It sounds like Porter Moser wants out
How else to interpret what he said about Sooner basketball on Thursday?
Though Oklahoma seems to be all right with Porter Moser remaining in Norman for at least one more Sooner season — something I wrote about coming to peace with just a couple days ago — don’t count on him staying.
A lifetime of reading between the lines now leads me to believe, all things remaining equal, Moser would love to find a way out of Norman in time to be a head coach elsewhere next season.
If you’ve been following the Moser rumor mill, you’re aware his name had been bandied about in relation to Villanova. And, since then-Maryland coach Kevin Willard took the ’Nova job, Moser’s name is now being bandied about as a possibility to replace Buzz Williams at Texas A&M, Williams having just taken the Maryland job Willard left open.
You might also know, once upon a time, Moser was an A&M assistant under the late Tony Barrone from 1991-1995.
And you probably don’t know, because I didn’t until I sat down to write this, he may be the betting favorite to become the Aggies’ next coach.
So writes Carter Karels, who covers A&M for 247sports, quoting BetOnline Sportsbook’s odds, as of Thursday morning, that had Moser a plus 300 favorite — bet $100 to win $300 — in front of Nebraska’s Fred Hoiberg (plus 350), Mississippi State’s Chris Jans (plus 400) and Troy’s Scott Cross and Illinois’ Brad Underwood (plus 500, both), as well as many others.
I tried to check the current odds around midnight Friday, but it appears I would need a BetOnline Sportsbook account to check them. No thanks.
Back to what Moser said.
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“This thing with Oklahoma, the last couple of years, you’re kind of seeing that, there’s been some things up in the Midwest,” he said. “But the people in Oklahoma are special, it’s one of the greatest places I’ve lived.
“It’s just, you’re fighting to get the resources right and we are, we’re moving in that direction.”
If that’s a dodge — it’s certainly not confirmation he’ll be back — it’s a horrible dodge even by dodge standards.
“This thing with Oklahoma …”
What thing with Oklahoma?
Wouldn’t a Sooner coach who expects to remain a Sooner coach say something making it clear he’s part of Oklahoma rather than just visiting?
Because that’s what that sounds like.
“… you’re kind of seeing that, there’s been some things things up in the Midwest.”
Huh?
Is he alluding to his name being mentioned in previous searches at Notre Dame and Villanova? South Bend, Indiana’s the Midwest, but aren’t the Philadelphia suburbs the Northeast?
Is there another job we don’t know about?
Not to mention, why does he sound like he’s talking about somebody other than himself.
“But the people of Oklahoma are special, it’s one of the greatest places I’ve ever lived.”
Why would that sentence begin with “But …”?
Finally, the “resources” throw-in.
Sure, everybody needs more resources, yet resources have nothing to do with taking four straight conference dives; getting progressively worse rather than better throughout seasons; his inability to put his best players on the court; his teams giving back games they’ve already won, or trying to.
Moser just sounds wildly disconnected.
That, and before Gelb began that line of questioning, the two waxed nostalgic over Loyola-Chicago’s Cinderella tourney trips, like Moser’s heart’s still there.
“There’s just such opportunity,” he said in reference to OU. “Such a high vision of what we can do, being in this SEC and we’re looking forward to it.”
Maybe that sounds more connected, but given what he’d said already, it felt boilerplate.
Of course OU’s a great opportunity, especially for a coach equipped to make the most of it, which, perhaps, Porter Moser now knows, after four seasons, he’s not.
So why not go to A&M.
Given the chance, he bolts.