He's been a Wildcat (and remains one at heart). He's been a Gator, a Fightin' Illini, a Runnin' Rebel and now, he's a Sooner. On Monday, Lon Kruger was formally introduced as the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team.
Whether or not he was Oklahoma's first option doesn't really matter. What matters is that Oklahoma has a proven coach who's been known to revive or turn programs around. No other coach has ever taken Kansas State to 4 straight NCAA tournament appearances. Frank Martin, the current coach at K-State, might just do it; but he's rumoured to be headed to Miami.
Lon Kruger also helped put Florida basketball on the map when he led the program to a 1994 Final Four appearance. Florida might have the athletes, but since we're being honest, they really didn't have much of a basketball history prior to that. Not only is Florida a football school, but the state of Florida is all about football. Don't believe me? 3 NFL teams compared to 2 NBA teams? 10 national titles in college football as compared to 2 in college basketball? 3 Super Bowls compared to 1 NBA title? More players in the the NFL Hall of Fame as opposed to the NBA Hall of Fame? I think you get my point.
Why Kruger's hire is being considered as a good move nationwide, is that he's won just about everywhere he's been; feel free to discount his time with the Atlanta Hawks. It's very hard to win in the pro ranks, and there aren't that many college coaches who've had any success there. Other than that, he's a proven winner.
While basketball takes a backseat to football, Oklahoma actually has a decent basketball history. 26 NCAA tournament bids that include 4 Final Four appearances and 2 national title game appearances. The Sooners at one time held the nation's longest streak for appearances in post-season play (25 seasons); a streak that ended in 2006-07 season, Jeff Capel's first season. Also, it's been more than 40 years since the school endured back-to-back losing seasons. With that much history, you can see why Kruger had to re-think the offer before eventually taking the job.
Nobody is asking Kruger to beat Kansas every year; even though winning the conference title would be wonderful. He's not being asked to get the school to the Final Four every year, or win the national championship every other year. All he has been tasked with is to make the school relevant again. Get the program back on the map. Win games, get the fans back in the seats. Above all else, keep the program out of the NCAA's radar.
A Kansas native, born in Silver Lake, Kruger starred for the Kansas State Wildcats in the early 1970's. He was named Big 8 player of the year in both 1973 & '74. He played in an era when the Wildcats were actually winning more than the Jayhawks. Based on his time as a player and coach in Manhattan, KS, Kruger is no stranger to these parts of town.
Which brings me to my next point, recruiting. There was a time when the best high school basketball players in the state played college ball in-state (Wayman Tisdale, Stacey King). Since then, we've seen some good players, McDonald's All-American players, head north to Lawrence, KS (J.R. Giddens, Xavier Henry) or far east to Durham, NC (Shelden Williams). Blake Griffin was just one of those "once in a lifetime" moments, where the player opted to stay home rather than take his talents elsewhere.
The good thing about having being in the NBA, albeit a short stint, is that Kruger knows what it takes to compete at that level, both physically and mentally. He's not that bad of a recruiter either. So it may not be long before some big names start heading toward Norman.
While searching for a new coach, Oklahoma made it clear that their intention is to "win now!!" Hiring Lon Kruger is definitely a huge step forward toward achieving that goal.
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