SOONERS

2 THE PREVIEW 77 THE OPPONENTS 159 THE HISTORY General Information ...... 2 American/NIT Season Tip-Off ...... 78 Sooner Coaches ...... 160 Schedule ...... 3 Mississippi Valley State/Davidson ...... 79 Facilities Timeline ...... 162 Photo Roster ...... 4 James Madison/Gardner-Webb ...... 80 Individual Honors ...... 164 Rosters ...... 5 USC/Tulsa ...... 81 Sooners in the NBA...... 166 Season Outlook ...... 6 Maine/Utah ...... 82 Honored Jerseys ...... 167 Preseason Notebook...... 11 VCU/Rice ...... 83 Letterwinners ...... 168 Player Poll ...... 12 Arkansas/Coppin State ...... 84 Year-by-Year Records ...... 170 Maryland Eastern Shore/Kansas State ...... 85 Regular Season Events ...... 172 Texas/Texas A&M...... 86 Sooners in the AP Poll ...... 174 BOOMER SOONER! Nebraska/Baylor ...... 87 Year-by-Year Rosters ...... 175 13 Oklahoma State/Iowa State ...... 88 Year-by-Year Results ...... 181 Colorado/Texas Tech ...... 89 Accomplished History ...... 14 Kansas/Missouri ...... 90 Sooner Gameday ...... 16 Non-Conference Opponent Series History ...... 91 MEDIA INFORMATION Media Exposure ...... 17 Big 12 Opponent Series History ...... 92 197 Lloyd Noble Center ...... 18 All-Time Series Records ...... 98 Legacy Court ...... 22 Media Relations Staff ...... 198 Athletics Facilities...... 23 Athletics Directory ...... 199 Postseason Pride ...... 24 THE REVIEW Coverage Guidelines ...... 200 Final Fours ...... 25 99 Media Outlets ...... 201 Sooner Success ...... 26 Radio Coverage ...... 202 Sooner Spirit ...... 28 2007-08 Recap ...... 100 Television Coverage ...... 203 Strength and Conditioning ...... 30 Overall Statistics ...... 103 Big 12 Conference ...... 204 Sports Medicine ...... 31 Season Results ...... 104 Big 12 Composite Schedule ...... 205 Community Outreach ...... 32 Points, Rebounds, Assists ...... 105 Big 12 Championship Bracket...... 207 The University ...... 33 Game-by-Game Totals ...... 106 Maps and Directions ...... 208 Individual Highs ...... 107 Team Highs and Lows ...... 108 THE PLAYERS Big 12 Leaders ...... 109 MEDIA GUIDE CREDITS 37 Game Recaps ...... 113 The 2008-09 University of Oklahoma men’s bas- Taylor Griffin ...... 38 ketball media guide was designed and produced Austin Johnson ...... 40 THE RECORDS in-house by the OU Athletics Department in Omar Leary ...... 42 123 Norman, Okla., using Adobe InDesign and Adobe Tony Crocker ...... 44 Photoshop. The guide was printed by OU Printing Beau Gerber ...... 46 Individual Records ...... 124 Services of Norman and distributed at no cost Cade Davis ...... 48 Team Records ...... 125 to the taxpayers of the state of Oklahoma. The Blake Griffin ...... 50 Lloyd Noble Center Records ...... 126 University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity Juan Pattillo ...... 52 Career Leaders ...... 127 institution. (October 2008) Ryan Wright ...... 53 Single-Season Leaders ...... 129 WRITER, EDITOR & DESIGNER Orlando Allen ...... 54 Year-by-Year Leaders ...... 131 Kyle Cannon ...... 55 Yearly Team Statistics ...... 134 Mike Houck T.J. Franklin ...... 56 Freshman Category Leaders ...... 136 COVER DESIGN Willie Warren ...... 57 Big 12 Championship ...... 137 Scott Matthews Ray Willis ...... 58 Postseason Results ...... 140 Postseason Single-Game Records ...... 141 EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Postseason Individual Highs ...... 142 Kristin Conder, Debbie Copp, Ryan Kasmiersky, THE STAFF OU Postseason Team Highs ...... 143 Leslie Koch, Jennifer Van Tuyl 59 Opponent Postseason Team Highs ...... 144 NCAA Tournament Category Leaders ...... 145 GRAPHIC DESIGN CONTRIBUTOR Jeff Capel...... 60 1,000-Point Scorers ...... 146 Jennifer Van Tuyl Ben Betts ...... 64 Single-Game Scoring Highs ...... 153 PHOTOGRAPHY Mark Cline ...... 65 Single-Game Rebounding and Assist Highs ...... 155 Ty Russell, Lisa Hall, Jerry Laizure, Rich Clarkson, Oronde Taliaferro ...... 66 100-Point Games ...... 156 Simon Hurst, ICON Sports Media, Thom Kendall/ Bryan Goodman ...... 67 Double/Triple-Doubles ...... 158 Schwartzman Sports, Bob Rosato, Larry W. Smith, Basketball Support Staff...... 68 Shevaun Williams, John Williamson, J.P. Wilson, David L. Boren ...... 72 Fayetteville News-Observer , OU Athletics Media Joe Castiglione ...... 73 Athletics Administration ...... 75 Relations Archives, OU Western History Collections, Head Coaches ...... 76 USA Basketball

Nike is the official footwear, apparel supplier and sponsor of the University of Oklahoma men’s basketball team.

2008-09 | OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL 1 OKLAHOMA GENERAL INFORMATION

u OKLAHOMA QUICK FACTS Location: Norman, Okla. Founded: 1890 Enrollment: 29,721 Nickname: Sooners Colors: Crimson and Cream Conference: Big 12 (South) Arena: Lloyd Noble Center (12,000) President: David L. Boren Athletics Director: Joe Castiglione First Year of Basketball: 1907-08 All-Time Record: 1,468-936 (.611) NCAA Tournament Appearances: 25 Final Four Appearances: 4 (1939, 1947, 1988, 2002) NIT Appearances: 7 Regular Season Conference Titles: 14 (1928, 1929, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1947, 1949, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 2005) Conference Tournament Titles: 7 (1979, 1985, 1988, 1990, 2001, 2002, 2003) 2007-08 Record: 23-12 overall Big 12 Record: 9-7 (fourth-place tie) Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/4 LLOYD NOBLE CENTER Starters Returning/Lost: 4/2 (Capacity: 12,000) Returning Scoring: 69 percent Returning Rebounding: 68 percent Returning Assists: 72 percent u BASKETBALL STAFF Head Coach: Jeff Capel Alma Mater: Duke ’97 Record at Oklahoma: 39-27 (2 years) Career Record: 118-68 (6 years) THE PREVIEW Career NCAA Tournament Appearances: 2 Career NIT Appearances: 1 Assistant Coaches: Ben Betts (Roanoke College ’90), Mark Cline (Wake Forest ’88), Oronde Taliaferro (Wayne State ’94) Director of Basketball Operations: Bryan Goodman (Barat College ’96) Trainer: Alex Brown Team Physician: Dr. Brock Schnebel Strength and Conditioning Coach: Darby Rich Video Coordinator: Dionne Phelps Graduate Assistant Managers: Yanni Hufnagel, Kellen Sampson Coach Capel’s Secretary: Renee Forney Office Secretary: Amy Miller u ATHLETICS TICKET OFFICE Local Phone: (405) 325-2424 Toll Free Phone: (800) 456-4668 Address: OU Athletics Ticket Office, 1185 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019 E-Mail: [email protected] Associate AD/Ticket Operations: Billy Ray Johnson Director of Ticket Operations: Bob Cunningham Associate Director of Ticket Operations: Matt Schaeperkoetter South Ramp Assistant Director of Ticket Operations: John (Media Entrance) Mahoney Box Office Manager: Billy Walton PREMIER PREFERRED SOONER OU STUDENTS Assistant Box Office Manager: David White SAVER

