It's Bedlam Week!!!

[Wrassler17]

Don't have OSU MAX, so I don't know what the complete interview here looks like. But listen to this clip.

John talks about what makes a successful season for OSU wrestling. He briefly mentions winning the team title then moves on to winning duals and growing the fan base. I was stunned when I heard it because winning team titles is what increases dual attendance and grows the fan base.

Again, maybe he talks about team titles & individual titles more elsewhere in the full interview. I hope so, because I really can't imagine Cael or Brands answering a question like this.

 

[Sebastian]

Horrible answer.... being a big draw on the road (due to our past), getting new fans and trying to win duals is a successful year. Terrible....

 

[lawpoke87]

Horrible answer.... being a big draw on the road (due to our past), getting new fans and trying to win duals is a successful year. Terrible....

When your vision (or lack thereof) has been what it has for the last 5-10 years doesn’t that have to be your definition? John knows he’s not winning 35 anytime soon. Not with the lack of RTC commitment and financial support for NIL.

 

[pitchman11]

The whole program, from top to bottom, needs to be upgraded. Not just coaching. I got a letter from John Smith and OSU Wrestling Friday Dec 10 telling me the season is about ready to start and asking me to join the Cowboy Westling Club. Somebody is not on the ball in handling the wrestling program. A first class program should be giving attention to getting the details done right and on time. This should have been done weeks ago.

 

[Janderson123]

When your vision (or lack thereof) has been what it has for the last 5-10 years doesn’t that have to be your definition? John knows he’s not winning 35 anytime soon. Not with the lack of RTC commitment and financial support for NIL.

Part of the weirdness is that it's one thing for the program management to be subpar, but I'm shocked to see the generalized wrestler regression that's taken place over the past few years. Seems like you can count on one hand the number of guys that consistently improved over their careers, Smith's own boy included.

 

[ionel]

And it ain't 1995. I keep hearing about how there are too many Oklahoma kids starting for us to be successful.

You do realize there are only 9.9 scholarships so if following the rules there are only so many out of state kids you can get unless some are willing to come for free. Moreover the current lineup was recruited to be 125, 141, 149, 165, 184 & 197 out of state. That looks like a pretty good out of state group to me. Its just that we found better in state guys at 141 (left the state came back, sort of out of state) & 157 (weren't expecting him back) and 165 went to 184 replaced by a good in state and knocked out the out of state 184 who should wrestle next year, and we all know what happened at 197.

 

[Janderson123]

Totally understand - but what you're arguing is that our recruited lineup was worse than what we have now. That sounds like a recruitment problem, no? And when it comes to the 9.9 scholarships thing - it's a new world, either we get with the NIL and RTC stuff, or we're just gonna be not very good. Not saying it's fair, or whatever, just saying that we're going to struggle until we get with it and John might not be capable of going there.

 

[oberebo]

Second match in a row where we failed to win any toss-up match. Our wrestlers did not wrestle with the fire of that of our opponent. Fix,Surber and Plott provided our fireworks. Gfeller started out strong but then backed. away from a major or better.
I predicted the Voinovich loss but did see Voinovich as the aggressor and he showed he can stay with an incredibly powerful wrestler and his tie-up stymied his opponent. I look for better outcomes in the future. Hugely disappointed in Mastro but if we had better they would be in the lineup. Sheets and Witlake have regressed after injuries to both last year. Hope we are in the top 15 at the end of the year. Micco had a bad afternoon in Norman because of the Surber Pin but he also lost his wedding ring in the seats. Looked frantically for the ring with no success. No one showed up to physically assault him so that was a bonus.

