Season Starts Now for MBB

NORMAN - Day one of official practice is in the books for the Oklahoma men's basketball team. The squad, coming off of an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance, went back to the basics in the two-plus-hour practice at Lloyd Noble Center.

Head coach Lon Kruger was pleased following the Tuesday session, praising the mostly veteran group for the work it has done in the offseason to pick up where it left off a year ago.

“It felt great to get back on the court,” Kruger said. “Typically, you expect the first practice to have a lot of enthusiasm and energy, and we had that. That's great to see. Guys have been working awfully hard in preparation for the first official practice.”

Picked by many national prognosticators as a top-10 team entering the season, Coach Kruger's squad is led by four returning starters, three of whom are seniors.

Because of that fact, Kruger believes there will be strong leadership and cohesiveness among the group.

“We are similar (to last season) in a lot of ways,” Kruger said. “Hopefully we do everything a little bit better. Rebound better, move the ball better, shoot a bit better. We are a year older, and these guys have worked hard in the offseason to be better in all of those areas. I know these guys will keep the bar high and keep working hard at it.”

One of those seniors is reigning Big 12 Player of the Year Buddy Hield, who participated in his final opening practice of his collegiate career.

"The energy was great,” Hield said. “It's the first practice and everyone was worked up. We've been ready for this for six months after the Sweet 16 loss. We're excited to be back at it."

Despite the desire to fast forward to postseason time, the Bahamas native recognizes the significance of this time of year.

"It's really important, but it's tough with these long practices and all the conditioning,” Hield said. “We just have to stick to the process and get after it. Practice is where you learn and get better for games. This is where we start. We have a great group of seniors and we have to keep playing hard and keep leading by example."

Also playing in his final season in Norman is Oklahoma native Ryan Spangler. He said it's important to start the year ensuring everyone is on the same page.

"If you watched practice today we went over fundamentals the whole time,” Spangler said. “Those are things we've done all our lives and it may seem boring, but that's what we do this first month to get ready for the season and to get everyone to understand their roles."

Participating in his first official practice in a Crimson and Cream uniform, freshman Rashard Odomes described his experience.

"This time of year is so important leading up to the first game,” Odomes said. “We have to stay focused and continue to learn, and luckily we have a lot of leaders who will help us (freshmen) out, like Buddy (Hield), Isaiah (Cousins) and Jordan (Woodard). They help us when we mess up and know what to tell us to help us correct our mistakes.”

When the season rolls around next month, the Sooners will face an extremely difficult non-conference slate. Those early tests give this team a sense of urgency.

“This part is extremely important because we have a tough beginning to our schedule,” said Cousins, a senior. “We have to know how to play with each other and know how to pick each other up in bad situations. I think the energy level was there today. Everyone was competing and it was a great atmosphere."

The Sooners open the 2015-16 preseason with exhibition contests versus Washburn (Nov. 6) and Mid-America Christian (Nov. 12) inside Lloyd Noble Center. The team will open the regular season at Memphis on Nov. 17.