Lack of Focus Hurt OU

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- Near the end of the post-game press conference following Oklahoma's 74 to 62 loss to the Texas A&M Aggies in the Big 12 semi-finals, Oklahoma head coach Sherri Coale was asked to explain her team's lack of focus.

Q: Can you dissect not playing hard a little bit because Danielle mentioned lack of focus at the free-throw line. You have mentioned speeding up. Is that -- is getting rattled part of not playing hard? Is that in addition to? What was the problem there?

Coale's answer is quite telling.

Coale: It could be the impetus for not playing hard, everything from foul trouble to pressure defense, forcing you to go too fast to -- there are a million things that can force you or that can send you in the direction of not competing at the highest possible level.

I thought that things distracted us, and that just means you are not very tough. It means you are fragile. If getting pushed three times when you shoot and it doesn't get called, if that makes you not play hard, you are not very tough. If a defense putting pressure on you the length of the floor makes you not focus on a free throw, you are not very mentally tough.

In my opinion, Coach Coale needs to set a better example for her players. Throughout much of today's game, Coale was talking (debating, questioning, some would say begging) with the referees about fouls called and / or fouls not called. If Coale does so much griping to the refs, why should she expect her players to respond any differently than what they see her doing throughout the game?