Oklahoma basketball: Grant Sherfield a giant find for point-starved Sooners

Nov 27, 2022; Orlando, FL, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Grant Sherfield (25) dribbles the ball up the court against the Mississippi Rebels during the second half at ESPN Wide World of Sports. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2022; Orlando, FL, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Grant Sherfield (25) dribbles the ball up the court against the Mississippi Rebels during the second half at ESPN Wide World of Sports. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

When the men’s Oklahoma basketball team returns to the Lloyd Noble Center Tuesday night to host Kansas City (University of Missouri-Kansas City), the Sooners will be led by newcomer and top-scorer Grant Sherfield.

In his first season as a Sooner, Grant Sherfield has settled in as the floor leader and the team’s most productive if not top offensive player. And it all has come together at a very good time.

Porter Moser completely rebuilt the Oklahoma basketball roster after taking the head coach’s job last season. After the 2021-22 season, he lost three starters and almost half of the Sooners’ scoring production.

Sherfield joined the Oklahoma roster this season after playing the past two seasons at the University of Nevada. The 6-foot, 2-inch point guard has a shooting percentage of 42 percent for his career, which includes a freshman season at Wichita State and two at Nevada, and scored 19.1 points, 6.4 assists and 4 rebounds per game last season at Nevada.

If you believe in karma, you would say that Sherfield was destined to end up at Oklahoma. He hails from Fort Worth, Texas, but attended high school at Sunrise Academy in Wichita, Kansas, the same institution that sent Buddy Hield to Norman.

Sherfield is the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, a full-season honor that was also bestowed upon him his sophomore season at Nevada (2020-21).

The former All-Mountain West First-Team selection (2020-21) leads the Sooners, averaging 16.3 points and 4.3 assists per game this season, which ranks fourth best in the Big 12 in both categories. Those are major contributions for a team that averages a Big 12-worst 65.8 points per contest through eight games.

The Big 12 is incredible defensively, Moser said during the preseason.

"“The one thing you find is you’ve got to have guys who can make some shots,” he said. “You need shotmakers. And Grant’s a very good shotmaker.”"

Sherfield has reached double figures in all eight Oklahoma games this season and twice more than 20 points, including 21 in the Sooners 70-66 loss to Villanova last weekend.

The fourth-year senior’s high-point game this season was 25 in the win over Nebraska in the ESPN Events Invitational Tournament over the Thanksgiving holiday. He also logged a season-high eight assists in a win over Seton Hall in that same tournament.

Sherfield has made 20 of his 39 three-point attempts this season for a sizzling 51.3 percent. Hield owns the all-time Sooner record for three-point percentage in a season at 45.6 percent.