They give awards for something like OU's hoops season? No. But I do.
Published: 3/7/2012 10:50 PM
Last Modified: 3/7/2012 10:50 PM
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Oklahoma's basketball season is over. I wish I could come up with something more original than year-end awards, but I'm pretty much mush after watching the Sooners slog to a 5-14 Big 12 record (including tonight's ugly elimination at the hands of a quite lousy Texas A&M team).
So here goes…
Performance of the Year I
Steven Pledger's 31-point outbreak against Houston to give the Sooners an All-College Classic victory. I promise that if he'd launched one from the underground Cox Center parking garage across the street, it would have gone in that night.
Performance of the Year II
Pledger's 30-point show at Kansas State, the degree of difficulty ratcheted up by both K-State's unruly crowd and Frank Martin's unruly defense.
Shot of the Year
Pledger's off-balance baseline and-1 swish at Baylor. You know how sometimes you don't fully appreciate players until they're gone? This will happen with Pledger the year after next. Count on it.
Dunk of the Year
Cameron Clark's reverse cuff against Coppin State. Another explosive moment that makes you wonder what will happen the day Clark's confidence catches up with his natural ability.
Rebound of the Year
OU led K-State 59-58 in the final half-minute when Grooms forced a bad shot easily blocked by Wildcats forward Jamar Samuels. Grooms didn't give up on the play, however, and stole possession from center Jordan Henriquez after Henriquez had grabbed the ball after the block. That led to two Romero Osby free throws. Henriquez made two of his own to cut it to 61-60, before Grooms made two more for the 63-60 difference.
Win of the Year
Sooners 63, K-State 60 in Manhattan Jan. 28. Remarkably, the program's first true road win in 364 days.
Mystery of the Year
OU swept the Wildcats the same season the Wildcats swept Big 12 title contender Missouri.
Misery of the Year
The Sooners' 65-47 loss at Texas Tech Feb. 11. The Red Raiders had their first Big 12 victory thanks to the worst single-game effort an OU team had put forth since… searching… Let me get back to you on that.
Missed Opportunity of the Year I
OU's 71-68 loss to Missouri Feb. 6, 46 hours after the Tigers' emotionally-charged comeback win over Kansas. Mizzou was there for the beating. Only, the Sooners missed 14 of 23 free throws and let their Jello-legged foe off the hook.
Missed Opportunity of the Year II
Two days before losing to Mizzou, OU let Iowa State escape Norman with a 77-70 win. This despite the fact that Cyclones star Royce White scored 3 points and looked generally disinterested most of the afternoon.
Untold Story of the Year
When the Sooners were out in Anaheim for the 76 Classic Thanksgiving week, guard Calvin Newell was among several players who allowed himself to be hypnotized at a banquet. OU came home with Newell averaging double figures off the bench, but that wasn't enough to keep the streaky guard, apparently still under hypnosis, from transferring to Central Florida.
Call of the Year
OU clung to a 61-60 lead over Texas A&M last Saturday, when Lon Kruger called a full timeout. In the huddle, he drew up a play where Grooms handled the ball on the left wing while Pledger and Andrew Fitzgerald threw screens to free Osby for a wide-open layup, if only Grooms could patiently wait for Osby to spring open. The Sooners broke huddle, ran the play exactly as Kruger had scribbled it out, and went on to win 65-62.
Break of the Year
The officials not seeing what appeared to be Pledger's backcourt turnover in the closing seconds last Saturday afternoon. They didn't see the ball deflect off Pledger's knee out of bounds, so they called a jump ball. The possession arrow favored the Sooners. Grooms sank two free throws after catching the ensuing inbound pass, and OU held on.
Homeboys of the Year
C.J. Washington and Tyler Neal, the Sooners' two resident Okies, for their impact on OU's Bedlam victory Feb. 27.
Impact of the Year
Osby's. Had the 6-8 forward been immediately eligible after transferring from Mississippi State, he might have saved Jeff Capel's job. As it is, he made Kruger's much easier this season by giving OU an athletic, close-to-the-basket finisher for the first time since Blake Griffin was still around. That freed Fitzgerald to become a spot-up shooter, making the Sooners' frontline fairly dependable offensively.
Impasse of the Year
Newell's departure killed this team. At the time, he was doing two things: making shots from beyond 15 feet and providing instant offense off the bench. Without him, Pledger became OU's only reliable outside threat, and the bench became a liability (except for the rare Washington/Neal/Carl Blair contribution).
Humanitarian of the Year
Freshman walk-on James Fraschilla, who put together a trick shot video and stuck it on YouTube. It's at 56,354 views and counting. That should raise some awareness for Hayden's Hope, the pediatric organ donation cause founded by Dari and Jenn Nowkhah after the death of their infant son. Fraschilla promoted Hayden's Hope in his video.
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
