2009-10 OU Basketball Preview: Frontcourt

The Griffin brothers are gone thus ushering in a new era of basketball. One in which the backcourt has the limelight and the frontcourt has the backseat. That doesn't mean that Oklahoma is void of talented big men though, it just means that the proven guys are in the backcourt and the up and comers will be the ones under the rim which is quite the opposite from last season.

Currently Oklahoma's frontcourt returns one player with starting experience, another with tons of athletic potential and a few incoming freshmen that were highly touted coming out of high school. It's a mix of big men that will suffer a few growing pains and need to mature quickly for OU to have any shot at the Big 12 Championship. It's a lot to expect from a group so young but that's the reason they chose to become a Sooner.

Probable Starters In The Front Court

#1 - Ryan Wright, Sr: Played in 32 games last season, averaging 1.8 points and 2.1 rebounds while playing an average of 8.1 minutes per game. Wright shot .341 from the field and .577 from the free throw line where he has a knack of winding up on. Last season he ranked sixth on team with 52 free throw attempts.

#24 - Tiny Gallon, Fr: Don't let the nickname fool you. This kid is a beast under the basket who also has the range to hurt you from outside. He was the #2 ranked center in the nation by Rivals and dominated the McDonald's All-American with 20 points and 7 boards. Gallon averaged 16.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game as a senior while shooting .591 from the floor and .685 from the free throw line for Oak Hill Academy (VA). He also shot .342 from 3-point range making him a legit inside/outside threat.

The Bench

#4 - Andrew Fitzgerald, Fr: Averaged 22.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game last year at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. where he earned first-team national prep school All-America honors.

#21 - Orlando Allen, Jr: Saw spot duty in19 games last season. He averaged 1.8 points and 0.8 rebounds in an average of 4.6 minutes per game. Allen shot .577 from the field (15-for-26) and only made 4 of his 10 free throw attempts.