COMM U N I T Y
NORMANIT SPOTL
Sherri Coale
T
he University of Oklahoma basketball programs are in the midst of a change of leadership. Lon Kruger and Sherri Coale, head coaches for the men’s and women’s teams, respectively, both announced that the 2020-2021 college basketball seasons would be their last at the helm. After lengthy careers, both Coale and Kruger are stepping into retirement. Over the course of 25 years leading women’s basketball at OU, Coale has accumulated more than 500 wins, 20 postseason appearances, including 19 consecutive NCAA tournaments, and is honored as a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Kruger spent the last ten years of his 45-year coaching career at OU, earning the honor to be the first coach to take five different schools to the NCAA tournament, including a Final Four berth with OU in 2016. He was honored with the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award in 2019. Honorees of the prestigious award are selected based on their high standard of coaching success both on and off the court. Even with impressive careers spanning decades and coaching a multitude of players who went on to successful careers in the professional ranks, when reflecting on the end of an era, both coaches pointed to the privilege to influence student-athletes beyond the game of basketball as the aspect they will miss the most.
28 | May 2021
“Athletics is such a great training ground, not just in basketball but across the board,” Kruger said, in an interview with Toby Rowland on SportsTalk 1400. “Our goal was to help them leave the University of Oklahoma ready to be successful and effective, not just as basketball players but as contributors to a community, or as fathers or husbands, and that’s really the fun part of it.” Coale said she recognized the powerful opportunity her role provided as a young head coach at Norman High School. “I love teaching and mentoring young people,” she shared. “I recognized the opportunity I had in a rich community like Norman. I tried to weave our program into the fabric of our community and that turned out to be so rewarding and nourished my players. It is a magical thing when you can engage the heart, there becomes a real investment and connection.” The investment both coaches put in their relationships with their players has had a ripple effect within the Norman community and within OU basketball. That idea that being a Sooner is more than playing basketball begins from the moment they are introduced to the basketball program. “Our recruiting pitch, you’re talking about people,” Kruger explained. “How you want them to do well and enjoy the experience once they get here. It always goes back to people.” As a Healdton native who went on the play basketball at
