Tag: Porter Moser

Oklahoma Basketball: 5 Reasons to be excited about the Sooners

The Porter Moser era begins as the Oklahoma Sooners play their lone exhibition contest against Rogers State at 7 p.m.

The Porter Moser era gets underway tonight at 7 p.m. inside the Lloyd Noble Center as Oklahoma welcomes in Rogers State for the Sooners’ lone exhibition contest before officially tipping off the season Tuesday, Nov. 9 against Northwestern State.

Here’s five reasons to be excited about what the 2021-22 men’s college basketball season has in store for Oklahoma.

Sooners land four-star guard out of New Jersey; Porter Moser’s first 2022 commit

Porter Moser and the Oklahoma Sooners land four-star guard out of New Jersey, Otega Oweh, for the 2022 recruiting class.

Porter Moser has not coached a minute of basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners but his presence is already being felt. Today, the Sooners basketball team landed a commitment from Otega Oweh, a four-star combo guard out of Blairstown, New Jersey.

Oweh becomes the first member of the 2022 recruiting class for Porter Moser who is about to embark on his first year as the head coach of the Sooners. He comes from the talent-rich state of New Jersey that has produced a lot of notable basketball names like Kyrie Irving.

Oweh ranks as the 76th best player according to 247Sports top 100. He thrives while attacking the rim. He is a decent not great spot up shooter and that will certainly be something he can work on. Physically he looks developed enough to play college basketball already.

After completing his official visit on September 1st, the Sooners only had to wait a month for the commitment. The Sooners biggest competition was Penn State, who thought they would have the inside track because Oweh’s older brother is former Penn State defensive end Odafe Oweh. Odafe is now a starter for the Baltimore Ravens.

Here’s what Oweh had to say about committing to Oklahoma and why he made the decision:

When I went on a visit I just felt that atmosphere where I didn’t want to leave,” he said. “The staff was great, I blended in with the team, and I just felt at home. It really played a big part in my decision. They were basically telling me how they will use me in the style I’m in now. It’s a fast pace run and go type of system but they will also put me in some ball screens as well. They would have me kind of as a primary ball handler which is great and it caught my attention.

Porter Moser is flashing some serious recruiting prowess by taking a huge gamble and recruiting the east coast. Going into a school that teams like Duke, Villanova, Kentucky recruit is a tough fight, but Moser is showing he’s not afraid and he can win. Time will tell how committed he is to recruiting the east coast and if it will have the same results.

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Eastern Illinois transfer guard Marvin Johnson commits to Oklahoma

Eastern Illinois transfer guard Marvin Johnson announced he is committing to Oklahoma on Sunday evening.

The final roster spot for new Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser’s first team has been filled, as Eastern Illinois transfer guard Marvin Johnson announced on Sunday evening that he would be taking his talents to Norman to join the Sooners.

A local product originally from Ardmore, Oklahoma who went on to attend Edmond North High School, Johnson looks to be another very solid addition to the roster in what has been an offseason filled with quality transfer additions for Moser and the Sooners.

Last season in 26 games with Eastern Illinois, Johnson averaged 15.3 points, 5.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game. Certainly a quality stat line in a solid basketball league in the Ohio Valley Conference.

It will be interesting to see where Johnson fits into the rotation with Oklahoma along with the other guards, but he looks to have the potential to be a legitimate addition to the roster. Moser’s highly successful first offseason in Norman rolls on with the team now having every spot filled as the summer months approach.

Tanner Groves among the top transfers in the country

One Oklahoma Sooners forward ranked among the top transfers in the country.

The Oklahoma Sooners lost their fair share of players to the NBA draft and the transfer portal following the retirement of head coach Lon Kruger. The Sooners’ brass had to move quickly as they secured Porter Moser as the new man in charge.

One of the first steps for the new head coach was trying to field a competitive team through the transfer portal. One of his top targets came from Eastern Washington with Tanner Groves. The 6’9″ forward saw his most playing time this past season with an average of 27 minutes per game. He can be the replacement for Brady Manek, who decided to move on from Oklahoma after four seasons in Norman.

According to ESPN, Groves is the No. 39 transfer on their top 100 list (subscription required).

The Big Sky Player of the Year, Groves put up 35 points against Kansas in the first round of the NCAA tournament. He averaged 17.2 points and 8.0 rebounds this season and had a host of big-time programs pursuing him before settling on Porter Moser and the Sooners.

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Tanner will join his brother Jacob on the Oklahoma roster after both transferred from Eastern Washington. The expectations for the team will likely be low to begin the 2021-22 season but Moser could have a trick up his sleeve to return OU to their former glory on the hardwood.

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Four-star power forward sets official visit to Oklahoma

Oklahoma to get a visit from four-star power forward from Texas in June.

New Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball coach Porter Moser has a huge task set before him. Moser took over a program that underwent a mass exodus for the NBA draft and the transfer portal.

In addition to bringing in players through the transfer portal, another avenue will be restocking the talent through recruiting.

Moser will host one of the top talents in the state of Texas next month. Four-star power forward from Garland, Zuby Ejiofor is set for a visit on June 14, 2021. Ejiofor could provide a presence down low for the Sooners — one of the key elements missing in 2020-21 season.

Along with Oklahoma, the Sooners’ bitter rivals, the Texas Longhorns, will also get a visit from the talented power forward. Porter Moser will get his first taste of battling Chris Beard on the recruiting trail as both look to secure the talents of the 6-foot-8 big man. Kansas and Texas Christian are two other schools in the conference that will host Ejiofor for visits.

Zuby Ejiofor’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247 4 37 6 8
Rivals 4 49 – 10
ESPN – – – –
247 Composite 4 39 4 8

Vitals

Hometown Garland, Texas
Projected Position Power Forward
Height 6-8
Weight 215

Recruitment

  • Offered on Apr. 14, 2021
  • Official visit on June 14, 2021

Offers (Visits)

  • Oklahoma
  • Arkansas
  • Kansas
  • Texas Christian
  • Texas

Crystal Ball

No crystal ball predictions submitted at the time of publication

Film

Twitter

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Porter Moser dishes on transfers Tanner Groves and Jordan Goldwire

New Sooners’ coach Porter Moser discussed the additions of transfers Tanner Groves and Jordan Goldwire on Friday.

New Oklahoma Sooners’ men’s basketball coach Porter Moser added size to the interior with Eastern Washington transfer Tanner Groves (6 feet, 9 inches) and depth to the perimeter with Duke transfer Jordan Goldwire. Both are huge additions to the roster heading into next season.

He discussed both transfers with media on Friday afternoon.

Goldwire adds experience at point guard and physicality on defense. He averaged 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals-per-game for the Blue Devils and was named All-ACC defensive team.

“Jordan Goldwire was another veteran,” Moser said. “You know, he played at the highest level at Duke. He played in great culture there. He was All-ACC defensive Team, he had 94 assists. He was seventh in the ACC in assists, so so many things but he brings a veteran mentality to it… I think Jordan is looking for a little more expanded offensive role as well than he had at Duke. So, I just think it’s great mix of a veteran guy who has been through a lot of games at a high level and he’s all ACC defense and he can really contribute.”

Groves thrived on the inside for the Eagles, earning Big Sky Conference Most Valuable Player honors as a redshirt junior. He averaged 17.2 points and 8.0 rebounds.

“Tanner Groves, the big man from Eastern Washington, right when we started watching his film, he was in the portal before I got the job. So, the recruiting for him, he had almost every school in the country reach out to him and right away when we made the contact watching what we did with our big kid Cameron Krutwig, who was a third-team All American at Loyola, Tanner just has that feel. He can play out in the perimeter, he can pass, he can function, he can take you inside but he can also take you outside. He can really shoot the three. He’s got a high IQ. We just really started talking about paralleling what we did with him at Loyola what we did. I just think he is going to be a big help right away. You saw, I know he had the big game against Kansas, 35, but he was player of the year in that league. The other thing I love about Tanner is he loves ball. He loves basketball.”

The addition of Groves and Goldwire via the transfer portal will certainly give Oklahoma a boost after losing Austin Reaves, De’Vion Harmon and Brady Manek.

Porter Moser dishes on transfers Tanner Groves and Jordan Goldwire

New Sooners’ coach Porter Moser discussed the additions of transfers Tanner Groves and Jordan Goldwire on Friday.

New Oklahoma Sooners’ men’s basketball coach Porter Moser added size to the interior with Eastern Washington transfer Tanner Groves (6 feet, 9 inches) and depth to the perimeter with Duke transfer Jordan Goldwire. Both are huge additions to the roster heading into next season.

He discussed both transfers with media on Friday afternoon.

Goldwire adds experience at point guard and physicality on defense. He averaged 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals-per-game for the Blue Devils and was named All-ACC defensive team.

“Jordan Goldwire was another veteran,” Moser said. “You know, he played at the highest level at Duke. He played in great culture there. He was All-ACC defensive Team, he had 94 assists. He was seventh in the ACC in assists, so so many things but he brings a veteran mentality to it… I think Jordan is looking for a little more expanded offensive role as well than he had at Duke. So, I just think it’s great mix of a veteran guy who has been through a lot of games at a high level and he’s all ACC defense and he can really contribute.”