2 OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL | 2008-09 SOONERS SCHEDULE

DAY DATE OPPONENT SITE TIME TV Wednesday Nov. 5 ! PANHANDLE STATE NORMAN 7 p.m. Saturday Nov. 8 ! CAMERON NORMAN TBA Friday Nov. 14 AMERICAN NORMAN 7 p.m. SSN Monday Nov. 17 # MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE NORMAN 8 p.m. ESPNU Tuesday Nov. 18 # DAVIDSON or JAMES MADISON NORMAN 5:30 or 8:30 p.m. ESPN2 Saturday Nov. 22 GARDNER-WEBB NORMAN TBA Wednesday Nov. 26 # NIT SEASON TIP-OFF New York, N.Y. 6 or 8:30 p.m. ESPN2 Friday Nov. 28 # NIT SEASON TIP-OFF New York, N.Y. 12:30 or 3 p.m. ESPN2 Thursday Dec. 4 $ USC NORMAN 6 p.m. ESPN2 Sunday Dec. 7 % at Tulsa Tulsa, Okla. 3 p.m. CBSCSN Wednesday Dec. 10 MAINE NORMAN 7 p.m. SSN Saturday Dec. 13 UTAH NORMAN 3 p.m. ESPN2 Saturday Dec. 20 ^ vs. VCU Oklahoma City, Okla. 9 p.m. ESPN2 Monday Dec. 22 at Rice Houston, Texas 7 p.m. SSN Tuesday Dec. 30 at Arkansas Fayetteville, Ark. 7 p.m. SSN Saturday Jan. 3 COPPIN STATE NORMAN 12:30 p.m. SSN Monday Jan. 5 MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE NORMAN 7 p.m. SSN Saturday Jan. 10 at Kansas State Manhattan, Kan. 12:30 p.m. Big 12 Monday Jan. 12 TEXAS NORMAN 8 p.m. ESPN Saturday Jan. 17 at Texas A&M College Station, Texas 1 p.m. ESPN Wednesday Jan. 21 NEBRASKA NORMAN 8 p.m. ESPNU Saturday Jan. 24 BAYLOR NORMAN 3 p.m. ESPNU PREVIEW THE Monday Jan. 26 at Oklahoma State Stillwater, Okla. 8 p.m. ESPN Saturday Jan. 31 at Iowa State Ames, Iowa 12:30 p.m. Big 12 Wednesday Feb. 4 TEXAS A&M NORMAN 8 p.m. Big 12 Saturday Feb. 7 COLORADO NORMAN 12:30 p.m. Big 12 Wednesday Feb. 11 at Baylor Waco, Texas 8 p.m. ESPN2 Saturday Feb. 14 TEXAS TECH NORMAN 12:30 p.m. Big 12 Saturday Feb. 21 at Texas Austin, Texas 8 p.m. ESPN Monday Feb. 23 KANSAS NORMAN 8 p.m. ESPN Saturday Feb. 28 at Texas Tech Lubbock, Texas 2:30 p.m. ABC Wednesday March 4 at Missouri Columbia, Mo. 8 p.m. Big 12 Saturday March 7 OKLAHOMA STATE NORMAN 2:30 p.m. ABC Wed.-Sat. March 11-14 at Big 12 Championship Oklahoma City, Okla. TBD Big 12/ESPN2/ESPN

! Exhibition # Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off $ Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series 2008-09 NCAA TOURNAMENT DATES AND SITES % Game played at BOK Center ^ O’Reilly All-College Classic (Ford Center) FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS * Championship game March 19 & 21: Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, N.C.),, Sprint Center (Kansas City, Mo.), Wachovia Center (Phila- delphia, Pa.), Rose Garden (Portland, Ore.); March 20 & 22:2 2: Taco Bell Arena (Boise, Idaho), UD Arena (Dayton, Ohio), Dates and times are subject to change. American Airlines Arena (Miami, Fla.), HHH Metrodome (Minneapolis,Minnea po lis, Minn.) All times are Central. REGIONALS “Big 12” indicates a Big 12 Network regional telecast March 26 & 28: TD Banknorth Garden (Boston, Mass.), (formerly ESPN Plus). University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.); “SSN” indicates Sooner Sports Network. March 27 & 29: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, Ind.), “CBSCSN” indicates CBS College Sports Network. FedExForum (Memphis, Tenn.) FINAL FOUR April 4 & 6: Ford Field (Detroit, Mich.)

2008-09 | OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL 3 OKLAHOMA PHOTO ROSTER

u 1 RYAN WRIGHT u 3 T.J. FRANKLIN u 5 TONY CROCKER u 11 OMAR LEARY u 12 JUAN PATTILLO 6-9, 234, Jr., Forward 5-11, 161, Fr., Guard 6-6, 206, Jr., Guard 5-11, 173, Sr., Guard 6-6, 216, Jr., Forward Mississauga, Ontario Fort Worth, Texas San Antonio, Texas Portland, Ore. Las Vegas, Nev.

u 13 WILLIE WARREN u 20 AUSTIN JOHNSON u 21 ORLANDO ALLEN u 23 BLAKE GRIFFIN u 31 KYLE CANNON 6-4, 207, Fr., Guard 6-3, 176, Sr., Guard 6-11, 267, So., Center 6-10, 251, So., Forward 6-8, 236, So., Forward Fort Worth, Texas Amarillo, Texas Cincinnati, Ohio Oklahoma City, Okla. Baltimore, Md. THE PREVIEW

u 32 TAYLOR GRIFFIN u 34 CADE DAVIS u 41 RAY WILLIS u 45 BEAU GERBER 6-7, 238, Sr., Forward 6-5, 208, So., Guard 6-6, 172, Fr., Guard 6-8, 228, Jr., Forward Oklahoma City, Okla. Elk City, Okla. Atlanta, Ga. Winfield, Kan.

u JEFF CAPEL u BEN BETTS u MARK CLINE u ORONDE TALIAFERRO u BRYAN GOODMAN Head Coach Assistant Coach Assistant Coach Assistant Coach Director of Operations Third Year at OU Third Year at OU Third Year at OU Second Year at OU Third Year at OU

