Sooners Preview Season With Local Media

NORMAN -- Eleven days in advance of its exhibition opener, the 19th-ranked Oklahoma men's basketball team met with local reporters during the program's annual media day Monday afternoon at Lloyd Noble Center.

Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger and many of his players previewed the upcoming season and provided updates on where the team stands since starting practice Oct 6.

"It is a great time of year and the guys are very excited about it, enthusiastic," said Kruger, who ranks 15th among active Division I coaches with 537 collegiate wins. "We have practiced almost three weeks now with a lot of energy. That veteran presence makes a big difference with Ryan (Spangler), Buddy (Hield) and Isaiah (Cousins) -- three older guys returning. Jordan (Woodard) gives us four returning starters from last year. They know what needs to be done. They are motivated and they have had a great off-season. It is a great time of year and we are looking forward to it."

The Sooners open the 2014-15 season Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. in a home exhibition game against Washburn. The first regular season contest is slated for 2 p.m. on Nov. 16 against Southeastern Louisiana inside Lloyd Noble Center.

Here's more from Monday's media day session:

Managing High Expectations

media day players

The Sooners are ranked No. 19 in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll, their first preseason ranking since the 2009-10 campaign. They were also tabbed as the No. 3 team in the Big 12 Preseason Poll.

The high preseason expectations are different than for Kruger's first three OU teams. The 2014 AP Big 12 Coach of the Year said it will be interesting to see how his squad handles them, but that it is excited.

"We are all about playing that next possession, playing as well as you can each night out, each possession, not worrying about what happened previously but preparing for the next play," Kruger said. "I think that approach helps us be consistent and not worry so much relative to expectations or relative to opponent, but just relative to what we are capable of doing.

"That's what we hope to get is guys playing as close to their potential each night, each game, each possession, if you will. If we do that, then everything else kind of takes care of itself. But easier said than done. That's a big challenge, and with the talk out there, the expectations and the media attention, all that is different, and we have to handle that well."

According to junior forward Ryan Spangler, Kruger is the key component in helping the team stay humble and not get caught up in the hype.

"I think the biggest thing is every day at the end of practice Coach tells us, 'Don't worry about where you are ranked, what people think. You've put in enough work to be great, and still have a lot of work to be great. Always keep that underdog mentality every day,'" Spangler explained.

Players Anticipating Nov. 7 Opener

media day players

The Sooners play first exhibition game Nov. 7 at Lloyd Noble Center. With just more than a week until the season starts, the team was buzzing with anticipation Monday.

"We are really excited," sophomore point guard Jordan Woodard said. "That is just the locker room feel. We are pumped up for the game and knowing that it is approaching."

Perhaps no one on the team is more excited to see a new opponent than junior forward Ryan Spangler, whose physical brand of basketball makes the grind of offseason workouts even tougher.

"Yeah, I'm tired of hitting these dudes," Spangler said. "It's always fun to play people you don't play in practice every day because they don't know your moves or how you play. It makes it easier to play in a game than in practice."

For forward Khadeem Lattin, it won't just be the first action of the season, it will be the first action of his collegiate career.

"I'm nervous," said a beaming Lattin, a freshman from Houston. "I'm wondering how I'm going to get my first college points, what I'm going to do and how it's going to happen. I just want to do well. I want to do whatever the team needs me to do when it's my turn."

Quotable

media day players

Head Coach Lon Kruger
On using the loss in the NCAA Tournament as motivation to prepare for this season:
"Anytime you get to the tournament it is great. Still, when you lose it becomes a motivating factor in the offseason. This group understands that and they want to do more and go farther. First of all you have to earn the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament. They understand that too, and that is nothing to be taken for granted. When you do lose in the first round you are motivated to work a little extra hard in the offseason. This group has done that. They have done a really good job with their offseason work."

Junior Forward Ryan Spangler
On how the team is shaping up:
"I think with the way that practices have started that we are further along than the other two years I have been here. I think it helps that we have guys who have won and lost and know what we need to do to be better. As far as what I think we need to do to be better than last year, we are tremendously better on defense. We are not where we need to be, but we have a couple weeks to do that before the first game. That will be the deciding factor on where this team goes."