 

[Harleycowboy]

Second match in a row where we failed to win any toss-up match. Our wrestlers did not wrestle with the fire of that of our opponent. Fix,Surber and Plott provided our fireworks. Gfeller started out strong but then backed. away from a major or better.
I predicted the Voinovich loss but did see Voinovich as the aggressor and he showed he can stay with an incredibly powerful wrestler and his tie-up stymied his opponent. I look for better outcomes in the future. Hugely disappointed in Mastro but if we had better they would be in the lineup. Sheets and Witlake have regressed after injuries to both last year. Hope we are in the top 15 at the end of the year. Micco had a bad afternoon in Norman because of the Surber Pin but he also lost his wedding ring in the seats. Looked frantically for the ring with no success. No one showed up to physically assault him so that was a bonus.

Oberebo you are right we don't have anybody better than Mastro for 125. If I remember right Mastro in the orange-black wrestle off's beat Blankenship 11 to 1 so Blankenship needs to stick in redshirt and develop. I hope the Southern Scuffle is not as painful for me as our last 2 duals. Wrassler, I hope your right about that interview with Coach Smith that his idea of a successful season has to be much greater than what he is talking about in that short interview. My view is that in the last year these dual meets are mostly boring, very little scoring, and painful to watch so many of our wrestlers lose. Any new fans watch the product Coach Smith puts on the mat would decide why would I ever do this again. Being honest Coach Smith, the assistant coaches and the administration should be ashamed of what has happened to Cowboy wrestling. The 2023 recruiting class looks good but we are not going to be a good team for a long time. 2024 as I have indicated we need a superstar in that class to keep the momentum from 2023 class. We need a strong RTC because our coaching staff alone. is not developing wrestlers.

 

[biocowboy]

I have been told by someone who would know that there are 1-2 guys who have offered to fund the whole RTC/facility but John said they would want too much say in other things.

Well anyone remember Boone/Gundy/Holder? Of course they will want some say but it helped turn the tide for football.

 

[alex1fly]

We need a strong RTC because our coaching staff alone. is not developing wrestlers.

It's just the direction the sport is going. Kids are picking colleges based on who they'll train with - and with NIL, how much money they can make. It makes sense, we all want to make a living. But it means that the coaching staff is just one draw out of several now.

You do realize there are only 9.9 scholarships so if following the rules there are only so many out of state kids you can get unless some are willing to come for free. Moreover the current lineup was recruited to be 125, 141, 149, 165, 184 & 197 out of state. That looks like a pretty good out of state group to me. Its just that we found better in state guys at 141 (left the state came back, sort of out of state) & 157 (weren't expecting him back) and 165 went to 184 replaced by a good in state and knocked out the out of state 184 who should wrestle next year, and we all know what happened at 197.

7/10 starters are Oklahoma kids. We could get the best kids from Oklahoma but it would still be tough to compete with teams that are filling out with the best kids in the other 49 states.

 

[topc22blue]

I have been told by someone who would know that there are 1-2 guys who have offered to fund the whole RTC/facility but John said they would want too much say in other things.

Well anyone remember Boone/Gundy/Holder? Of course they will want some say but it helped turn the tide for football.

C mon John. Keep up with the times.

 

[Wrassler17]

Oberebo you are right we don't have anybody better than Mastro for 125. If I remember right Mastro in the orange-black wrestle off's beat Blankenship 11 to 1 so Blankenship needs to stick in redshirt and develop. I hope the Southern Scuffle is not as painful for me as our last 2 duals. Wrassler, I hope your right about that interview with Coach Smith that his idea of a successful season has to much greater than what he is talking about in that short interview. My view is that in the last year these dual meets are mostly boring, very little scoring, and painful to watch so many of our wrestlers lose. Any new fans watch the product Coach Smith puts on the mat would decide why would I ever do this again. Being honest Coach Smith, the assistant coaches and the administration should be ashamed of what has happened to Cowboy wrestling. The 2023 recruiting class looks good but we are not going to be a good team for a long time. 2024 as I have indicated we need a superstar in that class to keep the momentum from 2023 class. We need a strong RTC because our coaching staff alone. is not developing wrestlers.

One small point Harley and it's only a guess, but I don't think the assistant coaches have held the program back. I think it's likely they would get behind a full blown RTC and using the transfer portal. The recruiting has been amazing considering the limitations they've been working with.

