we aren’t excited about winning. If we max out and lose, at least we play exciting basketball that is fun to watch. I do hope that Kruger can get us excited about sooner basketball. Hopefully he can win here. But as of now I’m not excited.
by dasoonerman on Apr 1, 2011 4:53 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
500 people per game?
Come on guys. Be serious.
"Coach Gundy, why was Oklahoma able to march right down the field against you?" --Erin Andrews
by dishingoutdimes on Apr 1, 2011 4:56 PM CDT up reply actions
Just wait
"I don't like Texas. I don't like the city of Austin. And I don't like the color orange. It reminds me of puke." The Boz
Crimson and Cream Machine - There's only one Oklahoma!
Listen to Sooner Nation, the #1 podcast for OU fans
If they pay over $2 million dollars for this retread
Then I’ve just lost an immense amount of respect for Joe C.
"I don't like Texas. I don't like the city of Austin. And I don't like the color orange. It reminds me of puke." The Boz
Crimson and Cream Machine - There's only one Oklahoma!
Listen to Sooner Nation, the #1 podcast for OU fans
I think your thoughts
are actually in the majority of what I’m hearing.
in fact….I just found out that maybe the some of the Regents just went “WTF”. $2MM for Kruger??? So…this may not be a done deal on OU’s end.
When I write: Rockies Reporter (www.rockiesreporter.wordpress.com)
"Suck it monkeys, the Rockies will win this year"
I hope you're right b/c this is a complete joke
"I don't like Texas. I don't like the city of Austin. And I don't like the color orange. It reminds me of puke." The Boz
Crimson and Cream Machine - There's only one Oklahoma!
Listen to Sooner Nation, the #1 podcast for OU fans
Tulsa World Emig
tweeted contract was $16 Million for 7 years! Buy out was only $500k from UNLV. Emig also said word out of Vegas was OU offered TWICE and were turned down…then Joe C panicked.
Joe C said it’s not done, but working on it.
And I just heard from my source that the Money people are really having questions about this deal. So not done from OU’s side
When I write: Rockies Reporter (www.rockiesreporter.wordpress.com)
"Suck it monkeys, the Rockies will win this year"
Good.
"I don't like Texas. I don't like the city of Austin. And I don't like the color orange. It reminds me of puke." The Boz
Crimson and Cream Machine - There's only one Oklahoma!
Listen to Sooner Nation, the #1 podcast for OU fans
Not sexy...
…but I think it could be a solid choice.
Some of you need to come back off the ledge.
Is it the name or is it the price that has everyone worked up? Would it be better if he made $1.5MM instead of $2.0MM? Does $2.5MM for Shaka Smart make people happier? How about we pay $12.0MM a year for Phil Jackson?
Just curious....
what other realistic choice would’ve been a better hire? This is not exactly a plumb job.
Who did y'all expect
It’s just not that great of a job, and it’s pains me to type that, but facts are facts
by AllenOU on Apr 1, 2011 3:37 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
What the hell?
I go do some yardwork and come in to this news??? I’m not happy! This should be Terry Evans job! I’ve sold myself on that idea anyway.
by IBleedCrimsonandCream on Apr 1, 2011 3:37 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
Very shocked, and a little disappointed
but maybe this is a guy that can just help us get back on our feet so we can go out and get that ‘sexy hire’ when he’s ready to go. Not going to happen overnight.
Lets go back to Omaha!!!
by SoonerBornSoonerBred on Apr 1, 2011 3:45 PM CDT reply actions
Once again...
who would’ve been the better hire that we had a realistic chance of getting? Kruger is not the greatest coach in the world but he’s been very solid. Solid’s not a bad thing, escpecially for a program that’s in as bad shape as ours is right now. This could be the guy who can get the program on solid footing (or better) until we are in the position to get the “sexy” coach.
I am just saying NOT worth that kind of $$$
by OU JJ on Apr 1, 2011 4:13 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Let's remember...
…that Kruger has done pretty well at programs that were not exactly top notch when he came along. And don’t tell me that Florida is a basketball powerhouse. That has only happened in the last five years.
From what I can tell, every place he’s been, with the exception of the Atlanta Hawks, has left in a better position than it was when he arrived. If he can do that with OU, then that works for me. We have the NCAA on our ass and there is a serious lack of talent on the roster.
Really? Tubby took Kentucky to 1 Final Four..
and he did it his first year there with Pitino’s players. UK is the basketball OU. He had access to the best recruits in the nation and didn’t do much better than Kruger at Florida or even K-State. I live in Kentucky and believe me UK fans wanted Tubby gone long before he actually left. Evans may be great but he has no track record at the D1 level.
