JimBob
03-24-2008, 07:59 AM
Will Capel and Griffin bolt?
By DAVE SITTLER World Sports Columnist
3/24/2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- If Jeff Capel and Blake Griffin need someone to give them one good reason why they should remain at Oklahoma, I have the perfect one.
Louisville 78, Oklahoma 48.
Is the worst NCAA Tournament loss in OU's proud basketball history any way for the school's coach and its best player to leave the program?
Absolutely not. But perhaps money will win out over embarrassment and redemption.
Maybe Capel will decide to double his salary by running off to coach at South Carolina. And perhaps Griffin will opt to make even bigger bucks than his coach by heading to the NBA, where teams are drooling to make him an instant multimillionaire.
But wouldn't the 30-point whipsawing the Cardinals put on the Sooners in Sunday's second round make both coach and player want to return to OU and help the Sooners redeem themselves in the 2009 Big Dance?
"It might," said Griffin, the Sooners' freshman All-American. "I just don't know."
If Griffin does indeed decide he's one-and-done at OU, the final image we'll have of the wunderkind power forward won't be a pretty one. It will be of him slowly walking off the court at BJCC Arena with his head down after fouling out with 5:48 and his team trailing, 73-43.
Does Griffin really want his final stat sheet at OU to read: Eight points, seven rebounds and three turnovers?
"It's up in the air," a dejected Griffin said of his future. "Within the next three or four weeks I'll sit down with my family and coach Capel and talk about it, and I'll decide something then."
Ah, but will Capel be in Norman for that conversation? Or will Griffin have to make it a teleconference, phoning his coach in Columbia, S.C.?
Capel, who just finished his second season with the Sooners, is reportedly the frontrunner for the South Carolina job. His name has allegedly topped the wish list of Gamecocks' officials ever since coach Dave Odom announced in January that he was retiring.
Asked after yesterday's game how he'd respond if South Carolina called and said it wanted to interview him, Capel said: "Well, hopefully it doesn't get to that. Hopefully we can work something out here at Oklahoma.
"This is where I want to be."
But he also wants to be paid better. For the first time since rumors about the South Carolina job surface, Capel confirmed yesterday to the Tulsa World that he wants OU officials to rework his contract.
"Well, sure," he said. "You want something (more)."
When OU hired Capel to replace Kelvin Sampson, the Sooners signed him to a five-year deal at $650,000 per season. That was boosted to $750,000 after his first year and extended through the 2012 season.
Several media sources have reported that South Carolina is prepared to pay its next coach in the range of $1.5 million per season.
"Our profession is such a crazy profession," Capel said. "You look at (LSU coach) John Brady. Two years ago, he was in the Final Four and he was fired in midseason this year.
"So, as a coach, you always want as much security as you can possibly get."
Capel also revealed that he's already held discussions about a new contract with OU athletic director Joe Castiglione.
"We talked about some things a few weeks ago," Capel said. "So I'm confident in OU and Joe. Joe is one of the main reasons I came to OU."
If Castiglione's history with football coach Bob Stoops is any indication, he will work quickly to make Capel an offer that's very competitive. Stoops is one the highest paid coaches in the college game.
"We're proactive," Castiglione said after Sunday's game. "We don't wait around."
So, based on Castiglione's excellent administrative record, I'd say the odds are good that Capel will be coaching at OU when the Sooners open next season.
Griffin's future isn't as easy to predict. While the 6-foot-10, 243-pounder is the best freshman to play at OU in more than 20 years, there are still facets of his game that are not NBA-ready.
That was evident against a veteran Louisville frontline that often frustrated him with double-team defenses, and eventually got him to foul out.
Some have speculated that Griffin's a lock to return for his sophomore year because he wants to play another season with his older brother, junior forward Taylor Griffin. But the younger Griffin declined to say that would sway his decision.
"I'd love to spend another year with him," Blake Griffin said. "But in the end, he (Tay lor) wants me to do what's best for me. And that's going to be the deciding factor."
Capel said he's promised Blake Griffin that he will seek out all the advice he can get from his extensive NBA contacts to help in the decision. And he insisted that he will recommend whatever he feels is in the best interest of his player.
"Obviously, the selfish side of me would like him to come back for him and for our program," Capel said. "But the decision is tough."
Capel and Griffin both have tough decisions to make over the next few days.
Sooner fans have to hope that Sunday's humiliating loss makes their decisions easier, convincing them that it isn't the way either of them should leave OU.