 

[Pokes1988]

Don't have OSU MAX, so I don't know what the complete interview here looks like. But listen to this clip.

John talks about what makes a successful season for OSU wrestling. He briefly mentions winning the team title then moves on to winning duals and growing the fan base. I was stunned when I heard it because winning team titles is what increases dual attendance and grows the fan base.

Again, maybe he talks about team titles & individual titles more elsewhere in the full interview. I hope so, because I really can't imagine Cael or Brands answering a question like this.

View embedded media

He looked at it as a whole. He wants the sport to grow, he wants our fan base to grow, he wants to put on a good show for the fans at home. I don't think he's insinuating that winning NCAA titles aren't a priority for OSU but during that last part of the interview, he barely talked about OSU. He talks about in state rivals, recruiting, making a push to beat your rivals. We need to 'have an attitude and we win Bedlam. We have to take that attitude'.

He explained performing at your peak at NCAAs, how he should've given more credit to some teams who placed top 3-4 when he felt they were more like a top 10.

 

[Wrassler17]

He looked at it as a whole. He wants the sport to grow, he wants our fan base to grow, he wants to put on a good show for the fans at home. I don't think he's insinuating that winning NCAA titles aren't a priority for OSU but during that last part of the interview, he barely talked about OSU. He talks about in state rivals, recruiting, making a push to beat your rivals. We need to 'have an attitude and we win Bedlam. We have to take that attitude'.

He explained performing at your peak at NCAAs, how he should've given more credit to some teams who placed top 3-4 when he felt they were more like a top 10.

Thanks for replying. I'm going to subscribe to OSU MAX and listen to the full interview. I was thinking about joining anyway, but wasn't sure how good the content was for non wrestling sports.

BTW, in the clip above he does briefly mention winning team titles and not praising teams that finished 3rd or 4th (you have to scroll to the beginning).

Here's my question though... shouldn't winning individual & team titles be THE priority? Isn't the other stuff (growing the sport, fan experience) secondary? He's the head wrestling coach at OSU, not USA Wrestling. IDK, I get the feeling John views things in terms of what's good for the sport and not what's good for his program.

Here's a quick example...when asked about RTCs in the past, John said that post grad athletes competing at RTCs deprive high schools of hiring good coaches. And high school wrestling is a key to growing the sport. And he's right, but who cares? Do you think Cael cares about high schools or PSU winning? PSU has 14 post grad athletes at the NLWC. Cael recruits over star recruits, he brings in transfers to replace AAs, he says Suriano is wrestling at Nationals even though he's actually injured, all because he does what's best for PSU.

 

[Pokes1988]

Thanks for replying. I'm going to subscribe to OSU MAX and listen to the full interview. I was thinking about joining anyway, but wasn't sure how good the content was for non wrestling sports.

BTW, in the clip above he does briefly mention winning team titles and not praising teams that finished 3rd or 4th (you have to scroll to the beginning).

Here's my question though... shouldn't winning individual & team titles be THE priority? Isn't the other stuff (growing the sport, fan experience) secondary? He's the head wrestling coach at OSU, not USA Wrestling. IDK, I get the feeling John views things in terms of what's good for the sport and not what's good for his program.

Here's a quick example...when asked about RTCs in the past, John said that post grad athletes competing at RTCs deprive high schools of hiring good coaches. And high school wrestling is a key to growing the sport. And he's right, but who cares? Do you think Cael cares about high schools or PSU winning? PSU has 14 post grad athletes at the NLWC. Cael recruits over star recruits, he brings in transfers to replace AAs, he says Suriano is wrestling at Nationals even though he's actually injured, all because he does what's best for PSU.

I think it's more priority alignment if it was my opinion.

If you win duals, win rivalries, recruit the best in state, you're naturally going to place at NCAAs....However, there's no reason to get complacent. You can offer GOOD paying jobs at an RTC for high profile names that can help build a dynasty. We recruit at a good enough clip but I'm worried we're complacent.

