OU Returns Home to Host Coppin State

GAME INFORMATION
Coming off a third-place finish at the Great Alaska Shootout, Oklahoma (3-1) returns home to host Coppin State (0-3) Wednesday at 7 p.m. CST at Lloyd Noble Center. The game will air on the Sooner Radio Network (flagship KOKC 1520 AM in Oklahoma City) with Bob Barry, Sr., (play-by-play) and Mike Houck (analyst) announcing. It will be televised by the Sooner Sports Network with Chuck Cooperstein (play-by-play) and Charlie Spoonhour (analyst) describing the action. The game will also be webcast live on the O-Zone (see links below).

TICKET AVAILABILITY
Upper-level reserved seats for Wednesday's game are still available for $15 and $20 at the OU Athletics Ticket Office (800-456-4668) and online at SoonerSports.com. Lloyd Noble Center's north and east ticket windows will open at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

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TOYS FOR TOTS (DEC. 11)
The U.S. Marine Corps will be collecting toys for its "Toys for Tots" program at Lloyd Noble Center prior to the Dec. 11 men's basketball game versus Northern Colorado and before the women's basketball game later that day against Southwest Missouri State. All toys collected will be distributed to families in the Oklahoma City area. Fans are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys and place them in the collection bins outside the arena entrances.

OKLAHOMA UPDATE
Oklahoma won two games and lost one at the Great Alaska Shootout Nov. 25-27 in Anchorage and finished in third place behind Washington (champion) and Alabama. The Sooners beat High Point (93-65), lost to Washington (96-91) and handled Minnesota (64-57). Ranked 27th in this week's ESPN/USA Today poll and 33rd in the AP version, OU was led in Alaska by Kevin Bookout's 16.7 points and 6.0 rebounds a game. The junior shot .724 from the field (21-for-29) and was 8-for-10 from the foul line. Against the Huskies, Bookout was 9-for-10 from the field and tied a career high with 22 points. He earned all-tournament team honors along with junior guard Terrell Everett. Everett, who was named Big 12 Co-Rookie of the Week on Monday, averaged 14.0 points, 3.7 boards, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals over the team's three outings. He tallied 19 points against Washington.

The Sooners have flourished on the offensive end of the court, averaging 83.2 points a game and shooting .531 from the field on the season. The last time OU averaged as many points in a campaign was in 1993-94 (87.3 in Billy Tubbs' final year as head coach). The school record for field goal percentage is .519 (1979-80).

GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT LEFTOVERS
In their second appearance in the event, the Sooners finished in third place for the second time (they also visited Anchorage in 1983).
OU's .538 tournament field goal percentage ranks as the ninth best in Great Alaska Shootout history.
Oklahoma's 91 points against Washington in the semifinals were its most in a losing effort since Feb. 5, 1994, when it lost a 104-94 game to Missouri in Norman. It was Billy Tubbs' final year as head coach.
The Sooners led the tournament in assists (20.0 per game), blocked shots (6.3) and field goal percentage (.538) and ranked second in scoring (83.7 ppg) and steals (8.3).
Juniors Kevin Bookout and Terrell Everett were named to the all-tournament team.

ABOUT COPPIN STATE
Suffering an 86-50 loss at Texas on Monday, Coppin State heads to Norman with a 0-3 record. The Eagles also fell at Kentucky (77-46 on Nov. 20) and at Dayton (55-42 on Nov. 27). Playing a difficult non-conference schedule, Coppin State will also visit West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Utah, Marquette and Minnesota all by Jan. 1. Head Coach Ron “Fang” Mitchell's team is averaging 46.0 points a game while shooting .320 from the field, .159 from 3-point range and .660 from the foul line.

No Coppin State player averages double figures in scoring. Junior guard Raheem Scott leads the team in scoring (8.7 ppg) and assists (3.3 apg) and ranks second in rebounding (5.7 rpg). Junior guard/forward Nicholas King averages 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds while freshman forward Darryl Proctor averages 7.3 points to go along with his team-high 6.0 boards a game. Proctor paced the Eagles in points (11) and rebounds (8) against Texas.

Mitchell is in his 19th season as a college head coach, all at Coppin State. The 1984 Edison State graduate owns a 304-231 (.568) record. He is also Coppin State's athletics director.

