Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Auburn on February 24, 2026 , Win , 91, to, 79
Final
Men's Basketball
91
vs Auburn
79
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Men's Basketball Summer Preview
July 19, 2004 | Men's Basketball
<="">Bookout and Sooners Ready to Rebound
Kevin Bookout was in a world of hurt last year. And when it became apparent that the sophomore forward's injured right shoulder would eventually require season-ending surgery, a collective pain shot through the Oklahoma basketball program. With the 6-8 Bookout missing 18 games, the frontcourt struggled to consistently put the ball in the basket and to adequately rebound game in and game out. The youthful Sooners, who climbed to No. 6 in the AP poll with Bookout, wound up missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Kelvin Sampson was named head coach in 1994.
Sampson Says... | Prospectus (PDF) | Roster
OU did record its seventh consecutive 20-win season with a 20-11 mark and participated in the NIT to extend its postseason streak to 23 years, longest in the nation. But a general feeling of dissatisfaction engulfed coaches and players following the year. Sampson was proud of what his young, inexperienced and depleted team had accomplished, but was left wondering what might have been had injuries, most notably to Bookout, not ravaged his squad.
Fast forward to summer 2004 and Sampson is smiling. Bookout's recovery from Feb. 5 surgery has been flawless, four OU rookies have a year of experience under their belts and a wrought-with-talent class of five newcomers is Norman bound. New assistant coaches Bob Hoffman and Ray McCallum both former longtime head coaches and new strength and conditioning coach Darby Rich have already impacted the program in positive fashion. Add up all the elements and the math seems to equal an ultra bright Oklahoma basketball future. And anyone who talks to Sampson will likely come away with the sense that the bright future begins with the 2004-05 season.
Frontcourt
Sampson is not bashful when contemplating OU's 2004-05 frontcourt.
“I feel comfortable in saying that, collectively, this front line has the chance to be the best we've had at Oklahoma,” he remarked. “I think the thing that excites me about that bunch is that it gives us a chance to have one of our best rebounding teams.”
Without question, Kevin Bookout's successful shoulder rehabilitation has been one of the key offseason stories for Sampson and the OU program. Limited to only 13 games last season, Bookout rarely practiced and gutted his way through pain during competition. He ended up averaging 7.6 points and a team-high 5.5 boards a game while shooting a squad-best .516 from the field. Sampson says Bookout's leadership and work ethic were missed as much as his points and rebounds, however. That's not to say the return of his statistical production won't be welcome.
“Kevin's a foundation guy,” said Sampson. “You build a program around him because of his strengths in every area. He's a pillar of strength inside, literally and figuratively. He's lost weight which means he's quicker. He'll play harder longer and play more minutes. He also understands the program. He's a great inside post player. There are not many kids who have the potential to be a double-double guy, but Kevin does. I think he's one of the best post players in our league and we expect him to have a great year. We're depending on Kevin a lot."
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| Senior Johnnie Gilbert |
Senior Johnnie Gilbert, one of the team's better rebounders and its top shot blocker last season, returns for a fifth year in the program. The 6-8 lefty was inserted into the starting lineup when Bookout was sidelined and started 16 of the final 17 games. He averaged a career-high 5.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 rejections per outing last season. Not usually one to play favorites, Sampson says it's hard to keep Gilbert off such a list.
“Johnnie understands,” began Sampson. “He's very cerebral, very smart. He has a high basketball I.Q. He's never going to wow you with his offensive ability, but he's a winner. He does a lot of little things to help you win games. Johnnie possesses great intangibles, great leadership skills and is a great kid. He's someone everybody in this program respects and I think he will have a great senior year.”
A Sooner who the OU staff says has an extremely high ceiling is sophomore center Larry Turner. At 6-11 and 241 pounds, Turner is a physically imposing player who left his mark on the defensive end of the floor last year as a redshirt freshman. In 13.7 minutes per game (he started six contests), he averaged nearly 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots on the season. Making offensive progression has been Turner's primary objective in the offseason and it's a safe bet that he will improve on last year's 3.2 points per outing. Sampson says hard work is the key for Turner.
“I think Larry has a nice jump hook over his left shoulder with his right hand and he has developed that into his go-to move. Larry can step out and make the 15-footer. He is a pretty good shooter and has really improved his free throw shooting. Larry has to maintain a good solid work ethic. If he does that, he has a chance to play basketball for a really long time.”
Expected to play a major role for the 2004-05 Sooners will be first-team junior college All-American Taj Gray. The runner-up in national juco player-of-the-year voting, the 6-8 Gray averaged 18.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.3 blocked shots last year to go along with a more-than-stout .672 field goal mark. Sampson claims he is in love with the way the Wichita, Kan., native plays the game and expects him to impact the program immediately.
“He's one of the best incoming post guys we've had. He's almost 6-9, 240 and is relentless. Taj can score, but the strength of his game is his warrior mentality, his toughness. He can really run the floor and is an excellent rebounder and a very good shot blocker. I think Taj will be a difference maker for us up front.”
Rounding out the frontcourt is a true freshman who is one of the most intriguing recruits of the Sampson era. Longar Longar, a 6-11, 215-pound center who played at Laurinburg (N.C.) Prep last season, was rated by one national analyst as the No. 2 postgraduate player in the country. He averaged 15.4 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.3 blocked shots a year ago. As a high school senior the year before in Rochester, Minn., Longar was a top-75 national recruit (he signed with OU in November 2002) and averaged 18.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.7 rejections. According to Sampson, a redshirt season is a possibility for Longar, though by no means a certainty.
