Anthony Foster Jr.
After a not-so-Sonic “BOOM,” in Seattle, the remnants of a quiet storm came sweeping down the plain: i.e., the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Seattle Supersonics finished a dismal 2007-08 year with 20 wins and 62 losses. Attendance at the almost ancient Key Arena was averaged at 9,146 per game.
Those two facts were the biggest reasons why Sonics’ owner Clay Bennett fought to break the Sonics’ contract with Key Arena and move the team to Oklahoma City; a city that voted to raise its taxes for the Sonics before they moved out.
“If very soon there was a leadership-driven, tangible, binding proposal relative to the development of a modern building and we were able to negotiate acceptable lease terms in that building, we’d fully evaluate that,”
Bennett said in a 2007 interview with the Seattle P.I.
It was clear that Oklahoma City was anxious to be a “Big League City.” The success of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets gave Oklahoma City a big league atmosphere that Oklahoma had never seen before…, except down in Norman.
The Oklahoma Sooners Mens basketball team currently has a somewhat rich history, with 20 conference titles, 25 NCAA Tournament appearances, four Final Four berths, and only one National Championship appearance in which they lost to Kansas in 1988.
The glory days of OU Mens basketball had been long gone. A brief stint of success with Kelvin Sampson from the mid-90′s to midway through 2006 ended in scandal, and the hiring of current basketball coach, Jeff Capel.
In 2007, just two seasons after Capel took over, the Sooners, with freshman sensation Blake Griffin, made it to the NCAA tournament, where they lost in the 2nd round to Louisville.
With the signing of McDonald’s All-American guard Willie Warren, the Sooners have opened up the 2008-09 season undefeated, and are currently ranked #5 in the latest AP poll.
With wins against two ranked opponents, the nation’s high scorer in Stephen Curry, and even recording artist, Lil’ Romeo and USC, the Sooners are looking to get their home crowd involved in what seems to be a historic season in the Lloyd Noble Center.
The OKC Thunder are taking a very different route to glory. The Thunder fired coach P.J. Carlesimo after an embarrassing home loss against the “pioneer” Oklahoma City NBA team, the New Orleans Hornets.
Even though the OKC Thunder are now 2-21, Oklahoma City is ranked 12th in league attendance at 18,473 per game. That’s more the twice the average in Seattle a year ago.
“It’s important that we play well here. We love the support. The players love it,”
Scott Brooks, the interim head coach of the OKC Thunder said in an interview with the Tulsa World Thursday.
“We’ve been around a lot of other buildings and it’s not like this. We definitely need to give them something they can go home and feel good about.”
The question is: Is the success of the OU Mens team good enough to compensate for just how bad the OKC Thunder are in home game attendance?
Will the ‘new look’ Sooners be able to hold off a ‘new look’ Oklahoma City franchise?
The Sooners have even offered extra incentive to all students that purchase season tickets. Students attending 16 of the 17 scheduled home games will receive a full refund of their $130. Students can even miss up to three games and receive a partial refund.
In the meantime, Oklahoma City is on pace to complete the worst season in NBA history, gaining that ‘victory’ over the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers who finished 9-73, while selling out home games against big-name opponents.
Chaisson Lane, Journalism senior said,
“It really all depends on who’s playing. I went to their game against the Suns just to see Steve Nash and Shaq smash.
“If big names like Lebron and Kobe are in town, I might even skip class”
While some OU students prefer to stay within the loyalty of their alma-matter, others are more concerned with which big-name players are on the lineup 17 miles north in ‘Bricktown’.
In the meantime, other OU students prefer the hometown feel of a big game experience in a college town.
Griffin Shaffer, Journalism senior said,
“I like OU more because I’ve been an OU fan my whole life.”
“College basketball players try harder. They’re not making millions of dollars.”
While the opinions may vary, one thing is clear. Oklahoma is now facing a different type of division than bedlam, only this disagreement will likely never be settled on the hardwood.
This project blog includes interviews from OU students, live video from the most recent OU Mens game to date, and an OKC Thunder slideshow against the Golden State Warriors.