 

[NEcowboy]

I’ve felt for awhile that John priorities the sport of wrestling over OSU wrestling and, maybe it’s just me, but I’m kinda proud of that. Not saying I don’t wanna win the next 10 titles, but I respect the selflessness.

 

[osudog]

I’ve felt for awhile that John priorities the sport of wrestling over OSU wrestling and, maybe it’s just me, but I’m kinda proud of that. Not saying I don’t wanna win the next 10 titles, but I respect the selflessness.

He gets paid by OSU to win titles.

 

[lawpoke87]

I’ve felt for awhile that John priorities the sport of wrestling over OSU wrestling and, maybe it’s just me, but I’m kinda proud of that. Not saying I don’t wanna win the next 10 titles, but I respect the selflessness.

I would have thought having Americans win Olympic and world championships would be one of the best ways to grow the sport. Those are assisted through strong RTCs where our best wrestlers obtain world class training and workout partners. Oddly, John has not supported the RTCs.

 

[vhsalum]

I would have thought having Americans win Olympic and world championships would be one of the best ways to grow the sport. Those are assisted through strong RTCs where our best wrestlers obtain world class training and workout partners. Oddly, John has not supported the RTCs.

It's sad. You remember that run of titles? Oh yeah, Okiest had the BEST "rtc" in the country. And it wasn't even class.

John's just being obtuse because guys don't want to live off $2000 a month like he did.

 

[NEcowboy]

He gets paid by OSU to win titles.

Absolutely he does. And when the university feels he’s neglecting his employment agreement, they’ll let him know. And I’m not saying he hasn’t dropped the ball on the RTC thing. He definitely has. Just saying he’s a torch bearer for the sport and I applaud him for trying to develop it at all levels. Even if it means taking the focus off of our program at times.

 

[Harleycowboy]

Don't have OSU MAX, so I don't know what the complete interview here looks like. But listen to this clip.

John talks about what makes a successful season for OSU wrestling. He briefly mentions winning the team title then moves on to winning duals and growing the fan base. I was stunned when I heard it because winning team titles is what increases dual attendance and grows the fan base.

Again, maybe he talks about team titles & individual titles more elsewhere in the full interview. I hope so, because I really can't imagine Cael or Brands answering a question like this.

View embedded media

I just had this thought in that interview John may be talking about success for this year. A team title is not in the realm of possibilities this year. Dual wins may be the highlight of our year. I never thought I would read that Oberebo would possibly think John should go. Coach Smith wants to gain fans I hope he has some awareness of the fan base being so upset about his/our performance and that he is really damaging Cowboy wrestling. I wonder if anyone knows or cares what the fans think. Those in media don't question Coach Smith much and many interviews bring up he is the GOAT. I don't think you can fire Coach Smith without a tremendous candidate in place to replace him. I don't know how such a competitive person could sit on his hands when the Program continues to fall year after year.

 

[OSUMatFan]

Remember Chesbro.

 

[biocowboy]

Just heard Robert Allen have John Smith on his radio show lots of softball questions nothing hard hitting only thing I took away from it is that we are taking 20 wrestlers to the southern scuffle, which includes all of our starters and six are going to Reno. He did not specify what six.

 

[turfpoke]

Just heard Robert Allen have John Smith on his radio show lots of softball questions nothing hard hitting only thing I took away from it is that we are taking 20 wrestlers to the southern scuffle, which includes all of our starters and six are going to Reno. He did not specify what six.

Robert isn’t going to ask any tough questions that’s for sure.

 

[Wrassler17]

He said today that Reno will probably be Blankenship, Witcraft, Williams, Harper, McLane & Stika. Maybe Haas & Travis Mastro unattached. For the Scuffle 10 starters, plus 1 backup at each weight. Will try to take 22 or 23 if he can.

 

[pitchman11]

going to have to change the input if you want a different output.

