Congrats to the Big 12 champion Oklahoma Sooners

[fishwax]

They were the first team to go undefeated in the Big 12 conference season, and to top it off they beat defending national champaion Baylor tonight for the third time this year. :woohoo:

Lead by Courtney Paris, the best freshman in the country this year (arguably the best freshman in history), who had 24 points and a conference tourney record 26 (:wow:) rebounds.

:toast:

[RoyGBiv]

1. They have a great team ...

I talk to people about what a stellar season OU is having, and they look at me like I'm from Mars. I don't know why exactly, but I've barely kept up with the men's season ... have only seen a couple games and attended none, which is unusual for me. I've watched every women's game that has been televised and have attented several others.

Courtney Paris is amazing. With her on the team, OU is going to be a force with even moderate talent elsewhere.

[fishwax]

2. they've got a great recruiting class coming in, too

it's downright scary, imo. Next year, they don't lose a single starter off this year's squad, but they add incredible talent to next year's team, including the best HS player in Oklahoma, the best HS player in Arkansas, the best HS player in Illinois, and the daughter of Hakeem Olajouwan. They are going to be incredible in years to come.

the men's team has been quite disapointing this year, but the women's team has made up for it. I remember back in the late 90s, when Stacey Dales and LaNeisha Caufield were freshman, thinking "this team is going to be good when those women are seniors." They wound up making it to the national finals.

Last spring, when we signed Courtney and Ashley Paris, i thought "that team is going to be damn good in a couple of years ..."

I never dreamt they would be the undefeated champions of the conference THIS year.

I think it's very cool, as I remember being one of about 400 fans at OU women's games in the late 90s. It's fantastic to see the fan support they get now. The folks who give you blank stares are WAY behind the curve, RoyGBiv, and will soon recognize what a real treat we fans have in Sherri Coale and the Oklahoma Sooners. :toast:

edit: misspelled coach's name b/c I just saw the replay of the Big 12 finals on FSN and I'm too damn excited for my own good :)

[RoyGBiv]

3. I wonder if we've met ...

I've been attending OU women's games for about ten years or so. I know you've moved away from here now, but given how few people have attended these games in the past and how close is the sense of community among the women's basketball fans, I bet we've run across each other at some point.

Anyway, there's this sports bar I go to on Meridian Ave, just up from the airport. I was delighted tonight to see a full crowd for the championship game, and I mean wall to wall. I was glad I'm a regular. I got my "NORM!" chair when other people were waiting out front. :-) Always better to watching these things with fellow travelers.

[fishwax]

5. you know, I wouldn't be at all surprised

those crowds were pretty small back then, so I bet you're right. :hi: I didn't go to all the games, or anything, but I went to quite a few, especially after Coale came on board. It sure was amazing to me to see highlights of this year's Baylor game, with the LNC sold out and everyone wearing white. Wow! What a difference from the first games I remember going to, when the loudest people in the arena were the players on the OU bench, stomping their feet and clapping together to cheerlead the crowd themselves. :)

It's also very cool that there was such a good crowd at your sports bar. Nothing beats watching a game in a friendly crowd like that. :toast:

Which bar is it, out of curiosity? I'm kind of missing OKC/Oklahoma about now, and I could use the cultural touchstone :) I'm trying to think of sports bars I've been to in that part of town, but most of my time on Meridian was spent in the hotels/restaurants up closer to I-40 ...

[RoyGBiv]

8. The bar ...

It was probably called The Varsity when you were here, right across from the Embassy Suites, next door to Chili's. The guy that owned that did too much Bricktown speculating and had to sell it. It's now something like Emmerson-Baggins or Emmerson-Biggins, or just Big'Uns possible...a chain in other words trying to be like Hooters. I don't like it as much now as I once did, but it's close enough for a cheap cab ride when I want to have a few beers with like-minded folks while watching a game. When it was The Varsity, I knew all the wait staff, cooks, the bartenders, and a lot of the regulars. Everything was laid-back and friendly. I had beer waiting for me usually before I got my coat off, and Icould say, "Give me my regular," and have a cheese steak sandwich in front of me inside of 10 minutes. Now it's a loud (in all senses of the word) party central with vapid waitresses who seem to be two threads of string away from working at the Red Dog. A lot of them act pretty much the same as a stripper. They're all bubbly and flirty and "accidentally" show off for you and want to talk and talk while I'm in the middle of watching a damn game. They get big tips from the out-of-towners, but the locals ignore them pretty much, except for those that come in there because they don't want to be seen in the Red Dog. :-)

I hate them.

I was in there last fall, watching an OU game, and it was tense, and this waitress just kept coming over to my seat, asking me questions not at all related to the game, trying to flash her boobs in my general direction, and seeming to get annoyed that I wasn't noticing. (I tell them I'm old, divorced, and bitter. Boobs don't impress me.) She got so intrusive she started blocking my view of the big screen, so I finally told her, look, if you keep my beer full and don't say a single word to me the rest of the time I'm here -- not hello, not thank you, nothing -- I'll tip you half my tab. That worked, and apparently word got around. I overtip anyway when I get good service, so this wasn't a big deal to me, and being left alone with a full glass is, in my view, good service.

Anyway, they know me now, and they leave me alone, and they give me my chair, and they almost have "the usual" down. (Problem is a high turnover rate.)

[fishwax]

12. Yeah, I think I remember that place

when it was the Varsity--I went there a time or two. I think I remember when the Varsity closed, but I didn't know it had opened as anything else. Too bad to hear it's gone downhill, but as long as they get the order right and stay the hell out of the way of the big screen. Yeesh. :)

[NJ Democrats]

4. 26 Rebs! Damn!

Oklahoma had a great season. But I still think Rutgers will win the NCAA Tournament.

[fishwax]

6. good luck to Rutgers!

:toast:

I'm not predicting OU will win it all, or anything, but I've got a feeling they'll make a good run :) Not bad for a really young team that was picked to finish 4th or 5th in the conference this year.

Rutgers is pretty much a lock for a number one seed, though, right? Maybe we'll meet in the tourney :D

[NJ Democrats]

7. Rutgers

would have been a No.1 but they got bounced early in the Big East Tourny. I think they will get a No.2.

[JohnKleeb]

9. Not to butt in

but you guys will have a nice men's bball team next year too, you got the best player my high school has ever produced coming in, I am sure you'll hear lots about Scottie Reynolds, believe me the kid is all the hype and he's a classy guy too.

[fishwax]

10. cool! Thanks for the heads up

Of course, the mens team was supposed to be quite good this year too (preseason top 5/10), but just haven't been able to put it all together. Here's hoping for next year :)

I've heard of Scottie Reynolds, though I don't have the time to follow recruiting as actively as I used to. I'm glad to hear your endorsement though :toast:

[JohnKleeb]

11. No problem

I don't know him personally but he's without a doubt the best athlete to come from my high school in years and I think if he works hard, he could be a pro.