Oklahoma Team Report

GETTING INSIDE

Usually the loss of the national player of the year makes teams fret.

Oklahoma realizes it will miss talented forward Blake Griffin, sure. But the Sooners still are rich in talent.

So much so, that they have a guard, Willie Warren, who might establish himself as one of the nation’s premier players now that he becomes Oklahoma’s go-to scorer.

Fiddling from the second chair last season, Warren averaged 14.6 points and 3.1 assists as one of the most productive freshmen ever to play for the Sooners. He was instrumental in Oklahoma’s 30-6 finish, which included a berth in a regional final of the NCAA Tournament after placing second in the Big 12 at 13-3.

Newcomers will continue to factor into the Sooners’ success. Tiny Gallon and Tommy Mason-Griffin are both expected to contribute mightily as freshmen.

Gallon led all scorers in the McDonald’s All-American game with 20 points and could become a force underneath as long as his 6-9, 300-pound frame doesn’t cause fatigue.

Mason-Griffin is a point guard who can impact the offense, something the Sooners have lacked under fourth-year coach Jeff Capel.

Despite losing Griffin, as well as his brother Taylor, to the NBA Draft, the Sooners welcome enough veterans to give youngsters proper guidance in Capel’s system.

Streak shooter Tony Crocker is a gutsy competitor, while Cade Davis also can provide an unexpected spark as an outside bomber. Inside, Orlando Allen and Ryan Wright need to develop their games and become steady contributors.

As long as Warren doesn’t need to take on too much of the scoring load, the Sooners will factor into the Big 12 race again.

Then again, Warren showed the ability, as well as the mentality, to take games over last season when Blake Griffin was battling concussions.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Oklahoma slowly began drawing a nice following last season as fans warmed to the presence of departed All-American F Blake Griffin once football concluded. This season, at least the student contingent at Lloyd Noble Arena figures to be full. The allotment of student season tickets sold out in three days.

• Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel took a couple of days late in September to be in San Diego and take in the Phoenix Suns’ training camp, where former Sooner Taylor Griffin is working out as a rookie. Taylor’s brother, Blake, the top pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, was limited during early workouts for the Los Angeles Clippers because of a bruised knee.

• Jeff Capel was named in September to the board of directors for the National Association of Basketball coaches. He also serves as the Big 12 representative for the NABC ethics committee.

Last Year:   30-6 overall, 13-3 in the Big 12; lost in regional finals of the NCAA Tournament.

Head Coach:   Jeff Capel (career 148-74); fourth year at Oklahoma (69-33).

Quote To Note:   “I just want to prove a lot of people wrong. A lot of people are saying that because Blake (Griffin) isn’t here anymore that Oklahoma isn’t going to be as good as it was. I want to prove those people wrong.”—Oklahoma F Tiny Gallon.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting The Newcomers:   The inside-outside potential of F Tiny Gallon and G Tommy Mason-Griffin is partly what’s stirred favorable ratings for Oklahoma in the preseason. Each is from Houston and each played in the McDonald’s All-American game, where Gallon was the leading scorer. His bulk inside is needed immediately after the Sooners lost Blake and Taylor Griffin, then dismissed F Juan Pattillo, a backup who provided a nice spark last season in conference play. Mason-Griffin is a pure point guard who can produce offense both scoring and dishing the basketball, which should make G Willie Warren even more effective at finding open shots.

Key Early-season Games:   A trip to Virginia Commonwealth, where Jeff Capel coached before taking the Oklahoma job, is the earliest venture for the Sooners and precedes an appearance at the Great Alaska Shootout. Back-to-back visits by Arkansas and Arizona early in December highlight the nonconference home schedule. The Sooners later play at Gonzaga, so several formidable tests await before New Year’s, especially for a club that needs to break in freshmen as key contributors.

Program Direction:   Oklahoma hired a strong up-and-coming coach, Jeff Capel, who already has merited a raise after other programs made passes attempting to attract the former Duke standout. After coaching All-American Blake Griffin last season, Capel might add another Sooner to that category if G Willie Warren continues to improve and live up to his billing as one of the nation’s top shooters. Grooming newcomers will be just as important, however, and could put some pressure on Capel if expectations mount for the Sooners to repeat the achievements of last season.

Probable Starting Lineup:   F Tiny Gallon, F Ryan Wright, G Willie Warren, G Tony Crocker, G Tommy Mason-Griffin.

Roster Report:  

• C Tiny Gallon did not participate in post-testing during preseason conditioning because of what was termed a minor injury.

• G Cade Davis was the top finisher in the mile run each of the seven times the Oklahoma conditioning staff staged that event during preseason conditioning. His best time was 5:19. Other marks released by Oklahoma and the top performances included: body fat (G Ray Willis, 4.7 percent); vertical jump (G Tony Crocker, 43.5 inches); wingspan (C Orlando Allen, 7 feet, 4.5 inches).

• F Juan Pattillo, whose redshirt year was shredded during Big 12 play last season, was dismissed from the team in May for repeated violations of team rules. Pattillo transferred to Western Kentucky.