Tag: Kristian Doolittle

Doolittle awarded second-team honors by NABC

The senior forward averaged 15.8 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game, good for fourth-best in the Big 12 in each category.

The season that was was a brilliant one for Kristian Doolittle.

The senior forward averaged 15.8 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game, good for fourth-best in the Big 12 in each category.

Doolittle was given second-team honors for the Division I All-District 8 team. Members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches voted for Doolittle and the honor.

The first-team All-Big 12 Sooner was a crucial piece to Oklahoma’s team in his final season. Recording 10 double-doubles, Doolittle led the Big 12 in 20-point double-doubles with four such games. Doolittle finished his career at Oklahoma ranked No. 31 on the all-time scoring list with 1,188 points, becoming the forty-seventh Sooner to reach the 1,000-point threshold.

NABC’s eighth district recognizes the Big 12. First teamers include Kansas’ Udoh Azabukie and Devin Dotson. Baylor’s Jared Butler, Texas Tech’s Jahmi’us Ramsey, and West Virginia’s Oscar Tshiebwe round out the NABC’s first-team.

Highlighted by Doolittle, the second-team is full of some of the Big 12’s stars. Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton,  TCU’s Desmond Bane, and Baylor’s MaCio Teague and Freddie Gillespie surround Doolittle as part of the second team.

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Kristian Doolittle knows life is bigger than sports as college career abruptly ends over coronavirus

Kristian Doolittle took the time to reflect on his college career at OU, the abrupt ending due to the coronavirus and where to go from here.

Less than a week ago Kristian Doolittle was preparing to face West Virginia for the third time this season but the first time without fans in attendance.

Since then, everything has changed.

The Big 12 canceled their tournament just hours before the Sooners were set to tip-off against the Mountaineers. By the time they got back to Norman, the NCAA canceled the national championship tournament.

“We figured our tournament was going to get canceled as the other tournaments were being canceled around the country,” Doolittle said during a conference call with media who covered Oklahoma basketball in 2019-20. “We figured it’d only be a matter of time.

“Then you saw the rest of the season was canceled, it was upsetting. It’s disheartening all the work we put in to put ourselves in position to potentially make the tournament.”

Although his season and career ended under terms no one could have predicted, Doolittle seems to be handling the situation about as well as someone could.

“I’m taking everything one day at a time,” Doolittle said. “The way it ended was unfortunate but you gotta think bigger than basketball in terms of everyone’s health and safety. The widespread fear of getting the coronavirus and things like that, that’s something that’s bigger than basketball. It’s unfortunate but you gotta understand it was a health decision, not a business decision.”

The lone senior on the squad, Doolittle was the leader, but not just by default. His experience and ups and downs throughout his career proved him to both the coaching staff and his teammates.

“What I learned is the leadership role is one of the most difficult roles there is on the team,” Doolittle said. ” I had to put aside the personal things and focus on what’s best for the team. I feel like I got better at that as the season went along. It’s not the easiest thing in the world.”

Doolittle’s college curtain call came in one of the craziest endings you may see in a college basketball game. He reflected on that last game that saw Oklahoma mount a double-digit comeback road win against TCU.

“That was one of the craziest games we’ve been in. Being down over 20 the first half and then climbing all the way back toward the end. Austin (Reaves) had the craziest game of the year, having 41 points and hitting the game-winning shot. So that’s something that I’ll never forget.

“It was a pretty cool moment, just seeing the uphill battle that we had to be able to go through just to win that game, and knowing that was a Big 12 game as well … just the resiliency we showed in that game, that was pretty cool and something I won’t forget for a long time.”

The lowest of lows and highest of highs in the final game of Doolittle’s career was not only a perfect microcosm of Oklahoma’s season but Doolittle’s career.

He still does not know what the future holds for him but he expects to get back in the gym following what he says is the longest break he has had from the game since the season began.

“(I) took some time off to relax a little bit and spend some time with my family up in Edmond, something I don’t have the opportunity to do a lot of. It will be back to normal here real soon.”

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Oklahoma basketball coach Lon Kruger addresses the abrupt ending to the NCAA basketball season

“This is uncharted waters,” Kruger told media members Friday evening. “It’s a crazy time, it’s unsettling, it’s a little bit scary.”

