Getting to know Sooners: Le'Tre Darthard
Sooners basketball season is just around the corner, and it’s OK if you need a primer of who these guys are. Now in year No. 3 at Oklahoma, head coach Porter Moser is confident the program has checked all the boxes to make an NCAA run.
Here is a brief overview of some of the key pieces for OU for the 2023-24 season.
OU begins its season next Monday vs. Central Michigan in Norman.
Guard Le’Tre Darthard – Super Senior
Utah Valley? Take a breath, it’s going to be OK. You can take a chance on someone who is first-team all-conference and defense. That’s what Darthard was last season.
OU needed to get some older guys in the portal, not just guys who have multiple years to play. Darthard is the kind of one-year player Moser is hoping to get the best from.
His character is top-notch. You don’t become a captain at a new team that fast unless there’s something about you everybody gravitates toward.
What to expect?
This is a curious one. Darthard isn’t going to be a huge scorer, but you definitely hope that defense travels to the Big 12.
It’s so hard to playing the guessing game about the starting five. And whether he starts might irrelevant, Darthard is certainly going to have a key role in the rotation.
His toughness, though, might be what endears him to the OU faithful. He doesn’t really care about his size, just going to go out there and do his job.
Darthard’s other very important role is going to be to help the younger guys on how to be college players. Even someone like Los Uzan, Darthard has a wealth of experience and knowledge to spread.
Moser says
“Really like Le’Tre. I will compare to somebody I’ve coached before. The all-time winningest player I ever coached at the history of Loyola was Lucas Williamson – he was a two-way player. Really make shots, gritty, fundamental, positional defender that I’ve coached. He was on the all-defensive team and the all-league. Le’Tre was that for Utah Valley.
“Can really knock down shots, is an exceptional positional defender where he’s supposed to be. He blocks guys out. Counting on him a lot. He’s older, been through a lot. Not afraid of the moment, not afraid of the level. You look at some of the games in the past where he’s played against a higher level, it doesn’t faze him. He has a maturity about him. His peers voted him as a captain, not the coaches. That says something that his peers voted him as captain.”
