JimBob
03-13-2008, 11:19 AM
OSU notebook: Proud brother
By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
3/13/2008
Scott Sutton, brother of OSU coach Sean Sutton, guided Oral Roberts to a Summit League Tournament championship Tuesday night. Sean said he tried to watch the game on television, but it made him so nervous that he decided to channel surf and check the score occasionally. He said he watched the last two minutes once it became apparent that the Golden Eagles were going to win.
"Scott has done an unbelievable job at ORU," Sean said. "To win three conference tournaments in a row, that says a lot about what a great coach he is and the kind of job that he has done."
Sean said the Golden Eagles will have a chance to win at least a game in the NCAA Tournament. "I think they are really good."
Seeking Friday again: OSU is one of three teams (Kansas and Oklahoma are the others) who have made it to Friday during every previous Big 12 Tournament. The Cowboys are 5-0 in first-round games and got first-round byes during six other seasons.
In order to reach Friday this time, OSU must win a first-round game against Texas Tech. It will be the first game of the 2007 Big 12 Tournament. Coincidentally, the Cowboys and Red Raiders met in the last game of the last Big 12 Tournament staged in Kansas City. That was in the 2005 championship game.
Best buddies: Sean Sutton and Texas Tech coach Pat Knight are sons of legendary coaches and former head coach designates. Knight said he and Sean are as close as any coaches in college basketball.
Knight said he first became friends with Sean's brother, Scott, when they attended basketball camps together. Later, when Knight was catching heck from fans while playing for his dad at Indiana, he said he got a two-page letter of support out of the blue from Sean, who wrote about the hardships of playing for his dad at Kentucky.
"I never forgot that," Knight said.
Candidate update: Former Tulsa and Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson withdrew from consideration for the Arkansas State head coaching job. OSU assistant coach James Dickey, asked if he has been contacted by Arkansas State, said he doesn't think it would be appropriate to discuss any schools that might have an interest in him being a candidate for a coaching job. Dickey said his focus is on OSU.
Bombs away: OSU split two regular season games against Texas Tech. In a loss at Lubbock, the Cowboys attempted their most 3-point shots (31) ever in a Big 12 game. "We can't shoot 30 3s in any game in the Big 12 and expect to win, especially on the road," Marcus Dove said. "We know that if our shots aren't falling then we need to do our best to try to get to the hole and get to the foul line."
Different strokes: Since Pat Knight took over for Bob Knight, Tech is playing faster on offense and occasionally plays zone defense. Sean Sutton said Bob Knight probably had "some choice words" for Pat Knight the first time the Red Raiders used a zone defense.
"These are things my father and I have discussed and he agrees with what we're doing," Pat Knight said. "He just chose not to do it because what he was doing was working for him."
By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
3/13/2008
Scott Sutton, brother of OSU coach Sean Sutton, guided Oral Roberts to a Summit League Tournament championship Tuesday night. Sean said he tried to watch the game on television, but it made him so nervous that he decided to channel surf and check the score occasionally. He said he watched the last two minutes once it became apparent that the Golden Eagles were going to win.
"Scott has done an unbelievable job at ORU," Sean said. "To win three conference tournaments in a row, that says a lot about what a great coach he is and the kind of job that he has done."
Sean said the Golden Eagles will have a chance to win at least a game in the NCAA Tournament. "I think they are really good."
Seeking Friday again: OSU is one of three teams (Kansas and Oklahoma are the others) who have made it to Friday during every previous Big 12 Tournament. The Cowboys are 5-0 in first-round games and got first-round byes during six other seasons.
In order to reach Friday this time, OSU must win a first-round game against Texas Tech. It will be the first game of the 2007 Big 12 Tournament. Coincidentally, the Cowboys and Red Raiders met in the last game of the last Big 12 Tournament staged in Kansas City. That was in the 2005 championship game.
Best buddies: Sean Sutton and Texas Tech coach Pat Knight are sons of legendary coaches and former head coach designates. Knight said he and Sean are as close as any coaches in college basketball.
Knight said he first became friends with Sean's brother, Scott, when they attended basketball camps together. Later, when Knight was catching heck from fans while playing for his dad at Indiana, he said he got a two-page letter of support out of the blue from Sean, who wrote about the hardships of playing for his dad at Kentucky.
"I never forgot that," Knight said.
Candidate update: Former Tulsa and Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson withdrew from consideration for the Arkansas State head coaching job. OSU assistant coach James Dickey, asked if he has been contacted by Arkansas State, said he doesn't think it would be appropriate to discuss any schools that might have an interest in him being a candidate for a coaching job. Dickey said his focus is on OSU.
Bombs away: OSU split two regular season games against Texas Tech. In a loss at Lubbock, the Cowboys attempted their most 3-point shots (31) ever in a Big 12 game. "We can't shoot 30 3s in any game in the Big 12 and expect to win, especially on the road," Marcus Dove said. "We know that if our shots aren't falling then we need to do our best to try to get to the hole and get to the foul line."
Different strokes: Since Pat Knight took over for Bob Knight, Tech is playing faster on offense and occasionally plays zone defense. Sean Sutton said Bob Knight probably had "some choice words" for Pat Knight the first time the Red Raiders used a zone defense.
"These are things my father and I have discussed and he agrees with what we're doing," Pat Knight said. "He just chose not to do it because what he was doing was working for him."