After having their entire season cancelled over the course of mere hours, Lon Kruger finally had an opportunity to speak to the media via teleconference to take a peek behind the curtain of the Sooners past 48-72 hours.

“This is uncharted waters,” Kruger told media members Friday evening. “It’s a crazy time, it’s unsettling, it’s a little bit scary.”

Due to the pandemic outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Big 12 and NCAA went from fanless games at their respective tournaments to the full cancellation of the tournaments in less than a day. The Sooners left Kansas City Thursday morning after learning that the Big 12 Tournament cancelled the remainder of the men’s and women’s tournaments less than 24-hours after commissioner Bob Bowlsby made the announcement that the Big 12 would play their tournament games in front of a limited crowd of family and essential personnel. Just hours before the team was supposed to play six-seeded West Virginia, Oklahoma was on their way back to Norman, Okla.

“On the ride home, we learn that the NCAA Tournament was cancelled,” Kruger said Friday. “They handled it well…They totally understand the gravity of the situation and they understand that the primary concern is the health and safety of student-athletes and the staff and the fans.”

Of course, everyone’s season came to an abrupt end but for one Sooner, his entire collegiate career ended under circumstances nobody could have predicted.

Kristian Doolittle, the lone senior on the team, posted a good-bye to Sooners fans via social media after learning that his days of playing in crimson and cream were officially over.

“In Kristian’s case, you compliment him on all he’s accomplished and thank him for all he’s contributed,” Kruger said. “It’s disappointing that he’s not going to be able to finish it with actual participation.”

With all of the uncertainty that lies ahead of not just the Big 12 or the NCAA, but the nation and the entire world, Kruger told media throughout the interview that he believes the decision to cancel all of the post-season for basketball was the right call.

“Of course, there’s a disappointment of not being able to continue to participate, but it pales by comparison in significance of the event,” said Kruger. “What’s going on worldwide is much much much more significant than our disappointment to not being able to play.”

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Kristian Doolittle sends out goodbye after college basketball season abruptly ends

Kristian Doolittle’s career at Oklahoma has come to an abrupt end.

With the cancellation of all NCAA winter and spring championships and the Big 12 Tournament being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Kristian Doolittle’s career at Oklahoma has come to an abrupt end.

Doolittle took to social media to address the unprecedented situation.

The Sooners were scheduled to play against West Virginia Thursday night at 8 p.m. CT but a string of cancellations and postponements by both the NCAA and Big 12 has ended college basketball for the 2019-20 season.

Doolittle’s last game as a Sooner came in Ft. Worth last Saturday against TCU. Down 19-points in the second half, Doolittle was a key part of Oklahoma’s comeback as Austin Reaves’ 41-point performance led the way.

Doolittle nailed back to back three’s on consecutive possessions for the Sooners to cut the led from 13 to seven at the seven-minute mark. Doolittle also knocked down a pair of free throws with about four minutes left to keep the deficit in the single-digits. From there, Reaves and Brady Manek took over offensively to unknowingly send off the lone Sooner senior off with a win.

In his career at Oklahoma, Doolittle averaged 10.2 points per game, joining the 1,000-point club earlier this season and 6.8 rebounds per game. Doolittle was named All-Big 12 First Team earlier this week and was named Big 12 Most Improved Player and All-Big 12 Third Team for the 2018-19 season.

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Austin Reaves apologizes, comments about celebration after game-winning shot against TCU

With Oklahoma’s post-season fate on the line, Austin Reaves took the ball from Jamal Bieniemy and waited to make his move.

With Oklahoma’s postseason fate on the line, Austin Reaves took the ball from Jamal Bieniemy and waited to make his move. Sizing up RJ Nembhard with six seconds left Reaves faked a drive to the lane off the right elbow, gathered, stepped back and released an 18-foot dagger into the hearts of the TCU faithful.

With half a second left on the game clock, Reaves capped off an 18-point halftime deficit, giving the Sooners their 19th win of the season, the most important of the season so far.

Immediately Reaves walked down court flexing to the cameras before telling the crowd both inside Schollmaier Arena and at home that “it’s over” while making a slashing motion at his throat.

Reaves took to Instagram Monday morning to express remorse for how his celebration could have been taken the wrong way.