4 OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL | 2008-09 SOONERS ROSTERS

NUMERICAL

No. Name Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt. Hometown (Last School) 1 Ryan Wright F Jr. 6-9 234 Mississauga, Ontario (UCLA) 3 T.J. Franklin G Fr. 5-11 161 Fort Worth, Texas (North Crowley HS) 5 Tony Crocker** G Jr. 6-6 206 San Antonio, Texas (The Patterson School [N.C.]) 11 Omar Leary* G Sr. 5-11 173 Portland, Ore. (Northeastern [Colo.] JC) 12 Juan Pattillo F Jr. 6-6 216 Las Vegas, Nev. (College of Southern Idaho) 13 Willie Warren G Fr. 6-4 207 Fort Worth, Texas (North Crowley HS) 20 Austin Johnson*** G Sr. 6-3 176 Amarillo, Texas (Palo Duro HS) 21 Orlando Allen C So. 6-11 267 Cincinnati, Ohio (Paris [TX] JC) 23 Blake Griffin* F So. 6-10 251 Oklahoma City, Okla. (Oklahoma Christian School) 31 Kyle Cannon F So. 6-8 236 Baltimore, Md. (San Jacinto [TX] JC) 32 Taylor Griffin*** F Sr. 6-7 238 Oklahoma City, Okla. (Oklahoma Christian School) 34 Cade Davis* G So. 6-5 208 Elk City, Okla. (Elk City HS) 41 Ray Willis G Fr. 6-6 172 Atlanta, Ga. (Westlake HS) 45 Beau Gerber** F Jr. 6-8 228 Winfield, Kan. (Winfield HS) ALPHABETICAL

No. Name Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt. Hometown (Last School) 21 Orlando Allen C So. 6-11 267 Cincinnati, Ohio (Paris [TX] JC) PREVIEW THE 31 Kyle Cannon F So. 6-8 236 Baltimore, Md. (San Jacinto [TX] JC) 5 Tony Crocker** G Jr. 6-6 206 San Antonio, Texas (The Patterson School [N.C.]) 34 Cade Davis* G So. 6-5 208 Elk City, Okla. (Elk City HS) 3 T.J. Franklin G Fr. 5-11 161 Fort Worth, Texas (North Crowley HS) 45 Beau Gerber** F Jr. 6-8 228 Winfield, Kan. (Winfield HS) 23 Blake Griffin* F So. 6-10 251 Oklahoma City, Okla. (Oklahoma Christian School) 32 Taylor Griffin*** F Sr. 6-7 238 Oklahoma City, Okla. (Oklahoma Christian School) 20 Austin Johnson*** G Sr. 6-3 176 Amarillo, Texas (Palo Duro HS) 11 Omar Leary* G Sr. 5-11 173 Portland, Ore. (Northeastern [Colo.] JC) 12 Juan Pattillo F Jr. 6-6 216 Las Vegas, Nev. (College of Southern Idaho) 13 Willie Warren G Fr. 6-4 207 Fort Worth, Texas (North Crowley HS) 41 Ray Willis G Fr. 6-6 172 Atlanta, Ga. (Westlake HS) 1 Ryan Wright F Jr. 6-9 234 Mississauga, Ontario (UCLA) STAFF

Head Coach: Jeff Capel (Duke ’97), Third Year at Oklahoma Assistant Coach: Ben Betts (Roanoke College ’90), Third Year at Oklahoma Assistant Coach: Mark Cline (Wake Forest ’88), Third Year at Oklahoma Assistant Coach: Oronde Taliaferro (Wayne State ’94), Second Year at Oklahoma Director of Operations: Bryan Goodman (Barat College ’96), Third Year at Oklahoma PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

Juan Pattillo: puh-TILL-o Oronde Taliaferro: o-RON-day tal-uh-FAIR-o * Letters earned at Oklahoma

2008-09 | OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL 5 OKLAHOMA SEASON OUTLOOK

u Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year and national- player-of-the-year candidate Blake Griffin

THE FUTURE IS NOW Capel assembles program’s most talented roster in recent memory; Sooners picked first in Big 12 preseason coaches poll

A top-10 national recruiting class comprised of two high big guys in the country. We look forward to him having a school guards and three junior college big men is an huge year. His numbers may not improve drastically, but hen Jeff Capel was hired as Oklahoma’s additional plus. And there’s also forward Ryan Wright, a he will be more efficient and more effective in helping men’s basketball coach on April 11, 2006, he was hand- transfer from UCLA who sat out last season while practic- our team.” cuffed with a short roster and assigned the not-so-every- ing with the Sooners. day task of rebuilding a proud program while having to The physically imposing Griffin averaged 16.9 points and THE PREVIEW W contend with recruiting and scholarship limitations left “Our guys know we have a chance to be good, a chance to 10.4 rebounds during Big 12 play, discounting OU’s game over from the previous coaching regime. OU fans looked have a really special season,” said Capel. “Because of that, at Kansas when he injured his knee five minutes into the forward to an exciting and prosperous future under the it really elevated what they did in their spring individual contest. He turned down an opportunity to be a lottery energetic Capel, but they knew it would take time. workouts and the way they worked in the summer to get pick in last summer’s NBA Draft in order to improve his to another level. skills and to experience what he hopes will be a sopho- Just more than two years later, that promising future more season to remember. appears to have arrived. “I talk to our guys constantly about how our level of work and level of preparation have to improve. I think they’ve “As good as he was last year, we expect him to be even A combination of veteran returnees, including projected taken that to heart.” better this season because of how hard he’s been work- No. 1 overall 2009 NBA Draft pick Blake Griffin, and a ing and how determined he is to become a better player,” highly rated crop of newcomers that features McDonald’s added Capel. “Because of his size, his speed, his strength, All-American Willie Warren, will give Capel his deepest u FRONTCOURT he’s a guy teams have to gameplan for.” and most talented Sooners squad. A consensus preseason Blake Griffin (6-10, 251, So., Forward) top-25 pick and a top-10 selection by many national Taylor Griffin (6-7, 238, Sr., Forward) Joining the preseason All-American on OU’s frontline is pundits, Capel’s third OU team will look to improve on last Ryan Wright (6-9, 234, Jr., Forward) his brother, Taylor Griffin . A chiseled 6-7, 238-pound year’s 23-12 season that ended in the second round of forward, Taylor Griffin possesses much of the strength Juan Pattillo (6-6, 216, Jr., Forward) the NCAA Tournament. and athletic ability of his younger sibling. The senior has Kyle Cannon (6-8, 236, So., Forward) started 42 of his 93 career games, including 20 of 35 last “This is the most excited I’ve seen our guys since I’ve been Orlando Allen (6-11, 267, So., Center) year when he averaged 6.5 points and 4.9 boards per here,” said Capel, who is 39-27 at OU. “They talk to me or Beau Gerber (6-8, 228, Jr., Forward) outing. Realizing he has just one last go-round, the elder they text me all the time about this season. The returning Griffin is prepared to make it as successful as possible. guys are proud of what they accomplished last year, especially with some of the adverse things we had to go Leading Oklahoma’s frontcourt charge is national-player- “He’s really embracing his role as a senior leader,” said through. The way that it ended in the NCAA Tournament of-the-year candidate Blake Griffin , a 6-10, 251-pound Capel of Taylor Griffin. “He’s preparing for this season with the loss to Louisville, as bad as it was when it hap- forward who led the Sooners in scoring (14.7 ppg), differently than he’s prepared for any previous season. I pened, it’s positive for us now because it let them know rebounding (9.1 rpg) and field goal percentage (.568) think he’s very excited. The thing I want Taylor to do is we have to work even harder.” last season. Blessed with a rare combination of strength, play with reckless abandon. I want him to be athletic, first-rate athletic ability and savvy court sense, Griffin last I want him to be flying all over the place, I want him to Another positive for the Sooners in 2008-09 is the year became the first OU freshman to earn first-team all- play with confidence. When he does that, he’s a really, amount of production that returns from last season. OU conference honors since Wayman Tisdale 25 years earlier. really good player.” welcomes back 69 percent of its scoring, 68 percent of its rebounding and 72 percent of its assists from a team that “I think we have the best player in the country,” said Expected to play a big role for Capel’s crew this year is finished in fourth place in the Big 12. Capel referring to Griffin, “certainly one of the premier a face new to the fans but not to the program. Ryan

