Oklahoma basketball had some major rebuilding to do at this time a year ago, and new head coach Porter Moser hit the ground running to put together a competitive roster for the 2021-22 season.
After the surprising transfer departures of a couple of Sooners starters from last season’s team, Moser finds himself with a couple of key positions to fill again for next season. There have been a couple of positive developments on the recruiting front over the past week.
Two days ago, Moser announced a verbal commitment from four-star small forward Jacolb Cole out of Link Academy in Branson, Missouri.
Cole is the No. 4-ranked prospect in the state of Missouri and the No. 15 small forward in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite recruiting rankings.
The 6-foot, 7-inch small forward is the Sooners’ first 2023 recruiting commitment. He chose the Sooners over offers from Georgia, LSU, Houston, Tennessee, Texas A&M and others.
Cole averaged 22.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in his junior year of high school.
Although the highly touted small forward won’t arrive in Norman for another year, members of the Sooners 36th-ranked 2022 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Recruiting Team Rankings, have begun arriving on campus. Members of the incoming 2022 class include guards Otegah Oweh, Milos Uzan, and Benjamin Schroder as well as forward Luke Northweather.
Also joining the Oklahoma basketball program for next season are transfers Joe Bamisile, a 6-foot, 4-inch guard, who has transferred to OU from George Washington, as well as 6-foot, 9-inch forward Sam Godwin from Wofford.
And over the past weekend, the Sooners picked up another player from the transfer portal: Yaya Keita, who comes to OU from Missouri. Keita, who hails from the St. Louis, Missouri, area, has played only 21 career collegiate game. The 6-foot, 9-inch Keita was rated as the No. 27 center in the 2021 class by the 247Sports Composite rankings.
At the end of last season, Oklahoma lost starters Elijah Harkless and Umoja Gibson to the transfer portal. The Sooners also lost big men Rick Issanza and Akol Mawein to the portal.