Bitterness Remains as OU Preps for Golden Eagles

Originally Published: Jun 3, 2010 2:22 PM CDT

Dave Carty
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

NORMAN, Oklahoma -- With all that national attention glaring on the NBA Finals – a rematch of the 2008 title series between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant has been peppered with questions that include the words ‘revenge’ and ‘payback.’

Sunny Golloway and Rob Walton can relate on a smaller scale.

As the two teams prepare to meet in Friday’s Norman Regional showdown, the talk has been fairly positive, despite a checkered history.

Golloway, the former baseball coach at Oral Roberts, left the program in 2003 to become an assistant at the University of Oklahoma. He succeeded Larry Cochell as the Sooners’ head coach in 2005.

While the decision to move has worked in Golloway’s favor and he claims to have a great relationship with some coaches at ORU, some negative feelings remain on both sides.

Thursday, a day before his No. 1 Sooners (44-15) prepared to face Walton – an assistant under Golloway for five seasons – and his Golden Eagles (35-25), the OU coach reiterated that all is not pleasant in the in-state rivalry.

“Unfortunately – and I don’t mind saying this – there were some people on that side that didn’t like my decision,” Golloway said. “But, again, that was my decision and I don’t like the way they handled it.

“Some of the people and the memories I have there are great. Some of the people that didn’t like my decision, they’re just going to have to deal with it.”

This postseason reunion will be the first contest between the two schools since a two-game series in 2004, one season after Golloway’s departure.

ORU coach Rob Walton downplayed the rift in an interview with Oklahoma Sports.

“There’s probably going to be more talk about it than [there] needs to be,” he said. “He’s done a great job at OU and they’re playing extremely well.”

Earlier in the week, Golloway defended his decision to leave the ORU program and restated the importance he placed on the decision to leave.

“There was some bitterness clearly on the [ORU] side because a head coach gave up a head coaching job to be an assistant,” Golloway told Oklahoma Sports on Tuesday. “People know what’s in their heart. They know what they want to do and what they dream of doing.

“There’s not a coach in the country who doesn’t follow his dreams and do what he believes he should do. I was one of those guys.”