Just one day after being snubbed by the coaches, OU coach Lon Kruger was named AP Big 12 Coach of the Year.
Kruger was selected by members of the media, after leading Oklahoma to its best regular-season record since 2008-09. The Big 12 named Texas coach Rick Barnes as Coach of the Year yesterday, an award picked by the conference’s coaches.
“This award is very obviously a reflection of how well our guys have played, the progress they’ve made and the strong finish they had to the regular season,” said Kruger in a press release. “Now the challenge is to continue to get better and finish strong in the postseason.”
No. 23 OU is 23-8 (12-6) heading into the Big 12 tournament, good for the No. 2 seed behind Kansas. The Sooners have the No. 8 scoring offense in the nation and finished 4-0 against rivals Texas and Oklahoma State.
Kruger’s team accomplished all this, despite losing the top three scorers from last year’s roster and having to replace 68 percent of that team’s scoring.
The media also recognized OU guard Buddy Hield with a second team All-Big 12 honor. Forwards Cameron Clark and Ryan Spangler were given honorable mentions.