“Hey everyone, had a little time to process our great team win last night,” Reaves wrote in a post on Instagram. “Just before the game was over I got caught up in the heat of the moment and took things too far in celebrating our team’s great comeback. Emotions were high as my teammates and I fought hard to beat a really good TCU team. I meant no disrespect by my actions or celebration but want to apologize for taking it too far. Excited to get back on the floor to prepare for the week ahead. AR”

He was asked about his apology after practice on Monday.

“I guess I took it a little bit overboard,” he said. “Just caught up in the emotions. It was a big win.”

Reaves went on to say that the apology was “pretty much all me” in terms of why he felt the need to apologize.

It was a big win. With a win, the Sooners would be a 3-seed in the Big 12 Tournament. With a loss, a 7-seed and a much tougher road in the Big 12 Tournament.

The win cemented Oklahoma as the 3-seed as they will face 6-seed West Virginia on Thursday night at 8 p.m. CT on either ESPN or ESPN2.

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Kristian Doolittle named to All-Big 12 First Team

Kristian Doolittle was named All-Big 12 First Team for the 2019-20 season, the league announced Sunday.

Kristian Doolittle was named All-Big 12 First Team for the 2019-20 season, the league announced Sunday.

Doolittle averaged 15.8 points per game this season, along with 8.9 rebounds and 2 assists to lead the Sooners to the three-seed in the Big 12 Tournament this season. He finished the regular season ranking fourth in the league in both scoring and rebounding.

He produced 10 double-doubles this season, and leads the conference with four 20-point double-doubles. Doolittle joins Baylor’s Jared Butler, Kansas’ Udoka Azubuike and Devon Dotson, and TCU’s Desmond Bane on the First Team

Doolittle, who played his last regular season game as a Sooner on Saturday, is the 10th Sooner since the league was established in 1996 to earn First Team honors. 

Along with Doolittle, Brady Manek earned All-Big 12 Third team honors, and Austin Reaves earned Big 12 All-Newcomer and honorable mention honors.

Oklahoma will play in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship against West Virginia on Thursday at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be aired on either ESPN or ESPN2. 

Austin Reaves’ career night, game-winner at TCU saves Oklahoma’s season

With 21 seconds left in the game, Kristian Doolittle inbounded the ball to Jamal Bieniemy to set the stage for Austin Reaves.

FORT WORTH, Texas — With 21 seconds left in the game, Kristian Doolittle inbounded the ball to Jamal Bieniemy to set the stage for Austin Reaves.

Taking the ball at half court Reaves took on a defender one-on-one to the right side. Sizing him up, he faked his patented dribble-drive and added a twist—stepping back and nailing an 18-foot fadeaway to cap-off a 17-point second-half comeback.

Reaves flexed. Then fake slashed his throat and said, “game over,” to the TCU crowd, who was in shock and awe at Schollmaier Arena while Kristian Doolittle hounded him from behind.

With a half a second left, Oklahoma had its first lead of the game at 78-76, the only one the Sooners needed.

“For him (Coach Kruger) to have the confidence in me as well as the players, that just shows a lot to me so I just had the confidence to make the shot,” Reaves said postgame.

The Sooners, down 18-points at halftime, clawed their way back over the last 20 minutes to give Oklahoma the largest halftime comeback win on the road in Big 12 history.

Reaves nearly singlehandedly made the comeback possible with his career-high 41-points, becoming the first Sooner since Trae Young on Jan. 30, 2018 against Baylor to score 40+ in a win.

A surprise to everyone but Reaves himself.

“I’ve been playing basketball for a long time, all the hard work I put in, it paid off tonight,” Reaves told reporters postgame.

Reaves was a methodical assassin who did not have any regard for his body so long as the ball found the bottom of the basket.

Taking 16 trips to the foul line, Reaves knocked down 15 of the attempts. The majority of the 26 points Reaves chalked up came from the paint as he slashed his way through defenders and cut through the trees to get the ball to the rim.

“He put us on his back today,” Doolittle said postgame. “We needed all 41 of his points.”

Although Reaves’ points are the talk of the town, his assists allowed the Sooners to him a chance to call ‘game’.

Dishing to Doolittle and Brady Manek in the closing moments, Reaves drew the Horned Frogs defense enough to give his teammates wide-open looks to trim from 10 points at the 3:26 mark to tied at 76 with 55 seconds left.

The win not only gives Reaves a huge confidence boost, but it gives the entire squad a sense of relief.

