Oklahoma Coach Porter Moser Previews Team's Foreign Tour
Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser spoke to the media on Wednesday ahead of the team’s summer trip overseas.
The Sooners are set to travel to Spain and France over the next few weeks, testing how they stack up against international talent.
“There's so many benefits,” Moser explained. “The practice, the games and the team bonding. All those things added up, it’s gonna be a great experience for us.”
As Moser returns to Norman for his second season in charge, the team is full of fresh faces once again. Both Jacob and Tanner Groves will be back to lead the front court, but outside of Jalen Hill, Bijan Cortes and CJ Noland, the rest of the team will look quite different. Moser and staff will get an early look at what to expect next season throughout the trip.
“I was just talking about this on the road,” Moser said. “Normally, April, May and June is a time to decompress after the season. These last two springs with the transfer portal have been by far the craziest, most hectic April, May and June I’ve ever had in 30 years of coaching.”
Not only do the Sooners get real, in-game experience, but the extra practice time together will be an added benefit. On a team with a variety of new players that will be asked to contribute right away, building chemistry on the court before the season starts is an invaluable experience.
Oklahoma will likely feature some guard heavy lineups next season with all of the outside talent brought in. Transfers Grant Sherfield and Joe Bamisile were both impact players last season before heading to Norman and will fill an immediate need for the Sooners. Other players looking to contribute early are 4-stars Milos Uzan and Otega Oweh. While the guards play with different styles, they are both seem to be physically mature for their age.
Another key addition to Moser’s latest recruiting class was talented international prospect Benny Schroeder, a 6-foot-7 wing from Germany. While the head coach gushed about Schroeder’s potential as a point-forward, he mentioned that he hasn’t been able to practice yet this summer. Both Schroeder and transfer forward Yaya Keita are dealing with meniscus injuries that will keep them off the floor during the Sooners’ overseas expedition.
“I will welcome those two guys that are injured when they get back here,” Moser said. “After after the trip, when they start school, they'll probably be ready to go (in) September, but they'll have some catching up to do.”
While the team will certainly grow together on the court over the next few weeks, Moser is looking forward to the off-the-court experiences just as much. The team will travel to many different memorable locations, allowing the players to see a new side of the world.
“I did a trip when I played the college, we went to Italy, and my former teammates still talk about it,” Moser said. “It gives you different cultural experience. We're gonna go to Normandy, can't wait to do that and talk to them about that. You have to become close. When we traveled overseas, we used to spend 10 days together to get to get to know each other better to get closer as a team.”
The Sooners will embark on their 10-day journey Aug. 2 with an international exhibition against Matero Select Team on Aug. 4.
