Jadon Jones transferring to OU
There’s No. 2 for OU basketball. And for a team that didn’t have any NCAA Tournament experience last season, the Sooners are 2-for-2 in that department in the transfer portal.
Former Long Beach State guard Jadon Jones announced his commitment to OU on Sunday afternoon, days removed from his official visit.
Jadon Jones, G, Long Beach State (1 season)
The line: 12.1 ppg, 3.3 rebs, 1.6 assts, 1.8 steals, 1.0 blocks, 42% FG, 38% 3-pt, 85% FT
OU is focusing hard on two-way players. Looking for the 3-and-D type of player. Jones checks those boxes, a former Defensive Player of the Year in the Big West.
Jones connected on 77 3-pointers last season, shooting the 38 percent rate. The 77 makes? That’s 23 more than the most by an OU player last year (Javian McCollum, 54).
Jones is one of nine players ever in the NCAA in the last 30 years to have at least 60 steals, more than 30 blocks and make at least 75 3-pointers in a season. He joins the likes of Shane Battier, Kevin Durant, Danny Green, among others.
This is the type of momentum head coach Porter Moser needs heading into the final week of the portal window being open.
OU portal commitment
Kobe Elvis, G, Dayton (1 season)
The line: 9.4 ppg, 2.4 rebs, 3.5 assts, 0.6 steals, 38% FG, 37% 3-pt, 85% FT
If nothing else, Elvis becomes the first player on the team with NCAA Tournament experience. Elvis was part of a Dayton squad that reached the second round of the Big Dance last month. He has plenty of experience and averaged nearly 30 minutes per game. Elvis is someone who knows how to operate in a ball-screen offense. A solid, complementary piece.
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OU portal outlook
The Sooners worked the portal well last season, earning the 20 wins in the regular season for the first time in eight years. It just turned out to be not enough, being named the dreaded First Team Out of the NCAA Tournament.
So it’s back to the transfer portal. OU has had four players transfer out (Otega Oweh, John Hugley, Milos Uzan, Javian McCollum), meaning five open scholarships initially remained. Now it’s three after Elvis and Jones have come into the fold.
Forward Jalon Moore also announced his intention to go through the NBA Draft process, but he will keep his NCAA eligibility with OU. Moore could absolutely return to the Sooners. Sources believe Moore is expected to be the OU leader in 2024-25.
“There’s gonna be no less acceleration on our efforts for Oklahoma basketball,” said Moser last month. “We’ve got competitors. My staff, myself. Faith, family, friends, togetherness, this awesome University of Oklahoma. The outpouring of people. I’ll say this. My good friend that I’ve really developed a great friendship in the last three years and a friend to everybody here, Bob Stoops. He uses the term OUDNA a lot. We’ve talked about it.
“The OUDNA just doesn’t talk about at the top of the hill. The OUDNA is really strong as you’re climbing the hill. That’s where this staff, these players, this program is going to rely on that OUDNA to fight through this adversity. That OUDNA never has to be more relevant – it’s almost more important on the way up than it is at the top. That’s what we’re going to lean on moving forward.”
