NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Oklahoma of last decade
By Joey Loose
3. Kristian Doolittle – Oklahoma
Another star for the Sooners, Doolittle is a 6’7 forward from Edmond who arrived on campus right after Oklahoma made the Final Four in 2016. Doolittle was a fringe top 100 recruit who played a significant role for the Sooners across the next four seasons, starting 92 games and emerging as a top-level player as a senior.
In averaging 9.1 points and 6.2 rebounds a game as a freshman, Doolittle made a great first impression on campus. After missing part of his sophomore year due to academic issues and suffering from inconsistency, he was again an important piece for the Sooners moving forward. He scored 19 points in an NCAA Tournament win over Ole Miss as a junior and became his team’s best rebounder as an upperclassman. In his senior season, which was shortened by the pandemic, he averaged 15.8 points and 8.9 rebounds a game on a 3rd place team.
His junior year got things back on track, winning Big 12 Most Improved Player and earning All-Big 12 honors, but he was named to the First Team All-Big 12 for an excellent senior season. He was one of the conference’s top scorers and rebounders and was part of a potent offensive attack for the Sooners. After that senior season, he continued his career overseas, playing professionally in Puerto Rico and Israel recently.