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Tip-off tonight
What to know as Sooner women host Bruins at home to open season
Oklahoma has always had a “touch rule” under women’s basketball coach Sherri Coale.
That means slapping as many high-fives as possible between players and coaches.
“The more touches we make, the more connected we are,” Coale said.
That methodology was extended this season to team managers, staffers and others who help make practice possible. They’ve been drawn into focus with OU’s roster down to nine players.
“Just wanna make sure our guys appreciate all the ancillary folks who help make practice work every day,” Coale said.
That preparation will be put to the test as the No. 22 Sooners open the regular season at 7 p.m. today, against Belmont inside Lloyd Noble Center.
Here’s what any fan should know about OU’s opener and the season ahead.
•The freshmen factor: Guard Chelsea Dungee made 18 starts last season before announcing a transfer to Arkansas.
Fast forward, and freshman Ana Llanusa averaged 21 points in two preseason outings off the bench, proving she can fill some of that void as an interchangeable guard. OU still belongs to leader Maddie Manning, a sixth-year graduate entering her final season of eligibility after averaging 12.6 points in 2016-17.
But the freshmen have impressed thus far. Forward Mandy Simpson grabbed 17 rebounds in her exhibition debut against Central Oklahoma, and Shaina Pellington — described as lightning fast by teammates and Coale — averaged 10.5 points and 6.5 assists in the preseason.
• Attrition: OU has reached 18 straight NCAA tournaments, but hasn’t advanced to the Sweet 16 in four seasons, which is new turf for Coale.
If the Sooners are to break that barrier, they’ll have to do it with some players logging lots of minutes.
Vionise Pierre-Louis is OU’s returning leading rebounder after averaging 11.9 points and 7.9 boards last season. The 6-foot-4 senior from Lake Worth, Florida, said she feels like a target, with Ijeoma Odimgbe joining her as the Sooners’ only experienced post.
“I’m probably going to play 35-plus minutes a game,” Pierre-Louis said. “The two things I’m focusing on are getting in and punching early [in games] and taking care of my body. … This is the best shape I have ever been in, maybe because it’s my last go around and I’m so excited, or because our strength coaches have been pushing me.”
• No cake walk: Belmont and OU have never met, but the Bruins aren’t strangers to Coale.
Coach Bart Brooks is entering his first season at the small Nashville school after spending the last 11 seasons as an assistant under DePaul’s Doug Bruno, whose teams are known for offense. The Blue Demons, for example, scored 128 points in an exhibition win.
“Bart’s a good fit for Belmont, because they
have a lot of kids who can shoot it, so I think their current roster and their coaching style line up maybe for more immediate success than if it were not like that,” Coale said. “They just play their tails off.”
Belmont returns four starters from its 2016-17 NCAA tournament team, including forward Kylee Smith (15.9 ppg).
“For us, we really want to challenge our defense to not allow it to be a high-scoring game,” Coale said. “I feel like we’re further along defensively right now than we were even at the end of last year.”
• Paris’ night: OU will raise former star Courtney Paris’ jersey into the rafters at halftime Friday, honoring a career that included an NCAA-first four first-team All-American seasons.
Paris set 20 NCAA and 69 OU records while playing in Norman from 2005-09. She marveled with 112 consecutive double-doubles and keyed the program’s Final Four run in 2009.
Coale is pleased the school will recognize not just Paris’ contributions to the sport, but in an intimate way, what she did for OU.
“I think it’s certainly due. She’s not just an iconic player at Oklahoma, she’s an iconic player in women’s basketball,” Coale said. “She just was an anomaly. There had never been anyone like her before with her unique skill set.”
What to know as Sooner women host Bruins at home to open season
Oklahoma has always had a “touch rule” under women’s basketball coach Sherri Coale.
That means slapping as many high-fives as possible between players and coaches.
“The more touches we make, the more connected we are,” Coale said.
That methodology was extended this season to team managers, staffers and others who help make practice possible. They’ve been drawn into focus with OU’s roster down to nine players.
“Just wanna make sure our guys appreciate all the ancillary folks who help make practice work every day,” Coale said.
That preparation will be put to the test as the No. 22 Sooners open the regular season at 7 p.m. today, against Belmont inside Lloyd Noble Center.
Here’s what any fan should know about OU’s opener and the season ahead.
•The freshmen factor: Guard Chelsea Dungee made 18 starts last season before announcing a transfer to Arkansas.
Fast forward, and freshman Ana Llanusa averaged 21 points in two preseason outings off the bench, proving she can fill some of that void as an interchangeable guard. OU still belongs to leader Maddie Manning, a sixth-year graduate entering her final season of eligibility after averaging 12.6 points in 2016-17.
But the freshmen have impressed thus far. Forward Mandy Simpson grabbed 17 rebounds in her exhibition debut against Central Oklahoma, and Shaina Pellington — described as lightning fast by teammates and Coale — averaged 10.5 points and 6.5 assists in the preseason.
• Attrition: OU has reached 18 straight NCAA tournaments, but hasn’t advanced to the Sweet 16 in four seasons, which is new turf for Coale.
If the Sooners are to break that barrier, they’ll have to do it with some players logging lots of minutes.
Vionise Pierre-Louis is OU’s returning leading rebounder after averaging 11.9 points and 7.9 boards last season. The 6-foot-4 senior from Lake Worth, Florida, said she feels like a target, with Ijeoma Odimgbe joining her as the Sooners’ only experienced post.
“I’m probably going to play 35-plus minutes a game,” Pierre-Louis said. “The two things I’m focusing on are getting in and punching early [in games] and taking care of my body. … This is the best shape I have ever been in, maybe because it’s my last go around and I’m so excited, or because our strength coaches have been pushing me.”
• No cake walk: Belmont and OU have never met, but the Bruins aren’t strangers to Coale.
Coach Bart Brooks is entering his first season at the small Nashville school after spending the last 11 seasons as an assistant under DePaul’s Doug Bruno, whose teams are known for offense. The Blue Demons, for example, scored 128 points in an exhibition win.
“Bart’s a good fit for Belmont, because they
have a lot of kids who can shoot it, so I think their current roster and their coaching style line up maybe for more immediate success than if it were not like that,” Coale said. “They just play their tails off.”
Belmont returns four starters from its 2016-17 NCAA tournament team, including forward Kylee Smith (15.9 ppg).
“For us, we really want to challenge our defense to not allow it to be a high-scoring game,” Coale said. “I feel like we’re further along defensively right now than we were even at the end of last year.”
• Paris’ night: OU will raise former star Courtney Paris’ jersey into the rafters at halftime Friday, honoring a career that included an NCAA-first four first-team All-American seasons.
Paris set 20 NCAA and 69 OU records while playing in Norman from 2005-09. She marveled with 112 consecutive double-doubles and keyed the program’s Final Four run in 2009.
Coale is pleased the school will recognize not just Paris’ contributions to the sport, but in an intimate way, what she did for OU.
“I think it’s certainly due. She’s not just an iconic player at Oklahoma, she’s an iconic player in women’s basketball,” Coale said. “She just was an anomaly. There had never been anyone like her before with her unique skill set.”