MORNING ROUNDUP
Bamisile latest Sooner to hit transfer portal
Joe Bamisile on Thursday became the fourth OU men's basketball player this offseason to enter the transfer portal.
Bamisile was one of the Sooners' most notable additions last offseason. The 6-4 guard was fresh off a season at George Washington where he averaged 16.3 points and five rebounds in 31.4 minutes.
But Bamisile struggled to carve out a role with OU. The junior averaged four points and 2.3 rebounds in 11.4 minutes, and he recorded 11 DNPs.
Bamisile is now searching for his fourth team in as many years.
Springmann on promotion to ORU head coach: ‘This is a new beginning’
Russell Springmann will be formally introduced as Oral Roberts' head coach Friday afternoon.
Springmann was promoted from assistant coach Wednesday afternoon, a day after Paul Mills left to take the Wichita State job.
“I feel like I was called to be here and that this is a new beginning,” Springmann said in a tweet posted on ORU's account Thursday. “This is not the final piece of our journey, and this is not what we are striving for. It's something to build on, and that is exactly what we are about to do.”
A Maryland native, Springmann spent 14 years as an assistant at Texas, two at San Diego and one with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He has been at ORU since 2018.
In Springmann's time with the Golden Eagles, ORU has made the NCAA Tournament twice including the 2021 Sweet Sixteen run. This season produced a season-best 30 wins and a Summit League championship.
Mills, who was at the helm for six seasons and compiled a 106-84 record, was introduced at Wichita State on Thursday afternoon. Earlier in the day, he posted a thank-you message to ORU on Twitter.
“ORU is a wonderful place with wonderful people,” Mills wrote. “Thanks for your support of these student-athletes through these many years. ORU will be in great hands. This is God's program and I was extremely honored to be a steward of it these past six seasons. Press on!”
Providence hires Kim English as next men’s basketball coach
Providence hired Kim English on Thursday as its next basketball coach, quickly moving to fill the opening left after Ed Cooley left to take the job at Big East rival Georgetown.
English becomes the 16th coach in school history. Cooley resigned from Providence on Monday following 12 seasons. He complied a 242-153 record with the Friars that included seven appearances, but just three March Madness victories.
The 34-year-old English was 34-29 in two seasons at George Mason, leading the Patriots to a 20-13 record this past season. It was the first time the school reached the 20-win milestone since 2016-17.