Harrah’s Manek leaving Sooners for Tar Heels
An OU men’s basketball staple is headed elsewhere.
Sooners veteran and Harrah graduate Brady Manek is transferring to North Carolina for his final season of eligibility, he announced Friday afternoon on his Twitter page.
Manek started 111 games the past four seasons for OU and is fifth on the program’s all-time list for 3-pointers made (235) and 14th on the all-time scoring list (1,459). He’s the lone
forward in program history to make 200 treys and the tallest player in Big 12 history to reach that mark.
At 6 foot 9 and 231 pounds with a style of hair at times that often brought memories of Larry Bird, Manek was a versatile stretch option for the Sooners.
It’s that type of player that new North Carolina coach Hubert Davis sought this offseason from the transfer portal. He’s the second player the Tar Heels have landed from the portal, joining Virginia’s Justin McKoy.
The loss for the Sooners is big. Manek was a stabilizing presence. He started last season red hot, scoring double figures in the first six games. But his season was nearly derailed when he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and missed some time.
He was never quite the same, though he did have big moments down the stretch. He scored 19 points and hit five 3-pointers in the NCAA Tournament win over Missouri.
After the season, he said he was going to enter the transfer portal and weigh his options. He left open the possibility to return.
But that’s no longer happening. The Sooners’ roster is instead being remade under new coach Porter Moser.
Leader Austin Reaves declared for the NBA Draft. De’Vion Harmon did as well, but has since entered the transfer portal with it appearing he’s headed elsewhere. Alondes Williams is also in the transfer portal and Victor Iwuakor and Trey Phipps have each transferred. Even Kur Kuath is exploring his professional opportunities.
Only five scholarship players from last season remain.
Moser nearly completes staff
Moser’s coaching staff is nearly complete.
The Sooners announced four new coaching staff members Friday to join Moser’s staff, including key assistants K.T. Turner and Emanuel Dildy.
Turner was named associate head coach. Dildy was named assistant coach. The Sooners have yet to fill the third assistant position.
Moser also added Matt Gordon — a longtime director of operations under Moser — as special assistant to the head coach and director of scouting. Former Loyola Chicago star point guard Clayton Custer was named director of video operations and player development.
Longtime OU director of basketball operations Mike Shepard will remain in that role as will director of strength and performance Bryce Daub.
“When assembling a coaching staff at Oklahoma, our top priority has been identifying coaches who are aligned with the culture and energy we desire to put forth every day in the job,” Moser said in a release.
Turner, a longtime SMU assistant, spent last season as the associate head coach at Texas. He also played at Oklahoma City University, where he led the Stars to the 2002 Sooner Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles. He was also an assistant coach for one season at Redlands Community College in El Reno.
“I’m really excited to be back in the state of Oklahoma and work for Coach Moser,” Turner said in the release. “He did a fantastic job at Loyola, getting to the Final Four and Sweet 16s. He’s a very consistent coach. I’m just excited and think we can do a lot of great things here at OU. I look forward to getting aligned with Coach Moser’s culture and coaching style. We’re going to do some special things.”
Dildy spent the past three seasons at Northwestern, but was on Moser’s staff at Loyola Chicago from 2013-16.
Dildy also coached at Valparaiso, Missouri, Eastern Illinois and KennedyKing College in Chicago, where he coached two seasons as an assistant and two as head coach.
Gordon and Custer followed Moser from Loyola Chicago.
Gordon has been on Moser’s coaching staff since 2008, beginning as the director of basketball operations at Saint Louis.
He spent three seasons in that role and seven as an assistant coach, including during Loyola Chicago’s 2018 Final Four run.
That run featured Custer at point guard. He led Loyola Chicago to 70 wins and two Missouri Valley Conference titles along with the Final Four. He joined Moser’s staff last season.
OSU adds Syracuse transfer
Oklahoma State finally has its first commitment and it’s from the transfer portal.
Syracuse forward Woody Newton announced his intent to transfer to the Cowboys on Friday, becoming the first pledge to join the Cowboys for next season.
The 6-foot-8, 200-pound freshman provides versatility for coach Mike Boynton. Newton can play inside, but he can also stretch the floor with his shooting ability.
But he had an up-and-down season with Syracuse.
He started strong, scoring nine points in three of his first four games off the bench. But Syracuse went on a pause in late December due to issues with COVID-19 and Newton rarely played after the break.
Newton played in just five games after December and totaled 14 minutes. He scored just 3 points, a trey he made in the NCAA Tournament win over San Diego State.
In total, Newton played in just 11 games and averaged 3.5 points and 1.8 rebounds. He did make 7 of 18 (38.9%) of his 3-pointers.
A four-star recruit out of Mt. Zion (Maryland) Prep, Newton initially chose Syracuse over Kansas State, Maryland, Virginia Tech and Xavier.