Someone else will get to reap the benefits of what Porter Moser fought so hard for at OU

Oklahoma men's basketball coach Porter Moser recalled a time when he had to sit through a town hall meeting until 1 a.m. to voice why he believed the Sooners need a new arena to replace Lloyd Noble Center, which has been home to OU basketball since 1975. After five years of leading that change since he got to OU in 2021, that dream is finally becoming a reality, but it won't be Moser who gets to enjoy the result and reap the benefits, but that doesn't mean the Sooners won't.

On Feb. 3, The City of Norman finally announced that the gist of the petition that was holding up the long-awaited entertainment district project, which includes a new arena for OU, was ruled insufficient by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, so the project could finally actually move forward after years of delays.

The billion-dollar Rock Creek Entertainment District plan will most notably feature an arena that will be the new home for OU men's basketball, women's basketball and women's gymnastics. The venue can also host concerts and other events. The plan also includes hotels, restaurants, housing and more around the arena at the University of Oklahoma’s North Park area.

As the Sooners got rare good news in the midst of a disappointing 12-12 season, Sooner Scoop's Bob Przybylo asked Moser during a press conference about the new arena finally becoming a reality.

New arena comes at the perfect time for Oklahoma

"When I took this job, that was a big part of the conversation was a new arena," Moser said. "We talked about it right away. It's obviously been delayed. I mean, Kelvin (Sampson) told me he thought he was getting a new arena. But just happy for everyone around.

"It's a game-changer. I've said that from the beginning. For the city of Norman, for all the people there to have an entertainment district like that and a venue like that, it's a game-changer in continuing to move this program and move the needle. So, yeah, it's been a five-year journey, just for me. I'm sure it's been a lot longer for other people. But great day. Great day for Norman and great day for OU."

The talks of this plan originally started in 2018, when Lon Kruger was OU's head coach, so Moser won't be the only coach to come through Oklahoma with the excitement for a new arena while still coaching their entire OU tenure inside Lloyd Noble Center.

With the green light, construction is expected to start almost immediately, but there's still no timeframe for when the arena will be complete and the Sooners will actually start playing somewhere other than LNC. Regardless, it won't be by the end of this season, and Moser will be lucky to even last that long before the Sooners start looking for his replacement, who actually will get to coach a team inside a fancy new arena.

Although unfortunate for Moser, it's actually perfect timing for the Sooners. Between ranking last in the SEC in attendance the last two years, other sports getting more attention and just flat out losing a lot under Moser, the allure of the job as OU's men's basketball coach has faded.

But with ground soon broke on a new arena waiting to be filled, OU will finally have a carrot to attract a better candidate than it could have landed even just two weeks ago.