NCAA loss driving Likekele to lead OSU
For weeks, Oklahoma State senior guard Isaac Likekele refused to watch the film.
Losing to Oregon State in the second round of last season's NCAA Tournament just didn't sit right.
“Last year's game still has a very bad taste in my mouth,” Likekele said Wednesday at Big 12 men's basketball media day in Kansas City, Mo. “I like to rewatch film. I couldn't even sit down and watch that game. I felt like personally that was one of the worst performances that I've ever put on.
“It wasn't the fact it was a bad performance from me. It was the fact that I felt like I let my teammates down. I'm always a team-oriented guy and that's not what my team deserved from me in that moment.”
Likekele did not score in the 80-70 loss.
He had five rebounds, an assist, a steal and three turnovers.
Injuries were an issue for Likekele last season. But he's back healthy and refreshed. He's taken on even more of a leadership role, too.
“He has to be our leader,” Boynton said. “He's been through the most, he's had success, he's had some struggles. He's taken on different roles for us.
“Now, we need him to step up and be that guy who passes along our message from our staff t o our players every day in the locker room, not just go out there and play well, put up great numbers but have a pulse of what winning looks like and making sure that's happening every day.”
Moser: Goldwire brings key experience
OU guard Jordan Goldwire has learned how to handle pressure. The Duke transfer spent four seasons at one of the most prestigious programs in the country and got every opponents' best shot along the way.
That never fazed Goldwire, though. The redshirt senior point guard earned an All-ACC Defensive Team selection last season and now joins an OU squad that's looking to establish a winning culture during Moser's first season at the helm.
“One of the things we wanted to do was get a point guard that was older,” Moser said. “Jordan, going through what he's been through, has been at a higher stage... We're going to count on his leadership a lot. We're going to need his leadership a lot.”
Goldwire thrives on the defensive side of the ball, but the top priority is for him to improve his shooting efficiency.
The veteran guard shot 37.9% from the floor last season while averaging 5.8 points per contest, and he'll be tasked with providing more scoring as a Sooner.
OU lost its top three scorers from the 2020-21 campaign. Austin Reaves (18.3 points per game), De'Vion Harmon (12.9 ppg) and Brady Manek (10.8 ppg) accounted for 52.2% of OU's points.
OU commits
Moser has secured three commitments for the Class of 2022 in the month of October.
The Sooners head coach got the ball rolling on Oct. 1 when he landed fourstar prospect Otega Oweh. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard is an aggressive driver on offense and a physical defender on the other side of the ball.
OU secured another four-star prospect on Monday when Milos Uzan picked the Sooners over a number of other notable programs. The 6-foot-4 point guard uses his length to get into passing lanes and is a three-level scorer.
The Sooners earned a commitment from German small forward Benjamin Schroder on Wednesday. The 6-foot-5 prospect averaged 11.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game for TSV Oberhaching, a professional team in Germany's ProB League, last season.