Entry No. 41 | February 14, 2008

 
How about this set of numbers: 18-of-55 for 33 percent.

And no, those are not my career free throw statistics.

The 55 is the number of games Jeff Capel has coached at Oklahoma. The 18 is the number of times he has done so with the full roster at his disposal.

All together now, "wow."

I've got to tell you, I've been in college athletics for 24 years now. I really don't believe I've seen anything like this before.

And that does not include those that may have signed with Oklahoma and then went elsewhere. That 18-of-55 is the guys that were on hand for the team photo a day or two before the season began.

Let that sink in for a second. Oklahoma's men's basketball coach has been able to employ his full compliment of players in just one third of the games he has mentored from the Sooner sideline.

Coaching with arm tied behind his back? Yes, I'd say that qualifies.

OU head coach Jeff Capel and the men's basketball team invite Sooner fans to Finish Strong at the Lloyd Noble Center as the regular season comes to a close.

Look, I'll be the first one to admit that the "no excuses" approach is the only one that any serious coach can adopt with a team. Rarely will a season go completely to form so when the bumps come, you have to be ready.

To lean on the shortcomings is to enable the doubt and failing of spirit that seek to infiltrate the locker room every time something bad happens.

But 18-of-55? Are you kidding me? You can't categorize that statistic under "bumps." That's more like 10 consecutive miles of waist-high rumble strips.

I admire Capel, especially for the way he has navigated this string of unfortunate personnel twists. His jaw is still set and if he's muttering, rolling his eyes or shaking his head, it's impossible to see it from here.

Surely in his private moments he is screaming at the top of his lungs.

This much I know, though. Sports are a series of breaks, some good, some bad. And while I most adamantly disagree with the fact that anyone makes all of his or her own breaks (how many of these tough ones did Capel create?), I do embrace the theory that over time they tend to even out.

The time for evening out must be around the corner. When it finally happens, and it will to a coach as mature, strong and just flat good as Capel, I would suggest buying as much stock in him as possible. The basketball soldiers of fortune owe him to the tune of about 67 percent as near as I can tell.

And when that payout comes, it will be particularly sweet to those that persevered.
 

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Read an inside perspective from the University of Oklahoma Athletics Department on the latest Sooner sports topics. Associate Athletics Director for Communications Kenny Mossman provides his thoughts in his online column at SoonerSports.com.