Something to build on
It wasn’t all pretty for Oklahoma basketball, but there were enough positives across the board for head coach Porter Moser to be pleased with the Sooners in their 89-53 victory over visiting Oklahoma City University in an exhibition game Tuesday evening.
The Sooners didn’t shoot the ball well and had to find other ways to score. They were able to do just that as the Lloyd Noble Center crowd got a first taste of what the 2022-23 Sooners will be about and a host of newcomers looking to make an impact.
Whether it was freshmen like Otega Oweh and Milos Uzan or transfers like Grant Sherfield and Joe Bamisile, there was a little something for everybody.
“It was good to see ‘Los got a lot of minutes. ‘Tega got a lot of minutes,” Moser said. “And it was good. Both of them, you can see right out of the gate, athletically, stature-wise, they’re 6-4. Otega’s just his body — I mean, he did some really good things defensively. He can really move his feet defensively.
“But I thought the freshmen came in and did some really nice things. And first time out, you know, there’s always the first game. And then you get more comfortable and comfortable and comfortable. So I was able to get them a bunch of minutes and that’s good.”
Uzan finished with 11 points, including nine in the first half, with four rebounds. Oweh scored eight of his 11 points in the second half and added four rebounds and two assists.
Sherfield, Bamisile have their moments
A lot will be determined for this season’s team based on how Sherfield and Bamisile come along and the chemistry that is being developed by them.
They both bring something OU didn’t have a lot last season with athletic ability and ability to score the ball in different ways.
It wasn’t smooth for Sherfield, initially, but he got it rolling with a team-high 14 points, coming alive in the second half.
“You saw a glimpse of how he gets it cooking for like a three-minute stretch there,” Moser said. “I thought he was pressing a bit. But man, he can really be dangerous. He is dangerous. He made some good passes, but we didn’t knock down some shots. What I saw, I have no doubt in my mind that’ll translate going forward, he had that confident swag back in that last segment with the ball.”
For Bamisile, it was the way he attacked in the first half. He was able to get his length into the game and help out rebounding. He finished with seven points and nine rebounds.
Groves’ work paying off
All offseason, heard about how Tanner Groves put the work in the weight room. Tuesday was the first time to really see what that could mean.
There was a noticeable difference for Groves, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds. He was able to use his size and strength a lot more.
“I liked it a lot,” Moser said. “We've gotta gang rebound. I thought to start the game Tanner was gonna have like Wilt Chamberlain rebounding numbers. He might have had 10 by the first media (timeout). And I'm like 'Is someone else going to help Tanner out?' And then I think everybody started rebounding.”
*Moser said Bijan Cortes is cleared for practice, starting Wednesday. He missed the exhibition being in concussion protocol.
Freshman Luke Northweather didn’t play because of an ankle injury. It’s possible he plays this weekend, but it’s more likely OU rests him to be ready for the season opener in two weeks.
*OU has a ‘secret scrimmage’ vs. Oregon in Las Vegas on Saturday.