The mystery that is Willie Warren continues
Published: 12/22/2009 9:57 AM
Last Modified: 12/22/2009 9:57 AM
There were times in Monday's Oklahoma-UTEP game where it looked like Willie Warren got it. Where it looked like he knew he needed to change some things in order for both him and his team to reach their potential.
It had nothing to do with the 26 points he scored. It was when he threw a no-look bounce pass between his legs to a trailing Cade Davis. Davis passed up a shot, and at the next dead ball, Warren went right to his teammate and encouraged, "Shoot the ball." It was when Warren threw up his first bad shot of the night, a bricked 3-pointer that Ryan Wright stuck back in while being fouled. Warren went right to his teammate while pumping his fist, forgetting for a moment his poor play.
Two hours later, however, it was obvious things hadn't changed. You sensed it the moment coach Jeff Capel was asked if his team had a leader yet, and he replied: "Not a consistent leader, no."
You knew it the moment Capel was asked a follow-up about whether there was an obvious candidate for that role.
"You know who it is," he said. "Everyone in this room knows who it is."
Just as disturbing was something Warren had said moments before. He was asked about the difference between Monday's game and his 4-point effort against Northern Colorado last Saturday.
"Play calls," Warren answered. "I got a bunch of plays called for me early. We consistently ran plays for me, so it was easier to get me open."
Wow. Was he inferring that Capel should take a chunk of the blame for Saturday's lousy showing?
No, he wasn't inferring. He was declaring.
Check out what he told Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com after the UTEP loss: "I only had about three or four plays called for me the whole game. I was frustrated. I was just wondering, 'Does (Capel) not trust me with the ball?'"
Less than a week ago, I wrote a story about Warren's efforts to become the face-of-the-program leader the Sooners hoped he would be. This was after OU's victory at Utah, when he shook off a poor first half to do things besides score to help his team to a badly-needed win. Capel was encouraged coming home from Salt Lake City. Warren was saying all of the right things.
Then Northern Colorado happened, and Capel made the comment that sums up Warren's/OU's season to date: "I'm tired of trying to figure him out."
SI's Seth Davis wrote a column titled "For Sooners to reach potential, Warren needs to grow up fast."
"It's my responsibility as a coach to try to help guys mature, try to help them grow up, try to help them become men," Capel told Davis. "Men don't offer excuses."
That quote appeared Monday afternoon. Warren's quote about not getting enough plays against Northern Colorado appeared Monday night.
By Tuesday morning, another column had appeared on another national Web site. Parrish's.
It was called "Capel must figure Warren out, or Sooners' season will be lost."
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
