Westbrook, Jones return to practice Center N’Guessan signs with the Cowboys basketball team
OU FOOTBALL JOURNAL OSU BASKETBALL
Wide receivers
and who had been held out of practice for the past week, returned to workouts Monday.
“It was terrible,” Westbrook said of missing the time. “Seeing the receivers out there making big plays and me not being able to run down the field and celebrate with them, it kind of hurt me.”
The time off doesn’t figure to affect the established Westbrook’s place in the wide receiver rotation, but it could affect where Jones fits in. Sooners quarterback
said the freshman picked up where he left off.
“He was dialed in,” Mayfield said. “I don’t think the coaches were going to let him fall back. They had him up there paying attention during walk-throughs and practice to make sure he was seeing signals and so he knew communication stuff ... when he put the pads back on, he would be able to come back in and not lose a step.”
BASQUINE STANDING OUT
Nick Basquine
caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield in OU’s scrimmage Saturday. Sometimes, those kind of August heroics can be the season highlight for a non-scholarship player.
But Basquine already was standing out before the scrimmage. The thirdyear sophomore from Norman North was drawing attention from Mayfield even before camp started.
At OU Media Day on Aug. 6, Mayfield reeled off the names of receivers who improved their games over the summer, mentioning and Then Mayfield said: “People haven’t even heard of Nick Basquine yet, but he might wind up starting for us. He’s going to play a lot, anyways.”
Why is Mayfield so high on Basquine?
“He came in and he had great ball skills,” Mayfield said. “He’s very good at catching the ball. He’s got soft hands. But he’s been working his butt off for the past two years to get his body right. Physically, he looks a lot better than he did when he came in. You can say, yeah, he was a freshman when he came in, but he looks very good right now. He looks like he should be starting. I’m proud for his work ethic, because he went out all last year and you could see all the extra work he was doing.
“During practice, he would go off to the side and kind of work with the strength coaches on explosive drills and things like that. I’m just happy that a guy like that that’s put in so much work is going to be able to have some success.”
Basquine was a firstteam Oklahoman All-Stater in 2013 at Norman North. He received scholarship offers from the likes of Wyoming and New Mexico. But Basquine chose to attend OU without a scholarship. That gamble has paid off.
“I remember talking with him during his junior year of his baseball season,” said OU linebacker Jordan Evans, a year ahead of Basquine at Norman North. “I told him, ‘You can do something with this.’ Him having his senior year and coming here and then being the Scout Team Player of the Year (for OU) and continually getting respect from the defensive guys, it’s great to see another kid from Norman North make it.”
Basquine is another in a long line of players from Norman who were slow-played by OU. Evans wasn’t offered a scholarship until late in the recruiting process, but is a threeyear starter. Norman High, wasn’t offered a scholarship until the week of signing day. He set the NCAA record for receptions.
Said Andrews: “Nick Basquine’s a hungry player. I think that he’s got an edge to him. He’s a really good catcher. He’s explosive and I think he can be a big part of this offense.”
WHO ARE FASTEST SOONERS?
With the Olympics in full force, OU defensive back
was asked who would win Olympic-style sprints among the Sooners. A fancy way of asking who are the fastest Sooners.
Johnson thought about it for a few seconds, then answered: (tailback) wins gold, Dede Westbrook (wide receiver) wins silver. And I believe
(cornerback) wins bronze.”
Long a known commitment, Lucas N’Guessan is officially a Cowboy.
The 7-foot center from the Netherlands has signed with Oklahoma State and is in school, preparing to join the Cowboys for the upcoming basketball season.
Lingering issues associated with transferring academics, typical with international players coming to the U.S., finally cleared, enabling N’Guessan to enroll and join workouts.
“I’m very excited to have Lucas at Oklahoma State,” said OSU coach Brad Underwood, “because he is a very big piece of the puzzle that our team just did not have. He obviously has legitimate size at 7-foot, but along with that size is some athleticism and an ability to protect the rim.”
Following the death of power forward Tyrek Coger, OSU was left lacking in the frontcourt, with only Mitchell Solomon and Leyton Hammonds experienced in playing near the basket.
At 215 pounds, N’Guessan is slight, yet there’s hope he can still make an impact with the Cowboys this season.
“He will need to get stronger, but athletically, he’s very gifted,” Underwood said. “He has a unique ability to see the timing of the game, which makes him a great shot blocker.
“He fits a big hole in our roster and I’m excited to see what the future holds for Lucas. You’re going to see a young man that will continue to progress as he gains experience in the United States.”
The 18-year-old N’Guessan last played for Canarias Basketball Academy in Spain, the same school that produced former Cowboy Marek Soucek. He will wear the same No. 14 as Soucek.
N’Guessan played for the Netherlands at the 2015 U18 FIBA Championships, averaging 3.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in just over 13 minutes a game.
He also blocked five shots in the group-play state of the tournament and posted a 12-rebound performance in 20 minutes against Belgium.
Against Belarus, N’Guessan scored 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting, with two blocks, in 15 minutes.
“I am very excited to be at Oklahoma State and represent the Cowboys,” N’Guessan said. “My time in Spain at Canaries really helped prepare me for basketball at a high level and got me ready for college.
“OSU had everything I was looking for in a college and I’m excited to play for Coach Underwood.”