Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime!

[ORU82]

Apparently the Lady Eagles have adopted this as their motto because they play on Friday, November 14 at Baylor and then travel to Knoxville on Monday, November 17 and take on Tennessee.  I guess they have adopted the David mantel and want to slay Goliath and his brothers right from the get-go!

 

GO LADY GOLDEN EAGLES!   

[theeagleman5]

That's a nasty 0-2 start....but gotta love the $$$$$.....CHA-CHING!!!!.....

[ORUalum]

i just hope ORUWBB has taken Arkansas off the schedule.  ORU struggled to get the ball across half court last year.  the paycheck could not have been worth the beat down they suffered.

[ORU82]

Other OOC teams include but not limited to Wisconsin, Tulsa, Mo State, Southern Miss Tourney, UALR, Kansas State and Eastern Michigan.

[BlueGold]

The home non-conference schedule is a mix of D-1, provisional D-1 and NAIA schools.  The home opener is Nov 21 against Tulsa for the Mayor's Cup, and we will be determined to take it back from them after they beat us at their place last season.  The other home D-1 opponents that are full D-1 are Missouri State and Eastern Michigan.  Grand Canyon is in their second of four years as a provisional D-1 member and a member of the WAC.  We host two Oklahoma-based NAIA schools at home.

 

The away non-conference schedule is pretty brutal, especially the first two games of the season at Baylor and Tennessee, but unlike the past couple of seasons when the ladies would play three or four or even five power conference schools in a row there are some potentially "softer" games at Arkansas-Little Rock and against North Carolina A&T and possibly Austin Peay at the Southern Miss Thanksgiving Tournament after the Baylor and Tennessee games.  It toughens up again on the road in mid-December with games at Kansas State and Wisconsin.  I like the fact that we are playing some tough non-conference competition.  It will hopefully make us better as we move into Summit League play and down the road for the conference tournament, where we'll be forced to contend with the atmosphere up in Sioux Falls.  I do worry though, having so many new players (seven freshmen!), but I like their credentials coming in.  Five of the freshmen are Oklahoma All-Staters and one was a preseason Oklahoma All-State pick, and we also have a transfer in Vicky McIntyre, who is 6'7" and has played at both Oklahoma State and Florida.  There are three sophomores who were either starters or who saw significant playing time last season, so it will be interesting to see what happens with the mix of players and how everything shakes out when we head into the fires at Baylor, Tennessee, et al.

 

Home (non-conference):

Nov 21- Tulsa (Mayor's Cup game)

Nov 24- Missouri State

Dec 2- Southwestern Christian (NAIA- Bethany, OK)

Dec 6- Eastern Michigan

Dec 12- Grand Canyon

Dec 30- St. Gregory's (NAIA- Shawnee, OK)

 

Away (non-conference):

Nov 14- Baylor

Nov 17- Tennessee

Nov 26- Arkansas-Little Rock

Nov 28- North Carolina A&T (at Southern Miss)

Nov 29- Austin Peay or Southern Miss (at Southern Miss)

Dec 14- Kansas State

Dec 20- Wisconsin

 

The Summit League conference schedule for the ladies comes out in full tomorrow, but the league has already posted the first two games on January 2 and 4 on the road at North Dakota State and Denver.  They were eighth and sixth, respectively, in conference play last season, though that doesn't necessarily mean much coming into this season.

[Holtontulsa]

Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime?  Why would you raise that as your teams "slogan" for the year?  They didn't win 1 game on the road last year!!!!  You have to have something special going on to go an entire season and not win 1 road game.  The only positive the new coach has had was winning with the last coaches players.  Everyone said, give her a chance, let her bring in her own players.  She did that, they were totally embarrassed.  I tried to find another D1 basketball program that went an entire season without a road win..... couldn't find one!

 

Lots of players have left early as well....  Something stinks behind closed doors for ORU women's basketball.... Right Voice?

[ORU82]

Jones, read my post carefully. Nowhere did I state the Lady Golden Eagles would win these games. However, I stick by my opinion that the OOC portion of the schedule is ambitious to say the least.

