Porter Moser Hopes Oklahoma Fans Can Take a Key Lesson From the Oklahoma City Thunder

Sooners coach Porter Moser outlined how big a difference Oklahoma fans can make for his program this season.

Oklahoma coach Porter Moser speaks at SEC Media Days. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

NORMAN — Porter Moser took notes during Oklahoma City’s playoff run. 

The Thunder marched through the NBA to capture the city’s first NBA title, and Oklahoma’s basketball coach hopes OU fans can emulate the efforts of Loud City this season. 

“We need your help. We need people's help,” Moser said on Tuesday. “We have to fill Lloyd Noble. We have to get that atmosphere.”

On the heels of his first trip to the NCAA Tournament at Oklahoma, Moser bolstered his roster with proven talent. 

The Sooners landed veteran guard Nijel Pack, who helped lead Miami to the Final Four, as well as Saint Joseph’s transfer Xzayvier Brown, Alabama transfer Derrion Reid and Notre Dame transfer Tae Davis. 

Miami transfer Nijel Pack brings Final Four experience to the Oklahoma roster in 2025-26. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

They’ll pair with returners Mo Wague, Dayton Forsythe, Jeff Nwankwo and Jadon Jones, as well as talented freshmen like Kai Rogers to take on the SEC gauntlet this year. 

Exhibition wins over No. 10 Texas Tech and No. 24 Wisconsin have raised expectations for the season, but Moser said the fanbase can play a key role in the Sooners’ success. 

“We have no better example on the globe of high-level basketball of what a fanbase can do than the Thunder,” Moser said. “That atmosphere is the best in the sport of basketball. Hands down. 

“I’ve played in every college venue. I've watched pro. I've been to games from my hometown of Chicago when the Bulls were on their run. I've never seen an atmosphere like a Thunder game. And it makes a difference. I don't think there's a sport that makes a difference more than basketball, and I'm biased because it's right on top of you.”

Last year, the Sooners went 6-12 in SEC play, including a 4-5 record at home in league play. 

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To climb the ladder in the toughest basketball conference in the country, Oklahoma has to turn the Lloyd Noble Center into a fortress. 

And Moser believes OU has the tools to create a real home court advantage. 

“I’ve been in there when it's full,” he said. “And even though it’s older, even though it has its leaks, its drips, its different problems, noise is noise. Excitement is excitement. Fanbases are fanbases. And that's what we've got to create in that arena.”

Oklahoma officially opens the 2025-26 season against Saint Francis on Monday (7:30 p.m., SEC Network+). 

The Sooners will host Ole Miss in their SEC opener on Jan. 3, and Moser hopes the Lloyd Noble Center will be ready to roar. 

“In this league, to be the best of the best and to go where we want to go, we need your help to get wherever we're going,” he said. “I think the fans are going to love this team. I think they're gonna see how hard they work, how together they are, and we've got to sell out that arena night in and night out. Not just when we're doing well or not if we have a bad game. 

“We need to consistently make that a great place to be.”