Moser: 'Fortunate' to bring in Doc
Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser sounded very confident Monday afternoon when asked by SoonerScoop.com about another staff member coming into the fold.
Now we know why. A college coach for more than 40 years, including years of experience as a head coach, Doc Sadler was named as a special advisor to Moser on Thursday afternoon.
Sadler was sorely needed for Moser after former assistant Matt Brady, who was hired in the spring, resigned because of personal reasons two weeks ago and just a week before the season opener.
“To add somebody when you’ve just started your games, it had to be someone that I knew, that I thought would bring value,” Moser said. “I like the fact he’s been a head coach and has a lot of experience. And I’ve known Doc, and we talked on the phone. He was retired. It really worked out because I’ve known him for 30 years. Literally.”
Sadler has been a head coach for 18 of those seasons and spent the previous three years in the same sort of advisor type role at Nebraska, where he was once the head coach for the Huskers (2006-12).
Sadler has also been the head coach Southern Mississippi (2014-19), UTEP (2004-06) and Arkansas-Fort Smith (1998-03).
Sadler was at OU’s blowout victory against UNC-Wilmington on Tuesday night, talking with athletic director Joe Castiglione before the game. He observed the game from about five rows up behind the OU bench.
“I am really excited to join Porter and his staff in this new position,” said Sadler in a press release. “I look forward to assisting the program and the coaching staff. It is an amazing honor to work at the University of Oklahoma and work with the excellent staff Porter has assembled.
“I grew up a huge fan of Barry Switzer, Oklahoma football and the athletics department. It is an exciting day for me personally and I cannot wait to go to work.”
As of this time, it is just a special advisor role, said Moser. Moser said Sadler hasn’t even been introduced to the players just yet, admitting the timing is certainly not ideal to just jump in. Special advisor role for now, and then see where things go down the road.
“Outstanding coach, great person, knows me,” Moser said. “To get someone at this time as an advisor with me, to be another hands-on deck going at this point because it’s very hard to hire someone you didn’t know or at all, much less with this timing. It came together and fortunate to have Doc with us.”
OU (2-1) hosts South Alabama (1-2) 7 p.m. Friday night at the Lloyd Noble Center.
“I think they’re one of the oldest teams in college basketball,” Moser said. “They pose a lot of problems. They’re going to come in here and they’re older. I thought they played New Mexico at The Pit down to a one-point game and Alabama to an eight-point game. I have a lot of respect for what they do and their personnel. It’s going to be another hard-fought game.”