Sooners Host Third Straight Home Game

Dec. 19, 2000

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GAME INFORMATION
Ranked 18th in the AP and 17th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' polls, Oklahoma (7-1) hosts Southwest Texas (4-4) Wednesday night at 7 CST. The game will air live on the Sooner Basketball Radio Network (flagship KOMA 1520 AM in Oklahoma City) with Bob Barry, Sr. (play-by-play) and Mark Mathew (analyst) calling the action. The contest will also be televised by the Sooner Sports Network (KWTV Channel 9 in OKC and KWBT Channel 19 in Tulsa). Dean Blevins (play-by-play), Charlie Spoonhour (analyst) and Renzi Stone (roving reporter) will announce.

OKLAHOMA UPDATE
The Sooners' offense has been in high gear the past two games as the squad averaged 101.5 points in wins over North Texas and Coppin State. The last time OU reached the 100-point mark in consecutive games was during the 1992-93 season.

In Saturday's 103-54 rout of Coppin State, Oklahoma forced 29 turnovers and made 31-of-35 free throws to hand the Eagles their worst loss ever. The 54-point victory margin was OU's largest since winning by 81 against Florida A&M in 1992-93.

Aaron McGhee leads four Sooners who average double figures in scoring with his 16.1 points per game. The junior forward has posted totals of 27, 28 and 32 so far this year. Sophomore point guard Hollis Price averages 12.9 points and team highs in assists (6.8 apg) and steals (2.9 spg). His 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio is second best in the Big 12. Senior guard Kelley Newton, who scored a career-high 26 points versus Coppin State thanks to 8-for-11 three-point shooting, averages 12.0 points per game. He is 23-for-40 (.575) from beyond the arc on the year. Fellow senior guard Nolan Johnson averages 11.5 points per outing, but is averaging 14.8 points over the last four contests.

OU enters the week leading the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.762), opponent rebounds (27.9), turnover margin (+8.5) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.35). The Sooners also rank second in scoring margin (+29.2) and steals (10.3).

ABOUT SOUTHWEST TEXAS
Winner of two in a row, Southwest Texas is coming off a 104-55 trouncing of Texas Lutheran Saturday in which five players scored in double digits. Junior guard Clay Click made five three-pointers and paced the team with 17 points. The Bobcats shot .541 from the field, .500 from three-point land (13-for-26) and .733 from the free throw line. Texas Lutheran posted .373, .333 and .444 figures.

Junior forward Dain Ervin averages a team-high 14.6 points per contest for the Southland Conference school and is shooting .500 from the field, while Click averages 10.4 points per game. Click has made a team-high 16 three-pointers. A starter in six games, sophomore guard David Sykes averages 9.9 points and a team-leading 6.3 rebounds per game. Senior guard Manny Flores averages 8.8 points, 5.0 assists and 2.9 steals.

Head Coach Dennis Nutt is in his first year as a collegiate head coach. He spent the previous five seasons as an assistant at Arkansas State under his brother, Dickie. A member of the All-Time Southwest Conference Team, Nutt was a two-time first-team all-conference selection at TCU (1984 and '85).

SERIES WITH SOUTHWEST TEXAS
Oklahoma has won both previous meetings with Southwest Texas. The Sooners were 81-68 victors in the 1997-98 season as Corey Brewer's 18 points led five OU players in double figures. Brewer also recorded five steals. Oklahoma opened its 1981-82 season, Billy Tubbs' second in Norman, with an 84-58 win over the Bobcats.

RECAPPING THE COPPIN STATE CONTEST
Kelley Newton's 8-for-11 three-point shooting was the story of the game as the Sooners thumped Coppin State Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center, 103-49. The 54-point win was the largest for OU under Kelvin Sampson. Newton, who made his first five long-range attempts, finished the game with a career-high 26 points in 29 minutes of play. Ronnie Griffin, making his second straight start, contributed 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals in just 16 minutes of action. He was 6-for-7 from the field and made all six of his free throw tries. Nolan Johnson added 17 points and Daryan Selvy scored 15, while Hollis Price registered nine assists and four steals. Oklahoma, which scored the game's first 15 points, held a 51-23 lead at halftime. It was Coppin State's worst loss ever.

COPPIN STATE LEFTOVERS
Junior walk-on guard Michael Cano logged a career-high-tying four minutes and scored his first two points of the season with a pair of free throws. He also contributed one rebound, two assists and a steal.

Oklahoma scored 46 points off turnovers while Coppin State totaled just three points off miscues. The Sooners also held an 18-0 advantage in fastbreak points.

GILBERT LISTED AS PROBABLE
Freshman Johnnie Gilbert, who underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee Dec. 8, is listed as probable for Wednesday's game versus Southwest Texas. The 6-7 forward sustained the injury in practice Dec. 6 and was expected to miss 10-21 days of action. Gilbert had started OU's three games prior to his injury and sports season averages of 2.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per outing. The Minneapolis, Minn., native led Patrick Henry High School to a 29-1 record and No. 22 final national prep ranking last year.

