Youth Movement Impressing Veterans

Feb. 3, 2012

By Andrew Gilman | SoonerSports.com

NORMAN, Okla. -- Consider it an issue of quality over quantity.

But with the minutes freshmen Kaylon Williams and Sharane Campbell are playing these days, there's a lot of quantity, too.

"It's that they are being depended on,'' coach Sherri Coale said. "The minutes are important, and they'll get those, but it's the type of minutes. Suddenly, they are being depended on.''

Thanks to numerous injuries, the latest coming in January when Joanna McFarland went out with a broken jaw, Campbell and Williams have been counted on in a way Coale said wasn't really planned.

"Not exactly how I drew it up,'' Coale said.

Maybe not ideal. Maybe not the top choice for Coale heading into the season, but the two freshmen will be counted on again Saturday as the Sooners face Oklahoma State. Game time is noon at the Lloyd Noble Center.

Since McFarland went out with her injury, the Sooners have gone 3-1, losing only to Baylor, and winning back-to-back road games last week.

Meanwhile, Campbell came off the bench, played 36 minutes and scored 23 points. Williams started, played 30 minutes, had a game-high 10 rebounds and scored eight points. Williams has started the past four games since McFarland's injury.

"I think they've handled it really well,'' guard Morgan Hook said of the contributions from Campbell and Williams. "They've shown they can all be really mature and get it done. They have filled the void and played well.''

Campbell is averaging 9.2 points per game, but 9.8 in conference play. She's also averaging more than 20 minutes played per game in conference action. Williams is playing more than 3 minutes more in conference games than she did before Big 12 games started. She has also upped her rebounding average from 5.3 per game to 6.9 in Big 12 action.

"It will only make us that much better,'' guard Aaryn Ellenberg said. "When Joanna comes back, we know these freshmen can step in and make things even better.''

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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