Said the head coach, “Longar might not impact us right away because of the depth we have, but he will eventually. Longar has the chance to be a special, special player at the University of Oklahoma. He'll have a great college career. He has size, he has length. He's 6-11, has long arms and can block shots and run the floor. And he's a great kid. I mean a great kid. By the time his career is over here, Sooner fans will absolutely love him.”
Backcourt
The 2003-04 season was a trying one for the Oklahoma backcourt. A pair of true freshmen started a combined 51 games, one of them all 31 contests at the point. Then-sophomore De'Angelo Alexander, now at Charlotte, battled an injured shoulder the entire campaign. And then-senior Jason Detrick never seemed completely healthy. The result was a banged up and mostly inexperienced group of guards playing in a conference dominated by veteran teams. It was tough at times, but the struggles will most definitely pay dividends as a new year begins.
Said Sampson, “If we can stay healthy and these kids can keep up the progress rate, our backcourt will be significantly better. Right now I'd say the strength of our team is the frontcourt because of its depth and its experience. But our backcourt has the chance to be really good by the end of the season.”
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| Sophomore Drew Lavender |
“Drew is our floor leader,” said Sampson, “and he has to run the show. We're giving him the keys to the car. He has to be dependable, responsible and solid. He did everything that was asked of him last year. This year we want him to score less and pass more to make other people better. I think that's more suited to Drew's skills.”
Lawrence McKenzie, a 20-game starter as a frosh last year at one of the wing spots, has the potential to make one of the biggest splashes on the team this season. The 6-2, 175-pounder averaged 8.2 points a game last year, 9.7 in Big 12 play. He scored 15 or more points six times. While the majority of his field goals were 3-pointers, he's not afraid to mix it up in the middle. The fact that McKenzie has bulked up in the offseason should help him in that regard.
Sampson said, “Lawrence has a chance to be a star. He's smart with a great work ethic and he's not afraid to take the big shot. I remember a big win over Nebraska on the road last year where we were struggling offensively. We called a timeout to set up a play and Lawrence came out and hit a huge 3. From that day on, I've said Lawrence has a chance to be something special because he's not afraid to take the huge shot. We expect him to make a huge step this year.”
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| Sophomore Brandon Foust |
“He's a really intriguing kid,” began Sampson. “He's not really a true perimeter player, but he's not a true post player. I think he's a tough matchup. He can jump up over a smaller player and he's quick enough to go around bigger people. We're going to play him a lot on the wing this year because of his explosiveness. Brandon has to keep working, keep improving and stay hungry. That will be the key for him.”
One of two seniors on the squad, 6-3 Jaison Williams came off the bench in all 31 games last year as a junior. The 3-point and defensive specialist played extremely well the first half of the season, tailed off and then finished strong. Williams averaged 5.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 18.9 minutes a game. He canned 37 3-pointers and led the team with his .842 free throw mark.
“Jaison is an excellent role player,” said Sampson. “If Jaison will buy into his role and be our shooter off the bench, a guy who is real solid, a bulldog on defense with tremendous intensity who knocks down open 3s, I think he'll really help us. He's a second-year junior college kid which means he's due to have a great year.”
Heralded junior college recruit Terrell Everett should push for a starting wing job. The 6-4, 185-pound second-team juco All-American averaged 19.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.7 steals per game last year while shooting .580 from the field. Everett is a lefty who has a knack for getting to the basket. Sampson says that excites him.
“Terrell played point guard on his juco team, but is a natural wing which means he is a real good ball handler and passer. But his greatest strength is penetrating into the lane and attacking the rim and making people better. He's also very fast and quick, and can get out on the break. Terrell will help make us a quicker, faster and better offensive team.”
Kellen Sampson, son of the head coach, is back for his second year with the program following a redshirt season. The 6-1 guard is a strong outside shooter and is the consummate teammate.
“Kellen is a tremendous asset to this team because everybody respects him for his work ethic, his toughness and his consistency. And he's getting better as a basketball player. The thing about Kellen is that he understands. He's very engaging. He's a big-time energy guy. Every program in the country would love to have a Kellen Sampson on its team.”
Two more wing players on the roster are slated to sit out this year. David Godbold is a 6-5 true freshman from Douglass High School in Oklahoma City who is expected to redshirt. The gifted all-around player averaged 24.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game last year.
“David's intriguing,” said Sampson. “He's bouncy, athletic and a good shooter. He really needs to work on his ball handling, defense and intensity. That is why a redshirt year will be good for him. The great thing about David is he is a great student, an excellent young man who comes from a great family. He will be a tremendous asset to our program and has the chance to become a really good player.”
Nate Carter transferred to OU from UC Riverside where he was the Big West Freshman of the Year two seasons ago and a second-team all-league pick last year. He averaged 15.3 points and 6.8 boards a game last year and 16.4 points and 5.4 rebounds as a freshman. Carter has to sit out the 2004-05 season due to NCAA transfer rules and will have two years of eligibility remaining. The San Diego, Calif., native is 6-7 and 225 pounds.
Sampson commented, “The thing I like about Nate is that he can play multiple positions. He can play up front or he can swing to the backcourt. He has a great body and is left-handed. He's a sleeper, a kid who could turn out to be a really good player for us.”
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