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Kruger is Good Hire, Could be Great
Published: 4/2/2011 9:38 AM
Last Modified: 4/2/2011 9:38 AM

The hiring of Lon Kruger as Oklahoma’s basketball is a good thing, bringing experience, a proven record and, most importantly, stability to the program.
It could prove to be a great thing.
OU basketball has been in flux since the end of Kelvin Sampson’s career at OU was clouded in NCAA violations and allegations.
The end of Jeff Capel’s time at OU has proven to be a similar situation with an NCAA investigation of allegations hanging over the Sooners.
But, Kruger’s record as a head coach would seem to signify an era of stability and success.
The persistance of OU athletic director Joe Castiglione, who wouldn’t take no for an answer, could be rewarded in the near future.
Kruger’s job at OU won’t be easy. He’ll have to rebuild the talent level and restore some expectations that have been lost the past few years.
It can be done. OU has facilities, money and some history. This is not a longshot. It just may take a few years.
Some patience may be required for OU fans but one should expect Kruger to immediately start rebuilding the program.
And, within a couple of years, Kruger will likely have OU back in the NCAA Tournament.
Kruger understands. College basketball coaches and programs are measured by NCAA Tournaments.
He took four of his last five teams at UNLV to the NCAA Tournament and won three games. Those were the first NCAA Tournament victories by the Rebels since 1991.
So, he knows getting back to the NCAA Tournament, and winning in the NCAA, is the goal.
His record would seem to indicate that won’t take long.



Reader Comments 3 Total
SoonerStorm (last year)
Thank you Mr. Klein - I wish you had written the larger opinion piece instead of Mr. Sittler who chose to take the low road and focus on Coach Kruger's age.
Sooner transplant (last year)
I agree with SoonerStorm. Thank you for writing a decent article, Mr. Klein, with some insightfulness, level-headedness, and positive outlook for the future.....you should have written more, but maybe that's all there is to say. I sure didn't agree with Sittler's comments. No way is Joe C responsible for the success of the coaches. Like coaches who get the blame when players don't execute properly, too many AD's get the blame when the coaches don't meet up to the expectations of the fans...sometimes unrealistic.
Inukshuk (last year)
Yawn, I'm tired of Basketball and all that coaching drama. John, with your extensive background covering Wrestling, when will you guys write about the OU Wrestling job search? Afterall, OU's head coach announced his retirement long before OU fired their Basketball coach.
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Klein's Korner

Tulsa World senior sports columnist John Klein is in his fourth decade of covering sports. He started his newspaper career at The Daily Ardmoreite in 1977 and moved to the Tulsa World in 1978. He served 10 years as sports editor for the Tulsa World before being named to his current position in 2005. He also spent five years as the Southwest Conference beat writer for the Houston Post. He has won many writing awards and is a former Oklahoma Sports Writer of the Year.

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