6 OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL | 2008-09 SOONERS SEASON OUTLOOK

Wright , an explosive 6-9, 234-pound forward who guy who you don’t give a position. He’s just a basketball transferred from UCLA, practiced with the Sooners last player. He can affect the game in different ways with his u BACKCOURT year but was not allowed to compete in games. Wright ability to slash and his mid-range shot. He should be a Tony Crocker (6-6, 206, Jr., Guard) appeared in 59 contests over two years with the Bruins really good offensive rebounder and he has a chance to Austin Johnson (6-3, 176, Sr., Guard) and played in a pair of Final Fours. He averaged 1.9 be a really good defender who can match up at multiple Omar Leary (5-11, 173, Sr., Guard) points and 1.2 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per game while positions.” Cade Davis (6-5, 208, So., Guard) shooting .571 from the field. Another player to whom his new head coach is reluctant Willie Warren (6-4, 207, Fr., Guard) Said Capel, “We think Ryan will be an important player for to assign a position is Kyle Cannon . A preseason first- Ray Willis (6-6, 172, Fr., Guard) us this season, a very effective player. He’s very physical team All-American last year at San Jacinto Junior College T.J. Franklin (5-11, 161, Fr., Guard) — great body, great athleticism and a guy who doesn’t in Texas, Cannon averaged 13.5 points and 8.3 rebounds mind banging. He should be able to immediately affect in four games before missing the rest of his sophomore our team in terms of defense and rebounding. And he season following knee surgery to correct patellar tendi- Guard play dictated the Sooners’ 2007-08 season. When has a better offensive game than many people realize.” nitis. He averaged 14.8 points as a freshman when he OU’s guards played well, victories came in bunches. When was a third-team all-region selection. Because he missed they were off their game, the team’s struggles were more A trio of junior college transfers will increase OU’s size evident. Capel is hoping a more experienced backcourt virtually all of last season, Cannon will have three years of and athletic ability down low and should challenge for — the team returns its top two scoring guards — and eligibility remaining at OU. immediate playing time. the injection of new high-level talent will result in a “Kyle is a 6-8 skilled player. I wouldn’t label him as a post more consistent performance in 2008-09. Juan Pattillo was a 2007-08 preseason first-team guy, necessarily. Like Juan, he’s just a basketball player. All-American at College of Southern Idaho who went on Tony Crocker and Austin Johnson made 67 combined When healthy, he’s a good athlete. He just has a good to average 17.4 points and 6.7 rebounds in 22.1 minutes starts (out of a possible 70) last year and averaged 20 feel for the game. He’s another guy who will give us per game. At 6-6 and 216 pounds, Pattillo can play in the points per game between them. Johnson averaged 31.3 flexibility. We could play him, Taylor and Blake together; paint or on the perimeter, giving the Sooners the ability minutes per contest while Crocker ranked second on the him, Taylor and Ryan together. We’ll be able to do differ- to go either big or small with him on the court. He might team with his 30.6 minutes. The pair is a versatile one, ent things because of Kyle’s ability to step away from the be the most athletic player on the roster. with both players able to shoot from outside, put the ball basket and shoot, and because of his ability to pass.” on the floor and find teammates for the open look. “J“Juanua n is a ggreatre at athlete,”a th le te ,” stresseds tr es se d Capel.Ca pe l. “He“H e playspl ay s hard,ha rd , The largest player on OU’s roster, Orlando Allen is a 6-11, hahass a tremendoustr em en do us bbody,od y, canc an playp la y ababoveov e theth e rim.ri m. He’sHe ’s a Crocker, a 6-6, 206-pound junior, ranked third on the 267-pound center who transferred from Paris Junior Col- team with his 11.3 points per game last year and also PREVIEW THE lege in Texas. He will also be a sophomore eligibility wise. averaged 3.8 boards and 1.9 assists. His 64 3-pointers Considered more advanced defensively than offensively, and .424 shooting from beyond the arc led the Sooners. Allen has lost 58 pounds from his peak weight two years Capel thinks he can become even more dangerous. ago. He didn’t play in 2007-08 at Paris, and as a freshman the season before averaged 1.8 points and 2.6 rebounds “The thing that’s imperative for Tony to improve in order to become a better player, a more complete player, is in limited action for a sophomore-laden team that his ball handling. That’s something I talked about in my finished 26-5. Allen was rated by Rivals.com as the Big end-of-the-year meeting with him. We obviously want 12 Conference’s top center prospect among players who him to maintain his ability to shoot the ball, but we want signed last November. him to handle the ball better and get stronger. If he does “First of all, he’s huge,” began Capel. “Orlando’s lost about those two things, he has the chance to really flourish and 20 pounds since he got here in late May, so he’s really become one of the better guards in our league.” u Senior forward working his butt off to get in shape. When he’s in shape, Taylor Griffin that allows him to be really active on offense, on defense has started 42 and running the floor. He’s really long. It’s not just that games over he’s 6-11 — he also has really long arms and big hands. the last two He’ll impact our team defensively, but I also think he will seasons. offensively because he can take up so much space in the paint. We’re really looking forward to working with him.” Walk-on Beau Gerber , a blue-collar junior forward who seemingly has no enemies, rounds out the frontcourt. The 6-8, 222-pounder exudes hard work and determina- tion for a shot at minimal playing time. He saw a total of 33 minutes in 15 games last year. Capel said he has encountered few players like him. “Beau Gerber is one of my favorite players that I’ve ever coached. You talk about the ultimate team guy; I really haven’t met a guy like him. His teammates love him and he has a heart as big as anything. He works his butt off every day knowing that’s he’s probably not going to get to play. He gets a beating every day having to lock up with Blake and Ryan and Taylor. The guy has incredible pride to wear ‘Oklahoma’ on his chest. He can be a great leader for our basketball team because there’s no one who values what wearing that jersey means more than Beau does.” u Guard Tony Crocker shot .532 from 3-point range in OU’s 23 wins last year.

