Oklahoma has been one of the surprise teams in the country this season quickly rising as a top-tier team in the Big 12 and a top-10 ranking in the country. Along with the success, head coach Lon Kruger has received heaps for praise for what he has created in Norman in a team that plays with supreme effort and utilizes their depth as a key element to their winning.
On Friday, Kruger received some recognition for the job he has done as he was named to the late season watch list for the 2021 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year Award. He is one of 15 coaches that were announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club this morning.
The other coaches to make up the list are Casey Alexander (Belmont). Darian DeVries (Drake), Scott Drew (Baylor), Andy Enfield (USC), Mark Few (Gonzaga), Leonard Hamilton (Florida State), Chris Holtmann (Ohio State), Juwan Howard (Michigan), Bob Huggins (West Virginia), Porter Moses (Loyola-Chicago), Nate Oats (Alabama), Kelvin Sampson (Houston), Shaka Smart (Texas) and Mike Young (Virginia Tech).
It is worth noting that Kruger is 4-1 this season against coaches in that group while no other coach has more than two such wins. That might be a nice little feather in his cap when things are getting decided later on.
In his 10th season leading the Sooners, Kruger is widely respected around the country and typically considered among the most underrated coaches in the sport. Famously, he is the only coach in college basketball history to win an NCAA Tournament game with five different programs.
Oklahoma will return to action on Saturday against Iowa State in Ames at 5:00 p.m. CT.
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