Lon Kruger Talks 2013 Oklahoma Sooners Basketball Season
Mar 21, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lon Kruger during practice the day before the second round of the 2013 NCAA tournament at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
A lot of articles have flowed out of Oklahoma Sooners football coach Bob Stoops’ comments on the OU caravan tour. However, Lon Kruger was on the tour as well as had a lot to say about his 2013 Oklahoma Sooners basketball team.
First up, he talked about Ryan Spangler, a transfer from Gonzaga who sat out last season and will be expected to step up this year. Oklahoma loses four of their starters to graduation and the NBA, so it is important for players, such as Spangler, who have some experience to step up.
While Spangler only averaged 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds as a freshman at Gonzaga, Kruger expects him to contribute immediately to the now depleted Sooners’ roster.
“He’ll be in that group with Buddy (Hield), and with Je’lon (Hornbeak) and Isaiah (Cousins) and Cam (Clark), and all those guys. We’ve got several guys who can approach that double-figure scoring,” Kruger said. “I don’t see one guy stepping out and getting a bunch. I see a lot of guys averaging right near double figures.”
Next up, Kruger talked about leading OU back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since Blake Griffin was in Norman, and what he sees as the future for his Sooners’ team.
“Obviously, the group last year did a great job in taking the step to get to the tournament,” Kruger said. “Now you want to win games in the tournament. That group’s got good memories now for a lifetime. They hadn’t played in the postseason tournament, so very happy for them to have had that experience.”
It’s nice to see that Lon Kruger is not resting on last season’s success and wants more with his 2013 Oklahoma Sooners basketball team. Kruger has been around a long time and he understands that losing players is not a game-killer in college basketball. He has a new team and he expects them to be even better than last years.
One of the players he wants to step up is incoming freshman Jordan Woodard, someone he expects to contribute immediately.
“He’s a good basketball player,” Kruger said. “He’s a team guy. He handled the ball well at the point, probably more of a point guard than anyone else we’ve got. When you think about Je’lon, Isaiah … they’re more combo guard who have played some point. But Jordan’s played point all his life, and that’s his natural position.”
Source: NewsOK.com