SERIES WITH COPPIN STATE
Oklahoma holds a 9-0 advantage in its series with Coppin State and is 6-0 against the Eagles under Kelvin Sampson. The Sooners posted a 69-47 win in the last meeting on Dec. 14, 2002, in Norman. OU also beat the Eagles in 2000-01 (103-49), 1998-99 (68-42), 1997-98 (83-72), 1996-97 (88-64), 1994-95 (85-74), 1993-94 (79-64), 1991-92 (97-70) and 1990-91 (98-79). Ron “Fang” Mitchell served as Coppin State's head coach in all nine previous meetings.

OFFENSIVE TURNAROUND
The Sooners are averaging 83.2 points a game, a would-be record for a Kelvin Sampson-coached Oklahoma team. The 1994-95 Sooners hold the mark of 81.7 points per contest (Sampson's first year at OU). Last year's OU squad averaged 66.4 points to rank 11th in the Big 12.

SOONERS SHOOTING LIGHTS OUT
After posting a .408 field goal mark last year its worst in 40 seasons Oklahoma is off to a tremendous shooting start in 2004-05. The Sooners have shot better than .500 from the field in all four games and own a .531 season figure to lead the Big 12 Conference. OU shot .509 against Cal State Northridge in the season opener, .532 versus High Point, .550 against Washington and .529 versus Minnesota. The 2003-04 Sooners shot .500 or better from the field just three times all season. OU also shot a combined .500 from the field in its two exhibition games this year.

MORE SHOOTING NOTES
Oklahoma's leader in field goal percentage his first two seasons, junior forward Kevin Bookout is shooting a gaudy .765 from the field this season (26-for-34). The 6-8, 259-pounder has showcased a reliable mid-range jumper and made nine of his 10 field goal attempts against No. 22 Washington on Nov. 26. Bookout shot .587 as a freshman to lead the Big 12 Conference and posted a .516 mark last year in 13 games.

Combining Bookout's shooting stats with those of fellow forward Taj Gray, the starting OU frontcourt is shooting .638 from the field (Gray boasts a .514 mark). Seven OU regulars are shooting .500 or better through four games. Last year, Bookout (.516) and Johnnie Gilbert (.512) were the only Sooners who finished the season above .500.

BETTER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE
The Sooners have registered 77 assists through four contests for an average of 19.3 a game (ranks second in Big 12). An assist has been credited on 64 percent of OU's field goals. Last year's team averaged 12.1 assists a game and 53 percent of its baskets were assisted.

NOT AFRAID OF REJECTION
Junior forward Taj Gray (6-9) and freshman center Longar Longar (6-11) have been intimidating in the paint with their shot-blocking ability. Gray has registered two games of four rejections while Longar has blocked three shots in each of OU's other two games. Gray is averaging 2.5 swats an outing. Longar is averaging 2.0 blocks in 9.3 minutes a game. The Sooners are averaging 6.0 blocks a contest as a team (the school record is 5.8 per game in 1988-89).

TURNOVERS UP, BUT...
Partially because of OU's up-tempo style of play this season, the team's turnover average has increased significantly from last year. The Sooners are averaging 18.0 offensive miscues a game compared to 13.1 per contest last season. However, Oklahoma has committed fewer turnovers than three of its four opponents this year. Foes are averaging 20.3 turnovers a game.

EVERETT EARNS BIG 12 WEEKLY HONOR
Terrell Everett became the second Sooner this season named Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Taj Gray was honored last week) when he was announced as co-winner with Nebraska freshman guard Joe McCray on Monday. A 6-4, 185-pound junior guard, Everett averaged 14.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals in three games at the Great Alaska Shootout. He shot .556 from the field and .667 (6-for-9) from the experimental (nine inches deeper) 3-point line in games against High Point, Washington and Minnesota. Everett was 3-for-6 from beyond the arc against Washington and scored a career-high 19 points. Fellow OU junior Taj Gray was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week last week.

UP AND DOWN IN THIS WEEK'S POLLS
The Sooners are ranked 27th in this week's ESPN/USA Today poll, up four spots from last week. In the AP poll, OU is down two spots from 31st to 33rd.