2008-09 | OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL 7 OKLAHOMA SEASON OUTLOOK

Capel added, “When we were working with the players some growing to do. He’s a very talented offensive player in the spring, there wasn’t anyone working harder than who can handle the ball and shoot it to three. Because Tony Crocker. ” of his size and ability to handle it, he’s a very, very good mid-range player. He has to get stronger. That’s the most Johnson, a 6-3, 176-pound senior, averaged 8.6 points important thing for him. As he begins to get stronger and a team-high 2.7 assists per game while posting a 2.1 and his body starts to change, down the road people are assist-to-turnover ratio. He ranked second on the squad going to say, ‘How did Oklahoma get this guy?’” with 49 treys. Johnson scored in double figures 15 times, with OU going 14-1 when he did (8-0 in Big 12 play). Rounding out the OU backcourt is freshman walk-on T.J. Making it tougher on him was the fact that he fought Franklin . The 5-11 point guard teamed with Warren back pain all season. last year at North Crowley High School for a near-perfect season. An academic standout, Franklin started all 39 “He has a really good feel for the game,” said Capel of games and averaged 4.4 assists and 2.4 steals. Johnson. “He can affect the game defensively, he can af- fect it offensively, especially when he’s making shots. The “T.J. comes from a winning program and was very big thing with A.J. is health. When he’s been healthy, he’s well coached in high school. He’s a good player. He been a good player for us, at times very good. If he has a understands how to play, he competes, he’s tough, he healthy fall and winter, he can really, really help us.” can handle the ball, can knock down shots. We’re excited u Senior about him being part of the Sooner family.” Two other returning guards are senior Omar Leary and guard Austin sophomore Cade Davis . Both first-year players last sea- Johnson SUMMARY son, Leary transferred from junior college while Davis was has started Oklahoma’s improvement from 16 wins in Capel’s first considered the second best high school player in Okla- 69 career year to 23 wins and an NCAA Tournament second-round games. homa behind Blake Griffin in 2006-07. Leary averaged appearance last season was enough to satisfy the 3.9 points in 16.8 minutes per game last season primarily program’s fan base. Now, with improved talent and in- as a back-up point guard, and proved capable from the creased depth, expectations for year No. 3 have escalated. perimeter with his .375 3-point shooting. Davis averaged 3.7 points in 13.3 minutes an outing on the wing and Higher standards don’t lay solely with the fans, however. made all 23 of his free throw attempts on the year. on the defense. With that, I think he’s been unfairly la- OU’s players are anxious to start the season and improve beled as a selfish player. His greatest asset his whole life on last year’s successes. Capel thinks last year’s experience will greatly benefit the has been scoring. But just because you can score doesn’t “There’s an excitement among the guys coming back and pair during the 2008-09 campaign. mean you can’t do other things. Willie has the chance to also the new guys coming in,” said Capel. “I think we’ll make his teammates better because of his scoring ability. “I thought Omar did a really good job last year. We don’t have a very good blend. All of our returning scholarship I think he’s a good passer — an underrated passer. I also beat Arkansas and Gonzaga without him. As we got to players started at some point for us last year. So we have think he can be a very good defender.” conference, I think the speed of the game wore on him a that experience. But we also add six new scholarship

THE PREVIEW little. He went through a spell with some inconsistency, Another talented guard who will vie for court time as a players. We think all of them are talented, but we have to which most first-year players do. But I thought down the freshman is Ray Willis . A slender 6-6 and 172 pounds, come together very quickly. stretch he played really well for us. He can be a very good Willis earned first-team all-state honors in Georgia last shooter for us and a guy that can get us into our offense. year by averaging 27.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 “It’s going to be imperative for our older guys, with their We look forward to Omar being better this year because assists at Westlake High School. Ranked No. 61 nationally experience, to be great with their communication. They he has a year of Division I experience under his belt.” by Scout.com, Willis set a Westlake single-season record have to help teach our new guys how to work, what it by scoring at least 30 points eight times. He’s considered takes. There’s a buzz our players have sensed that has About Davis, Capel said, “I thought Cade made a big a good all-around player with a bright future. led to them working at a different level because they jump during the year last year. You look at him at the want to get to a different level. They’ve done a good job beginning of the season and then at the end — he may “Ray’s an incredibly talented young man,” commented understanding that. That must continue.” have been our most improved player. He got used to the Capel. “He’s 6-6 and really long, and we think he still has speed of the game, his passing became a lot better and he gained confidence as the season went on. It’s really important for him to improve his ball handling and to u Willie Warren is OU’s second get stronger. I love the energy he brings to the court and McDonald’s All-American in how hard he plays. Cade can be a very important con- the last two years. tributor to our team, especially with his shooting ability.” A new Sooner with whom the OU fans will get acquaint- ed quickly is combo guard Willie Warren . OU’s second McDonald’s All-American in the past two years (he scored a game-high 23 points in last year’s All-American game), the 6-4, 207-pounder led his North Crowley high school team in Fort Worth, Texas, to a 38-1 record and the Class 5A state title by averaging 24.9 points and 4.7 assists per game. The most highly touted high school guard signee in OU history, Warren was ranked in the top 10 nationally by no less than three online recruiting publications (ESPN.com, Rivals.com and Hoop Scoop). He will impact the team immediately, both at the point and on the wing. “Willie comes in with a huge reputation, and I think it’s warranted,” said Capel. “He’s incredibly talented. He can score in so many different ways, and that puts pressure

