NORMAN — As Lon and Barbara Kruger were inducted into the UT-Rio Grande Valley Hall of Fame on Thursday night, athletic director Chris King knew which story to tell.
In spring 2016, within 12 hours of hearing that UT-Rio Grande Valley was looking for a new men's basketball coach, King's phone rang. It was Kruger. His Sooners had just secured an NCAA Tournament bid for a squad that would advance to the Final Four.
Kruger hadn't coached UT-Rio Grande Valley, formally known as Texas Pan-American, since the 1985-86 season, but he wanted to know how he could help King with the search.