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Bright Future for Oklahoma Basketball

The "Buddy Buckets" era has now come to an end at Oklahoma along with all the weapons we witnessed around him. Lon Kruger was able to help lead the Oklahoma Sooners four headed monster in Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins, Ryan Spangler, and Jordan Woodard to a 76-29 (.724) record in the three seasons they played together which included trips to the NCAA Tournament in each of those years. The 2015-16 season was one of the most exciting seasons we have seen in Norman since Blake Griffin dominated the court. A season in which the Sooners went to the Final Four and had the Naismith player of the year ignite the college game.

Still yet, we have come to the time in which Hield, Cousins, and Spangler have all graduated and are continuing their playing careers in the NBA and in Japan. Now, we look towards the bright future that awaits for the Oklahoma basketball team. Of the sixteen players that make up the 2016-17 roster, nine are returning players (Matt Freeman redshirted because of the New Zealand school schedule ending in December) and only four of those nine are upperclassmen. With the exception of JUCO transfer Darrion Strong-Moore being a newcomer as a junior, the Oklahoma team has eleven underclassmen on its roster. Although that brings inexperience into the equation for the upcoming years to come, the upside is how good and capable the players Kruger is bringing in are.

The young guns are led by Sophomore guard Christian James. Averaging just at 9.4 minutes per game last season, James shot 42% from the floor and 50% from behind the three point line. His key contributions came during the Sooners late post season run as he averaged nearly 5 points and 4 rebounds in 17 minutes of action in the five game span. The most significant being against Texas A&M (12 point, 6 rebounds) and Oregon (5 points, 10 rebounds) in which he played 28 and 26 minutes. With James' 6'4", 218 pound frame, he is able to bully many defenders at the guard position down in the post but also has the shooting ability to torch the defense from the outside. James has been tasked with filling the shoes in the scoring department that was left by Buddy Hield. Averaging 12 points per game so far this year, James will continue to look to score the ball for the Sooners.

Rashard Odomes is next up in what is a talented, yet youthful roster. Odomes, who did not see many minutes in his freshman season beyond the beginning of the year was able to make major improvements in his game this offseason. At 6'6", 212 pounds, and a leaping ability beyond most, Odomes is able to drive strong to the basket against defenders and then rise high above the rim to finish. Already this season he has shown his scoring ability improvements by posting double-digit scoring games in six of their nine contests so far. But, Odomes true high quality part of his game is his defense. With a wingspan near 6'8", Odomes is able to guard almost any opposing player and make it a nightmare for them to score. Odomes also brings a highlight reel of possibilities into play with his tremendous finishes around the rim as we have already seen this year.

Another key part to the Oklahoma basketball future is freshman and home town favorite, Kristian Doolittle. Coming straight down I-35 from Edmond Memorial high school in Edmond, Oklahoma, Doolittle brings an all around threat to the Sooners lineup. During Doolittle's final season at Edmond Memorial he averaged 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists. Also being able to boast the #1 recruiting ranking out of Oklahoma, Doolittle has shown he deserved the high praise. So far this season Doolittle has been able to average just at 8.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while playing nearly 22 minutes per contest. Doolittle has shown an immediate impact in the Sooners lineup as he has been in the starting rotation five times this season already. Expect Doolittle to be another big contributor as his career advances at Oklahoma.

The last player that could be a known name around Oklahoma is Kameron McGusty. Coming out of high school, McGusty was the 33rd ranked overall recruit by Scout.com, and 5th at the shooting guard position. He will likely become one of Oklahoma's big scoring threats as he is able to shoot the ball very well. In nine games of action so far this season McGusty has averaged 6 points per contest while shooting 46% from the floor. As the season moves further along, McGusty will fine tune his role in the Sooners offense and be able to improve moving forward.

The recruiting by Lon Kruger has been done very well at Oklahoma as he is able to always get guys who like to be in the gym. One positive that Kruger has achieved in his recruiting is that he gets the kids who want to play because they genuinely love the game of basketball. One upcoming recruit that can have a major impact on the Oklahoma squad is senior Trae Young from Norman, Oklahoma. The five-star recruit and number 15 overall prospect according to ESPN can be what most would like to call the hometown hero. Young has a skill set similar to that of Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and would be a vital part of the Sooners system.

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