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Oklahoma Basketball: What will Trae Young bring to the Sooners?

By Lukas Harkins

LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 20: Head coach Lon Kruger of the Oklahoma Sooners watches his team take on the Washington Huskies during the 2014 MGM Grand Showcase basketball event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 20, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 20: Head coach Lon Kruger of the Oklahoma Sooners watches his team take on the Washington Huskies during the 2014 MGM Grand Showcase basketball event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 20, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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Trae Young is a five-star recruit in the class of 2017. What will he bring to the table for Oklahoma basketball during this upcoming season?

Oklahoma basketball has been one of the most consistent programs in the Big 12 over the past several seasons. Although the team missed the NCAA Tournament in 2016-17, they had made the Big Dance the two seasons prior and have made 12 total appearances in this century. In addition to their appearances in the NCAA Tournament, Oklahoma has reached the Elite Eight in four of those trips as well as a Final Four in 2016.

Entering the 2017-18 season, the Oklahoma Sooners have added a five-star recruit at point guard in Trae Young. Ranked 25th in the class of 2017 by 247Sports Composite ranking, Young will make an immediate impact on the Sooners.

For Oklahoma, Young’s arrival on campus comes at the perfect time. After losing star guards Buddy Hield and Jordan Woodard to graduation in each of the past two seasons, the program was in need of a new star guard.

A hometown kid from Norman, Oklahoma, Young is a great local recruit for head coach Lon Kruger. It is expected that Young will immediately be the starting guard for the Sooners this season as they hope to return to the NCAA Tournament.

As the offseason continues on, Overtime caught up with Young for the second episode of their Overtime Challenge series. You can check out that video here:

During Oklahoma’s summer trip to New Zealand and Australia, Young made an instant impact in the lineup. An elite scorer, Young proved his worth by dropping home 22.3 points and adding 7.0 assists per game during the four contests on their trip. He did this while playing just 21.8 minutes per game.

If Young can provide production even close to what he did on this trip, then Oklahoma will be in for a very fun season this year. Young will not be able to carry the Sooners to the NCAA Tournament all on his own, though. With Kristian Doolittle, one of the top returners, suspended for the beginning of the year, some other returning players will need to help out the young freshman point guard.

That is where key sophomores Kameron McGusty and Rashard Odomes step in. Both of these players averaged over 10 points per game as freshmen a season ago and will step up their games in their second season with the program. Also on the

Also on the watch list for Oklahoma will be Christian James, who was excellent in Oklahoma’s overseas trip this summer. James, who will be a junior this season, averaged 16.3 points per game while shooting a ridiculous 22-for-31 from the field and 12-for-13 from 3-point land (statistics found through 247Sports).

With these three rising stars on the roster, Trae Young will not be alone when the season gets underway. Young’s explosive scoring ability will be welcomed at Oklahoma, who ranked just 148th in the country in points per game last season at 73.0. For reference, the Sooners were in the top-100 in this category in each of the past four seasons.

One of the top overall recruits in the country, Young will the second-highest rated freshman in the Big 12 this season. Mo Bamba of Texas is the only recruit rated higher, as he is the #3 ranked player in the class.

Bamba and Young will face against each other twice this season, once in Texas on Feb. 3 and again in Oklahoma on Feb. 17. In addition, Young’s first Big 12 game will be played Dec. 30 against TCU, so mark your calendars.

Next: Stars of the 2017-18 Big Ten

Young will be one of the most electric freshmen in the country this season due to his ability to fill up the basket. With a talented roster around him, the hometown kid might be able to lead the Sooners back to the NCAA Tournament this season. Stay tuned for what will surely be an interesting year in Norman for Trae Young and Oklahoma basketball.

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