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Porter Moser hiring now official

The next era of Oklahoma basketball has its leader as Loyola head coach Porter Moser was announced as the new head basketball coach Saturday morning.

Moser is replacing Lon Kruger, who announced his retirement last week following a 35-year career with the last 10 years being at OU.

Moser had been among the first names on everybody’s wish lists in recent years, especially after taking the Ramblers to the Final Four in 2018. Nothing appeared to be coming together between the Sooners and Moser until Thursday and then the dots started connecting very quickly, sources confirming Friday and the official announcement Saturday.

“Our family is so excited and honored to join the Sooner family,” said Moser in the press release. “Joe Castiglione has a reputation for building championship programs at the University of Oklahoma. I've always said there are reasons why you win.

“If you look at the standards that the programs at Oklahoma have set, there are reasons why they've won. The coaches, infrastructure and community are all championship caliber. You just want to be a part of that. To play in a premiere league like the Big 12 and be a part of this championship culture excites me.

“I'm thrilled to join a program that is so focused on culture, people and excellence. I'm looking forward to diving in and building relationships with our players, the other coaches and the OU community.”

Moser is coming off another successful season at Loyola, leading the Ramblers to the Sweet 16 round of the tournament, highlight by an upset of No. 1 seed Illinois in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

It was almost 10 years to the day that Kruger was announced at OU that Moser was the same for Loyola, turning around a dormant program to become one of the best mid-major teams in the country in just a few years.

Moser, 52, has a career record of 293-242 (.548 winning percentage) and was 188-141 in his 10 seasons in Chicago with a 6-2 record in the NCAA Tournament. Going beyond that, Moser’s 99-36 record (.733) in the last four seasons in tied for the 10th most wins by any Division I coach during that period.

Deals of Moser’s contract have not been confirmed, but there were reports Friday of OU offering six years for at least $3 million per season. Moser was making a shade under $1.1 million as of last year, while Kruger was making $3.4 million this last season.

Before his Loyola years, Moser was a head coach at Illinois State and Arkansas-Little Rock and his coaching career seem to take a turn for the better during his years as an assistant at St. Louis, working under College Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Majerus.

“We are absolutely thrilled to announce and welcome Porter Moser as our next great OU head coach,” said athletic director Joe Castiglione in the release. “As we dug deep into the backgrounds of candidates, his attributes, acumen and record of success totally aligned with what we were seeking. He's a purposeful and proven leader who prioritizes positive culture, accountability, academics, player development, innovation, transparent communication and a holistic approach to the student-athlete experience.

“Porter is also a bright, energetic and tireless recruiter who will similarly engage all stakeholders related to the future success of Oklahoma men's basketball. His wife Megan, daughter Jordan and sons Jake, Max and Ben complete an all-star team and are emblematic of the family environment and values he wants to carry on within our program. We can't wait to get them to campus.”

Castiglione had a balancing act because no doubt he had to find the right guy, but the Sooners also needed a coach.

In just the span of a week, OU has seen four players enter the transfer portal (Trey Phipps, Anyang Garang, Victor Iwuakor, Brady Manek) and two players intend to enter the NBA Draft (De’Vion Harmon, Austin Reaves).

The Ramblers have made their mark nationally because of their ability to play defense. Loyola was ranked No. 1 in the country this season, allowing just 56.1 points per game.

It is unknown at this time whether any of Moser’s assistants at Loyola will be coming along. Matt Gordon has spent the last seven seasons with Moser in Chicago, while Drew Valentine and Jermaine Kimbrough are the other assistants. Reports Friday night and Saturday morning said Valentine will take over for Moser as head coach at Loyola.

Moser will be formally introduced as the head coach in a press conference coming this week.

Taking over for Kruger, both on and off the court, is a pretty big challenge. But Moser definitely appears to be ready for the task.

“I have so much respect for Coach Kruger. He's one of the icons of our profession,” Moser said. “The fact that he was at Oklahoma shows that OU covets character. He's everything that young coaches should aspire to. He's all about winning the right way. I look forward to continuing that blueprint and continuing the blueprint we had at Loyola: winning the right way.”


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