JUCO TRANSFERS MAKING BIG CONTRIBUTIONS
OU signed four junior college recruits last year, and three of them have made significant contributions so far this season (the fourth, center Jozsef Szendrei, has played in just two games after recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee). The trio has accounted for 35 percent of the team's points and 35 percent of its rebounds through eight games. Aaron McGhee leads the team with his 16.1 points per game and also averages 4.9 rebounds. Daryan Selvy is averaging 9.0 points and a team-high 5.7 boards per game. And in his five games, Ronnie Griffin is averaging 7.8 points and 3.2 rebounds. Griffin is averaging 14.0 points and 7.0 caroms over the past two outings.

NEWTON LIGHTING IT UP
Senior guard Kelley Newton ranks second in the Big 12 in three-pointers per game (2.9) and third in three-point percentage (.575). The Kansas City, Kan., native drained eight treys tying Texas A&M's Bernard King for the most by a Big 12 player this year on 11 attempts versus Coppin State Saturday en route to a career-high 26 points. Newton has made at least two three-pointers in all but one game this year and has raised his career three-point percentage to .442 (72-for-163).

PRICE IS RIGHT
Hollis Price is off to a terrific start this season, as evidenced by his 12.9 points, 6.8 assists and 2.9 steals averages. The sophomore point guard is also shooting .507 from the field, .370 from three-point range and .850 from the charity stripe. Entering the week, Price ranked third in the Big 12 in assists, first in steals and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.2).

Price, who scored 10 or more points in OU's first five games, has already earned MVP honors in two tournaments this year. He won the Sooner Invitational MVP trophy after averaging 11.0 points, 8.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals and just 1.5 turnovers in wins over Alcorn State and La Salle. At the Big Island Invitational, Price took home another trophy after averaging 21.0 points, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting .719 (23-for-32) from the field and .615 (8-for-13) from three-point land in victories against Montana State, Tulane and Oregon State. Versus the Green Wave, Price was 10-for-14 from the floor, 3-for-5 from beyond the arc and 7-for-9 from the foul line for a career-high 30 points. He also contributed six assists and four steals in that contest.

GRIFFIN'S ROLE INCREASES
Junior forward Ronnie Griffin, who did not participate in Oklahoma's first three games due to eligibility issues that occurred prior to his recruitment by or attendance at OU, has started each of the last two games and has produced excellent numbers. In 18 minutes versus North Texas, the Louisville, Ky., native recorded 10 points, seven rebounds (five offensive) and a pair of steals. Versus Coppin State, Griffin totaled 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals in just 16 minutes of play. His per-game points and rebounds averages stand at 7.8 and 3.2, respectively. He is also shooting .700 from the field (14-for-20) and .846 from the foul line (11-for-13).

Griffin averaged 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds at Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College last year and was a first-team All-Panhandle Conference selection. He shot .544 from the field and helped the Eagles to a 25-5 final record.

FOUL PLAY
Until their last game versus Coppin State, the Sooners seemed to be having had a difficult time adjusting to the NCAA's point of emphasis this season cleaning up "rough play." OU has been whistled for 177 fouls in its eight games, an average of 22.1 per contest. Opponents, meanwhile, have been called for 142 fouls (17.8 average). Sooner foes have attempted 195 free throws to OU's 151. That's an average of 5.5 more attempts per game. The most fouls Oklahoma has averaged in six previous seasons under Kelvin Sampson is 21.2 in 1996-97. Against Coppin State, OU was whistled for 17 fouls compared to the Eagles' 26. The Sooners also attempted 35 free throws to Coppin's 10.

BALANCED ATTACK
Aaron McGhee leads four Sooners who average double digits in points per game. McGhee, who averages 16.1 per outing, is joined by Hollis Price (12.9), Kelley Newton (12.0) and Nolan Johnson (11.5). Daryan Selvy is not far behind with his 9.0 points per game. No Kelvin Sampson-coached Oklahoma team has ever finished a season with five players averaging double figures in scoring. Four players averaged at least 10.0 points per game in both the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons, however.

BACK ON TRACK
Since shooting .295 from three-point land in its first two games of the season, Oklahoma has rebounded sharply in the department. In its last six games, OU has gone 51-for-119 from beyond the arc for a strong .429 percentage.

The Sooners now own a .393 three-point mark for the season and boast five players (Aaron McGhee, Kelley Newton, Nolan Johnson and Hollis Price) with a .375 or better figure. Interestingly, the school's career leader in three-point percentage entering the year (.420), senior guard Tim Heskett sports just a .244 percentage (10-for-41) through eight games.

Last year, the Sooners ranked second in the Big 12 with a .383 season three-point mark and two years ago finished second with a .388 percentage. The OU single-season record of .414 was set in 1986-87.