“(It’s) very relieving,” Doolittle said postgame. “Finishing the season on a strong note, we gotta see how the rankings shake out and see what position we’re in and go from there.”

With the win, Oklahoma is slated as the 3-seed in the Big 12 Tournament and is unofficially locked into the NCAA Tournament. They pick up post-season play on Thursday in Kansas City at the Sprint Center to play 6-seed West Virginia at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN or ESPN2.

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Oklahoma could fall to 7-seed in Big 12 Tournament pending outcome of TCU game

Oklahoma holds its own cards when it comes to the Big 12 Tournament.

Oklahoma holds its own cards when it comes to the Big 12 Tournament.

The Sooners (18-12, 8-9)  are still up in the air when it comes to their Big 12 Tournament seeding with West Virginia taking down Baylor in the early Saturday slate.

With a win, Oklahoma can be no lower than a five-seed if both Texas and Texas Tech win today. The Longhorns play Oklahoma State at home and the Red Raiders host No. 1 ranked Kansas.

If the Jayhawks and Cowboys both win and Oklahoma wins, the Sooners will be slated as the three-seed next weekend and will open the tournament against West Virginia.

A Kansas win and Texas win will give the Sooners the four-seed and will play Texas Tech who would be the five-seed. If Tech beats Kansas, they will take the four-seed over Oklahoma and the two would still meet given a Texas win over Oklahoma State.

If the Sooners drop their game against TCU this evening, they will slide all the way to the seventh-seed and would play 10-seed Kansas State on Wednesday, instead of Thursday in a ‘play-in game’.

Oklahoma and TCU are set for a 5p.m. CT tip-off which can be found on ESPN2. For more broadcast details, click here.

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Three keys for Oklahoma basketball against TCU

The final game of the regular season means it’s crunch time for everyone, but especially so for both Oklahoma (18-12, 8-9)…

The final game of the regular season means it’s crunch time for everyone, but especially so for both Oklahoma (18-12, 8-9) and TCU (16-14, 7-10).

A must-win for both squads, this matchup is important regarding NCAA Tournament implications. For the Sooners, a win in Ft. Worth today would cement themselves in the Big Dance. The Horned Frogs still have some work to do but can help their cause with a win against Oklahoma before heading to Kansas City next week for the Big 12 Tournament.

Here is what the Sooners need to do to ensure a happy trip home to Norman, Okla.

START HOT

It goes without saying, but Oklahoma is much better off if they get off to a hot start. Knocking shots down early and finding the rhythm of the offense in the first ten minutes of the game will be crucial in setting the tone against TCU.

shot selection

Going 2-20 from deep in a heartbreaking loss to Texas on Tuesday is not what the Sooners needed heading into March. Smarter shots and draining the shot clock to find those shots will allow Oklahoma to rest up to play their smothering defense while tiring out the Horned Frogs. Getting into the paint has been an issue but with post-season play looming, the Sooners cannot depend on their outside shooting.

FORGET ABOUT IT

Tuesday’s loss, as heartbreaking as it was for senior Kristian Doolittle, needs to be forgotten about. There is nothing the Sooners can do to change it, so they might as well move on as soon as possible. The first ten minutes against TCU should be a good barometer as to if Lon Kruger’s squad is still reeling from Tuesday’s game.

Oklahoma and TCU are set to tip-off at 4p.m. CT on ESPN. For more broadcast details, click here.

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When, where, how to watch Oklahoma-TCU

Oklahoma (18-12, 8-9) is looking to cap off an up-and-down season with a win over TCU (16-14, 7-10).

After losing to Texas in grim fashion on Wednesday, Oklahoma (18-12, 8-9) is looking to cap off an up-and-down season with a win over TCU (16-14, 7-10).

Both the Sooners and the Horned Frogs will be competing for similar spots in the postseason tournament, and an early March win will bolster both of their resumes.

TCU is coming off a tough loss of their own, as they dropped a 9-point game to Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse.

Here is where you can tune in to watch or listen.

_______________________________________________________________

WHERE: Schollmaier Arena (Fort Worth, Texas)

WHEN: 5:00 p.m. CT

HOW TO WATCH: ESPN2

HOW TO LISTEN: Sooner Sports Radio Network—KOKC AM 1520 and KRXO 107.7 FM in OKC, KMOD FM 97.5 and KTBZ AM 1430 in Tulsa (click here for more options if not in either of those markets)

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