8 OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL | 2008-09 SOONERS SEASON OUTLOOK

PERCENTAGES RETURNING QUOTING CAPEL Category ’07-08 Return %Back Points 2378 1648 69.3 Rebounds 1157 790 68.3 u Your program made some nice strides last year. How 3-Point FGs 220 162 73.6 would you sum up your second season? Free Throws 496 353 71.1 Assists 436 312 71.6 “I thought we had a very good season. I thought we made Blocks 135 77 57.0 a huge jump as a program. Finishing in the top four of the Steals 226 164 72.6 best league in the country and to win a game in the NCAA Tournament was huge for our program in so many ways. LEADING RETURNERS When you make the tournament, especially as an at-large u Head coach team, that means you’ve done something really good. I don’t Points Per Game Jeff Capel is Blake Griffin 14.7 think you should ever take making the NCAA Tournament for beginning his granted. Winning a game and being one of the final 32 teams third season in Tony Crocker 11.3 left — the experience our returning guys gained from that is Norman. Austin Johnson 8.6 Taylor Griffin 6.5 invaluable. Also, getting our national respect back and getting Omar Leary 3.9 our program back to where it was before Cade Davis 3.7 2006-07 when we didn’t make the postsea- son were very important. All of those Rebounds Per Game things give us really positive momentum Blake Griffin 9.1 heading into this season.” Taylor Griffin 4.9 Tony Crocker 3.8 u What will the loss of seniors David Godbold and Longar Longar mean to this year’s team? Field Goal Percentage Blake Griffin .568 “First of all, they were both four-year guys. They were Tony Crocker .441 very valuable contributors. David started off and on all Taylor Griffin .428 PREVIEW THE four years. He was a really good glue guy. He didn’t do anything that really stood out, but he was just a good 3-Point Field Goal Percentage player. He defended at a high level, he’d get in and rebound Tony Crocker .424 for you. Offensively, he knew all the plays. When he scored, Omar Leary .375 that was a plus. Even without scoring a bunch, he always Austin Johnson .338 found a way to be on the floor and be an effective member of Longar and Taylor Griffin. During the conference season, Blake 3-Pointers Per Game the team. What we’ll miss from him is his defensive experi- and Longar missed games. Now all of a sudden we have Blake, Tony Crocker 1.8 ence and his ability to make others on the floor comfortable. Taylor, Ryan Wright, Orlando Allen, Kyle Cannon and Juan Pat- Austin Johnson 1.4 Omar Leary 0.8 “I thought Longar was our best player during that stretch of tillo. So the depth there drastically improves. I think our talent December games when we beat Arkansas, Gonzaga and West level greatly improves with these six new guys. Each of them Free Throw Percentage Virginia. I really hate that he got hurt because he was a shell brings a unique quality to our team, which is maybe something Cade Davis 1.000 of himself after that. He showed incredible toughness to play we didn’t have. Omar Leary .842 with a broken bone in his leg. Longar was a good player for Taylor Griffin .768 “With all of that said, I think it’s imperative that we come Austin Johnson .733 us the last two years. He made so many strides offensively together and that we develop a dynamic chemistry. If that and became a guy you could depend on, especially before he happens, we have the chance to have a really good basketball Assists Per Game got hurt. He defended at a high level with his blocked shots team. I like the possibility of what we can become.” Austin Johnson 2.9 and shot altering, at times he rebounded at a high level, and Tony Crocker 1.9 he was a guy who could score in different ways — offensive u Is there anything that concerns you about the Blake Griffin 1.8 rebounding, running the floor, in the low post and from 15 2008-09 season? to 17 feet. So those are two guys we’ll really miss. But we Blocked Shots Per Game “Inexperience. That’s a big concern when you have six new do have some good players returning and some good guys Blake Griffin 0.8 scholarship guys. Nine of our 12 scholarship guys will be in coming in. We lose two but we gain six. Hopefully those six Taylor Griffin 0.7 their first or second year of Division I basketball. I count Ryan can make up for that loss.” Wright as one of those nine because even though he played Steals Per Game Austin Johnson 1.1 u two years at UCLA, he sat out last year. Blake Griffin, Cade What are potential areas of difference between Blake Griffin 1.0 last year’s team and this year’s squad? Davis and Omar Leary will only be in their second year. And then you add six new guys. It’s also trying to combine six new Tony Crocker 0.9 Taylor Griffin 0.9 “A big thing, and maybe the most important thing, is health. personalities. Fortunately, I think we have some good guys on There really wasn’t a time last year, except for maybe that our team. Hopefully, we can have some returning guys step up Minutes Per Game December stretch, where we were really healthy. I thought we as leaders and kind of police everybody. I’ve always felt that Austin Johnson 31.3 were very, very good during that stretch. Also, hopefully we’ll really good teams police themselves. They take care of the Tony Crocker 30.6 have more depth. We think we will. We’d like our guys to be a team stuff themselves.” Blake Griffin 28.4 little bit fresher throughout the season. Taylor Griffin 21.9 u “I think we improve athletically. All the guys we signed are Is that the biggest key to overcoming inexperience? Omar Leary 16.8 good athletes. Some are very good and one is a great athlete. “I really think so. This will be one of the last times you hear me Cade Davis 13.3 Beau Gerber 2.2 So I think we improve drastically in that area. Size wise, I think talk about inexperience. I won’t talk about it because it’s not an we improve. At the end of last year it was Blake Griffin, Longar excuse. It’s there, but it’s not something we’ll talk about much.

2008-09 | OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL 9 OKLAHOMA SEASON OUTLOOK

These guys have to grow up quickly. Blake Griffin, as a u How does Blake Griffin’s decision to return affect sophomore now and with all the things he dealt with this team and the program as a whole? as a freshman, he should be able to help Willie Warren. “It affects it a lot, in so many positive ways. If you look Omar Leary should be able to help Orlando Allen, Kyle at the landscape of college basketball, how many guys Cannon and Juan Pattillo make the transition from junior came back that were definite top-10 picks? None, except college to here. Those three don’t play the same position Blake Griffin. That means we have one of the top players as Omar, but he can help them. — if not the top player — in the country returning. “Taylor Griffin and Austin Johnson should be able to help Also, hopefully it gives more attention to our program everyone because they’ve been through everything here and will spark more interest in it. I think we’ve already — success, failure, a coaching change. Tony Crocker seen that nationally with some of the publications and should be able to really help. The same thing with Ryan what people are thinking about us. For our team, it Wright and his experience of playing in two Final Fours. should give us confidence. Also, with him sitting out last year, there should be a “Also, it should help us on the recruiting front — kids hunger inside of him. knowing that they can come here and develop into a pro, “We have to be able to be on the same page and there into a potential lottery pick, which is what Blake will be. So it helps us in so many different ways. has to be one goal. With that, there has to be sacrifice. u Guard Cade They’re all good players and we need them to be good “Blake makes the game so much easier for his team- Davis made all players. But for the greater good of the team, that mates. As good as he was last year, we expect him to be 23 of his free sacrifice has to be the most important thing.” throw attempts even better this season because of how hard he’s been last year as a working and how determined he is to become a better freshman. u Do you sense that the returning guys are player. Because of his size, his speed, his strength, he’s a latching on to that “team” mindset? guy teams have to gameplan for. At the same time, our “I do, I really do. This was a different offseason than any other guys getting better helps make the game easier for other one since I’ve been here. Our guys know we have Blake. So it goes hand in hand. I think he understands a chance to be good, a chance to have a really special that now. The maturity level of his game and of him as a season. There’s an excitement I haven’t seen since I got to person has grown dramatically since the end of last year.” OU, and it’s really neat to see. Whether it’s talking to me or texting me, they’re always talking about it. Because u How much has Ryan Wright improved since he of that, it really elevated what they did in their spring arrived a year ago? individual workouts and the way they worked in the “A lot. First of all, he came here as a good player. When “Willie also has the potential to be a great defender. summer to get to another level. That’s something you you have a chance to play against the guys he did every That’s something we’re really going to challenge him have to do when you’re trying to take your program to day in practice at UCLA, that helps a lot. He was also with. He wants to be really good. In order to be really

