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n a season that will be filled with finality, the Oklahoma Sooner men’s basketball team will try to accomplish a first. While the Sooners bid adieu to the Big 12 in preparation for a move to the SEC next season, OU will be looking for its first NCAA Tournament appearance of the Porter Moser era. They will do so with a roster filled with a lot of new faces but loaded with athleticism and talent. As has been the case in Moser’s first two seasons in Norman, the Sooners turned to the transfer portal to replenish the losses and rebuild the Sooner roster for the coming season. Only five players remain from the 15-member, 202223 Oklahoma basketball roster. After losing in the first round of the Big 12 tournament to Oklahoma State, seven players moved on, including the top two scorers from last year’s squad. Grant Sherfield declared for the NBA Draft after leading the Sooners in scoring, and Tanner Groves exhausted his eligibility. Five entered the transfer portal. All totaled more than 75% of the Sooners’ scoring and rebounding from last season is no longer in Norman. In its season-opening win over Central Michigan, only three Sooners were on the active roster last season.
New Heart New Hustle Same Hardwood
“I think the biggest takeaway from our offseason workouts is that we’re definitely longer and more athletic, which enables us to play faster,” Moser said. “We have simply not been very athletic. I think that’s the first thing you’re going to see different about our team is our athleticism. I’m excited about some of the length we’ve brought in. We’ve brought in some speed from the guard spots.” Despite the fresh look, the expectations nationally are not high for
36 | December 2023
Photos by: Mark Doescher
Moser is committed to recruiting athleticism and rebuilding the roster.
