We know coach Lon Kruger and Sooner fans are excited about what’s coming in Oklahoma basketball and that there is high optimism for a return to national relevance in men’s hoops.
You would expect that to be the case among those close to the team and OU sports in general.
After experiencing one of the worst seasons in recent memory, with just 11 wins and a school-record 20 losses, it doesn’t take a sabermetrics geek to conclude that up is about the only direction the Sooners could go.
To add salt to an open wound, it was just a little over a year ago at this time that Oklahoma was one the four teams left standing and competing for college basketball’s Holy Grail in the NCAA Final Four.
The 2016-17 edition of Oklahoma men’s basketball featured one of the youngest teams in college basketball with 11 freshmen and sophomores filling out a 16-man roster.
Sooner basketball got a giant boost in its prospectus for next season with the official signing last week of the No. 2 point guard in the 2017 national signing class, Trae Young, from right down the street in Norman. A five-star prospect, according to all the major recruiting services and a McDonald’s All-American, Young averaged over 40 points a game at Norman North High School this past season.
It would have been a travesty to have missed out on the state of Oklahoma’s highest ranked basketball recruit since Blake Griffin. But it easily could have happened, because 13-time Big 12 defending champion Kansas was hot on his heels as well.
Young will join a core group of OU starters that includes two sophomores (Kameron McGusty and Kristian Doolitte), a junior (Rashard Odomes) and senior Khadeem Lattin.
With the young talent the Sooners have returning next season, now with a year of Division I experience under their belt, and with a recruiting class headed by Young and believed to be among the 25 best in the nation for 2017, Oklahoma should be in good position to step it up a couple of notches when the new season tips off in November.
We aren’t the only ones thinking that way, however.
Here, in case you missed it, is what a couple of people much more in the know about the world of college basketball are saying about the prospects for Sooner basketball next season, according to information gathered by the University of Oklahoma athletic department:
Matt Norlander, CBS Sports
"“(Trae Young) is a Final Four-impact get. I’m not saying Oklahoma will repeat what it did with Buddy Hield (who was a four-star recruit) and make a Final Four. But landing such a good point guard could be the building block that gets OU to the NCAA Tournament next season, then makes the Sooners a threat to play in the Final Four come 2019, 2020 and/or 2021. This commitment could have a snowball effect on other four- or five-star players picking Oklahoma the next two years.”"
Jeff Borzello, ESPN.com
"“Trae Young is a big-time playmaker and shot-maker on the offensive end, and could put up huge numbers immediately as a freshman. Four-star frontcourt pieces Brady Manek and Hannes Polla also enter the program, giving (Lon) Kruger more size up front. Oklahoma will return everyone besides (Jordan) Woodard, including former ESPN 100 prospects Kameron McGusty and Kristian Doolittle. Throw in Kruger’s coaching ability, and this is a team that won’t miss the tournament again next season.”"