oruvoice Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 Greatest season in school history...not even close to the best. Great finish, media attention, financial boom, lots of publicity, fun 3 week run...absolutely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Henderson Posted May 25, 2021 Author Share Posted May 25, 2021 ORU has had a couple of teams that won around 25-27 games in the last 15 years that were better then last year's team but they lost in March. Coach Mills really gets that too. He knows that a team can be average or struggle but then turn a season completely around at the beginning of March. He seems to be able to get the guys to believe that they can win the Summit League tournament and make a run in the NCAA's. I thought he did a great job of letting the guys know that Ohio State, Florida, and Arkansas are just like anybody else. They may have a high ranking, big time players, money flowing like a river, etc. but they tie their shoes just like you. Make them beat you and do not be in awe of them. Another topic about last season: Coach Mills has seemed to take the role as pastor/mentor of the team and not just coach. Telling the team that they need to love another and love is all about action. Do you think that is part of why they had such good chemistry last year? I have been watching ORU basketball off and on for 20 years and cannot remember a team that came together like last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 I would say yes. There may have been better teams and seasons but nobody outside of a few ORU fans will remember those teams in a decade. Hanging a Sweet 16 banner is a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmg1984 Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 18 hours ago, dave said: I would really like to say yes because the tournament is such a huge promotional cash cow and garners such media attention. But, I think I would have to give the nod to the '74 season because it vaulted the program into the spotlight for the first time. Plus, the overall record was much better (20-6 compared to 18-11). This year's season feels a lot like that because we had been off the radar for so long and now people know who and where ORU is. But hey, I wouldn't argue either way. I wouldn't trade the end of this year's season for any other. What a blast. ORU had already made some natl waves before ie beating Memphis St in the NIT in 72 and were in SI's preseason ranking for season 72-73 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 Keenan, I absolutely agree with your last paragraph. Mills is investing in those young men that will benefit them in ways beyond basketball. And I have no doubt his spiritual leadership had much to do with their success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 These are different eras....the creation of ESPN and internet changed everything.....TheEagleman will agree that this past season probably the most historic and got ORU the most publicity....the ramifications of the Sweet 16 run could be felt for years and years....but clearly the best team of all time at ORU was 1973-74 and the run to the Elite 8 with wins over Syracuse and Louisville both big basketball powers in the 70.....Elite 8 loss to Kansas at Mabee in the Midwest Final should never have happened.....Titans fell apart in the final 2 1/2 minutes to take defeat from the jaws of victory.....ORU would have gone on to play Marquette in Greensboro, NC and that is a game we could have won....then faced the the winner of UCLA vs. NC State which was the Wolfpack in OT.....could ORU have beaten powerful NC State in the Finale?.....we will never know....but it would have been fun.....that ORU team was good....really good.....talented beyond measure.....but we didn't know how to protect an 8 point lead in the final 150 seconds on our home court....we were run and gun....and couldn't play four corners in a pre shot clock era.....1973-74 the best ORU team in history and the school in existence less than a decade....think Phil Mickelson winning the PGA was a miracle?.....nothing compared to a small liberal arts university from Tulsa OK getting to the Final 8 in D-1 basketball in less than 10 yrs.....and could have won it all ....coulda....shoulda...woulda....lol....what a team....Woods, McDougald, McCants, Boswell, Roberts, Fox, Collins, Scott....etc.....TheEagleman can still see all those guys.....those were some great days.....but that KU game wasn't even on national TV....hard to believe but as pointed out above ESPN did not exist.....no internet so many people didn't even know anything about that game......but ORU almost did it in 1974.....and it was an incredible ride........ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titansforever Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 1973-74 was my freshman year. One of ORU's main attractions for me was the basketball program. It looked exciting! But I had no idea just how exciting it would turn out to be. What an incredible year, and incredible 4 years of watching those teams and especially Anthony Roberts. I always went to Mabee as early as possible to be sure that I could get my favorite seat. Too much fun!!! As Eagleman said, though, it was a different era. Even with this year's success, I doubt that we'll ever fill all the seats at Mabee again. I'll try to keep expecting a miracle... