Lon Kruger's Sooners gearing up for season behind two prolific seniors

Guard Austin Reaves and forward Brady Manek return to the fold with high expectations as Oklahoma looks to build on late surge of momentum at conclusion of 2019-20 season

As of Wednesday, preseason practice is officially underway for Lon Kruger and the OU men’s basketball team.

And though there's no clear answer as to what their 2020-21 season will look like, the team's collective camaraderie is what's sustaining them through this period of uncertainty.

“Basketball is their comfort zone," said Kruger of his Sooner squad. "When they come to practice and they’re around each other during all of the craziness that’s going around in other areas of their life, in the gym they kind of forget all of that and they’re able to focus on what they love to do."

In a season that ended in unprecedented fashion, the streaky Sooners battled to a 19-12 record, and were in position for an NCAA tournament berth until COVID-19 brought a halt to play. With Kristian Doolittle the lone senior on the roster, the Sooners lacked experienced depth, but did receive significant contributions from youngsters like freshmen De'Vion Harmon and Victor Iwuakor. 

This year, however, the Sooners will roll out a cast of five seniors, including two standouts in guard Austin Reaves and forward Brady Manek.

“This is a year where veteran experience does help, no question," Kruger said. "We’ve got a good group in terms of experience. Those seniors, they’ve been through it. They know what lies ahead."

Reaves, a former transfer from Wichita State, played his way into the hearts of Sooner Nation with a fantastic first year in the crimson and cream. He averaged 14.7 points per game en route to All-Big 12 honorable mention, and closed out the abbreviated season with one of the most memorable individual performances in school history. On March 7, Reaves capped off a 41-point performance against TCU with a game-winning jumper in the final seconds to ice a 78-76 win. The Sooners hadn't led in the game until Reaves' final shot, and had trailed by as many as 19 points in the second half.

Now, as he enters his senior season, Reaves is fully embracing his new leadership role as an elder statesman in the locker room.

“I think the older guys have been able to push those younger guys really well,” Reaves said. “We’re just ready to get on the court, compete with other teams and kind of get back to a little bit of normal life. I feel like everyone on the team, including the staff has gone step by step to get back on the court.”

Manek, on the other hand, has been one of Oklahoma's primary scorers ever since stepping onto the scene as a freshman. Last year he racked up 14.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, and shot 45.3 percent from the field, good for third in the Big 12.

“I think having that break was good, but it was really hard to work out by myself," Manek said. "I needed to be back in Norman and have that easy access. Looking back, I’ve done a lot of things here at OU the last three years; I’m ready for this season to play out and see how it ends up."

Manek enters his senior season with 187 career 3-pointers, good for seventh in school history. He and Reaves are the only returning players who averaged double-digit scoring for Oklahoma last season.

“Given their experience and the success they’ve had in the Big 12, those two are coming off of a very good junior year, so we expect them to have a much improved senior year,” Kruger said.

The official 2020-2021 schedule has yet to be released, but the Sooners are scheduled tip off the slate in late November.

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