University of Oklahoma Athletics
Sooners Add Pair of Transfer Guards
April 15, 2020 | Men's Basketball
NORMAN – University of Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger announced Wednesday that transfer guards Umoja Gibson and Elijah Harkless have signed financial aid agreements with OU and will join the Sooners' men's basketball program.
Both players head to Norman with two years of eligibility remaining. The NCAA requires Division I transfers sit out one year before competing at their new institution.
"Both Mo and Elijah are outstanding young men," said Kruger. "The coaches at their former programs really enjoyed coaching them. They both possess a strong desire to be good teammates, are self-motivated and want to work hard every day to make as much progress as possible. We're excited to have them join the Sooner family."
A 6-1, 168-pound guard from Waco, Texas, Gibson (first name pronounced "oo-MOH-jah") comes to OU from North Texas. He was the second-leading scorer for UNT this past season as the Mean Green claimed the Conference USA regular season title.
He boasted sophomore averages of 14.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals in 30.4 minutes. He connected on 86 3-pointers (third in C-USA) at a 39.4% clip (sixth in C-USA). At the conclusion of the regular season, he was named to the All-Conference USA Second Team.
As a freshman, Gibson sunk a C-USA freshman record 99 3-pointers at a 39.3% rate and was selected to the Conference-USA All-Freshman Team with averages of 12.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals.
In two seasons at UNT, Gibson produced 16 games with at least five 3-pointers along with a dozen 20-point performances (including 21 points against the Sooners last season).
Hailing from Rialto, Calif., Harkless joins the Sooners after two seasons at Cal State Northridge. The 6-4, 195-pound guard averaged 10.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and a Big West-leading 1.7 steals in 29.5 minutes during the 2019-20 season. His 5.8 boards per game led all Big West guards.
Harkless was one of only 17 NCAA Division I players to average at least 10.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals this past season.
His sophomore season was highlighted by the first triple-double in CSUN history, recording 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists over Saint Katherine on Jan. 4.
Coming off a third-place finish in the Big 12, the Sooners expect to return over 70% of their scoring next season behind will-be seniors Brady Manek (14.4 points, 6.2 rebounds) and Austin Reaves (14.7 points, 5.3 rebounds).
Fans can secure their season tickets with a $50 per-seat deposit on SoonerSports.com/Tickets.
Both players head to Norman with two years of eligibility remaining. The NCAA requires Division I transfers sit out one year before competing at their new institution.
"Both Mo and Elijah are outstanding young men," said Kruger. "The coaches at their former programs really enjoyed coaching them. They both possess a strong desire to be good teammates, are self-motivated and want to work hard every day to make as much progress as possible. We're excited to have them join the Sooner family."
A 6-1, 168-pound guard from Waco, Texas, Gibson (first name pronounced "oo-MOH-jah") comes to OU from North Texas. He was the second-leading scorer for UNT this past season as the Mean Green claimed the Conference USA regular season title.
He boasted sophomore averages of 14.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals in 30.4 minutes. He connected on 86 3-pointers (third in C-USA) at a 39.4% clip (sixth in C-USA). At the conclusion of the regular season, he was named to the All-Conference USA Second Team.
As a freshman, Gibson sunk a C-USA freshman record 99 3-pointers at a 39.3% rate and was selected to the Conference-USA All-Freshman Team with averages of 12.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals.
In two seasons at UNT, Gibson produced 16 games with at least five 3-pointers along with a dozen 20-point performances (including 21 points against the Sooners last season).
Hailing from Rialto, Calif., Harkless joins the Sooners after two seasons at Cal State Northridge. The 6-4, 195-pound guard averaged 10.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and a Big West-leading 1.7 steals in 29.5 minutes during the 2019-20 season. His 5.8 boards per game led all Big West guards.
Harkless was one of only 17 NCAA Division I players to average at least 10.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals this past season.
His sophomore season was highlighted by the first triple-double in CSUN history, recording 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists over Saint Katherine on Jan. 4.
Coming off a third-place finish in the Big 12, the Sooners expect to return over 70% of their scoring next season behind will-be seniors Brady Manek (14.4 points, 6.2 rebounds) and Austin Reaves (14.7 points, 5.3 rebounds).
Fans can secure their season tickets with a $50 per-seat deposit on SoonerSports.com/Tickets.
Players Mentioned
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