[BlueGold]

Last season was last season.  That's a slogan to consider as the ladies ready themselves for this one.

 

This season's schedule is tough, but as I mentioned in my previous post under this topic, not as difficult in my opinion as last season's.  It sets up better with not as many games against power conference teams, especially on the road, and some "softer" games worked in among the tougher ones.  

 

It's always interesting to hear comments about how a coach wins with another coach's players, and while it is true that Misti did do that two seasons ago, she did in her first season as head coach what Coach Fink wasn't able to do, which was to win with another coach's players.  It wasn't until Coach Fink's third season that ORU had a winning season and it was in that same season that the team went on to win the conference tournament and go to the NCAAs under his direction.  It may not be right or fair to make such a comparison, since every team and every season is different and unique in its own way, but it is a point of comparison, and I'm willing to give Misti, her staff and the team from two seasons ago the credit for putting it together and achieving what they did.  I'm also not trying to be critical of Coach Fink, but before he left ORU he didn't win in the sense of getting to the NCAA Tournament with the players that he left for Misti.

 

Not winning on the road the entire season was embarrassing and yet they went 9-3 at home and qualified for the conference tournament despite the road record.  I don't consider that as having been totally embarrassed.

 

So last season is last season.  Apart from the seniors that graduated, two players aren't returning this season.  I don't consider that to be a lot of players leaving early.  Just to compare, more players that still have eligibility have ended up leaving the men's team since the end of last season.  

 

Personally I'm looking forward to seeing how well the ladies are going to do this season.  I'm encouraged by who's back and who's been added, and from what I've read and seen of this group there appears to be a stepped-up level of commitment, dedication and devotion to team that will hopefully result in very good things. 

[Holtontulsa]

LOL Blue Gold....Jerry didn't get the a 3 time All American Handed down to him, Jerry didin't get 3 First team all conference players handed down to him, Jerry did get a team with a losing record.  Those are the players that he was dealt.  Misti was handed a team that was established.  A blind monkey could have won with the likes of Kevi Luper, Jaci Bigham and company.  Jerry recruited his own players and began a winning tradition.  Misti has recruited her own players and can't even come close to saying the same!  As for returning players......  Not one returning player  can lead this team.  This team lacks leadership on the floor, off the floor and in the office!  It showed last year and I would be willing to bet it will show this year as well.  And as for this year not being as tough?  What is in the pipe you are smoking?  The entire in conference schedule is tougher that last year.  There isn't one team from the Southland that could play with any Summit league team.  You are delusional, my friend.

[TrueBlue82]

It's really quite irrational to start a Jerry vs. Misti battle, gentlemen.  

 

First of all, there is absolutely no reason to.  Jerry had an excellent career at ORU and left on his own accord for what he perceived to be a better opportunity.  Misti displayed her loyalty to the program over a number of years and earned the right to be the next head coach.  As to who is/was the better coach - who cares???  I think they are both great in their own way, am thankful for their contributions to the program, and I wish them both success in their current roles.

 

Secondly, since Misti has played a very significant role in this program for some time and was a key recruiter of players during Jerry's tenure, it is ludicrous to label the players she inherited as "Jerry's recruits", as if she had nothing to do with them.  You can make that statement when a new coach comes from outside the program, but that is definitely not the case here. 

 

I have no issue with a critical discussion of Misti's ability to recruit or her coaching style - and questioning why certain players leave the program is certainly appropriate.  But let's keep this in the present - as any comparison with previous coach(es) is simply a waste of time.

[BlueGold]

Agreed, TrueBlue82, and as I said in my prior post I wasn't trying to be critical of Jerry.  I also mentioned that it might not be right or fair to make comparisons between Jerry and Misti, but I felt the need to cite what I did in response to the opinions presented.  Thanks for your post, and in particular, your second point.  If I had to start over again I would have chosen your words instead of mine when it came to my response to winning with another coach's players.

