Tag: Kobe Elvis

Oklahoma Sooners roll Lindenwood in season opener 93-60

Takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 36-point win over Lindenwood in the 2024-2025 season opener.

Basketball season is officially underway in Norman as Porter Moser and the Oklahoma Sooners started their first season as SEC members with a dominant 93-60 win over Lindenwood.

Oklahoma has been searching for that elusive return to the NCAA tournament, and while they narrowly missed it last year, the Sooners have almost a completely new look.

The Sooners hit the transfer portal and recruiting trail hard for the second straight year and revamped their roster. Monday night, we saw the fruits of the coaching staff’s recruiting efforts.

Oklahoma never trailed in this game and finished with five different players tallying double-digit points. As a team, the Sooners shot over 40 percent from three and just a tick under 65 percent from the field.

Jalon Moore, the team’s best returning player from last year, was dynamic and led all scorers with 22 points on 8 of 13 shooting from the field.

Here are our takeaways from the Sooners win.

Jalon Moore is the guy

For all the talk about Oklahoma and their prospects as a team this year, one thing repeatedly is mentioned: Jalon Moore needs to be a big part of whatever the Sooners plan to do. After Monday night’s performance, it’s hard to disagree.

Moore entered his name into the NBA Draft this past summer to get feedback, and on Monday, he showcased the work he put into his game. What stood out the most was his shooting. Moore went 3 of 5 from long range.

Sure, the opponent wasn’t the best but he shot every jumper with much more confidence than he did a season ago.

It’ll be fun to see how much his offseason work is displayed in the nonconference schedule.

Jeremiah Fears is the real deal

It wouldn’t be right to talk about OU basketball and not mention the play of Oklahoma’s highest-rated recruit since Trae Young. Jeremiah Fears, a true combo guard, is a dynamic player with the ball in his hands. His upside is tremendous, and at Oklahoma, he should have the floor to play his game.

On Monday, he showcased a few of the traits that make him a potential pro. His quickness showed in the half court and in transition. His vision led him to six assists, with his first coming on a beautiful set play that led to an alley-oop to Jalon Moore.

Fears made the game easier for his teammates with his ability to score (16 points), but also by finding guys in their spots and making crisp passes and the right decisions.

If he continues playing like this, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be starting by January at this rate.

Oklahoma’s transfers looked solid

The bulk of Oklahoma’s scoring had to be replaced via the transfer portal, so the Sooners went out and added names like Duke Miles, Brycen Goodine, Mohamed Wague, and Kobe Elvis.

On Monday they combined for 36 points and 12 assists to just 2 turnovers. The early returns on the new veterans were extremely positive.

Oklahoma starts the season 1-0 and will be back in action next Monday night at the Lloyd Noble Center when they take on Northwestern State.

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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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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.

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Oklahoma Sooners land transfer guard Kobe Elvis

It took them a while but the Sooners land a talented veteran guard from Dayton.

It’s been a crazy offseason for [autotag]Porter Moser[/autotag] and crew as they have to replace at least five key players from last year’s team. That could be six if [autotag]Jalon Moore[/autotag] decides to stay in the NBA Draft.

So far the Sooners have been active in the transfer portal but haven’t had a lot of luck landing guys. That was until Tuesday when they picked up their first transfer of the cycle.

[autotag]Kobe Elvis[/autotag] is a 6-foot-2 guard who spent the last three seasons at Dayton after transferring from DePaul. Last year, he averaged 9.4 points per game and shot 37% from three. That’s where the Sooners hope he can provide a lift to next year’s team.

The biggest thing Elvis adds is experience. He’s played in 105 games, 84 of which he has started. That includes starting 50 of the last 54 games he’s played. Overall, he’s not a prospect that is going to blow fans away, but he’s a solid piece to get, as they need to have some experience for next season.

If you can pair him with some of the big fish the Sooners are after, that makes it an even better pick-up. Even still, this is similar to the moves we’ve seen Moser make in the past to get his team some veteran leadership. That can be valuable if the Sooners can figure out how to make it back to the [autotag]NCAA Tournament[/autotag].

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Brendan Haywood provided hysterical commentary for Dayton’s Kobe Elvis crossing up Arizona’s Caleb Love off the television screen

Okay, this was pretty hysterical.

Former NBA player-turned-commentator Brendan Haywood provided what might be the best bit of commentary in March Madness so far during Arizona’s second-round game against Dayton on Saturday.

It came after Dayton guard Kobe Elvis crossed up Arizona guard Caleb Love so badly that the latter stumbled out of frame on the television.

Once seeing this, Haywood brought his A-game with this absolutely priceless line: “He crossed him onto another channel… Caleb Love might be on TruTV right now.”

Okay, if that doesn’t make you cackle, we’re not sure what will. That’s just gold from Haywood on what happened there between Elvis and Love.

We’re going to be giggling about this all day long, as Elvis’ smooth move on Love almost made up for Dayton not having the lead on Arizona when it happened.

While it’d be Love to get the last laugh as Arizona got past Dayton with a 78-68 victory, this will surely be one of the highlights of the tournament no matter who the winner was. Kudos to Haywood for nailing it.

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