THE PREVIEW another level. When our season was over last year, we very well coached there. But here, sitting out, one of the good, you have to allow yourself to be pushed and you talked about wanting to get to the Sweet 16 or advanc- things he did was get to work on him , to work on his have to go to limits you don’t think you have. That’s our ing even further, having a chance to win the Big 12. I game. He wasn’t worried about getting ready for games responsibility, to get him there. We look forward to push- talk to our guys constantly about how our level of work last year. One of the things we talked to him about was ing him beyond whatever limits he may have in his mind and level of preparation have to improve. I think they’ve being selfish and spending a year working on different so he can be the player we think he can be. I think he can taken that to heart.” aspects of his game. In doing that, he helped us in prac- be one of the great ones.” tice immensely. It helped him that he got to play against Blake and Longar each day in practice. Also, sitting out u Will the influx of athletic ability and a deeper has made him even hungrier, even more excited to get roster affect the type of game the team will play out there and play. When you’re unable to do something this year? you really love, you appreciate it even more and there’s “Hopefully it will. The big thing with that is health. But greater value added to it. I think we’ll see that in Ryan hopefully we will be able to utilize our depth. Also, guys this year.” have to step up and play well for that depth to be pro- ductive. You don’t want to just throw guys out there; you u Willie Warren is probably the most highly want to have productive depth. We think we’ll be able regarded high school guard to ever sign with OU. to have that but it’s up to our guys to really work so they What makes him such a good player? earn the right to play. The only thing I give is opportunity. “A lot of things make him a very talented player. First of They earn everything else. all, his size helps him. He’s 6-4 and about 205 pounds. So he’s a really big, strong physical guard. He’s incredibly “I’m anticipating that happening. I’m anticipating us gifted athletically, getting up in the air and moving. He’s being able to pick our defense up, use multiple defenses not the fastest guy, but he’s faster than you think. He’s and do different things. Offensively, hopefully we’re able just powerful and explosive. to create more from our defense, really run more, fill the wings and take advantage of our athleticism. But our “One of the biggest things is that he has confidence. He’s guys have to be fully committed to that. A big part of an incredibly confident young man. And in order to be a that is getting in shape during the offseason — great really good player, especially as a guard, you have to have shape physically and with conditioning, but also great that. You have to have a confidence and a swagger. He shape mentally. Everyone wants to play fast, but guys handles it, he can score it in so many different ways. He have to understand the commitment it takes to do that. can score it from deep, he has a really good mid-range That was a point of emphasis in our end-of-the-year game and, because of his strength and explosiveness, he meetings with the players and I think they took that to can get to the basket and finish with contact. heart over the summer.” u UCLA transfer Ryan Wright

10 OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL | 2008-09 SOONERS PRESEASON NOTEBOOK

u OU NO. 1 IN PRESEASON BIG 12 COACHES POLL u CAPTAINS NAMED For the first time in the 13-year history of the Big 12 Conference, In a September team vote, senior Taylor Griffin , junior Tony BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL Oklahoma was named preseason league favorite in a vote of head Crocker and sophomore Blake Griffin were named captains (VOTED ON BY LEAGUE’S HEAD COACHES) coaches. The Sooners received three first-place votes and a total of for the 2008-09 season. This marks the first year that any of First-Place 109 points in the conference’s annual preseason poll, released Oct. 7, the three have served as an OU team captain. Team Votes Points to edge second-place Texas. The Longhorns captured four first-place 1. Oklahoma 3 109 votes and 107 total points. Trailing OU and Texas in the poll were u COMBO NO. 1 2. Texas 4 107 3. Baylor 2 103 Baylor (two first-place votes) and Kansas (three) at No. 3, Texas A&M Head coach Jeff Capel has signed McDonald’s All-Americans in at No. 5, Oklahoma State at No. 6, Missouri at No. 7, Kansas State at Kansas 3 103 back-to-back years in sophomore forward Blake Griffin and 5. Texas A&M 79 No. 8, Nebraska at No. 9, Texas Tech at No. 10, Iowa State at No. 11 and freshman guard Willie Warren . This season marks the first Colorado at No. 12. 6. Oklahoma State 69 in history that multiple McDonald’s All-Americans appear on 7. Missouri 51 Prior to this year, OU’s highest standing in the Big 12 preseason poll the Oklahoma roster. Last March, Warren became the seventh 8. Kansas State 50 was second, on four occasions (1997-98, 2000-01, 2002-03 and OU signee to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game. 9. Nebraska 49 2005-06). Others were Wayman Tisdale (1982), Jeff Webster (1989), 10. Texas Tech 39 Ryan Humphrey (1997), Drew Lavender (2003), Scottie 11. Iowa State 20 u SOONERS TO COMPETE IN NIT SEASON TIP-OFF Reynolds (2006) and Griffin (2007). 12. Colorado 13 OU is the No. 2 seed in the 16-team 2008 Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT u QUOTABLE Season Tip-Off and will host the four-team South Regional Nov. SOONERS BY THE NUMBERS

17-18. The Sooners will play No. 16 seed Mississippi Valley State in ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas had the following to say about sophomore Blake Griffin this past summer: OU’s winning percentage first-round action Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. CST on ESPNU. An NCAA Tourna- .726 this decade (12th-best ment team last year, Mississippi Valleyle y StateSt at e finfinishedis he d 17-1617 -1 6 anandd “B“Blakela ke GGriffinri ffi n is aann absoluteab so lu te mman on the floor. in the nation) went 12-6 in the Southwestern Athleticet ic Conference.C on fe re nc e. I hadha d theth e opportunityop po rt un it y to workw or with him at Number of McDonald’s All- If OU beats the Delta Devils, it will playay thet he winnerw in ne r of thet he Nov.N ov . ththee NiNikeke SkillsS ki ll s Academy,Ac ad em y, anda nd he is one of the Americans on the OU roster 17 game between No. 5 seed Davidsonso n andan d NoNo.. 12 sseedee d totoughestug he st aandnd hardesth ar de st workingw or ki kids I have 2 (first time in school history two James Madison on Nov. 18 on ESPN2.2. DaDavidson,vi ds on , whwhichic h lolostst ttoo bebeenen aaround.ro un d. BlBlakeak e is vveryer y talented, but it is are on the same team)

hihiss teteam-first,am -fi rs t, bblue-collarlu e- co ll ar attitudea that truly PREVIEW THE eventual national champion Kansas by ttwowo ppointsoi nt s in llastas t yeyear’sar ’s Number of OU’s 31 regular NCAA Elite Eight, posted a 29-7 overallal l rerecordco rd ini n 202007-0807 -0 8 anandd setsse ts himh im apart.a pa rt . TheT he kidk id isi s justju a winner. If you season games scheduled to be went 20-0 in Southern Conference play.la y. ThThee WiWild-ld - lolockedck ed alla ll ooff theth e collegeco players in 18 televised by national networks cats return preseason first-team All-AmericanAm er ic an ththee countryco un tr y in a room and only Stephen Curry. James Madison finishedhe d oneon e couldco ul d battleba his way out, it Number of OU postseason appearances in the last 27 with a 13-17 record last season. wouldwo ul d be BlakeB Griffin coming 26 outou t of thatt ha room.” years (most in the nation) If the Sooners win the South Regional,na l, Number of consecutive they’ll advance to New York City for 27 winning seasons for OU (most games during the week of Thanksgivingiv in g u Blake Griffin is in the Big 12) (Nov. 26 and Nov. 28) on ESPN2. Thosese the Big 12’s third- contests will be played at Madison leading returning Number of consecutive Square Garden. scorer (14.7 ppg) games OU has made at least and second-leading 384 one 3-pointer (Dec. 23, Other NIT Season Tip-Off regional hostsst s returning rebounder 1996, was last without one) are No. 1 seed Purdue, No. 3 seed Arizonaiz on a (9.1 rpg). and No. 4 seed Boston College.

