LON KRUGER
On January 30 the Oklahoma Sooners mens’ basketball team became the first in 47 years — and just the third ever — to beat four top-10 teams in a single month, defeating №9 Alabama 66–61.
In one of the toughest stretches of games in college basketball history, Lon Kruger’s boys are now the first team, since the Stats Inc. database started in 1996, to face six top-10 teams in one calendar month.
Beginning with a 69–67 loss to №10 Texas Tech on December 22, the minefield looked — and looks — like this:
01/02: 75–71 win over then-№9 West Virginia 01/06: 76–61 loss to №2 Baylor;
01/23: 75–68 win over then-№9 Kansas;
01/26: 80–79 win over №5 Texas;
01/30: 66–61 win over №9 Alabama;
02/01: rematch vs. №10 Texas Tech;
02/10: rematch vs. №2 Baylor;
02/16: rematch vs. №5 Texas;
What better man to have at the helm of this ship, than the Ned Flanders of college basketball coaches, Lonnie Duane Kruger, 68-year-old native of Silver Lake, Kansas?
An even-tempered gent with a wealth of basketball experience.
And ‘even-tempered,’ may be a stretch.
Pulse?
Steady.
Slow.
Even.
Flat.
Level.
Always.
Point guard Lon Kruger led the Kansas State Wildcats to back-to-back Big Eight championships in 1972 and 1973 under coach Jack Hartman.
He was named Big Eight Player of the Year in 1973 and 1974, on the heels of being selected as the conference’s Sophomore of the Year in 1972.
He also played shortstop on the Kansas State baseball team.
It never worked out for Kruger on the professional level.
In 1974 the Atlanta Hawks drafted him in the ninth round.
He tried out for the Detroit Pistons too, and played professionally in Israel.
He played a season of minor league baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, and also was invited to training camp with the Dallas Cowboys as a quarterback.
A pretty fair athlete?
Yes, and a very good coach.
Well, if he’s such a good coach, how come he’s had so many jobs?
Life can be funny that way.
Kruger has served as the head basketball coach at the University of Texas-Pan American (1982–1986); Kansas State (1986–1990); University of Florida (1990–1996); University of Illinois (1996–2000); UNLV (2004–2011); and Oklahoma (2011-present).
Between 2000 and 2004 he dipped his toes in the NBA waters, first as the Atlanta Hawks head man (2000–2003), and then as an assistant coach with the Knicks (2003–2004).
In the NBA, his record was 69–122 .361 with the Hawks.
His overall head coaching record in college is 669–425 .612, good for 28th on the all-time win list and 11th-most among active coaches.
In 2015, he became the first and only coach since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, to take four programs to the Sweet Sixteen or beyond.
He is one of only three head coaches to lead four schools to multiple NCAA Tournament wins.
He is one of just two head coaches to inherit two teams coming off a sub-.500 year, and take both to the Final Four within his first 5 seasons as head coach.
In 2017, he became the 33rd head coach to win 600 Division I games in the history of college basketball.
Peripatetic may not be a powerful enough word to describe this basketball itinerant’s journey.
And to top it off, he may be the nicest, most polite and unassuming basketball coach who has ever strolled the sideline in polished loafers.
Vanilla perhaps.
But universally well-respected.
Kruger is one of only two coaches ever — Tubby Smith, the other — to lead five programs to the NCAA Tournament.
His teams have participated in 19 NCAA tourneys, including 5 Sweet Sixteens and 2 Final Fours, (Florida — 1994; and Oklahoma — 2016).
He has never won an NCAA championship.
ESPN college hoops pundit Seth Greenberg is unconcerned with that hole in Kruger’s resume.
The former head coach at Long Beach State, South Florida and Virginia Tech, Greenberg marvels at how deftly Kruger plies his craft.
“Lon Kruger runs a model program,” he observed. “He develops players, he recruits players that fit his personality.
Offensively, he plays to matchups and attacks matchups.
Defensively, he takes away what you do well.
Lon Kruger, under-appreciated.
He is a Hall of Fame coach and he wins everywhere he has been.”
On the evening of February 1, the №9 Sooners had their five-game winning streak snapped in a 5-point loss (57–52) to №13 Texas Tech on the road.
Kruger, characteristically, was nonplussed, unperturbed.
He chose to focus on the positive.
“Proud of our guys defensively, just fought their tails off,” he told reporters after the game. “We just need to have a little more scoring, heck Tech’s a good defense too. So it was the first one to 50 type mentality.”
What he failed to mention was that star Austin Reaves and fellow starter Alondes Williams missed their second consecutive outing(s) due to COVID-19 protocols.
Reaves’ absence was perhaps more glaring.
He leads the team in scoring — 15.8 ppg — and assists — 5.1 apg
Reaves is scheduled to return first, but both should be available for the monster rematch against Baylor on February 10.
Kruger is excited about the program’s direction and this group seems to reflect the coach’s personality — understated but hard-working, tough, humble and consistent — like few others.
“Guys are making progress. Guys are battling hard.
I think defensively we just consistently have gotten better in the last three to four weeks especially. They want to keep improving in that area. Their communication is getting better. Consistency is getting better.
We’d like to clean things up a little bit offensively in terms of having fewer possessions where we just don’t get the looks we want.
But I think this group will.
And when they keep improving defensively and get a little sharper with their execution offensively, I think we can keep getting better.”
There are more celebrated active college basketball coaches than Lon Kruger.
Mike Krzyzewski.
Jim Boeheim.
Jim Calhoun.
Roy Williams.
Bob Huggins.
John Calipari.
Bill Self.
Cliff Ellis.
But Lon Kruger is not about all the pomp and circumstance.
Quite to the contrary.
Modesty and understatement define him.
He’d prefer that his actions and acumen speak for themselves.
Get better.
Improve.
Period.
And at this moment in time, he has his Oklahoma Sooners poised to make a very powerful statement indeed.
His team will do his talking.
Watch.
[Editor’s Note: This piece was written by Mr. Kaplan in February 2021.]
