To the surprise of no one, embattled Oklahoma guard Willie Warren has declared for the NBA Draft.
Seemingly a lottery-pick lock after a stellar freshman season, Warren struggled mightily both on and off the court this past year. He frequently clashed with head coach Jeff Capel, culminating in an early-season benching, and dealt with an ankle injury and illness as the season wore on. But his performance prior to those issues was disappointing to say the least, and as a result, his draft stock has plummeted. He’s no longer projected to be drafted in the first round, let alone the lottery.
Warren’s announcement is the second such one to come this offseason; guard Tommy Mason-Griffin shocked the university and draft scouts by dropping out of school and declaring, despite the fact that he could go undrafted altogether.
With Ray Willis leaving the school and stud freshman Tiny Gallon also possibly leaving after the NCAA opened an investigation regarding his receiving money from a financial adviser that could put his eligibility into question, this has been a tumultuous a year for Capel and the program. Once thought to be one of basketball’s fastest-rising stars, Capel must gain control of his team in a hurry.
Sunday, April 11, 2010 at 3:41 pm by Raj Sethi
Before the season started, Oklahoma ranked No. 3 in the nation, with reigning Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford back under center for the Sooners. They had hopes of a national title shot, eyeing a date with No. 2 Texas for the inside track to the national championship.
Instead, Bradford injured the AC joint in his right shoulder in the opening game, and despite a come-back effort in the weeks that followed, Bradford ultimately had to shut it down for the season once the Sooners were out of the national title race.
Now, they must turn their attention to the Sun Bowl on New Year’s Eve, where they’ll square off against the No. 19 Stanford Cardinal in a turnabout that would have been unfathomable before the season.
Without Bradford leading the team, the Sooners have turned to Landry Jones, who has filled in admirably for Bradford all season. Oklahoma is also fresh off a huge win over No. 12 Oklahoma State, a 27-0 shutout that closed the door on OK State’s BCS bowl hopes.
Shockingly, they’ll be the unranked team in their bowl game, as Stanford managed to stay relevant enough in the Pac-10 to justify a Top 20 ranking.
The Sooners may have caught a lucky break, as Stanford may be missing starting QB Andrew Luck, who underwent surgery on a finger on his throwing hand recently.
That means the Cardinal will likely lean on their Heisman Trophy finalist, running back Toby Gerhart, even more.
Can the Sooners rally around their injured team and pull off one final win, without Bradford?
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 10:00 pm by bryan
