Press Takes Notice of OU Hoops at Media Day

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger and the junior trio of Isaiah Cousins, Buddy Hield and Ryan Spangler flew to Kansas City early Wednesday morning to spend the day visiting with local, regional and national reporters at Big 12 Media Day.

The Sooner contingent was eager to talk about the upcoming season (OU opens Nov. 7 with a home exhibition game) and provide an update on the progress of the team.

Here's our OU Big 12 Media Day report:

DEE-fense

media day players

The Sooners have the day off from practice but are in their second week of official workouts. With seven practices under their belts, Lon Kruger and his players made it clear what the squad is focusing on at this stage of the preseason: defense.

"Last year it's wasn't that we didn't want (defense) to be our identity, it just evolved to where the offensive end was," said Kruger. "Our (defensive) effort and interest level was OK, but it just wasn't quite genuine enough. We just always felt we could go score. When you're not sure about scoring and you know you have to get a stop, that's where your identity changes a little bit. We never did get there.

"We've got to cover better. We've got to get stops. We've got to rebound the ball better, be a little bit more physical in that way. I think our guys do have a much better understanding of the value of all of that."
Head Coach Lon Kruger

"So we've got to cover better. We've got to get stops. We've got to rebound the ball better, be a little bit more physical in that way. I think our guys do have a much better understanding of the value of all of that."

One of OU's top defenders last year, Isaiah Cousins said the Sooners have been getting after it since beginning practice Oct. 6.

"The energy is really good," commented Cousins. "The focus has been mostly on the defense. We have been doing a lot of defensive drills, going up and down the court a lot. There's really been a lot of intensity the first few days of practice."

OU's practices are open to the public. The Sooners work out most weekdays at 2 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center.

Getting Better All the Time

One of the hallmarks of Lon Kruger-coached teams is the year-to-year improvement of his players. Look no further than OU's three Big 12 Media Day participants as prime examples.

Buddy Hield increased his scoring average from 7.8 points as a freshman to 16.5 points a game last year as a sophomore, and went from shooting 23.8 percent from 3-point range to 38.6 percent. Isaiah Cousins made an even more impressive jump, going from 2.7 to 11.0 points, and from 27.9 3-point shooting to a 40.4 mark. And Ryan Spangler saw his averages leap from 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds a game as a freshman at Gonzaga to 9.6 points and a Big 12-leading 9.3 boards a game last season for OU.

"(The OU coaches) don't have you working on every part of the game possible. They just have you working on a couple of things. And once you perfect those you go on to the next thing."
F Ryan Spangler

Spangler explained why OU player development has been so noticeable under Kruger and his staff.

"I think the biggest thing is the coaches know what's important for you," said Spangler, who spent a lot of time in the offseason on his shooting. "They don't have you working on every part of the game possible. They just have you working on a couple of things. And once you perfect those you go on to the next thing. I think a lot people (elsewhere) try to do everything at once."

Spangler said to look for more of the same in terms of individual player improvement this season.

"Take Buddy, for instance. You wouldn't think he could improve that much from last year, but he got so much better over the summer."

That's a scary thought for OU opponents.

Going Deep

The Big 12 Conference was arguably the best league in the nation last year with seven of its 10 teams reaching the NCAA Tournament, all as single-digit seeds. OU finished in second place and was a No. 5 seed in the 'Big Dance.' Expect more of the same depth and talent from the league in 2014-15.

While a deep league results in competitive contests throughout the conference slate, the Sooners expressed how much they relish the opportunity of playing top teams game in and game out.

"Most of the games are won in the last five to two minutes, so you've got to be mentally focused, ready and locked in."
G Buddy Hield

"It's fun competing against these guys because you know they are going to be tough and give you their all," said Buddy Hield. "Most of the games are won in the last five to two minutes, so you've got to be mentally focused, ready and locked in."

Ryan Spangler said facing so many talented squads is challenging but beneficial.

"It's tough having to come out every game ready to go and be your best, but at the same time I think it gets you ready for postseason games in March," said Spangler. "When you get to March, you can't play bad one time or you are going to go home."

The Sooners start league play Jan. 3 at home against Baylor.

Exceeding Expectations

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The Sooners have annually improved under head coach Lon Kruger in his first three seasons, and have placed higher in the Big 12 standings each year. More impressively, OU has finished higher than predicted in the Preseason Big 12 Poll each year, the last two seasons by a healthy margin (9th/8th in 2011-12, 7th/4th in 2012-13 and 5th/2nd in 2013-14).

How do the Sooners pull this off each year? Ryan Spangler said he thinks it's because of the work the players put in during the summer, and because the coaching staff knows what to have the players focus on during that time to come together. According to Isaiah Cousins and Buddy Hield, it can be attributed to the competitive nature of Kruger.

"Coach Kruger, he has us all riled up and ready to take on the challenge to be the best," said Hield. "We want to be the best, and I feel like we've got a great group of guys to be the best. Everybody is working hard, and I feel like we've got the chance to make that happen this year."

OU was picked by Big 12 coaches to finish third in the league this year, receiving 67 points and one first-place vote. Kansas and Texas were tabbed as the top two squads with 78 and 74 points, respectively. It's almost time to see if OU will once again exceed expectations.

Kruger the Competitor

kruger

Oklahomans have quickly learned about Lon Kruger's congenial personality. Ask anyone who's met him and they'll tell you he's one of the nicest and most approachable people with whom they've ever come in contact.

But there's another side of him that most people don't know about. The side of him that hates to lose in anything. The competitive Lon Kruger.

"Coach Kruger is always amped. He always pushes us to do better. He sees the potential there, and he just always gets it out of us."
G Isaiah Cousins

"In practice you see his side where he pushes us so hard," said Buddy Hield. "He pushes us to our limits and is competitive with us. He knows we can do it and he teaches us the game. We try to get after it and work to prove him right. But he really is just so competitive."

Fellow junior guard Isaiah Cousins echoed Hield.

"Coach Kruger is always amped," said Cousins. "He always pushes us to do better. He sees the potential there, and he just always gets it out of us. I think it's because he's from K-State and that's what he was brought up on. He's just a real competitive guy."

Buddy's Bahamian Homecoming

hield

When the Sooners land in Nassau, Bahamas, during Thanksgiving week for the eight-team Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, it will mean more to Buddy Hield than just basketball. It will be a homecoming.

The junior guard, who hails from the city of Freeport, said he has not played in his home country since 2010. His mom saw him play this past summer in Mexico as a member of the Bahamian national team, but Hield acknowledged that it has been four or five years since most of his other relatives have seen him play.

Hield said he expects some 40 friends and family members to converge on Atlantis to watch him and the Sooners in November.

Hield expects some 40 friends and family members to converge on Atlantis to watch him and the Sooners in November.

"It's a special feeling," Hield said of returning to the Bahamas. "We have never been together where everybody has been able to watch me and cheer me on. Hopefully the guys and I will be ready to play hard for a large crowd."

While Hield acknowledged he is looking forward to seeing the beach, eating a couple of home-cooked meals (especially conch salad) and soaking up some time with his family, he said he is ready to compete in the tournament. The field features two of last year's Final Four squads in Florida and Wisconsin, as well as Butler, Georgetown, North Carolina, UAB and UCLA.

"We are going to handle our business and try to win the tournament," said Hield. "I feel like we have a good chance to go and compete for the title."

OU will play games on three successive days (Nov. 26-28) in Nassau. The Sooners open with a 1:30 p.m. CT contest against UCLA (televised on ESPN2).