andyokstate
03-12-2008, 08:37 AM
http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10702837
Sutton sittin' pretty at ORU, but can Summit satisfy him?
Dennis Dodd March 12, 2008
TULSA, Okla. -- The homecoming king at Oral Roberts is a virgin.
Just so you know if the question ever comes up, like it did last year for Golden Eagles swingman Moses Ehambe. The team was at its first-round NCAA tournament site in Sacramento when a reporter dropped the bad-taste bomb: Are you a virgin?
"I told him, yeah," Ehambe said. "When we got back to the locker room we all laughed about it."
Those kinds of things are issues at Oral Roberts where, like BYU, students must adhere to an honor code. No alcohol, no premarital sex, etc. ...
Other issues -- though maybe not considered as important at this Christian-based program -- still linger in the air like one of Ehambe's 3-point bombs that elevated him to Summit League tournament MVP following a 71-64 victory over IUPUI.
The biggest issue in the program is what coach Scott Sutton has accomplished in his nine seasons. In a league (Mid-Continent) that was so unremarkable it changed its name to Summit (lofty heights, get it?), he has developed a low-major power. Sutton now owns three -- all in a row -- of the school's five NCAA tournament appearances.
Sixty-eight of his 168 career wins at the school have come in those three seasons.
But it's still only the Summit and still only Oral Roberts. Sutton, at 38 the youngest son of Eddie Sutton, turned down Wichita State after last season. Wisely, it turns out "because they didn't have very good players," said Eddie, who watched from the stands behind his son's bench. That decision was proven wise after Wichita State finished 11-20.
However, as long as Scott keeps overachieving and playing in high school gyms -- the Summit tournament was played in Tulsa Union High School's John Q. Hammons Center -- he is going to be undervalued.
"If in three, four, five years and I still haven't elevated the program to where I want, that's something I'd have to consider," Scott said of moving on. "I do want to have success. I want to win NCAA tournament games. I don't want to be satisfied with just getting to the tournament."
His name already is out there at places like Missouri State and TCU, two modest steps up. Barry Hinson did just that, moving from Oral Roberts to Missouri State in 1999. He was fired Sunday and was hanging around his old program Tuesday, seemingly not scarred by the realization his career might have peaked in the Missouri Valley.
The Summit's conference RPI is somewhere in the mid-20s, which means it is most likely always going to be a one-bid league. Oral Roberts has been the conference's best in recent years but has lost consecutive NCAA tournament games by a combined 32 points.
Can that ever change in a league where a friendly wrestling match between mascots turned serious and almost had to be broken up by security? The Golden Eagle and Jaguar were banished from the championship game Tuesday and told to remove their costumes.
It's obvious dad already has offered his advice to son. There are rumblings that if Scott does leave that Eddie would try to make one final, final hurrah at Oral Roberts.
"I was tempted to go down at halftime and tell them they needed to make an adjustment on that ball screen," Eddie said.
The elder Sutton reiterated Tuesday, though, that he is indeed retired after hanging on at San Francisco for his 800th win.
"I told Scott when Wichita was talking to him, 'I've had a lot of guys leave and they end up being miserable,'" Eddie said. "One thing you should remember, if you're happy and you're family is happy and you're winning ... sometimes you're better off staying where you are."
Scott might sit atop the Summit until he is dad's age (72) but he'll never have another tournament MVP like Ehambe. Not many get to that point posting an oh-fer. That's what Ehambe did Monday in the semifinals against IPFW.
"I didn't even get a rebound yesterday," said Ehambe who went 0-for-5 in the semifinal win, sandwiched around games of 27 (Saturday vs. Centenary) and 25 against IUPUI.
"I knew there was going to be a bright day."
The day was actually the second half when Ehambe hit five of his seven 3s. The 6-foot-6 senior is typical of an Oral Roberts player. He was lightly recruited out of Dallas by high majors and ended up at a place where he could work on his deadly (sometimes) jumper without mortal fear of the bench.
"Streaky? No I would not describe myself like that," said Ehambe, who dropped 40 on Western Illinois this season. "Shooters have bad nights. Granted, I had tons of bad nights. But I had tons of good nights, too.
"My role was to shoot the ball and help defend and be the spiritual and emotional captain of the squad."
That's why he's able to laugh off stupid questions while keeping everyone laughing. At halftime of the IPFW game on Feb. 9, he stayed on the court at halftime and was named the homecoming king. Ehambe put on his crown, waved to the crowd, posed for a few pictures, then scored the rest of his game-high 21 points.
"I've been homecoming king since seventh grade. I'm serious," Ehambe said. "I don't mean to boast about it. It's weird."
Here's what is really weird: Oral Roberts could ever get past the first round in its RPI netherworld. Eight of the league's 10 schools are rated 165 or lower.
"That's what I'm trying to do with this program, where we don't have to win this tournament every year to get in," Scott said, "that we don't have to pull a major upset in the NCAA tournament.
"I look at Gonzaga, Creighton and Southern Illinois. I don't think we're that far away. One of these days we're going to beat somebody."
