Oklahoma Sooners
Overall Rank: #101
Conference Rank: #8 Big 12
2010-11: 14-18, 5-11
2010-11 postseason: none
Coach: Lon Kruger (First year at Oklahoma, 479-304 overall)
Coach Lon Kruger has had some tough rebuilding jobs over the years. Oklahoma may be his toughest, but it is also a place where he can build a program that was left in shambles for a promising future. Coach Kruger took a bad Kansas State team and took them to four NCAA Tournaments in four years. He then went to Florida and laid the foundation for what has become a top program in the country. His Illinois days led to a brief stint in the NBA. And then it was off to take UNLV to six postseasons in seven years, including four NCAA Tournaments. He can do the same with the Sooners.
Who’s Out:
Cade Davis was the heart and soul of last year’s team. As the only senior on the roster and the only upperclassman who was not a junior college transfer, Davis was the player who held this team together. Maybe a 5-11 season does not appear to be holding things together, but this was a very, very young team that many did not expect to come close to winning five games in the Big 12. Davis’ leadership and play on the court was the main reason the Sooners exceeded their meager expectations. The only other departure is Nick Thompson, a junior college transfer who played in just 17 games before heading out of Norman.
Who’s In:
With so few departures Coach Kruger’s rebuilding process will have to work mostly with the players the team had last year. He did opt to go the junior college route and pick up a point guard in Sam Grooms and a big man in Casey Arnet. Playing time, and starting roles, are certainly open at the point and the five spot, so expect the junior college transfers to play major minutes right away. Romero Osby, a transfer from Mississippi State is a bruiser under the basket who has plenty of experience playing at this level. He was never a major contributor with the Bulldogs, but can eat up some minutes at Oklahoma and get a fresh start to see if he can find a larger role. Walk-on James Fraschilla will add some quality depth on the perimeter.
Who to Watch:
There is plenty of returning talent. Somebody besides Davis had to play some ball. Carl Blair, a transfer from New Orleans, averaged 7.5 points and 4.7 assists during his first season with the Sooners. He is a relatively dangerous scorer, but his turnover numbers were pretty bad. He could be much improved under Coach Kruger, but he could also be benched at some point if Grooms fits into what this team wants to do a little better. Benching Steven Pledger or Cameron Clark is probably not an option. Pledger is the teams’ best outside shooting threat and averaged 10.9 points per game during his sophomore season. He was asked to increase his scoring load as a sophomore and did just that. He will be asked to do the same again and he can with a little more consistent outside shooting. Clark can knock down some long balls too, but he does most of his scoring by attacking the basket. The 6-6 sophomore is also a fine rebounder from the wing. Calvin Newell is the only other guard with any significant experience. He was forced into backup point guard duties as a freshman and he will have to battle it out for playing time with Grooms coming into the program.
Final Projection:
Much of last season Oklahoma played with Clark at the four and Andrew Fitzgerald at the five. At 6-8 and 243 pounds, Fitzgerald can push around some people in the paint and he really did do a great job as a sophomore considering what was asked of him. He ended up averaging 12.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Being the only big man on the floor, he really stepped up his game and turned into a relatively consistent scorer in the paint. Tyler Neal and C.J. Washington will look for much more playing time this year if Coach Kruger opts to play with a bigger lineup. And with Arnet coming in, it is very likely that OU will not play small nearly as often as they had to last season. If Arnet can step into a starting role and team with Fitzgerald in the paint, this is suddenly a pretty big team that should be solid on the glass. With Osby, Neal and Washington available off the bench, the frontcourt depth is not that bad either. That is more like the Oklahoma basketball of old.
Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT
Projected Starting Five:
Carl Blair, Junior, Guard, 7.5 points per game
Steven Pledger, Junior, Guard, 10.9 points per game
Cameron Clark, Sophomore, Guard, 9.2 points per game
Andrew Fitzgerald, Junior, Forward, 12.6 points per game
Casey Arnet, Junior, Center, DNP last season