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Henderson Posted May 25, 2021 Author Share Posted May 25, 2021 Wasn't the 1974 elite 8 game on NBC? It must have gotten some coverage at least in the Oklahoma and Kansas area. Close to the final four that year just as 20-21 was one shot (maybe an inch or two) from the elite 8. With the way life is now, it will be challenging to fill up the Mabee Center. There is so much enterntainment everywhere we look and tons of sports to watch from the comfort of our own homes. It has only been a few years since everyone could watch all the home games on the ORU website, too. Plus the Eagles have some competiton from other basketball teams in the area including the OKC Thunder. You look at other teams in the region: KU and Arkansas and they are in somewhat small towns with no other competiton, so it makes it lot easier to fill the stadiums. Even when Green and Tutt were on campus and winning a lot of games, the Mabee center was half full. So if they go from say 2,000 in the past to 4,000 next year that would be a reasonable goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU82 Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 Two of the players on that 73-74 team who enjoyed very successful and long careers actually playing in the NBA were Anthony Roberts and Alvin Scott. Two of the finest players ever to wear a Titans/Golden Eagles uniform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 I came to ORU in 76. It was such a pleasure watching "Woosie", Alvin and Arnold Duggar play. The NIT game at the Mabee Center that year against Oregon was one for the ages. Anthony Roberts scored 65 points. Classic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cletus Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 As I was considering colleges to attend in 1977, one of the first things I learned about ORU was that they had a good basketball team. Not knowing much back then, I thought it was strange that a preacher had a basketball team. Now I know why! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 Not to be picky, Dave....but Anthony Roberts scored 66 vs. Oregon in the NIT and that still stands today as the tournament record....such a great player and a nice kid....very humble while he was at ORU.....he is TheEagleman's #1 ORU player of all time even though it was Richard Fuqua who got the program its' first national recognition....the 1974 ORU-Kansas Midwest Regional Final was on regional TV that day on CBS or NBC not sure which.....i can remember my dad called from PA upset that the game was not being televised in Philly....the local channel was showing the East Regional Final which was being played at the same time.....I know that the entire game can be viewed on You Tube but I have never watched it.....too painful even 47 years later.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave Posted May 31, 2021 Share Posted May 31, 2021 Eagleman, I checked my number on AR in that NIT game and corrected the number of points he scored before I read your post. No problem with you doing a little fact checking, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted June 1, 2021 Share Posted June 1, 2021 On 5/31/2021 at 4:00 AM, dave said: Eagleman, I checked my number on AR in that NIT game and corrected the number of points he scored before I read your post. No problem with you doing a little fact checking, though. I’m a little confused with this back-and-forth regarding Anthony’s last few games for ORU in 1977, but for the record: he scored 66 points vs North Carolina A&T in a regular season game in late February in the Mabee Center to set the all-time single-game scoring record for the building/school/state; then put up 65 in the first-round NIT loss to Oregon a few days later to set the NCAA record for most points in a post-season game. Future NBA star Greg Ballard had 42 for the Ducks; you can find the entire game on my YouTube channel online. And yes, the 1974 Regional games were broadcast on NBC, but only regionally, and the KU game was played in the afternoon. Nothing close to the number of eyeballs who watched ORU battle Arkansas to the wire in the Sweet Sixteen game. As for the “greatest year” debate; it’s a matter of semantics. No doubt this team had the greatest post-season run in school history, but that was only 6 magical games over three weeks in Sioux Falls and Indianapolis. Not enough of a body of work to constitute a great season. Can we simply quantify it as the “greatest postseason” or “greatest ending to a season” in school history? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave Posted June 1, 2021 Share Posted June 1, 2021 I was referring to the NIT game, so I stood corrected on my original post of saying Anthony scored 66 against Oregon. Indeed, it was 65. I agree, this year wasn’t the best “season” but was the best “ending”. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Henderson Posted June 1, 2021 Author Share Posted June 1, 2021 Wonder if there is any chance that the athletic department would put together a video of last season. Maybe something about 30-45 minutes long with a summary of the Sweet 16 run: interviews, game highlights, students watching at the Mabee center, etc. They could use it for both PR and for the fans. Just a little keep sake or momento. It could even be put on a DVD or just the ORU website. You could show it to recurits, donors, etc. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted June 7, 2021 Share Posted June 7, 2021 This was good stuff back in March. It's still good stuff in June. And it will remain good stuff years from now: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU40 Posted June 7, 2021 Share Posted June 7, 2021 43 minutes ago, Old Titan said: This was good stuff back in March. It's still good stuff in June. And it will remain good stuff years from now: So right OT, like Coach says- the players that work the hardest are the "luckiest" When I was a kid and even up through college, my Dad would always tell me that sports (particularly after losing a game) was a "lesson in humility". Its amazing how the older you get, the wiser your parents become!! ORU Basketball could not have a better person in that job than Coach Mills!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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