2005 Summer Preview

NORMAN, Okla. -- Kelvin Sampson's 2004-05 Oklahoma team won 25 games, shared the Big 12 Conference regular season title and earned No. 1 and No. 3 respective league and NCAA Tournament seeds.

His 2005-06 squad is supposed to be better.

Led by a trio of seniors who each were among OU's top three scorers and rebounders last year, Sampson will showcase in '05-06 what very well could be the most talented team of his 12-year era. And while several newcomers are expected to play prominent roles this season, OU will go as far as Kevin Bookout, Terrell Everett and Taj Gray take them.

“Going into the year, they're as talented as any senior class we've had,” said Sampson. “The thing I like about this year's seniors is that they're great kids, they embody what we want our program to be known for. They're good students, good people, they'll all graduate. They have a self discipline about them where they continue to work hard and get better. I like all of our new guys and I think all of them fit. But I'm really excited about this year because of our three seniors.”

More Sampson Quotes | Prospectus (PDF)

Together, Bookout, Everett and Gray accounted for 51 percent of the team's points, 59 percent of its rebounds, 46 percent of its assists and 62 percent of its blocked shots last year. They also shot a combined .531 from the field. With their return, both the frontcourt and backcourt are in extremely capable hands.

Kevin Bookout

FRONTCOURT
Kevin Bookout (6-8, 259, Sr., F)
Taj Gray (6-9, 238, Sr., F)
Nate Carter (6-6, 220, Jr., G/F)
Longar Longar (6-11, 221, So., C)
Taylor Griffin (6-7, 232, Fr., F)

When contemplating his front line, Sampson has no trouble expressing his fondness for a group that's led by two of the best in the business Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout. Gray and Bookout were OU's best rebounders last year and produced the Big 12's two highest field goal percentages in conference games (.599 by Gray and .594 by Bookout). Identifying a more talented and productive starting duo in the paint is no easy assignment not just from a Big 12 standpoint, but also from a national one.

Gray was a first-team all-league selection last season and was the conference's newcomer of the year. The determined and agile 6-9, 238-pounder led OU in scoring (14.6 ppg), rebounding (8.2 rpg) and blocked shots (1.8 bpg). His .557 field goal percentage was tops in the Big 12 and he ranked second in the league with 12 double-doubles. He also contributed 49 assists and 40 steals in his 33 games. By all standards, it was a banner first season for Gray. But Sampson expects more from the former junior college player-of-the-year runner up.

“Taj's greatest strength is his heart,” said Sampson. “He's relentless and tenacious and dependable. But he's one of those players who, the less he tries to do, the more he does. His challenge will be to concentrate on rebounding, post play and making the easy play instead of trying to make the great play. I think he has the chance to be the best player in this conference. I really do.”

A third-team all-league pick and a first-team Academic All-Big 12 honoree, Bookout averaged a solid 11.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest last season. He shot .592 from the field and displayed consistently sound defense. He started in all 32 of the games he played, but battled a nerve injury in his right elbow for a good chunk of the year. Sampson wants Bookout to expand his offensive game, and a healthy body will be key for the 6-8, 259-pound forward.

Said Sampson, “Before Christmas last year, Kevin was really playing well on the perimeter and was shooting jump shots. And then he banged his elbow and that hurt him. I think if he's completely healthy this year if his elbow recovers and he's able to step out you'll see a completely different Kevin. I want him to be consistent and confident with his jumper, because he's got the green light.”

Longar Longar

Accompanying Gray and Bookout in the frontcourt will be Longar Longar, an athletic 6-11 center who possesses a world of potential. That potential was at least partially realized on multiple occasions last season, none moreso than against Florida A&M on Dec. 30 when he started in place of an injured Bookout. Longar was 10-for-13 from the field in that contest and finished with 27 points, seven rebounds and three steals in 32 minutes. He only averaged 7.0 minutes in his other 26 games and produced 2.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per outing on the year. His playing time should increase with the departure of Johnnie Gilbert, a 6-8 senior last season.