OKLAHOMA TIP INS
The Sooners have won 52 of their last 56 home games (.929).
OU shot .500 or better from the field three times all season last year. It has shot better than .500 in each of its four games this season.
Starting post men Kevin Bookout (26-for-34) and Taj Gray (18-for-35) are shooting a combined .638 from the field. Big men Johnnie Gilbert (6-for-11), Longar Longar (3-for-3) and Larry Turner (4-for-10) have posted a combined field goal mark of .542 coming off the bench.
Bookout went 5-for-5 from the field against Cal State Northridge and 9-for-10 against Washington.
Drew Lavender, a .782 free throw shooter a year ago, is 13-for-14 (.929) from the charity stripe this season.
A career .527 free throw shooter, Bookout, a junior, is off to a 10-for-12 start this year (.833).
In his first game since Feb. 5 season-ending shoulder surgery, Bookout played all 40 minutes against Cal State Northridge.
OU averaged 2.3 dunks a game last year. Through four games this season it is averaging 4.3 a contest.
Gray's 14 boards and 11 made free throws in the opener against Cal State Northridge represent the most (tied in both categories) in the Big 12 this year. His 29 points in the game rank as the second most by a league player (Texas Tech's Curtis Marshall scored 30 in a game).
Six players are averaging at least 8.5 points a game. Four average 11.0 or more.

SAMPSON SIGNS THREE
Kelvin Sampson announced the signing of three players to national letters of intent Thursday, Nov. 11. Joining the OU program next year will be junior college All-American Mike Neal and high school standouts Taylor Griffin and Austin Johnson. From Mesquite, Texas, the 6-4 Neal was a second-team juco All-American at Lon Morris College last year when he averaged 21.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.1 steals a game. The guard shot .398 from 3-point range and is regarded by recruiting analyst Van Coleman as the nation's No. 2 junior college player. A 6-7, 225-pounder, Griffin attends Oklahoma Christian School in Edmond and averaged 15.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game as a junior. The first-team All-State performer shot .612 from the field and led his team to the 3A state title. Johnson, at 6-3 and 170 pounds, is rated as the nation's 45th-best high school senior and the 12th-best shooting guard in the country. From Amarillo, Texas, Johnson averaged 27.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.9 steals a game last year for Palo Duro High School. He registered 46- and 44-point games as a junior and earned first-team All-State recognition.

“We're ecstatic about this class,” said Sampson. “This was a little bit of a tricky recruiting class because we're going to have five starters back next year. We had to plug holes where we think we're going to need players. On top of their ability as basketball players, Mike, Austin and Taylor are excellent students. They're great character kids. We're excited. We feel like we've made Sooner Basketball better.”

BOOKOUT ON PRESEASON WATCH LISTS
Junior forward Kevin Bookout is on preseason top-50 watch lists for college basketball's two most coveted individual player awards the John R. Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy. Both awards will be presented in April. Bookout is one of six Big 12 representatives in contention for the Wooden Award (Kansas' Keith Langford and Wayne Simien, Oklahoma State's Joey Graham and John Lucas, and Texas' P.J. Tucker are the others), and one of five up for the Naismith Trophy (Graham, Langford, Lucas and Simien).

GRAY UNANIMOUS BIG 12 PRESEASON NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
One of the most recruited junior college players in the nation last year, junior forward Taj Gray was the unanimous choice as Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year by the league's coaches and media. The 6-9, 235-pound Gray was the runner-up in national junior college player of the year voting last season when he averaged 18.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.3 blocked shots for Redlands Community College in El Reno, Okla. Gray also shot .672 from the field as he led Redlands to the National Junior College Athletic Association title game.

SOONERS GOING FOR EIGHTH STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASON
Oklahoma finished 20-11 last year to post its seventh consecutive 20-win campaign. The Sooners have won 175 games over the last seven seasons for an average of 25 per year. Over the last five seasons, OU is averaging 26 wins. The school record for consecutive 20-win seasons is 12 (1981-82 through 1992-93 under Billy Tubbs).

UNDER KELVIN SAMPSON...
OU has made 10 straight postseason showings (nine NCAA and one NIT).
OU has advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 (1999), Final Four (2002) and Elite Eight (2003).
OU has posted an 88-40 (.688) regular season Big 12 Conference record.
OU has recorded a 134-20 (.870) record at Lloyd Noble Center and has won 52 of its last 56 home games.
OU has won at least 20 games each of the last seven years.
OU has averaged 26 victories over the past five seasons.
OU has won three of the past four Big 12 Tournaments and has made five title game appearances in the last seven events.

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