Junior Guard Isaiah Cousins
On being a gym rat:
"I come here because this is my time to get away from everything. Since I am far from home, and there's not really a lot of stuff to do that I would normally do at home, I just use basketball as a way to relax my mind and always work to get better as a basketball player. I love playing basketball, so I just have to love being in the gym. That's the best part about it -- working on your game."

Junior Guard Buddy Hield
On how his game has improved since last season:
"I am a better attacker, better shooter, more efficient. People use the word 'efficient.' I'm just trying to stay efficient on the basketball court and create plays for my teammates. This summer was a good summer for me because of everything I learned from the pros and the other college guys -- just competing and helping develop my game."

Sophomore Guard Jordan Woodard
On Coach Kruger and dealing with higher expectations this season:
"Coach Kruger might be the most consistent person that I have met in my entire life. He gets the job done. He pushes us to the limit every day. He really just wants the best out of us, and as long as we play defense, rebound and get out in transition like he asks us to do, we will be successful."

Senior Forward D.J. Bennett
On if he's noticed Coach Kruger "stepping it up" due to higher expectations:
"Everybody knows him as a calm type of guy, but in practice he is definitely on us about every little thing. He is the type of coach that emphasizes perfection. Like if we mess up a small little cut or something, we have to stop the whole play and do it again. He definitely has more expectations for us this year. He knows what we can do and he's pushing us past the bar that we even thought we (were at)."

Sophomore Guard Frank Booker
On what the team needs to improve to take the next step:
"Defense. You hear Coach say it and that's all you will hear us say. We have to get better. We can score the ball. That is not going to be a problem. But if people score on us then we have to go back and forth. If we can just stop the other team from scoring then we will be pretty tough to beat."

Sophomore Forward C.J Cole
On preparing for the season:
"Speaking for myself, I am absolutely ready. Going into my third year here without many minutes, I would like to be on the court for more than the last thirty seconds of a game. We are ready. I have been trying to stay more up to date with everything on the team like the style and the plays. Being part of the practice squad, sometimes you lose track of the plays, but this year I have been watching film and making sure I am ready when the time comes."

Senior Forward TaShawn Thomas
On why he chose OU last spring:
"I just love the facilities here, and it feels like a family here. I haven't been around the team that long, but I can tell we are really close. I can talk to anyone about anything on or off the court."

Junior Guard Dinjiyl Walker
On OU being ranked third in the Big 12 preseason poll:
"For me, just being ranked No. 3 in the Big 12 preseason poll is great. These guys put in the work before I came, and I am just looking to help us improve. That's what I feel like I came here for. For us, we are practicing and putting in the work, and I feel like we all want to be No. 1. No. 3 is good, but we are aiming for that top spot."

Freshman Forward Khadeem Lattin
On how he'll contribute to the team this year:
"I can definitely say without a doubt that my energy is just going to help. Whether I am on the bench or on the floor, just being that guy who's always going to be in someone's face or screaming or cheering someone on, or picking someone up or even giving them a cup of water or Gatorade when they need it. Just being that guy that they need is what I am looking forward to doing. Whatever they need me to do, I am down for it."

Freshman Center Jamuni McNeace
On what he has learned since coming to OU:
"To slow down. I like to rush things and I rush into bad situations on the court. But since I have been here they have been slowing my game down. So now I look first and then make moves instead of making a move and then looking when I'm (already) in a bad situation."

Sooners Preview Season With Local Media

Players Mentioned

D.J. Bennett

Frank Booker

Isaiah Cousins

Buddy Hield

Khadeem Lattin

Jamuni McNeace

Ryan Spangler

TaShawn Thomas

Dinjiyl Walker

Jordan Woodard

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University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Preview Season With Local Media

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Players Mentioned

D.J. Bennett

Frank Booker

Isaiah Cousins

Buddy Hield

Khadeem Lattin

Jamuni McNeace

Ryan Spangler

TaShawn Thomas

Dinjiyl Walker

Jordan Woodard

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