“I think he's a big key to our team,” said Sampson of Longar. “Because of the tendency for post players to get into foul trouble, we need Longar to make a huge leap this year. He needs to make big steps in becoming a productive player and in his confidence. There's no reason that Longar shouldn't be an outstanding college basketball player. His improvement will be a key to how far the team will go.”

A 6-6, 220-pound left-handed transfer from UC Riverside who practiced with the Sooners last year, Nate Carter will see time at both the guard and forward positions. Carter blends an effective mix of strength and finesse and has the ability to flourish inside or out. He averaged 15.8 points and 6.1 rebounds over his two years at UC Riverside, was named Big West Freshman of the Year in 2002-03 and was a second-team all-conference pick as a sophomore in '03-04. Carter's addition, and specifically his ability to score from almost anywhere, has Sampson excited about his team's lineup possibilities.

Nate Carter

“Nate's strength is his strength,” began the OU boss. “Pound for pound, he's the strongest player on the team. He's just a bull. He's left-handed, can score around the basket, can get to the rim, can pass, can shoot, is a team player and is mature.

“Nate practiced at the 3 a lot last year, but I think a lot of nights you'll see him play some at the 4 with Kevin or Taj or Longar up front. I like the fact that we can be versatile in the backcourt and the frontcourt. We can be small, we can be big.”

Freshman Taylor Griffin, the Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year last season, is similar to Carter in that he can hurt defenses in a variety of ways. A pre-med major who boasts a chiseled physique, Griffin was a noted scorer and rebounder in high school. He also displayed a tremendous ability to pass the ball. Griffin averaged 18.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.3 blocked shots per contest last year. He had a quadruple-double to his credit with 22 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocks in a single game. Griffin led his teams to a combined 53-2 record his junior and senior seasons with two state titles. He was named the state tournament MVP both years.

“He's a coach's son and a tough kid,” said Sampson. “He knows how to play, is a very good rebounder and can shoot it. He's like Nate in the sense that he can play the 3 and the 4, but I think he's going to be more of a 4. The good rebounders are the ones who can come down with the ball in traffic and Taylor's an outstanding traffic rebounder. I think his future's very bright here.”

Terrell Everett

BACKCOURT
Terrell Everett (6-4, 188, Sr., G)
Nate Carter (6-6, 220, Jr., G/F)
Michael Neal (6-3, 191, Jr., G)
Chris Walker (6-3, 188, Jr., G)
David Godbold (6-5, 217, So., G)
Austin Johnson (6-3, 166, Fr., G)
Kellen Sampson (6-1, 190, So., G)
Michael Ott (6-4, 197, So., G)

The more the 2004-05 campaign unfolded, the more Terrell Everett's worth became glaringly obvious. The 6-4 lefty began the season playing on the wing, only to find himself manning the point for large portions of games during OU's stretch run. His versatility made him a dangerous weapon he scored, he passed, he rebounded, he defended. The slender guard ranked second on the team in scoring (12.5 ppg), third in rebounding (4.8 rpg) and first in assists (5.0 apg) and steals (1.7 spg). Not since the 1995-96 season did a Sooner average as many assists.

Everett's late-season production was so pivotal that the Dallas Morning News named him to its five-member All-Big 12 first team. Sampson proclaimed him as OU's MVP following the season. This year Sampson thinks Everett can be one of the country's top guards.

“Terrell is obviously a key for us because he's so versatile. He's good at everything. He's got a good I.Q., he sees the floor, he's a good passer, he gets to the rim, he gets to the free throw line. He's not a great shooter, but he's a good shooter. He can play the 1, the 2 or the 3 and he's comfortable anywhere.”

Everett's greatest improvement, according to Sampson, will come on the defensive end.

“He's got to get better at staying in his stance, moving his feet and keeping people in front of him. He gets a lot of steals, but sometimes steals are a gamble. I want him to be more solid and work on containment.”

David Godbold

An 11-game starter, including the season's final 10 games (OU went 8-2), David Godbold returns on the wing. Well built at 6-5 and 217 pounds, the Oklahoma City native averaged 4.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist on the season. In those final 10 contests, however, his averages were 7.4 points, 3.2 boards and 1.8 assists. Over February's final three games against Kansas, Baylor and Texas, Godbold scored 15, 14 and 14 points, respectively. As productive as he was at times last year offensively, his biggest value may be on the opposite end of the court.