By DAVE SITTLER World Sports Columnist
3/24/2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- If Jeff Capel and Blake Griffin need someone to give them one good reason why they should remain at Oklahoma, I have the perfect one.
Louisville 78, Oklahoma 48.
Is the worst NCAA Tournament loss in OU's proud basketball history any way for the school's coach and its best player to leave the program?
Absolutely not. But perhaps money will win out over embarrassment and redemption.
Maybe Capel will decide to double his salary by running off to coach at South Carolina. And perhaps Griffin will opt to make even bigger bucks than his coach by heading to the NBA, where teams are drooling to make him an instant multimillionaire.
But wouldn't the 30-point whipsawing the Cardinals put on the Sooners in Sunday's second round make both coach and player want to return to OU and help the Sooners redeem themselves in the 2009 Big Dance?
"It might," said Griffin, the Sooners' freshman All-American. "I just don't know."
If Griffin does indeed decide he's one-and-done at OU, the final image we'll have of the wunderkind power forward won't be a pretty one. It will be of him slowly walking off the court at BJCC Arena with his head down after fouling out with 5:48 and his team trailing, 73-43.
Does Griffin really want his final stat sheet at OU to read: Eight points, seven rebounds and three turnovers?
"It's up in the air," a dejected Griffin said of his future. "Within the next three or four weeks I'll sit down with my family and coach Capel and talk about it, and I'll decide something then."
Ah, but will Capel be in Norman for that conversation? Or will Griffin have to make it a teleconference, phoning his coach in Columbia, S.C.?
Capel, who just finished his second season with the Sooners, is reportedly the frontrunner for the South Carolina job. His name has allegedly topped the wish list of Gamecocks' officials ever since coach Dave Odom announced in January that he was retiring.
Asked after yesterday's game how he'd respond if South Carolina called and said it wanted to interview him, Capel said: "Well, hopefully it doesn't get to that. Hopefully we can work something out here at Oklahoma.
"This is where I want to be."
But he also wants to be paid better. For the first time since rumors about the South Carolina job surface, Capel confirmed yesterday to the Tulsa World that he wants OU officials to rework his contract.
"Well, sure," he said. "You want something (more)."
When OU hired Capel to replace Kelvin Sampson, the Sooners signed him to a five-year deal at $650,000 per season. That was boosted to $750,000 after his first year and extended through the 2012 season.
Several media sources have reported that South Carolina is prepared to pay its next coach in the range of $1.5 million per season.
"Our profession is such a crazy profession," Capel said. "You look at (LSU coach) John Brady. Two years ago, he was in the Final Four and he was fired in midseason this year.
"So, as a coach, you always want as much security as you can possibly get."
Capel also revealed that he's already held discussions about a new contract with OU athletic director Joe Castiglione.
"We talked about some things a few weeks ago," Capel said. "So I'm confident in OU and Joe. Joe is one of the main reasons I came to OU."
If Castiglione's history with football coach Bob Stoops is any indication, he will work quickly to make Capel an offer that's very competitive. Stoops is one the highest paid coaches in the college game.
"We're proactive," Castiglione said after Sunday's game. "We don't wait around."
So, based on Castiglione's excellent administrative record, I'd say the odds are good that Capel will be coaching at OU when the Sooners open next season.
Griffin's future isn't as easy to predict. While the 6-foot-10, 243-pounder is the best freshman to play at OU in more than 20 years, there are still facets of his game that are not NBA-ready.
That was evident against a veteran Louisville frontline that often frustrated him with double-team defenses, and eventually got him to foul out.
Some have speculated that Griffin's a lock to return for his sophomore year because he wants to play another season with his older brother, junior forward Taylor Griffin. But the younger Griffin declined to say that would sway his decision.
"I'd love to spend another year with him," Blake Griffin said. "But in the end, he (Tay lor) wants me to do what's best for me. And that's going to be the deciding factor."
Capel said he's promised Blake Griffin that he will seek out all the advice he can get from his extensive NBA contacts to help in the decision. And he insisted that he will recommend whatever he feels is in the best interest of his player.
"Obviously, the selfish side of me would like him to come back for him and for our program," Capel said. "But the decision is tough."
Capel and Griffin both have tough decisions to make over the next few days.
Sooner fans have to hope that Sunday's humiliating loss makes their decisions easier, convincing them that it isn't the way either of them should leave OU.