Sutton sittin' pretty at ORU, but can Summit satisfy him?
Dennis Dodd March 12, 2008
TULSA, Okla. -- The homecoming king at Oral Roberts is a virgin.
Just so you know if the question ever comes up, like it did last year for Golden Eagles swingman Moses Ehambe. The team was at its first-round NCAA tournament site in Sacramento when a reporter dropped the bad-taste bomb: Are you a virgin?
"I told him, yeah," Ehambe said. "When we got back to the locker room we all laughed about it."
Those kinds of things are issues at Oral Roberts where, like BYU, students must adhere to an honor code. No alcohol, no premarital sex, etc. ...
Other issues -- though maybe not considered as important at this Christian-based program -- still linger in the air like one of Ehambe's 3-point bombs that elevated him to Summit League tournament MVP following a 71-64 victory over IUPUI.
The biggest issue in the program is what coach Scott Sutton has accomplished in his nine seasons. In a league (Mid-Continent) that was so unremarkable it changed its name to Summit (lofty heights, get it?), he has developed a low-major power. Sutton now owns three -- all in a row -- of the school's five NCAA tournament appearances.
Sixty-eight of his 168 career wins at the school have come in those three seasons.
But it's still only the Summit and still only Oral Roberts. Sutton, at 38 the youngest son of Eddie Sutton, turned down Wichita State after last season. Wisely, it turns out "because they didn't have very good players," said Eddie, who watched from the stands behind his son's bench. That decision was proven wise after Wichita State finished 11-20.
However, as long as Scott keeps overachieving and playing in high school gyms -- the Summit tournament was played in Tulsa Union High School's John Q. Hammons Center -- he is going to be undervalued.
"If in three, four, five years and I still haven't elevated the program to where I want, that's something I'd have to consider," Scott said of moving on. "I do want to have success. I want to win NCAA tournament games. I don't want to be satisfied with just getting to the tournament."
His name already is out there at places like Missouri State and TCU, two modest steps up. Barry Hinson did just that, moving from Oral Roberts to Missouri State in 1999. He was fired Sunday and was hanging around his old program Tuesday, seemingly not scarred by the realization his career might have peaked in the Missouri Valley.
The Summit's conference RPI is somewhere in the mid-20s, which means it is most likely always going to be a one-bid league. Oral Roberts has been the conference's best in recent years but has lost consecutive NCAA tournament games by a combined 32 points.
Can that ever change in a league where a friendly wrestling match between mascots turned serious and almost had to be broken up by security? The Golden Eagle and Jaguar were banished from the championship game Tuesday and told to remove their costumes.
It's obvious dad already has offered his advice to son. There are rumblings that if Scott does leave that Eddie would try to make one final, final hurrah at Oral Roberts.
"I was tempted to go down at halftime and tell them they needed to make an adjustment on that ball screen," Eddie said.
The elder Sutton reiterated Tuesday, though, that he is indeed retired after hanging on at San Francisco for his 800th win.
"I told Scott when Wichita was talking to him, 'I've had a lot of guys leave and they end up being miserable,'" Eddie said. "One thing you should remember, if you're happy and you're family is happy and you're winning ... sometimes you're better off staying where you are."
Scott might sit atop the Summit until he is dad's age (72) but he'll never have another tournament MVP like Ehambe. Not many get to that point posting an oh-fer. That's what Ehambe did Monday in the semifinals against IPFW.
"I didn't even get a rebound yesterday," said Ehambe who went 0-for-5 in the semifinal win, sandwiched around games of 27 (Saturday vs. Centenary) and 25 against IUPUI.
"I knew there was going to be a bright day."
The day was actually the second half when Ehambe hit five of his seven 3s. The 6-foot-6 senior is typical of an Oral Roberts player. He was lightly recruited out of Dallas by high majors and ended up at a place where he could work on his deadly (sometimes) jumper without mortal fear of the bench.
"Streaky? No I would not describe myself like that," said Ehambe, who dropped 40 on Western Illinois this season. "Shooters have bad nights. Granted, I had tons of bad nights. But I had tons of good nights, too.
"My role was to shoot the ball and help defend and be the spiritual and emotional captain of the squad."
That's why he's able to laugh off stupid questions while keeping everyone laughing. At halftime of the IPFW game on Feb. 9, he stayed on the court at halftime and was named the homecoming king. Ehambe put on his crown, waved to the crowd, posed for a few pictures, then scored the rest of his game-high 21 points.
"I've been homecoming king since seventh grade. I'm serious," Ehambe said. "I don't mean to boast about it. It's weird."
Here's what is really weird: Oral Roberts could ever get past the first round in its RPI netherworld. Eight of the league's 10 schools are rated 165 or lower.
"That's what I'm trying to do with this program, where we don't have to win this tournament every year to get in," Scott said, "that we don't have to pull a major upset in the NCAA tournament.
"I look at Gonzaga, Creighton and Southern Illinois. I don't think we're that far away. One of these days we're going to beat somebody."