OKGs - not OT | The Boneyard

OKGs - not OT

Status
Not open for further replies.

KnightBridgeAZ

Grand Canyon Knight
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
5,223
Reaction Score
8,719
Here at Arizona our football coach is Rich Rodriguez, who in 3 seasons has done a really nice upgrade to the program.

Part of upgrading the program is a focus on recruiting OKGs - Our Kinda Guys. They may or may not be the most talented, but they have the skills needed for what will be asked of them, they are coachable and they have the character, etc. that RichRod is looking for.

Reading several of the recent threads about UConn players, unsung heroes and the like, I couldn't help but reflect that a key part of many, many coaches - even those that don't use the term, is OKGs (gals, in this case). When Rutgers had a bunch of players who were not OKGs they suffered, and I really think this cannot be overestimated as an important factor both in UConn's success and many other programs as well.
 
Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
2,985
Reaction Score
8,436
You are absolutely right. You hear talk about chemistry when college and pro teams are described.The best examples of anti-chemistry were in the pros, where New York teams (it always seemed to this Boston-oriented guy) tried to buy their way to basketball and hockey championships without any regard for the way Player A would work with Players B, C, D and E. In pro basketball ('way back when I used to follow it), the Celtics may have had less talent on paper, but were coached to use that talent as part of a team. Anyway, there a plenty of examples of WCBB teams that are much more than the sum of their parts. Those are the ones I enjoy watching: UConn at the highest level of the sport, and often DePaul, Green Bay, Zags and a few others.
 
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Messages
2,346
Reaction Score
6,036
Here at Arizona our football coach is Rich Rodriguez, who in 3 seasons has done a really nice upgrade to the program.

Part of upgrading the program is a focus on recruiting OKGs - Our Kinda Guys. They may or may not be the most talented, but they have the skills needed for what will be asked of them, they are coachable and they have the character, etc. that RichRod is looking for.


Ironically RichRod's reputation is as a guy with significant character issues. Was a disaster at Michigan, between player arrests, many major rules violations, and three years of NCAA probation. Signed at least one player with multiple felony arrests. Allegedly mistreated some players. Also many major recruiting violations at West Virginia, plus the aftermath of his departure with Rodriguez having shredded WVU files on the way out the door. Here's one overview of some of his Michigan issues:

http://archive.freep.com/article/20.../A-close-look-Rich-Rodriguez-s-time-Ann-Arbor
 

KnightBridgeAZ

Grand Canyon Knight
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
5,223
Reaction Score
8,719
Ironically RichRod's reputation is as a guy with significant character issues. Was a disaster at Michigan, between player arrests, many major rules violations, and three years of NCAA probation. Signed at least one player with multiple felony arrests. Allegedly mistreated some players. Also many major recruiting violations at West Virginia, plus the aftermath of his departure with Rodriguez having shredded WVU files on the way out the door. Here's one overview of some of his Michigan issues:

http://archive.freep.com/article/20.../A-close-look-Rich-Rodriguez-s-time-Ann-Arbor
He seems to be doing OK here. Building a nice program, no real hints of scandal. Of course, Tucson is not a football town, it IS a UofA town, but the focus is and has been men's basketball for years.
 
Joined
Apr 10, 2015
Messages
11,335
Reaction Score
25,045
You are absolutely right. You hear talk about chemistry when college and pro teams are described.The best examples of anti-chemistry were in the pros, where New York teams (it always seemed to this Boston-oriented guy) tried to buy their way to basketball and hockey championships without any regard for the way Player A would work with Players B, C, D and E. In pro basketball ('way back when I used to follow it), the Celtics may have had less talent on paper, but were coached to use that talent as part of a team. Anyway, there a plenty of examples of WCBB teams that are much more than the sum of their parts. Those are the ones I enjoy watching: UConn at the highest level of the sport, and often DePaul, Green Bay, Zags and a few others.
When I'm paying 100 million bucks apiece for my BB pro players they Da-- well better play well in the sand box, they are paid to be best buds while they are practicing and playing. When they don't someone or some somes are dumped. Same in the corporate world, above the low level managers, play nice getting the job done, on time, under cost and pumping up the bottom line --or wave bye bye!!
College is so much easier. Play well together, transfer or sit no million buck egos to worry about , except the coach. But you can bet Geno smoozes Stewie--the Franchize.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Online statistics

Members online
507
Guests online
3,194
Total visitors
3,701

Forum statistics

Threads
155,761
Messages
4,030,709
Members
9,864
Latest member
leepaul


Top Bottom