 

Jerry did have an excellent career at ORU, and I hope Misti does as well, just like I hope that Coach Sutton, Coach Folmar and every other coach does while at ORU because it's all about ORU being excellent.  Like the athletes will often say, it's not the name on the back of the jersey that matters, it's the name on the front.

[ORUJason]

Jerry got out when he could and he wanted to be closer to his son in Idaho (if I remember correctly). I'm sure he knew there was going to be a drop-off after losing Kevi. Also, 15+ years in one place is probably enough if you aren't Bob Stoops or Dean Smith. I hope Scott Sutton doesn't start feeling that way soon!

Misti is in rebuild mode, and the next couple years will determine if she has what it takes to get the players in here and the correct scheme to be successful. She seems intelligent and dynamic and I suspect she will be able to pull it off. She has my support, and honestly all this whining about "Jerry's success" when Misti was his key assistant coach during that time sounds like nothing more than sour grapes. I believe JJONES is either a troll or someone who clearly has an axe to grind with Misti, and neither of those reflect on him very well. There is room on the ORU women's basketball bandwagon however if he wants to jump on board!

[ORUalum]

i'm not going to argue about the coaches.  2 years is not a big enough sample size to evaluate Coach Cussen.  i will say i am a huge fan of her recruiting philosphy -- love the emphasis on Tulsa and OKC public schools and less of a reliance on small school OK girls and euros.

 

i'm sure last year was miserable for everyone involved, but i'm anxious to see what ORUWBB does this year.

[ORUJason]

Jerry was not able to get a successful center who had a strong defensive presence and that always led to the team folding against the big dogs. I know that those types of players are few and far between. He usually did get the most out of his players, but his teams often took so many chances on defense that while they would get a lot of steals, they would also give up many EASY baskets.

From what I can tell Coach Cussen is still dealing with recruiting the types of players that will fit a more conventional defense and offense. The Summit League seems even more competitive in men's basketball than it was 2 years ago, and I suspect that the women's teams have also improved their level of play. We shall see.

[BlueGold]

We have a center on the roster right now that could be both an offensive and defensive presence for us this season in 6'7" Vicky McIntyre, if she can shake off the competitive rust from not having played last season after transferring from Florida, and can regain the form she showed when she played at Oklahoma State and Florida.  I can't recall ORU having another player like her, with her size and the history she brings of having played for two power-conference programs like OSU and Florida.  They're certainly not slouches when it comes to D-1 women's hoops.

 

She's a proven shot-blocker who led OSU in blocks per game both seasons she played there, and averaged over a block per game at Florida.  Her rebounding numbers have been decent, not great.  She's shown the ability to score, averaging over 11 points a game as a freshman at OSU, and her coming anywhere close to that this season would not only help the offense but potentially help to free up the outside shooters with the threat she could bring as an inside scorer.  To be honest, that threat wasn't something we had consistently last season.  Sarah Shelton shot for a high percentage when she did shoot, which wasn't often.  She only attempted a little over three shots a game on average. 

 

We've got her for just this one season, and I'm certainly not anointing her as being the great hope, but I for one am looking forward to seeing what she can bring to the team this season.  Maybe having a presence like this in the lineup will help us to counter the size we're likely to see from just about all of the teams we'll be facing.

[Hoops Fan]

Kareem could have played post last season and had low numbers.  We struggled with finding a point guard and couldn't pass.  Our assist numbers show we struggled on the offensive side.

[oruvoice]

What JJones refuses to admit, is that after the recruiting class of Kevi & Jaci, Fink mailed it in his last couple of years at ORU. I like Fink ok enough, but the FACT is that he didn't do much his last couple of years at ORU. Thus, the year after Kevi & Jaci graduated (last year), was going to be hard on anyone. If Fink had stayed, last year's results would have been similar. To insinuate that if Fink was our coach last year, things would have been different, is either intellectually dishonest or a matter ignorance. Or, both.

 

The future is bright for ORU women's basketball, which makes some of us happy and others bitter. My suggestion for the latter group, enjoy another average/below average season of Utah State women's hoops!