Friday, December 3, 2010

Jeff Capel's Seat at Oklahoma Getting Hotter

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell
There are a lot of upset Oklahoma Sooner (3-4) fans this season. The Sooners started off with a (3-0) record, but stepped outside of Oklahoma and watch their flawless record drop under 500.

That includes a loss to Division II Chaminade 68-64.

Jeff Capel, with former-Oklahoma Sooner Blake Griffin, led his team to an impressive 30-6 (13-3) record in '08-09.

His 30-win season was accommodated by a trip to the Elite Eight where Oklahoma fell to the eventual National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels.

Just two years following his Elite Eight berth, Capel has turned in a disappointing 13-18 (4-12) season with talented players like Tommy Mason-Griffin, Willie Warren, Tiny Gallon, and Cade Davis.

With most of his significant players gone, Capel looked on to his 2010 recruiting class to uplift his roster. However, the Sooners have got off to a disappointing 3-4 start, and racked up 14 straight losses away from home.

Granted, this is an Oklahoma team with only one senior, Davis who leads the Sooners in scoring with 15.6 point per game, and nine new faces that joined Capel's roster this season.

Capel has yet to utilize the ability of his talented freshman Cameron Clark. Clark is more suitable for a half court system, that runs in transition. He excels in transition, and could spark the Sooners if allowed.

Nonetheless, the season is very early and Capel has a chance to turn things around for Oklahoma. However, the talent is there, now it's Capel's turn to lead his team to a victory.

Capel has come from a pair of 12 game win streaks, to a 14 game losing streak away from home, and off to the worst start in the decade. Oklahoma is certainly on pace to miss the tournament for the second straight time, which doesn't sit well with the Oklahoma fan base.

His 2011 recruiting class isn't helping his cause either. It has been two years, and he does have plenty of time to turn the season around, but continuing to lose with a celebrated program like Oklahoma isn't acceptable.

Athletic Director Joe Castiglione could be watching how Capel handles things this year with his current basketball team, and recruiting wise. That could certainly dictate his job security in the future.

For more CoHoops news follow us on Twitter (@Collegiate_Hoop) or subscribe via email