Tulsa

State of '08: Oklahoma

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 17:06:47 -0700

Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

OKLAHOMA

OKLAHOMA - From 1995 to 2003, the Sooners made 9 straight NCAA Tournaments. The last handful of years have been a bit more unpredictable due to the departure of Kelvin Sampson, but this year's squad has very high expectations.

OKLAHOMA STATE - The Cowboys haven't been to the Big Dance since 2005, which ended an 8-year streak. The last three teams haven't even finished in the RPI Top 50 or at .500 in Big 12 play. The departure of Sean Sutton should help jump-start the program's future.

ORAL ROBERTS - Unlike brother Sean, Scott Sutton's coaching career is off to a phenomenal start. In 9 seasons, he's turned ORU into the Summit League's dominant power. They've made three NCAA Tournaments in row, were a basket away from reaching it in 2005, and are considered by some to be the league favorites once again in 2009.

TULSA - Doug Wojcik has done a great job getting Tulsa back on track after a brutal run from 04 to 06. For whatever its worth, the Golden Hurricane won the CBI last year, but have a shot to make the Big Dance this season. From 1994 to 2003, Tulsa won at least 19 games every season and made 8 potseason trips.

Last: Ohio - Next: Oregon

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

2008-09 Tulsa Basketball Preview: #106

Joel Welser — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:39:34 -0700

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Overall Rank: #106

Conference Rank: #5 C-USA

2007-08: 25-14, 8-8

2007-08 postseason: CBI

Tulsa culminated a successful 2007-2008 campaign by winning the inaugural CBI tournament. That was not the exact tournament the Golden Hurricane wanted to be in, but it is a good building block towards the future. And that future looks extremely bright under fourth year head coach Doug Wojcik. However, there might a small step backwards this year before Tulsa starts becoming a major player in Conference USA.

Who’s Out:

Brett McDade was never the most flashy point guard, but he was a steady floor leader, especially during his senior year. McDade, who shot 42.3 percent from beyond the arc, was not a bad scorer either. Finding somebody to run the show as effectively as McDade will be a huge issue all year long. Fellow guard Rod Earls saw his production decrease last season, but he still started 18 games and averaged 6.4 points per contest. Calvin Walls will leave a huge hole at power forward. The 6-7, 235 pound Minneapolis, Minnesota product averaged 8.5 points and 7.2 rebounds during his senior campaign and the Golden Hurricane will have a lot of trouble replacing him.

Who’s In:

But at least there are plenty of candidates to replace Walls. Newcomers Steven Idlet, Joe Richard, Armond Battle and Bassel Bawji will join returnee Sam Mitchell for minutes at the four spot. Idlet, a 6-9 220 pound redshirt freshman, has the most potential to help out right away. Idlet can step outside and stretch the defense with his outside shooting ability, but he is also getting to be strong enough to effectively battle in the paint. Once he puts it all together, which a year on the bench would help, Idlet can be a very effective player. The tough and athletic Richard will hit the glass strong and Battle will add plenty more to the team. Ideally, Battle is a small forward, but he can play the four if necessary. The 6-6 Plymouth, Minnesota native is a great athlete who can knock down the mid-range jumper with consistency or get to the basket. The other need that was addressed by Coach Wojcik with this class is at point guard. Adrian Hernandez and Brandon Jackson have to fill the void left by McDade. Hernandez has the experience after spending some time at Monterey Peninsula College in California. At 6-3, he has the size to make space for himself and the defensive tenacity to cause problems for the conference’s top scorers. The lefty is a pass first point guard, but he can score. He will simply look to involve his teammates first and that is exactly what Tulsa needs. Jackson, another lefty, is 6-5 and is full of potential, but this will be Hernandez’s team for now.

Who to Watch:

If Hernandez and Jackson need some time to adjust, the Golden Hurricane will be in trouble. If junior Ben Uzoh has to bring the ball up court, Tulsa’s best scorer would be less effective. Uzoh averaged 15.6 points per game last year and most of that damage was done by getting to the rim. Uzoh can hit the outside shot and he will grab more than his fair share of rebounds, but his most important asset is being the team’s go-to-scorer and he does that by driving the lane. Glenn Andrews can hit the three-pointer as well, but his 32.9 shooting percentage from long range was no better than Uzoh’s. Still, Andrews will be the shooter off the bench who can also score in other ways.

Final Projection:

The frontcourt is slowly turning into a strength. Small forward Ray Reese emerged during his junior year and averaged 7.7 points and 3.7 rebounds. Reese will not put up huge numbers on any given day, but center Jerome Jordan will. The seven-footer had a breakout campaign in 2007-2008 and tallied 10.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per contest. His presence on both ends of the floor has turned Tulsa from a middle of the pack team to a potential conference winner…or at least second place.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Adrian Hernandez, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Ben Uzoh, Junior, Guard, 15.6 points per game

Ray Reese, Senior, Forward, 7.7 points per game

Steven Idlet, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season

Jerome Jordan, Junior, Center, 10.5 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

Three Stars of the Day: Alexander, Jordan, Roby

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 07:15:04 -0700

We handpick the best performances of the day, whether it be stat lines that make you drool, or clutch performances. Either way, its our way of showing the love:

Joe Alexander - West Virginia

Continuing his dominant run (30 ppg over 5 games), Alexander had 34 & 7 in an upset win over UCONN

Jerome Jordan - Tulsa

The sophomore big man continued his tear with 23 points and 17 boards, killing UAB's tourney hopes

Richard Roby - Colorado

Roby had 32 & 13 in the Buffs surprising double-OT win over Baylor in the Big 12's opening round

Other Top Performers

James Anderson - Oklahoma State - The freshman had his best game in months.. a solid 18 point, 8 rebound effort

Dave Bliss - Georgia - Hit a banker with 0.4 on the clock in OT as Georgia killed off Mississippi's tourney hopes

OJ Mayo - USC - Scored 23 of the Trojans 59 points, and added 6 assists in a win over bubble wannabe ASU

Sam Young - Pittsburgh - The Panthers knocked Louisville out of the Big East tourney behind Young's 21 & 12

Previous Stars of the Day

March 11th - Jeremy Evans, WKU

March 10th - Kevin Kanaskie, MTSU

March 9th - Brandon Johnson, San Diego

March 5th - Marquis Weddle, UTM

March 4th - Joe Alexander, WVU

March 3rd - Kevin Love, UCLA

March 2nd - Tyrese Rice, BC

2007-08 Tulsa Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:00:08 -0700

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Overall Rank: #108

Conference Rank: #5 C-USA

2006-07: 20-11, 9-7, 4^th (t)

2006-07 postseason: none

Coach Doug Wojcik is doing something right at Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane continue to improve and this year will be no different. Yet, with an improved conference, that does not necessarily mean a better record for Tulsa. The team went 11 deep in 2006-2007 and eight of those players return, so there is no lack of experience on this squad, but a few frontcourt defections should have Tulsa fans worried.

Who’s Out:

All four players heading out are forwards. Charles Ramsdell and Darold Crow have run out of eligibility after posting successful senior campaigns. Ramsdell averaged 6.5 points and 4.2 rebounds, while Crow added 7.3 points and 3.7 boards. Jamel McLean had major potential to have a breakout season, but he will wait a year and save his potential for the Musketeers of Xavier. McLean was a solid shot blocker for Tulsa and averaged 6.0 points and 4.8 rebounds. Seldom used Sean Coleman has also transferred after his freshman year and could have played a bigger role in 2007-2008.

Who’s In:

A couple newcomers will provide some much needed depth under the basket. Bishop Wheatley redshirted last year after earning five starts as a freshman in 2005-2006. At 6-6, Wheatley does not have the ideal size for a power forward, but he is bruiser who will battle in the paint and get on the glass. Incoming freshman Steve Idlet is a dynamic forward. The 6-9 Prairie Grove, Arkansas native will be a force on the defensive end and will do a bit of everything on the offensive side of the floor. His ability to step outside and hit the jumper is something that the returning big men cannot do and if he can manage to find some minutes this year, his ability to stretch the defense will open up the entire Tulsa offense. On the perimeter, Glenn Andrews and Justin Hurtt will be quality scorers before their time is up with the Golden Hurricane. Andrews is a good shooter and, once he masters putting the ball on the floor and getting to the basket, will be a good player. Hurtt is pretty much the opposite of Andrews and will provide some fantastic finishes this year, but needs to work on his shooting.

Who to Watch:

Both of the newcomers in the backcourt will have time to develop their games with the amount of talent returning. After spending two years at junior college and one year on the sidelines at the Reynolds Center with a foot injury, Rod Earls exploded onto the C-USA scene and earned third-team all-conference honors. As a senior, Earls should improve on his 11.2 points per game, but it will be tough for anybody to shoot any better than his 40.8 percent from behind the arc. Ben Uzoh had an amazing freshman campaign, averaging 9.9 points and a team high 5.0 rebounds. However, those numbers do not do him justice. The 6-3 guard is also a good passer and a solid defender in both the block and steal departments. Wing Ray Reese is probably the second best shooter on the team behind Earls and will provide a spark off the bench. With senior Brett McDade filling the leadership role and Mark Hill building off of a successful freshman campaign at the point, there is no lack of options for Coach Wojcik on the perimeter.

Final Projection:

The talent is not quite as good up front, but there is a trio of players returning who started at least ten games a year ago. Power forward Calvin Walls, who played briefly at Wichita State, is a decent scoring option when not in foul trouble. Sam Mitchell, a 6-9 junior, and seven-footer Jerome Jordan will split time at the center spot. Jordan only averaged 7.8 minutes per game as a freshman, but developed quite nicely for a relatively raw big man. With a year of experience under his belt, he could progress into a dominating center.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Brett McDade, Senior, Guard, 6.8 points per game

Rod Earls, Senior, Guard, 11.2 points per game

Ben Uzoh, Sophomore, Guard, 9.9 points per game

Calvin Walls, Senior, Forward, 5.9 points per game

Sam Mitchell, Junior, Center, 4.5 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview | Discuss the Preview

Friday Transfers: Memphis, Tulsa, Arkansas

Jeff Borzello — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 10:32:45 -0700