Tubby Smith
won the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1998
Team FIRST, Effort SECOND, Talent THIRD, Selfish NEVER
Hmm, well let me say without considering financials
great hire. Kruger can get the job done. To say there would be less than 1000 butts in the seats is completely insane.
Now, throwing in financials, this becomes a bit muddier. I don’t think that Kruger is necessarily 2MIL, but that might be the penalty we have to pay to bring in a solid coach willing to take on a project.
In a strictly basketball sense, Kruger knows what he’s doing and is one of the best in the business. I’ll have a lengthier description of my thoughts later.
"Coach Gundy, why was Oklahoma able to march right down the field against you?" --Erin Andrews
Reports coming out now that he's not taking it???
Could we look any worse right now?
http://www.ktul.com/Global/story.asp?S=14367618
"I don't like Texas. I don't like the city of Austin. And I don't like the color orange. It reminds me of puke." The Boz
Crimson and Cream Machine - There's only one Oklahoma!
Listen to Sooner Nation, the #1 podcast for OU fans
if he's changed his mind
I am saying NO to the fact we could not look worse
Team FIRST, Effort SECOND, Talent THIRD, Selfish NEVER
Maybe people should get their facts straight
this is like the 4th time we’ve “had a coach” already LOL
"Coach Gundy, why was Oklahoma able to march right down the field against you?" --Erin Andrews
by dishingoutdimes on Apr 1, 2011 4:38 PM CDT up reply actions
facts don't matter
it’s all about who’s FIRST
Team FIRST, Effort SECOND, Talent THIRD, Selfish NEVER
Andy Katz says it's pretty much done:
Oklahoma will name UNLV’s Lon Kruger as its men’s basketball coach, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told ESPN.com.
Kruger and athletic director Joe Castiglione were negotiating through Friday with a deal to be announced.
Oklahoma is waiting to make it official so as to respect UNLV and allow the Runnin’ Rebels’ players to be told of Kruger’s departure.
"Coach Gundy, why was Oklahoma able to march right down the field against you?" --Erin Andrews
Great
Now I can go back to being pissed off again
"I don't like Texas. I don't like the city of Austin. And I don't like the color orange. It reminds me of puke." The Boz
Crimson and Cream Machine - There's only one Oklahoma!
Listen to Sooner Nation, the #1 podcast for OU fans
Hopefully after you read my profile of Kruger you'll cheer up
:)
"Coach Gundy, why was Oklahoma able to march right down the field against you?" --Erin Andrews
by dishingoutdimes on Apr 1, 2011 5:33 PM CDT up reply actions
I was just going to plead
For someone who clearly thinks I’m an idiot to post something to try and persuade me. Trust me, I WANT to be wrong. I will never root against any player/coach at OU, ever. I am just highly doubtful this works out and I think it is the most boring possible hire they could have made.
By all accounts the guy turned us down twice, so I’m not sure how anyone sees this as anything other than Joe C panicking and backing up the money truck for a guy who in no way, shape, or form is worth $2+ million dollars.
They needed a homerun hire for countless reasons, one of the biggest being the tv network, and instead they grossly overpaid for an average at best retread. Sorry, but I just can’t see that as anything but a terrible decision. That said, nobody hopes I’m wrong more than I do.
"I don't like Texas. I don't like the city of Austin. And I don't like the color orange. It reminds me of puke." The Boz
Crimson and Cream Machine - There's only one Oklahoma!
Listen to Sooner Nation, the #1 podcast for OU fans
posted his profile
long article lol
"Coach Gundy, why was Oklahoma able to march right down the field against you?" --Erin Andrews
by dishingoutdimes on Apr 1, 2011 7:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Are you expecting a losing record?
Or for him to do worse than Capel did? Because nothing in his past indicates that he’s going to make this mess worse than it already is. The upside is clearly outweighs the downside.
He doesn’t give me a boner either, but then again neither did Kelvin Sampson and that turned out okay for a few years, at least until he discovered cell phones.
I expect him to be painfully average
And this was the opportunity to do so much better than that, but I can’t shake the feeling that they settled. Big time.
"I don't like Texas. I don't like the city of Austin. And I don't like the color orange. It reminds me of puke." The Boz
Crimson and Cream Machine - There's only one Oklahoma!
Listen to Sooner Nation, the #1 podcast for OU fans
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