MAKING A SPLASH

De'Vion Harmon arrived on campus two months ago as the topranked player in OU's top-25 recruiting class

NORMAN — The Oklahoma men's basketball team completed its final summer workout Wednesday afternoon. The Sooners will have two weeks off before the fall semester begins Aug. 19.

Here are three takeaways from the last summer session:

Harmon finding his footing

De'Vion Harmon arrived on campus two months ago as the top-ranked player in OU's top-25 recruiting class. He spoke then of having the “same keys” to the program that coach Lon Kruger gave Trae Young.

But his first test drive hasn't been without the bumps all freshmen face.

“It's been different,” Harmon said. “I ain't gonna lie. I can't sit here and front and be like it's been all pretty … When I say up and down, it's not like a bad thing. It's actually a good thing. That's how I look at it. You can't have everything going all good, because then you're never going to know how to handle adversity. Being up and down keeps it evenkeeled for me.”

Harmon, ranked by 247Sports as the fifth-best point guard in the 2019 class, is expected to share the backcourt with sophomore Jamal Bieniemy — OU's incumbent starting point guard. Bieniemy could play off the ball at 6-foot-5 more easily than Harmon at 6-foot-1.

Despite the growing pains, senior forward Kristian Doolittle has been impressed by Harmon.

"He came in full throttle,” Doolittle said. “That's something that everyone can take and try to mimic, if not create for themselves.”

Doolittle expanding game

Doolittle, albeit on limited attempts, was a 39.5 percent 3-point shooter as a freshman. He made 17 of 43 attempts. In the two seasons since, Doolittle is 2 of 8 from three. He went 34 games last season without draining a 3-point shot.

“I was knocking some down today,” Doolittle said. “I don't know if y'all seen it. That's definitely a focus of mine that they tasked me with this summer — just getting comfortable shooting them, regardless of making or missing them.”

Oklahoma shot a middling 34.6 percent from three last season, but the Sooners attempted just 654 shots from behind the arc — 268th nationally and the fewest of any Big 12 team. Doolittle could play more on the wing this season after OU bulked up on frontcourt options in its 2019 signing class.

“I honestly couldn't tell you,” Doolittle said when asked about his primary position. “That's really not my decision. That's up to (Kruger), but whatever happens, I'll be rocking with.”

Waiting on one

Six of OU's seven newcomers were in Norman practicing Wednesday. Junior- college transfer Alondes Williams was the lone absentee, but Kruger confirmed that Williams is on pace to finish his academic requirements and arrive in time for the fall semester.

Williams told The Oklahoman that he'll be in Norman on Aug. 17. The 6-foot-5 guard from Milwaukee led Triton College (River Grove, Illinois) to the NJCAA Division-II national championship in his freshman season. As a sophomore, Williams averaged 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game.

With one scholarship senior and seven new players, Kruger said he's probably facing more roster turnover this year than any season in his 33-year college head coaching career.

“We have no idea what we'll really look like come Nov. 1, but they'll determine that by what they do between now and then,” Kruger said.

Doolittle, Bieniemy and junior forward Brady Manek are the only players who have logged significant minutes in an OU uniform.