Groves thrived on the inside for the Eagles, earning Big Sky Conference Most Valuable Player honors as a redshirt junior. He averaged 17.2 points and 8.0 rebounds.

“Tanner Groves, the big man from Eastern Washington, right when we started watching his film, he was in the portal before I got the job. So, the recruiting for him, he had almost every school in the country reach out to him and right away when we made the contact watching what we did with our big kid Cameron Krutwig, who was a third-team All American at Loyola, Tanner just has that feel. He can play out in the perimeter, he can pass, he can function, he can take you inside but he can also take you outside. He can really shoot the three. He’s got a high IQ. We just really started talking about paralleling what we did with him at Loyola what we did. I just think he is going to be a big help right away. You saw, I know he had the big game against Kansas, 35, but he was player of the year in that league. The other thing I love about Tanner is he loves ball. He loves basketball.”

The addition of Groves and Goldwire via the transfer portal will certainly give Oklahoma a boost after losing Austin Reaves, De’Vion Harmon and Brady Manek.

Oklahoma makes another transfer addition with SMU forward Ethan Chargois

Oklahoma basketball has made their fourth transfer addition of the offseason with SMU forward Ethan Chargois.

Oklahoma basketball’s roster continues to round into form with another transfer pickup on Thursday evening with the commitment of former SMU forward Ethan Chargois.

Chargois is the fourth addition through the transfer portal for new head coach Porter Moser, joining Tanner and Jacob Groves from Eastern Washington and Jordan Goldwire from Duke. Much like each of those players, Chargois will be an instant contributor as he goes into his fifth year of college basketball.

A local kid from Tulsa, he averaged 8.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in a little over 24 minutes per night a year ago with the Mustangs. Two seasons ago, those were numbers were higher: 12.4 points and 6.2 rebounds in just under 29 minutes of action.

Once again, this looks to be a solid addition made by Moser and the Sooners as they continue to replenish the roster that was ravaged with transfers and graduates after last season. Chargois should be able to step right in and play big minutes in Norman next season.

Sooners Wire will continue to provide updates as the basketball roster starts to take a clear shape in the first offseason under the new regime.

Oklahoma lands Duke transfer guard Jordan Goldwire

Oklahoma basketball made another transfer addition on Monday getting the commitment of Duke transfer guard Jordan Goldwire.

Just one day after Oklahoma landed two transfers in Tanner and Jacob Groves from Eastern Washington, new head coach Porter Moser has made another splash pickup.

Former Duke guard Jordan Goldwire has announced he will be joining the Sooners for his fifth season of college basketball.

Goldwire has played each of the last four seasons with the Blue Devils rising into a key member of the team in the last couple of years. This season, in just over 28 minutes per night, he averaged 5.8 points, 4 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. He is also considered a solid defender who averaged 1.1 steals per game as well.

On paper, this looks to be another very solid pickup for Moser and Oklahoma as a player that will surely be a top contributor next season. Along with the Groves brothers, the Sooners seemingly have added three of the best players on the team going into next year in a less-than-24-hour span.

Sooners Wire will continue to provide updates as Moser looks to keep adding to the team through the transfer market.

Oklahoma gains the commitments of Eastern Washington transfers Tanner and Jacob Groves

Oklahoma basketball picked up two roster additions on Sunday with commitments from Eastern Washington transfers Tanner and Jacob Groves.

Oklahoma basketball has had an offseason of turnover unlike quite any other in recent memory with both the coaching staff as well as the roster undergoing an essential entire overhaul.

In terms of players, it has been a lot more going out than coming in for the Sooners, but new head coach Porter Moser landed himself two very big additions on Sunday night with the commitments from Eastern Washington transfers Tanner and Jacob Groves.

It had been previously reported that Oklahoma had made the final four teams in the running for Tanner Groves, which was significant news given his status as one of the bigger names in the transfer market after his solid season a year ago with the Eagles and his big performance in the NCAA Tournament against Kansas. Now, he has made his next destination official as he’ll be heading to Norman to play under Moser, and he’ll be bringing his younger brother with him.

While Tanner Groves’ 17.2 points and 8 rebounds per game will grab the bulk of the headlines here, younger brother Jacob is a very solid pickup in his own right. In just under 22 minutes per game a year ago, he averaged over nine points per game shooting 55 percent from the field. He has the ability to be a significant contributor right away as well.

With so much turnover from the roster after the end of last season, it has to feel good for Moser and company to have landed two players they can use and one that will certainly immediately be one of the best on the team. It’s especially significant given the position that Tanner Groves plays with his size at six feet and nine inches tall, after Brady Manek left the team to go to North Carolina earlier in the week.

Sooners Wire will continue to provide updates as the roster takes more shape with the Sooners expected to still be in pursuit of more players in the transfer portal throughout the offseason.