Oklahoma Basketball: 2023-24 season preview for the Sooners
By Joey Loose
Projected Starters
Guard – Javian McCollum (Junior)
Coming off an impressive sophomore season where he earned Third Team All-MAAC honors, McCollum transitions from Siena to Oklahoma, becoming the point guard for the Sooners. He averaged 15.9 points and 3.9 assists per game last season, standing out as a talented scorer and ball distributor for the Saints. He’s very athletic and shoots the ball better than the average point guard and should fit well in this system.
Guard – Le’Tre Darthard (Senior)
After playing his freshman year at the junior college level, Darthard spent three seasons in the WAC at Utah Valley, developing into a key weapon for Mark Madsen in recent years. He’s a solid combo guard who shoots the ball really well, making 89% of his free throws last season. He averaged 13.8 points per game on a Wolverines squad that made the semifinals of the NIT last year.
Guard – Milos Uzan (Sophomore)
Oklahoma’s best returning player, Uzan really emerged as a freshman last year after being considered a Top 100 recruit. Not only did he average 7.6 points and 3.0 assists per game, but he really began coming into his own late in the year, including a career-high 20-point game at Kansas State in March. He shot 40% from outside the arc and should be the Sooners’ best offensive player this season.
Forward – Jalon Moore (Junior)
Moore is a talented athletic frontcourt weapon who spent the last two seasons at Georgia Tech. Still emerging, he started around half of the games for the Yellow Jackets last season, averaging 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds a game. There’ll be competition in the frontcourt early in the year, but Moore has the size and potential to take a big leap as a junior in this new system.
Forward/Center – John Hugley IV (Junior)
After three years at Pittsburgh, Hugley arrives in Norman as a potential steal for the Sooners. He played just eight games last season, but really came into form as a sophomore with the Panthers, averaging 14.8 points and 7.9 rebounds. Hugley emerged as a fantastic rebounder and if he returns to form could be a major weapon for these Sooners at the back end on both sides of the ball.