LON KRUGER IS ONE GREAT COACH...

Wherever the stop the man is a winner...

        Any talk about Oklahoma basketball has to begin with their coach Lon Kruger. Wherever he has coached he's done a great job. Among the 514 wins that he has amassed were 20 last season which got the Sooners into the second round of the NCAA. He's coached at Pan American, Florida, UNLV, Illinois, and Kansas State. Kruger had one team that won 30 and a slew of other teams that won 20 or more. He's taken 15 of those teams to the NCAA. One made it to the Final Four when he coached at Florida.

        He got the UNLV 'Runnin Rebels running again. He took Florida to unheard of heights. He took Kansas State to the Elite Eight. He left UNLV to take the job at Oklahoma. It was a move that took a lot of us by surprise. Basketball is the sport in Las Vegas. It is a community event where the coach and his players are public stars. No joke, in Vegas the UNLV players get the same type of attention as Hollywood Stars. Let's put it this way - if Coach Kruger wanted a front row seat for Celin Dion he'd be given the best seat in the house. I am personally unsure why Kruger would leave such a setting to coach in the Big Twelve. Oklahoma is primarily a football school much like Alabama. Like Alabama, they also have a great basketball tradition that sometimes gets lost in the quest for gridiron glory. Kruger has shown he has no fear of new challanges. Anthony Grant finds himself on a seat growing warmer. Alabama fans are crying to make the NCAA. If the Tide is to do it they'll have to do so without three starters off last years team. Alabama has done a great job in recruiting five new players who can be the cornerstone of a great team. None of those players can play this season however.

   

   On November 8th these two football powers square off on the hardwood in a very important basketball game for both teams. One team is fresh off an NCAA appearance and the other feeling like they should have made the field. Alabama will play without a key player, Levi Randolph. Oklahoma lost key players from last season. Alabama also lost two other starters to transfers. Alabama was picked 6th by the media in the pre-season poll. That won't happen without a heathly Randolph. The return date for Bama's most versatile player. Bama needs a red hot preSEC start. Losing Levi won't help.

     Oklahoma is looking for good guard play. Alabama has good guard play and that might give 'Bama the edge on Friday. Oklahoma has been picked 7th by the media in their league. It's hard to pick winners in early season games. This one should be a close game and I'd bet Bama will be a very slight favorite because of Releford. Trevor was named as a First Team All SEC Player by the media and deservedly so. He's one of the most loved players who ever put on the Crimson. I expect he'll go out with a bang.