Sources revealed that Lon Kruger was retiring as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball program on Thursday, bringing the curtain down on a quietly successful 10-year tenure. OU became the fifth program led to the NCAA tournament by Kruger (Kansas State, Florida, Illinois, UNLV) -- he got the Sooners there seven times, with the high-water mark coming when the 2016 squad reached the Final Four. Oklahoma also produced plenty of star power during Kruger's decade in Norman, with Buddy Hield and Trae Young helping to carry the banner for OU at the next level. With Kruger stepping down, the coaching carousel gets another high-profile vacancy to join the likes of Indiana, Utah and Marquette. We sized up the meaning of the Kruger era, the attractiveness of the job, and the top candidates for the position below.
What will Lon Kruger's legacy be at Oklahoma? What were the local and national perceptions of his tenure?
From a national perspective, Kruger was considered one of the more underrated coaches of his generation. He's one of three coaches to lead five different schools to the NCAA tournament, and he made 20 NCAA tournament appearances and two Final Four runs.
Locally, I think it would be hard to complain. The Sooners went to seven NCAA tournaments during Kruger's 10 seasons, and would have made it to another if the NCAA tournament wasn't canceled last season. They went to a Final Four in 2016 and a Sweet 16 the year prior. He also coached two of the most productive players in school history in Trae Young and Buddy Hield.
How good is the job? Where would you rank it amid other top jobs on offer this cycle? Indiana, Minnesota, Utah, Marquette, etc.
I think it's right there along with Marquette in the second tier behind Indiana. The Sooners have five Final Four appearances in their history and have had a really impressive recent stretch of coaches, from Billy Tubbs to Kelvin Sampson to Jeff Capel and then Kruger. It's a program that has produced big-time players and has made consistent NCAA tournament appearances. It doesn't have the tradition and brand of Indiana or the facilities of Marquette, but it's a surefire top-half Big 12 job.
Oklahoma promoted from within when it had to replace football coach Bob Stoops a few years back, and Lincoln Riley has proven very successful in that position. Is a similar move an option here?
I think that's definitely an option. Carlin Hartman will undoubtedly be considered, and it wouldn't stun me if he ultimately was the hire. He joined Oklahoma's staff in 2016 and has established himself as one of the best assistant coaches in the Big 12. Hartman has been linked to head coaching jobs in the past, and would help keep some continuity in the program if he replaced Kruger.
Are there pipe-dream candidates at OU like Indiana had with Brad Stevens? Who are the realistic candidates?
I'm not sure there are any Brad Stevens-type candidates for Oklahoma. Outside of Hartman, some of the realistic names would be North Texas' Grant McCasland, Oral Roberts' Paul Mills and Abilene Christian's Joe Golding. All three boosted their stock with NCAA tournament wins last week, and McCasland and Mills have Big 12 experience as assistant coaches at Baylor.
Kyle Keller has done a tremendous job at Stephen F. Austin, but he has strong, strong ties to Oklahoma State. A couple names from slightly outside the region would be Utah State's Craig Smith and Colorado State's Niko Medved. And here's a real wild card name: Maryland's Mark Turgeon. There have been rumors he could jump if the right opportunity came calling; could that be Oklahoma?
Who's your first choice if you're OU's decision-makers, who's your Plan B, and who's your "if all else fails" candidate?
This doesn't feel as much like a "strike out with candidate A, move on to candidate B, strike out and settle for candidate C" job. Much of it depends on Oklahoma's preference. If the Sooners want to hire a rising mid-major head coach with conference ties, McCasland has probably had the most consistent success since becoming a head coach. Smith has won consistently at multiple schools, but it's not as much of a fit regionally. If OU wants to hire a Power 5 head coach looking to "beat the posse," so to speak, Turgeon could make sense given his regional and conference ties. Personally, I wouldn't be stunned if they went with Hartman, given the recent success of the Sooners and the need for continuity in an offseason filled with roster turmoil and turnover all over the country.