ANOTHER TOURNAMENT TROPHY
Oklahoma's tournament titles in the Sooner Invitational and the Big Island Invitational this season give the Sooners six straight in the regular season. Last year the Sooners won the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, the Sooner Invitational in Norman and the All-College Tournament in Oklahoma City. OU also captured the All-College Tournament championship in the 1998-99 season. The Sooners' last loss in regular season tourney competition came to North Carolina State (62-58) in the final round of the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic in December 1998. Their winning streak stands at 14 games.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

Aaron McGhee averages a team-high 16.1 points despite playing just 23.4 minutes per game. His 40-minute point projection equals 27.6.
In three games versus Alcorn State, Montana State and North Texas, McGhee averaged 29.0 points. In OU's other five games this year, he is averaging 8.4 points.
Nine Sooners average at least 15.0 minutes per game.
The Sooners are averaging 17.6 more field goal attempts per game than their opponents.
Nolan Johnson sports a .913 free throw percentage (21-for-23).
After reaching double digits in points just once in OU's first four games, Johnson has done it in each of the last four outings.
Over the last three contests, Daryan Selvy is averaging 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds.
Oklahoma has shot .500 or better from the field in four of its last seven games.
OU opponents are averaging 8.5 more turnovers per game than the Sooners. Foes have committed more turnovers in all but one game (Oregon State had nine to OU's 10).
Hollis Price ranks second in the Big 12 Conference with his 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio.
All 10 of Tim Heskett's field goals this year have been three-pointers.
Five different Sooners have led the team in scoring this year.
OU's back-to-back 100-point efforts versus North Texas and Coppin State were its first since the 1992-93 season.
Entering this contest, Head Coach Kelvin Sampson has utilized five different starting lineups.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
In the annual preseason Big 12 media poll released Nov. 2, Oklahoma was picked to finish second in the league behind Kansas. Among the teams the Sooners were predicted to finish ahead of were Missouri (third), Texas (fourth), Iowa State (fifth) and Oklahoma State (sixth). OU was also picked second in the league race by conference coaches.

SAMPSON SIGNS PAIR OF RECRUITS
Head Coach Kelvin Sampson announced Nov. 7 that center Jabahri Brown and wing Matt Gipson have signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball at OU next season.

"Jabahri and Matt are two young men who give us a great follow-up to last year's outstanding recruiting class," said Sampson. "We really wanted to get better inside and be more athletic. We accomplished both goals by signing these two talented players."

A native of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, the 6-11 Brown transferred to Rose State College in Midwest City, Okla., following his freshman year at Florida International University last season. Brown will transfer to OU at the end of the current semester and will be eligible to play for the Sooners following the conclusion of the fall 2001 semester when he will have sophomore status. He averaged 8.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocked shots and 1.6 steals in 24.3 minutes per game last season as a true freshman at Florida International.

Gipson is a 6-9 wing player from Burkburnett High School in Burkburnett, Texas, who averaged 21.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as a junior last year. Compared in style by some to former Utah standout Keith Van Horn, Gipson helped his squad to a 24-11 record while earning unanimous all-district and all-region honors. Fastbreak Recruiting rates him as the fifth-best senior in the Midwest.

OU BOASTS NATION'S FOURTH-LONGEST POSTSEASON STREAK
Oklahoma has made 19 consecutive postseason appearances (15 NCAA and four NIT), the fourth-longest streak among Division I programs. Only North Carolina (34 years), Georgetown (26) and Indiana (23) own longer postseason streaks. The last time Oklahoma did not compete in the postseason was in 1980-81. The four longest current postseason streaks are as follows:

MODEL OF CONSISTENCY
Oklahoma has registered a winning record in 23 of its last 24 seasons. No other Big 12 team can boast as many winning campaigns since the 1975-76 season as the Sooners. OU has posted a 531-239 (.690) record over the past 24 years.

HEAD COACH KELVIN SAMPSON
Now in his 18th year as a collegiate head coach, Kelvin Sampson is in his seventh year at the Oklahoma helm. He has averaged 21.7 wins per season at OU and is one of two Big 12 coaches Kansas' Roy Williams is the other to lead his team to the NCAA Tournament each of the last six seasons.

Sampson began his head coaching career in 1980 at Montana Tech when he was hired as the program's interim head coach. He recorded a 73-45 mark in four seasons and was inducted into the school's sports hall of fame three years ago.

In 1988, Sampson was named head coach at Washington State and compiled an even 103-103 record over seven years, including two 20-win campaigns.

Hired by Oklahoma on April 25, 1994, he has guided the Sooners to a 137-63 (.685) record and a 79-15 (.840) home mark. Two of his OU squads (1997-98 and 1999-00) have played in the Big 12 Tournament championship game. In 1998-99, he directed OU to an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance.

Sampson was named the 1995 national coach of the year by the Associated Press, the USBWA and Basketball Times.

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