Red Handles White in Hoops Scrimmage

NORMAN, Okla. Kelvin Sampson's OU men's basketball team practiced in front of several hundred fans Wednesday afternoon at Lloyd Noble Center and finished with a 20-minute scrimmage that saw the Red team defeat the White, 42-17.

Box Score

The scrimmage was divided into a pair of 10-minute halves. The Red squad was comprised of seven of OU's top players and the final stat sheet reflected that fact. Led by Drew Lavender's 4-of-4 field goal shooting, the Red team posted a sizzling .750 field goal mark and was a perfect 9-for-9 during the second half. It was also 10-for-12 (.833) from the free throw line on the afternoon and outrebounded the White by a 19-9 count.

“This team's better,” said Sampson referring to his 15-man squad. “We're better than we were last year. We're not as good as those Final Four and Elite Eight teams, but this team's going to get better as it goes along.

“We've got a lot of pieces. I don't know if we have a great player, but we have a chance to have a very good team.”

Lavender, who nailed both of his 3-point field goal attempts and had 10 points, four assists and three rebounds, shared high-scoring honors with newcomer Terrell Everett. A left-handed junior college transfer, Everett reached double digits in points with the help of 6-for-6 free throw shooting. He was 2-for-3 from the floor and added a pair of assists. Senior forward Johnnie Gilbert recorded eight points (3-for-3 from the field) while junior forward Kevin Bookout had six points and a game-high five rebounds.

Sophomore guard/forward Brandon Foust also scored six points for the Red while Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Taj Gray had two points (1-of-2 field goals) and four boards. Sophomore guard Lawrence McKenzie did not attempt a shot.

Sophomore center Larry Turner led the White with eight points and had two rebounds. Freshman guard David Godbold and Nate Carter, a transfer from UC Riverside who must sit out the season, scored four points each. Senior guard Jaison Williams tallied a point from the foul line.

The Red team held the White to a 6-for-26 (.231) field goal performance. With 2-for-2 free throw efforts each, Godbold and Turner helped the White go 5-for-6 (.833) at the foul line.

“It was good for some of our new guys to get out here and play in front of some people,” said Bookout. “In practice, it's just us and we feel pretty comfortable. But to get out here in front of some fans is a little bit different. It was great to see the number of fans come out to watch us practice.”

When asked about the difference between this year's team and last year's, Lavender said, “We're playing a lot faster now. Nobody really cares who scores. Everybody's taking good shots and isn't forcing anything. We're not playing out of control and we're more organized.”

Sampson and the OU players answered a variety of questions following practice and also participated in a pizza party with OU students.

A limited number of OU season tickets (student and non-student) are still available by contacting the Athletics Ticket Office at (405) 325-2424 or (800) 456-GoOU. The Sooners play two home exhibition games (Nov. 10 and 13) before beginning the regular season with a home game against Cal State Northridge on Nov. 20.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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