“I thought David was a big key to our success last year and I don't think we would have won the Big 12 Championship without him,” commented Sampson. “When we made some changes in midseason and inserted him into the lineup, he gave us a spark. I think David has to improve his dribble game, be a more consistent shooter and play with confidence.”

A pair of first-year junior college transfers are expected to join Everett and Godbold in the team's backcourt rotation. Michael Neal and Chris Walker were highly acclaimed players last year who directed their teams to highly successful seasons. Sampson said he loves the maturity and leadership that both bring to the table.

Neal, standing 6-3 and weighing 191 pounds, was a first-team juco All-American last year at Lon Morris College in Texas and was the Region 14 MVP. He is regarded as an intelligent sharpshooter and averaged 16.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals. Neal shot .478 from the field, .409 from 3-point range and .812 from the free throw line. As a freshman, he averaged 21.1 points and earned second-team All-America honors.

Said Sampson, “I think Michael is going to be an outstanding player here. He has a great feel for the game. He's a better basketball player than he is an athlete. Michael's a better player without the ball than he is with it, and I mean that as a compliment. He's our best shooter, he's our best cutter and a very good screener. He was well coached and I think he'll impact us right away.”

Walker, a 6-3, 188-pound lefty, is a candidate to start at point guard. Highly competitive, he was named the Northern California Junior College Player of the Year at San Joaquin Delta College last season after averaging 11.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 3.5 steals per game. His team finished 30-2 and won 30 consecutive contests. Walker's two junior college teams and his final two high school squads went a combined 115-15 (an average record of 28-4). Sampson had no trouble in describing the point guard.

“A winner, a warrior, a tough kid who loves to play defense, loves to pass, loves to push it. If I had a knock against Chris in junior college it was turnovers. He's got to cut down on turnovers and I think playing in our system will help him. He'll be playing with better players who can catch his passes. He'll adjust quickly.”

Another newcomer, freshman Austin Johnson, comes to Norman following a record-setting high school career in which he became the leading scorer in Amarillo, Texas, city history with 2,602 points. Ranked as the nation's No. 53 high school senior last year by Rivals.com, the lanky 6-3 guard possesses great athletic ability and a strong all-around game. Johnson averaged 21.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 4.6 steals an outing last year at Palo Duro High School. As a junior, the two-time first-team All-State performer averaged 27.2 points.

“Austin might be our most athletic kid in the backcourt he can really get up,” said Sampson. “He's probably the only kid I've ever recruited who was a threat to get a quadruple-double every night assists, steals, rebounding, scoring. He just has a unique sense for that. Every game I saw him play he had five or six steals. He's stronger than he looks. I like him a lot.”

Oklahoma's two walk-ons are sophomore guards. Kellen Sampson saw action in 12 games last year as a redshirt freshman and tallied 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds in 47 total minutes. Michael Ott played in nine games and logged eight points and three boards in 20 minutes. Both are excellent shooters. And both received high praise from the senior Sampson.

“I don't know if a school has two better walk-on guards. Michael Ott and Kellen Sampson are good players I like them both. For a 12-man team, those guys aren't walk-ons anymore. They can play with our other guys and that says a lot because we have good guards. Where Michael and Kellen get hurt is defensively defending quicker guys and with the athleticism parts of the game. But in every other aspect they're good.

“Kellen's got the best work ethic on the team nobody works harder than him day in and day out,” continued Kelvin Sampson. “He inspires and motivates players around him because of how hard he works. He plays hard every possession. Kellen is getting close to being able to play and I hope I have the courage to play him, because he's certainly deserving.

“As far as Michael Ott, I think he could be the best shooter on our team. I'd put him right there with Michael Neal and Kellen. He's one of our two best students and his grade point is ridiculous. Michael can play. He's 6-3 or 6-4 and long and has a good feel for the game.”

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