OU head coach talks about what team's new faces bring to the table.
Aug. 15, 2012
NORMAN, Okla. -- Second-year OU men's basketball coach Lon Kruger's comments on the team's newcomers for the 2012-13 season (ordered alphabetically).
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D.J. BENNETT | JUNIOR | FORWARD
"D.J.'s a long, athletic inside player who's more advanced defensively in terms of blocking shots, rebounding and running the floor. He's able to do some things offensively but is not a back-to-the-bucket type of scorer on offense as much as just a blue-collar worker down there who brings great energy and athletic ability."
C.J. COLE | FRESHMAN | FORWARD
"C.J. brings great passion, great intensity. He works very hard and is going to be a blue-collar, energy guy. He'll turn into a really good shooter and will be able to play inside-outside a little bit. He's terrific running the floor and going to the boards, and has a great attitude about getting better."
ISAIAH COUSINS | FRESHMAN | GUARD
"Isaiah brings good size to the point, attacks all the time and is very aggressive in the open floor. He's very, very competitive, is used to winning and battles like crazy every day. As all the freshmen are, he's excited about being a Sooner."
BUDDY HIELD | FRESHMAN | GUARD
"Buddy has great energy and great passion. He'll run the floor, score in a lot of different ways and will be attacking all the time. He's got a lot of confidence, and that's good to see."
JE'LON HORNBEAK | FRESHMAN | GUARD
"Je'lon's a very solid guy, plays at a good pace and is very competitive. He makes good basketball plays and understands the game. He comes from a winning high school program and really competes like crazy."
AMATH M'BAYE | JUNIOR | FORWARD
"I thought Amath took advantage of every opportunity last year (while sitting out after transferring). He really expanded his game from a shooting range standpoint and in terms of handling the ball on the perimeter. His game at Wyoming was more mid-range and low post. Last year we really encouraged him to spend most of his time on the perimeter in practice, work on ball handling before and after practice, and just do a ton of shooting. We think he's improved his game a lot.
"He'll be an inside-outside guy. He's a mismatch delight from a coaching standpoint because he can beat bigger guys off the dribble and can post up smaller guys in the mid post."
STEVE NOWORYTA | FRESHMAN | FORWARD
"Steve has a great desire to be here and he works hard. He'll be a blue-collar, run-the-floor, hit-the-boards, mix-it-up type of guy. He likes competing on both ends and will be a good teammate."
RYAN SPANGLER | SOPHOMORE | FORWARD
"Ryan's a terrific addition because of his passion to be a Sooner. He grew up right here in the Norman area and has a terrific attitude about working hard and giving great effort on both ends of the floor. He has a good nose for the ball on the boards and will be a good shooter. We're excited about the next four years with him. The opportunity for a redshirt year, especially if you've been in college for a year, can really help because you've got a little bit of a feel of what it takes and what you need to work on as opposed to coming directly from high school. He played at a very good program in Gonzaga and knows how tough you've got to be and how much work you've got to put in. Because of that, I think he'll get more out of that redshirt year than maybe a freshman would."
