Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Auburn on February 24, 2026 , Win , 91, to, 79
Final
Men's Basketball
91
vs Auburn
79
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Meeting New MBB Assistant Carlin Hartman
June 09, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Carlin Hartman joined the Oklahoma men's basketball staff in May after spending the past two seasons as the associate head coach at Rice University. OU's newest assistant coach caught up with SoonerSports.com's Jessica Coody to discuss his transition to the Sooner state and how much he is looking forward to serving on Lon Kruger's staff.
On why he chose to join Lon Kruger's staff at OU:
“I think the biggest thing for me, when I started having conversations with Coach Kruger, was not only the university and the history of Oklahoma basketball, but working for a guy like Coach Kruger. He's very well respected and a hall of fame coach and that's what intrigued me the most. Just thrilled to be here, and now being here for four weeks, I've seen how great this university is and the support we have. It's been tremendous.”
On his transition moving from Texas to Oklahoma:
“I've been trying to find a house and meeting the players and all the people that take care of the program. Obviously Mr. (Joe) Castiglione, Michael Alford, Toby Baldwin, and all the people that, outside of here (basketball offices), who help us on a day-to-day basis and help make this place great. Within the office walls we have Renee Forney, who has been tremendous in helping me get acclimated, Chris Crutchfield, who has been here for quite some time, as well as Mike Shepherd, who runs the office. All of those people have been really instrumental in helping me get adjusted.”
Darrion Strong
On his knowledge of the current OU team:
“What I know about this team is there is still a lot in the cupboard. You look at Khadeem Lattin and Christian James, they played an integral role last year in the team's run to the Final Four. You know everything starts with Jordan Woodard. He's coming back and he's obviously going to have a really big year for us and we're excited about having those three guys back. But there's also really good guys in the program like Dante Buford, Rashard Odomes and Jamuni McNeace, who are going to be integral in what we're doing.”
On meshing his and Coach Kruger's coaching styles:
“It's going to be a little bit different. I was more of an in-your-face kind of guy, especially how I played at Tulane and how I've coached in my coaching career. But having said that and being in this industry for 16 years now, I feel like I can adapt and adjust to anything. I'm looking forward to learning from Coach Kruger and all the experiences he has had. The two Final Fours at two different programs, Florida and here, and all the NCAA tournaments. All you can do is sit back and trust the process because he knows what's going on.”
On his philosophy of recruiting:
“One of the things I enjoy most about it is when you call a kid and get him on the phone and say you are from Oklahoma, obviously that resonates with them and the conversation goes a little smoother. You don't have to explain where you are, and that is a good thing. Another is just finding the guys that fit what we are all about here at Oklahoma and what fits Coach Kruger's style. You want talent at any position that you recruit, but you also want to find the right people. If we can find those two things, then that makes his job a lot easier and also makes my job in identifying those guys a lot easier, as well.”
On what his goals are this summer during workouts:
“My personal goals are to get acclimated with all those guys and them get acclimated with me. But our overall goal is to just get them better. We have a lot of new guys and we have to make them comfortable. We have a lot of new faces and we want them to mesh with the returning guys. We have a good plan in place with those guys. We're looking forward to getting the group together. I think we are going to surprise a lot of people. We know we lost quite a bit last year but this is a good group with a lot of experience still here. We look forward to putting the product out there and seeing what we can do.”
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