Timeline of former Oklahoma basketball coach Jeff Capel

*April 20, 2006: Capel visits blue chip high school point guard Scottie Reynolds, who asked to be released from the national letter of intent signed with OU before coach Kevin Sampson's departure for Indiana. Capel fails to change Reynolds' mind. A recruiting class ranked fourth nationally with Reynolds (Villanova), Jeremy Mayfield (Alabama-Birmingham) and Damion James (Texas) goes elsewhere.

*May 14, 2006: Oklahoma Christian School junior Blake Griffin commits to OU, where he reunites with his brother Taylor Griffin.

*May 26, 2006: The NCAA places OU on a two-year probation for violations committed under Sampson. OU's self-imposed penalties include the loss of one scholarship for the 2006-2007 season.

*November 10, 2006: Oklahoma routs Norfolk State, 99-36, in Capel's Sooner coaching debut before an estimated home crowd of 5,400.

*March 9, 2007: Capel finishes his first season 16-15 with a 64-47 loss to Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City.

*November 2007: Capel signs Fort Worth guard Willie Warren, a future McDonald's All-American.

*November 8, 2007: Blake Griffin debuts with an 18-point, 13-rebound performance in a win over San Francisco.

*March 7, 2008: After the Sooners' 68-56 victory at Oklahoma State, an ESPN behind-the-scenes video captures Capel telling players, “Let's hit the showers and get the hell out of this hellhole.”

*March 21, 2008: Oklahoma defeats St. Joseph's, 72-64, for its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2005.

*March 23, 2008: Amid reports that Capel is a candidate for the South Carolina job and talk of Blake Griffin turning pro early, Oklahoma loses 78-48 to Louisville. The 30-point defeat is the most lopsided in OU's NCAA Tournament history.

*November 19, 2008: Capel signs Keith “Tiny” Gallon, a top-five center nationally and teammate of fellow Sooner signee Tommy Mason-Griffin at Oak Hill Academy. Said Capel: “This is a great day for our program, to have Tiny officially become a Sooner. I think Tiny is one of the elite players in this class, definitely one of the elite post players in this class.”

*February 22, 2009: With Oklahoma riding a 13-game winning streak and on the verge of claiming the No. 1 ranking for the first time since 1990, the Sooners lose 73-68 at Texas. Blake Griffin suffers a concussion and finishes with only two points and three rebounds in 11 minutes.

*March 27, 2009: The Sooners reach the Elite Eight for the first time in six seasons with a 84-71 win over Syracuse in Memphis, Tenn.