Tag: Brycen Goodine

With Jalon Moore returning, what’s next for OU Basketball?

Overview of Oklahoma basketball now that Jalon Moore confirmed his return.

Jalon Moore’s return may have been the most significant off-season development for the Oklahoma Sooners as they venture into the SEC hoops universe next season.

Sure, he’s not some lottery pick talent, but he returns to Norman as Oklahoma’s best player and perhaps its most indispensable. Moore entered his name into NBA Draft consideration earlier in the offseason.

He underwent workouts, meetings, and evaluations, all as a means to determine what he needed to improve for his prospects to be potentially chosen to play in the NBA or if he was ready to make that leap this summer.

He received the feedback and still opted to return to Norman for one last collegiate season. His return completes the roster rebuild for the Sooners heading into the summer, and the Sooners now know what next year’s team will look like.

At point guard, you’d have difficulty convincing many that Kobe Elvis shouldn’t start there. The Dayton transfer is probably the best pure lead guard on the team and started over 80 games over three seasons at Dayton, averaging a career-best 9.4 points and 3.5 assists this past season. He also is a tough defender. It’s something Oklahoma lacked at the point of attack last year. Behind him, you’ll likely see in-state star Dayton Forsythe play some backup point or even High Point transfer Duke Miles, who is much more of a scoring guard than a pass-first guard.

Speaking of Miles, he’s probably the best bet to be the starting two-guard. Miles is unquestionably the best pure scorer on the team, and without really thinking twice, it would not be shocking to see him lead the team in scoring next season. Brycen Goodine, a Fairfield transfer, can come off the bench and provide dead-eye shooting.

Jadon Jones, the Long Beach State transfer, is a genuine three-and-defense guy who will likely fill the starting wing role. Oklahoma has some depth here as they could go with JUCO top prospect Jeff Nwankwo off the bench or even slide Jalon Moore to the wing if they wanted to go big in the front court.

If Moore isn’t in that role, he’ll play the four and present matchup problems for slower and more traditional power forwards. Behind him, we should and will see top 100 recruit Kuol Atak, a rail-thin prospect with a reputation as one of the best shooters in the class of 2024. Adding weight will be the only hurdle keeping him off the floor and in the rotation. He can also protect the rim.

Protecting the rim and rebounding were two major weaknesses last year. Oklahoma brought in Alabama transfer Mohamed Wague, a 6-foot-10 big man with more athleticism than Sam Godwin but likely with less offensive capability. He averaged 3.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.5 blocks per game. The hope is that those averages will go up with Oklahoma. Can he unseat Godwin for the starting role? We will find out, but if he does, it’s probably for the best as Godwin seems like a better fit as an energy, change of pace big off the bench for rebounding and hustle than someone commanding starting minutes.

There are a number of variables for next year’s team.

In many ways, Oklahoma built an older version of the team it had last season. There’s no true point guard but a couple of combo guards who can handle the ball. If there’s a key difference, Elvis is a much better defender than McCollum, even if he isn’t as dynamic with the ball in his hand as McCollum was.

Moore progressing toward an all-conference player would be huge for Oklahoma. He needs to become a positionless forward capable of winning on the wing and slashing to the rim.

From a percentage standpoint, Oklahoma should also be better at shooting the three, especially with someone of Goodine’s pedigree on the team.

Coaching will also have to improve. Moser sometimes struggled to adapt mid-game with particular looks and how he deployed his personnel.

Simply put, next year will be a make-or-break year for Porter Moser. Suppose his seat wasn’t hot after missing the tournament this past season. In that case, it’ll be nice and warm as the Sooners enter another conference looking to finally get over the hump after missing the tournament three years in a row.

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Oklahoma lands High Point transfer guard Duke Miles

Duke Miles transfers to Oklahoma.

Oklahoma has found a groove in the transfer portal. They may not have landed some of their top targets, but they’re finding some key pieces, picking up their second transfer portal add of the week. Earlier this week, it was Brycen Goodine. Today, it’s Duke Miles.

Duke Miles is a former High Point Panther with incredible offensive moves.

Miles committed to Oklahoma on Friday afternoon over going to  Oklahoma’s new SEC foe, Auburn.

Miles is a 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard from Montgomery, AL. He is a two-time transfer who began his career at Troy. He is a certified scorer who averaged 17.5 points per game on 53 percent shooting from the field and nearly 37 percent from three. The talented guard was named to the All-Big South first team.

Miles also averaged 3.6 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game last season. He lives at the rim, where he takes 45 percent of his field goal attempts. He’s adept at getting downhill and uses an excellent burst to turn the corner and attack the basket.

Another incredible aspect of his game is last year’s 24 percent assist rate. He’s a willing passer and a good one at that.

If you had to project where he plays next year, Duke seems the likeliest candidate to be Porter Moser’s starting point guard.

He can distribute but create his shots and shots for others. Oklahoma has landed four transfers this cycle with this talented guard in the boat. They are still searching for a big man, but they’ve more than adequately filled the lost production on the perimeter.

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Sooners add sharpshooting transfer guard Brycen Goodine

Sooners land their transfer portal commit with sharpshooting Brycen Goodine.

Oklahoma’s quest to restock its roster after consecutive springs in which it was gutted continues. With all the departures out of the way, Porter Moser and his staff are knee-deep in the transfer portal, trying to find pieces to build a team capable of finally breaking the NCAA tournament drought the team is facing.

Today, the Sooners added an incredible shooter to the roster in Fairfield transfer Brycen Goodine.

Goodine is an absolute flamethrower from deep. He shot a blistering 46.7% percent from three last season. Goodine poured in 13.9 points per game for the Stags last year. The sharpshooter was the eighth leading scorer in the MAAC, helping lead the Stags to a 24-13 record.

Goodine stands 6-foot-4 and has a 185-pound frame. He showcases an incredible feeling for moving without the basketball as he looks to free himself up for open jump shots on the perimeter. He shot 68% in effective field goal percentage on catch-and-shoot opportunities, good for the 97th percentile in college basketball last year.

Goodine isn’t just a spot-up shooter, though. His game footage showcases his ability to create off the bounce, get to the rim, and shoot proficiently off the dribble, where he shot 56% in effective field goal percentage, which is good for the 78th percentile. He has incredible range, with 12 of his 77 made threes last year being longer than 25 feet.

Lastly, he showed a willingness and a good feel to be an effective passer with an assist rate of 11%.

Goodine was a former four-star recruit out of high school and signed and played his freshman year with the Syracuse Orange. He’s moved around since then. Ultimately, Goodine adds some serious offense and is a floor spacer, making him a terrific fit for Oklahoma next year. He can operate the pick-and-roll but also play off-ball, so while he’s undoubtedly a shooting guard, he could give the Sooner and Moser an additional playmaking element.

With Goodine in the fold, the Sooners have added their third transfer this offseason. Goodine joins former Dayton guard Kobe Elvis and former Long Beach State guard Jadon Jones.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on X @thatmanbryant.