JimBob
04-21-2008, 07:52 AM
New coach, new era
By World's Editorial Writers
4/21/2008
Will OSU regain basketball prominence?
Will a new basketball coach at Oklahoma State University mean a fresh start -- for fans and players alike? We should know soon.
In a perfect world, no one would or should expect overnight success. After all, college sports are still played by young men and women who make mistakes on and off the courts and fields.
But in these days of instant gratification, a coach and his or her team are expected to win, sometimes at any cost. Adding to the pressure are the tremendous coverage by television and blogs and the astronomical salaries paid to coaches. Along with those huge salaries is the ever-present challenge to win and win now.
The job at OSU comes with even more pressure, as recently hired coach Travis Ford must not only fill the big and successful shoes of former coach Eddie Sutton, but also erase the bitter ness of the bungled dismissal of the most recent coach and Eddie's heir, Sean Sutton.
Whether the younger Sutton got a raw deal or not is a matter for message boards and alumni blogs. The reality is that new coach Ford deserves a fair chance to mold a team that has the potential to be among the elite in the Big 12 Conference.
Ford has his work cut out. He not only must win over the players remaining on the team -- players recruited by Sean Sutton -- but he must convince loyal OSU fans that he can do the job.
OSU is known as one of the premier jobs in college sports. Its arena and its fans are legendary.
We wish coach Ford all the luck in the world. And we hope that he gets a better chance than that given his predecessor.
By World's Editorial Writers
4/21/2008
Will OSU regain basketball prominence?
Will a new basketball coach at Oklahoma State University mean a fresh start -- for fans and players alike? We should know soon.
In a perfect world, no one would or should expect overnight success. After all, college sports are still played by young men and women who make mistakes on and off the courts and fields.
But in these days of instant gratification, a coach and his or her team are expected to win, sometimes at any cost. Adding to the pressure are the tremendous coverage by television and blogs and the astronomical salaries paid to coaches. Along with those huge salaries is the ever-present challenge to win and win now.
The job at OSU comes with even more pressure, as recently hired coach Travis Ford must not only fill the big and successful shoes of former coach Eddie Sutton, but also erase the bitter ness of the bungled dismissal of the most recent coach and Eddie's heir, Sean Sutton.
Whether the younger Sutton got a raw deal or not is a matter for message boards and alumni blogs. The reality is that new coach Ford deserves a fair chance to mold a team that has the potential to be among the elite in the Big 12 Conference.
Ford has his work cut out. He not only must win over the players remaining on the team -- players recruited by Sean Sutton -- but he must convince loyal OSU fans that he can do the job.
OSU is known as one of the premier jobs in college sports. Its arena and its fans are legendary.
We wish coach Ford all the luck in the world. And we hope that he gets a better chance than that given his predecessor.