Sooners Bring the Energy on Day One

The Oklahoma men's basketball team ushered in the start of the 2016-17 preseason with its first official practice of the season on Monday.

Both returning and new Sooners came in with a hunger to compete on day one. Head coach Lon Kruger was impressed by the energy and focus his team brought to the training session.

“It was a good first day," said Kruger. "First days everywhere are a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm. If you don't have it on the first day then you're really worried, but this group had it. They understand that we're going to play hard and enjoy competing. We have a long way to go, but there's nothing wrong with that at all on the first day of practice. They'll be a fun group to watch develop, grow and mature.”

With only 40 days remaining before the Sooners open the 2016-17 regular season, this is a critical time of the season for development of a young roster that contains 11 underclassmen.

“It's an opportunity for other guys to step into those roles,” said Kruger. “A lot of them want to do that. Sometimes you might be careful what you wish for, but it's good that they want to. It's a good starting point, and it will be interesting to see who fills different shoes and plays different minutes.”

The opening practice lasted almost three hours and featured high energy and hustle from both the team and the staff. The players were pleased with the level of intensity and competition that will lay the foundation for the rest of preseason practice.

“Practice was good,” said senior Jordan Woodard. “Coach went high energy from the jump…It was fun. Everyone was getting after it, diving after loose balls, trying to make plays. We're just going to get more comfortable as the year goes, but the first day was good.”

Freshman Kristian Doolittle, one of the many Sooners experiencing the first official practice, enjoyed the atmosphere of the workout and the passion that came with it.

“It's the first practice, so everyone is amped up for the season to technically be here,” said Doolittle. “Everyone was hyped up and ready to go. The coaches were pushing us hard today, which was good. It was fun.”

One thing that has stood out to Doolittle in his short time on campus is that despite the Sooners being younger than years past, the bar has still been set high by Kruger and his staff.

“They hold us to being a championship-caliber team, because that's what they believe we can be,” said Doolittle. “We wouldn't want anything less…They hold us to a high standard. They don't let us get away with anything and they hold us accountable to being the best that we can be.”

As with previous seasons under Kruger, the Sooners' practices are open to the public and fans are encouraged to attend and meet the team.

Oklahoma opens the 2016-17 season with a home exhibition game against Washburn on Nov. 8. The Sooners begin the regular season on Nov. 13 when they host Northwestern State.