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Getting to know the Sooners: Kaden Cooper, Jacolb Cole

Bob Przybyloby:Bob Przybylo•11/01/23•

BPrzybylo

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Kaden Cooper / Player Instagram page

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 Kaden Cooper – Freshman

Forward Jacolb Cole – Freshman

Another elite recruiting class by Moser. That’s been checked off in back-to-back years. Cooper was a massive victory on the trail. Cole could be a perseverance gem if he can be the prospect he was before his ACL tear.

Cooper is originally from Ada, Okla., and shows Moser’s dedication to try to keep the top in-state products home. He is a dynamic two-way player, whose defense helped him leap up the rankings as a high school senior in Atlanta.

Cole got to be a part of national championship team at Branson (Mo.) Link Academy and is freshly cleared after a fractured foot in the summer.

What to expect?

Both should see time, at least initially. Then we’ll see from there how things go. The initial guess is Cooper is someone to circle. He could be this year’s Otega Oweh, in terms of slowly just earning more and more time until he’s a starter.

Cole is going to have to show he can be tough enough for the Big 12. You love his 6-8 frame, but you need more than that to succeed.

If Cooper can make the adjustment as fast as what the OU staff believes, Cooper could be a very special freshman. Another guy that loves to play above the rim, as we’re seeing a consistent trend in that department. Time to be a lot more athletic.

Moser says

“Kaden is just extremely quick twitch, athletic, great reaction time. He has made strides every week. Every week, both of those guys are getting better. Jacolb has a great amount of confidence. You know, he’s coming off that ACL from last year, and he’s just got a high level of confidence. Both of them are longer athletes. Kaden is every bit of 6-6. Like, quick-twitch athleticism. Defensively, great instincts defensively. Jacolb has a great feel to pass. He’s every bit of 6-8.

“So it’s two long freshmen to grow and build with. We’ve got some older guys who hopefully are showing them the way a little bit. But the biggest thing to take away is their initial athletic ability coming in combined with their youthful I-don’t-know-it-all mentality. They’re hanging. They’re asking a million questions. They want to get better. They’re seeing that we’re older and they’re like, ‘Hey, man. We want to stay up and learn and get better.’ And I love that about those two.”

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