PRESEASON RANKINGS ATHLON BLUE RIBBON YEARBOOK LINDY’S RIVALS.COM SLAM MAGAZINE BIG 12 PREDICTIONS 1. North Carolina 1. North Carolina 1. North Carolina 1. North Carolina 1. North Carolina AT BR LN RC 2. Connecticut 2. Pittsburgh 2. Connecticut 2. Connecticut 2. Pittsburgh Baylor 3 3 5 3 3. Louisville 3. Notre Dame 3. Pittsburgh 3. Pittsburgh 3. Oklahoma Colorado 12 11 12 11 4. UCLA 4. UCLA 4. Duke 4. Purdue 4. Connecticut Iowa State 11 12 11 12 5. Notre Dame 5. Connecticut 5. Michigan State 5. Notre Dame 5. Duke Kansas 4 4 4 4 6. Texas 6. Oklahoma 6. Louisville 6. Duke 6. Louisville Kansas State 10 9 10 9 7. Pittsburgh 7. Louisville 7. Oklahoma 7. Oklahoma 7. Purdue Missouri 7 8 7 8 8. Gonzaga 8. Duke 8. UCLA 8. Louisville 8. Notre Dame Nebraska 9 10 8 10 9. Purdue 9. Tennessee 9. Notre Dame 9. UCLA 9. Memphis Oklahoma 2 1 1 1 10. Oklahoma 10. Texas 10. Tennessee 10. Tennessee 10. UCLA Okla. State 6 5 6 5 11. Tennessee 11. Memphis 11. Gonzaga 11. Georgetown 11. Texas Texas 1 2 2 2 12. Duke 12. Purdue 12. Purdue 12. Michigan State 12. USC Texas A&M 5 6 3 6 13. Memphis 13. Michigan State 13. Arizona State 13. Gonzaga 13. Gonzaga Texas Tech 8 7 9 7 14. Michigan State 14. Miami 14. Texas 14. Texas 14. Tennessee 15. Miami 15. Arizona State 15. Davidson 15. Memphis 15. Michigan State KEY 16. Arizona State 16. Baylor 16. Memphis 16. Kansas 16. Miami AT – Athlon 17. Marquette 17. Kansas 17. Marquette 17. Villanova 17. Wake Forest BR – Blue Ribbon Yearbook 18. Wake Forest 18. Marquette 18. Miami 18. Wake Forest 18. Marquette LN – Lindy’s 19. Baylor 19. Saint Mary’s 19. Villanova 19. Florida 19. West Virginia RC – Rivals.com 20. Wisconsin 20. Syracuse 20. Wisconsin 20. Marquette 20. Syracuse

2008-09 | OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL 11 OKLAHOMA PLAYER POLL

Members of the 2008-09 Oklahoma team participated in a 29-question player poll in late September, supplying the name of a teammate for various categories. Self votes were not allowed and only players with multiple votes are shown below:

Who’s the best dresser? Taylor Griffin – 7.5 votes Juan Pattillo – 3 votes Tony Crocker – 2 votes

Who’s the worst dresser? Orlando Allen – 12 votes

Who’s the biggest eater? Beau Gerber – 7 votes Blake Griffin – 2 votes Juan Pattillo – 2 votes u Willie Warren – 2 votes Sophomore center Orlando Allen seemed unhappy about being a near-unanimous selection for the worst-dresser category. Who’s the best pool player? Cade Davis – 8 votes Who’s the smartest on the court? Who’s the best singer? Who would make the best ESPN Juan Pattillo – 4.5 votes Austin Johnson – 9 votes Tony Crocker – 6.5 votes SportsCenter anchor? Omar Leary – 3 votes Cade Davis – 4 votes Taylor Griffin – 4 votes Who’s the best video game player? Blake Griffin – 2 votes T.J. Franklin – 5 votes Who’s the biggest comedian? Who’s the best impersonator? Omar Leary – 2 votes Willie Warren – 3 votes Ray Willis – 9 votes Blake Griffin – 12 votes Ray Willis – 3 votes Blake Griffin – 3 votes Who’s the best overall athlete? Tony Crocker – 2 votes Who’s the quietest? Blake Griffin – 10.5 votes Who’s the cheapest? T.J. Franklin – 7 votes Tony Crocker – 2 votes THE PREVIEW Who’s the most impressive in the Tony Crocker – 7 votes Ryan Wright – 5 votes weight room? Orlando Allen – 2 votes Who’s the best dunker? Taylor Griffin – 8 votes Who’s the best dancer? Tony Crocker – 7.5 votes Ryan Wright – 3 votes Who’s the loudest? Tony Crocker – 7 votes Blake Griffin – 3.5 votes Blake Griffin – 2 votes Ray Willis – 10.5 votes Ryan Wright – 2 votes Willie Warren – 2 votes Who’s the fastest from baseline to Who’s the smartest in the classroom? Who’s the most competitive? baseline? Beau Gerber – 8.5 votes Who will be the first to get married? Blake Griffin – 7 votes Juan Pattillo – 4 votes T.J. Franklin – 2.5 votes Orlando Allen – 9 votes Tony Crocker – 5 votes Tony Crocker – 2 votes Taylor Griffin – 2 votes Taylor Griffin – 5 votes Austin Johnson – 2 votes Who’s the most respected? Blake Griffin – 2 votes Taylor Griffin – 5 votes Omar Leary – 3 votes Who’s the hardest worker? Blake Griffin – 2 votes Blake Griffin – 8 votes Beau Gerber – 3 votes Who’s the biggest prankster? Taylor Griffin – 2 votes Blake Griffin – 6 votes Willie Warren – 4 votes Who’s the biggest trash-talker on the court? Ray Willis – 2 votes Ray Willis – 12 votes u Taylor Griffin Who spends the most time on was voted best Who’s the best dunker? dresser, most Facebook? respected, most Willie Warren – 5 votes Blake Griffin – 12 votes impressive in the Tony Crocker – 4 votes weight room, most Cade Davis – 3 votes Who’s the most likely to be famous likely to be famous outside of basketball? outside of basketball and best potential Who has the messiest locker? Taylor Griffin – 4 votes ESPN SportsCenter Willie Warren – 7 votes Beau Gerber – 3.5 votes anchor. Ray Willis – 4 votes Cade Davis – 3 votes

12 OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL | 2008-09