Five summers ago, the Capel era began with promise
Published: 6/27/2011 9:57 PM
Last Modified: 6/27/2011 9:57 PM
SoonerSports ran a Q and A Monday entitled “Getting to Know Lon Kruger.” Among the highlights:
Kruger grew up a Chiefs and Royals fan.
His wife, Barb, was a gymnast and dance team member at Kansas State.
The couple has bought a house with “a few acres and a barn” so that Barb’s horse, Dancer, can be comfortable, too.
Five years ago, we were just getting to know Jeff Capel. He was as far into the OU job as Kruger is now. One of his first stops was the Nike Camp in Indianapolis. That’s where Andy Katz bumped into him for a story that went something like this:
“If one thing became clear while spending Thursday morning and afternoon with Capel here, it's that Capel is mature enough to handle the immense responsibility given to him by Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione when the former Duke guard was surprisingly plucked from Virginia Commonwealth to replace Kelvin Sampson.
“Capel, who understands he might have been, at best, the school's third choice behind West Virginia coach John Beilein and Connecticut women's coach Geno Auriemma, is expected to keep the Sooners at a national level after Sampson's excellent 12-season run, which included a Final Four appearance in 2002. He appears more than ready for that challenge…
“Maybe it's in his speech, which is deliberate, articulate and direct. Or maybe it's in the way he stands or in his overall body language. Whatever it is, there is something about Capel that exudes not only confidence but experience, even though it would be easy to assume he lacks both in the coaching business.”
It was an interesting piece then, and maybe even more so now that we know how the Capel era ended at OU.
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
