It’s time to get going with the OU Sooner Basketball Beat. Porter Moser’s rebuilt Sooners destroyed DII Rogers State in an exhibition by something like 105-55 or close to that. It was an excellent start for Coach Moser’s new group.
The concern was these guys would look awkward playing together. That wasn’t the case. The ball moved. I mean…the ball moved. Touch, touch, touch….swish. 25 assists on the night and impeccable three point shooting from OU’s perimeter players.
You can already see where Coach Moser is going with this group…especially with the guard trio of Jordan Goldwire from Duke and the two guard holderovers from Coach Kruger… those being EJ Harkless and Moj Gibson.
I wrote this earlier on my post in relation to Coach Moser’s Big 12 presser and I’ll write it again now…I think OU’s guard trio of Goldwire, EJ, and Moj Gibson could be one of the best two-way backcourts in the Big 12 this season. That written if you have one of the better backcourts in the ruggd Big 12 that means you have one of the better guard trios in the country.
Jordan Goldwire was the ACC Player of Year last season at Duke who’s offensive game is okay but nothing special right now. Imagine Russell Westbrook back at UCLA when he played defense first and wasn’t a stat sheet ball hogger like he became with the Thunder. That’s Jordan Goldwire….defense first whatever comes offensively comes off transition or an offensive rebound.
EJ Harkless in my mind will be one of the best two way unsung guards in the country this season. He can do it all. His toughness will be a major component of this basketball team’s potential.
Then there’s three point bomber Moj Gibson. It’s obvious from Day 1 on campus that Coach Moser has been building upon Moj’s game on both sides of the ball….especially on defense where he’s going to be a much more energized player who helps get the Sooners out in transition. But I also saw Moj create some off the dribble in the exhibition game…which wasn’t a huge part of his game last season. I’m excited for Moj.
Ethan Chargois the 6’9″ transfer forward from SMU looked the part as well with an outside shot and the ability to create off the dribble. He’ll be a nice balance to center Tanner Groves the senior transfer from Eastern Washington who scored 35 points against the Kansas Jayhawks in the NCAA Tournament.
Forward Jalen Hill also returns from Coach Kruger’s final OU team. Jalen is what I would describe as a very high basketball IQ player who’s one of those types a coach just loves having on his team. Jalen is versatile and will be a player Coach Moser leans on for the intangibles which will make the Sooners a heady basketball team. Dumb teams don’t go far in post season.
Tanner Groves is a senior center who can score inside or outside depending on the flow of the game. Tanner only scored two points in the exhibition because OU made everything it shot from the perimeter. There wasn’t much need to work the ball deep posession to posession.
Jacob Groves is a junior small forward and was in my mind the player of the game on Tuesday night. He’s a player…especially from an perimeter standpoint. He went 6 for 6 shooting threes.
Rik Issanza the sophomore center from Sudan played a little and while he’s still in need of polish…you can see some potential starting to come around in his game.
Coach Moser’s three freshmen guards, CJ Nolan, Alston Mason, and Bijan Cortes all played extensive minutes in the exhibition game. All three looked good
So looking towards next year already..Coach Moser will have six guys returning to go along with three signees and who knows coming in from the transfer portal. I would think Coach Moser is a fairly effective communicator on the portal.
It’s amazing how much Coach Mozer has already gotten done since his arrival in Norman. Coach Moser very much seems to be a high energy guy who knows how to build relationships with his players.
The regular season begins on Tuesday night with Northwestern State from Louisiana visiting Lloyd Noble Arena.
I can’t wait because the Thunder are losing on purpose and in my mind I’ve got the best beat in Oklahoma hoops this season. I feel like a little kid again hoopswise. Like I’ve been given a reprieve from watching the Thunder’s death march.