Porter Moser focused on 'retention' at OU
OU head basketball coach Porter Moser has been a busy, busy man the last few months. The Sooners, like every other program, are adjusting to the new normal of basketball life. A normal that fully includes NIL and transfer portal discussion every single day.
Moser addressed the media for the first time in nearly five months Monday afternoon. Here are some of the highlights as Moser gets ready for Year No. 3 at Oklahoma.
How did the summer session go?
“We’re in our last week of eight weeks that we get. This group — we’re noticeably longer and more athletic. That’s the first thing that jumps out. It was intentional in how we recruited. Being more athletic. I think we have the pieces to be really really good defensively. I think we have the pieces to be way more up-tempo. Offensive rebounding, steals. I think everything with our length is going to be improved.
“In the summertime when you bring in a lot of new guys; it’s almost becoming the new normal. You look around the country and it seems like everybody has over half their team is new. You just got to come together. And this team, these eight weeks, they’ve spent a lot of time on their own off the floor. On the floor. I think we’ve got a group of gym rats that are in the gym a lot shooting. I’ve also seen some leaders emerge.”
Moser recently lost an assistant with Emanuel Dildy leaving OU to take a spot at Duke. The timing is clearly not ideal. However, Moser is absolutely going to hire the spot.
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Hire another assistant?
“I’m definitely gonna fill it. I wish you guys could see my phone. It’s already beeped 25 times since I (showed up here.) There’s quite a bit of interest with this thing. But for me, just gotta get it right. What’s the right fit? We’ll definitely be hiring somebody in that place.”
Every summer is getting to know who the new guys are. The Sooners are bringing in five transfers, and Moser gave a snapshot of what OU fans can expect this season.
OU transfer roundup? John Hugley?
“He’s just an extremely physical presence. I think I said it when we signed him, so many teams switched one through five and you’ve gotta make them pay for switching one through five and we didn’t always make them pay. Tanner was just a really good pick-and-pop guy. John, he’s just very, very physical. Really trying to get to the place where we can play the pace with him. But he’s a physical presence. He’s knocking down his shot better, I thought. But he averaged 15 points in the ACC around that paint for a reason.
“Some of the other wings that have really impressed us with the pace and the offense we’ve gone, Rivaldo Soares, Jalon Moore, those two guys have come in and been really high-level, long athletes. Le’Tre Darthard, I mean, everything we’ve said has come true with him. He’s from winning, he’s about winning. Elite defensive player and can really knock down shots. I think Javian McCollum gives us absolute speed that can shoot. We said we wanted to play faster, his speed level is extremely fast.”
