For the second time in a month, the Oral Roberts head basketball coach is the Bill Haisten Podcast guest. Paul Mills was in that position on March 3. As Mills last week accepted the head-coaching position at Wichita State, his top ORU assistant – Russell Springmann – was promoted to the top job at ORU.

Springmann reflects on ORU’s two recent runs to the NCAA Tournament, on the greatness of Mills as a practice coach and on having discovered a 10th-grader – Kevin Durant – during a basketball event in Maryland. Springmann at that time was on the Texas staff. Before any other big-time program offered a scholarship to Durant, Springmann and Texas did. It worked out pretty well for the Longhorns.

At ORU, Springmann inherits a hot Golden Eagle program that soon will benefit from the Mike Carter Center – one of the more dazzling practice facilities in college basketball.

Related

Bill Haisten: ORU names Russell Springmann as head coach — shades of 1997

ORU coach Russell Springmann: 'We will play a brand of basketball that is exciting'

Paul Mills on leaving ORU for Wichita State: 'I'm just so grateful for the opportunity here'

Russell Springmann on promotion to ORU head coach: 'This is a new beginning'

Throwback Tulsa: ORU earns Sweet 16 berth by defeating Florida two years ago

Bill Haisten: Proactive ORU wants to keep Paul Mills for '20 more years’

Paul Mills: ORU's 30-win season 'will fuel us moving forward'

Throwback Tulsa: When ORU hosted the NCAA Tournament in 1974

Contact us

Sports Columnist Bill Haisten: Email | Twitter | Follow his stories

Subscribe to this podcast on: Apple | Google | Spotify

For the second time in a month, the Oral Roberts head basketball coach is the Bill Haisten Podcast guest. Paul Mills was in that position on March 3. As Mills last week accepted the head-coaching position at Wichita State, his top ORU assistant – Russell Springmann – was promoted to the top job at ORU.
Springmann reflects on ORU’s two recent runs to the NCAA Tournament, on the greatness of Mills as a practice coach and on having discovered a 10th-grader – Kevin Durant – during a basketball event in Maryland. Springmann at that time was on the Texas staff. Before any other big-time program offered a scholarship to Durant, Springmann and Texas did. It worked out pretty well for the Longhorns.
At ORU, Springmann inherits a hot Golden Eagle program that soon will benefit from the Mike Carter Center – one of the more dazzling practice facilities in college basketball.
<hr>
Related
<a href="https://tulsaworld.com/sports/college/oru/bill-haisten-oru-names-russell-springmann-as-head-coach-shades-of-1997/article_e6678692-c8f4-11ed-bdbf-077857e08668.html">Bill Haisten: ORU names Russell Springmann as head coach — shades of 1997</a>
<a href="https://tulsaworld.com/sports/college/oru/oru-coach-russell-springmann-we-will-play-a-brand-of-basketball-that-is-exciting/article_3ce2f1aa-ca94-11ed-9824-97cbaefacd17.html">ORU coach Russell Springmann: 'We will play a brand of basketball that is exciting'</a>
<a href="https://tulsaworld.com/sports/college/oru/paul-mills-on-leaving-oru-for-wichita-state-im-just-so-grateful-for-the-opportunity/article_8396e6de-c83b-11ed-a75d-17c9fc6d9ec6.html">Paul Mills on leaving ORU for Wichita State: 'I'm just so grateful for the opportunity here'</a>
<a href="https://tulsaworld.com/sports/college/oru/russell-springmann-on-promotion-to-oru-head-coach-this-is-a-new-beginning/article_c7b13730-c9bb-11ed-a43f-2ffc79cdd5bb.html">Russell Springmann on promotion to ORU head coach: 'This is a new beginning'</a>
<a href="https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/history/throwback-tulsa-oru-earns-sweet-16-berth-by-defeating-florida-two-years-ago/collection_4d5ad920-8b13-11eb-b392-3fc21f69a57b.html">Throwback Tulsa: ORU earns Sweet 16 berth by defeating Florida two years ago</a>
<a href="https://tulsaworld.com/sports/college/oru/bill-haisten-proactive-oru-wants-to-keep-paul-mills-for-20-more-years/article_b934fd00-c758-11ed-bce1-2bac148ede3e.html">Bill Haisten: Proactive ORU wants to keep Paul Mills for '20 more years’</a>
<a href="https://tulsaworld.com/sports/college/oru/paul-mills-orus-30-win-season-will-fuel-us-moving-forward/article_528a0162-c4de-11ed-a0fa-93133fb01204.html">Paul Mills: ORU's 30-win season 'will fuel us moving forward'</a>
<a href="https://tulsaworld.com/sports/college/oru/throwback-tulsa-when-oru-hosted-the-ncaa-tournament-in-1974/collection_604373ed-9c80-5946-9129-b60c1ecd8b50.html">Throwback Tulsa: When ORU hosted the NCAA Tournament in 1974</a>
<hr>
Contact us
Sports Columnist Bill Haisten: <a href="mailto:bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com">Email</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/billhaisten">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://tulsaworld.com/users/profile/bill%20haisten/">Follow his stories</a>
Subscribe to this podcast on: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tulsa-world-extra-points/id1593217285">Apple</a> | <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9vbW55LmZtL3Nob3dzL3R1bHNhLXdvcmxkLXNwb3J0cy10YWxrL3BsYXlsaXN0cy9wb2RjYXN0LnJzcw?sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjWsKPW8u76AhXArWoFHYdcC4UQ9sEGegQIARAE">Google</a> | <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7nCbaBOvorFlvGhGdH00UG">Spotify</a>

Tulsa World veteran sports columnist Bill Haisten address the latest issues, trends, teams and players making news.

Follow Bill on Twitter: @Billhaisten

Tulsa World veteran sports columnist <a href="https://twitter.com/billhaisten">Bill Haisten</a> address the latest issues, trends, teams and players making news.
Follow Bill on Twitter: @Billhaisten

Advertisement