 

[skylinepoke]

going to have to change the input if you want a different output.

John said in his interview that depending on results from Reno and the Scuffle, there may be some lineup changes in January. John wants to see what a healthy Haas can do at 184 and other wrestlers at a couple of the lower weights.

 

[biocowboy]

It his weekly media availability one reporter asked if we were better this year at this time compared to last year and he said yes.

 

[alex1fly]

Reporter: "What do you do to get Mastro off of bottom"

John: "Well its skill, technique, belief, will, energy, attitude, confidence"

Lol. John looks tired.

Videos: John Smith, Travis Wittlake Meet with Media

Hear from John Smith and Travis Wittlake after OSU's Bedlam win.

pistolsfiringblog.com

 

[turfpoke]

It his weekly media availability one reporter asked if we were better this year at this time compared to last year and he said yes.

I didn’t catch that question. I heard one ask if they were better than what he thought they were going to be at the beginning of the season.

 

[turfpoke]

Reporter: "What do you do to get Mastro off of bottom"

John: "Well its skill, technique, belief, will, energy, attitude, confidence"

Lol. John looks tired.

Videos: John Smith, Travis Wittlake Meet with Media

Hear from John Smith and Travis Wittlake after OSU's Bedlam win.

pistolsfiringblog.com

Some of these guys have accepted losing, it seems. 125 for example. He should be majoring Prata. John knows it, we know it. Put the effort out that is required and expected at Oklahoma State. The coaching staff’s responsibility is to replace him if the effort doesn’t get fixed. 3rd year in college, get off bottom. Put your opponent in an uncomfortable position and they’ll give up the escape.

 

[MiccoMacey]

Some of these guys have accepted losing, it seems. 125 for example. He should be majoring Prata. John knows it, we know it. Put the effort out that is required and expected at Oklahoma State. The coaching staff’s responsibility is to replace him if the effort doesn’t get fixed. 3rd year in college, get off bottom. Put your opponent in an uncomfortable position and they’ll give up the escape.

I’m going to disagree. Prata beat Mastro last year as well, and he was one round from being an All-American.

I’m not saying he’s a sure-fire AA, but Prata’s got more than a puncher’s chance.

 

[JAY45]

Prata is underrated and has Mastro’s number. He’s a bad matchup for Mastro.

That being said, Mastro should be a surefire All-American, and hasn’t yet lived up to the promise he showed in high school.

 

[alex1fly]

Prata is underrated and has Mastro’s number. He’s a bad matchup for Mastro.

That being said, Mastro should be a surefire All-American, and hasn’t yet lived up to the promise he showed in high school.

What's a good matchup for Mastro?

 

[turfpoke]

What's a good matchup for Mastro?

Someone with slow feet that is not good on top.

 

[Dugan2035]

What's a good matchup for Mastro?

Mastro re - attacks are really good . Everyone knows that he has good re-attacks so they don’t shoot that’s why his matches are so close. He needs to generate his own offense somehow.

 

[Harleycowboy]

Mastro re - attacks are really good . Everyone knows that he has good re-attacks so they don’t shoot that’s why his matches are so close. He needs to generate his own offense somehow.

Speaking of Trevor he along with his brother Travis are at Reno along with Blankenship and some backups. Unfortunately, Jordan Williams does not appear to be there. Also Thompson is wrestling 182 at the Dvorak and has two pins in his first 2 matches.

 

[Harleycowboy]

Speaking of Trevor he along with his brother Travis are at Reno along with Blankenship and some backups. Unfortunately, Jordan Williams does not appear to be there. Also Thompson is wrestling 182 at the Dvorak and has two pins in his first 2 matches.

Thompson won in the semi's 21 to 8.

 

[Harleycowboy]

Thompson won in the semi's 21 to 8.

Blankenship won 5 to 0 in the first round, Trevor wins 1st period pin with a wrist tilt, Travis Mastro wins 1st period pin with a cradle.