What OU men's basketball should be looking for in its final scholarship player

NORMAN — The job isn't quite finished for Porter Moser and his staff.

The newly hired OU men’s basketball head coach has been busy this offseason, bringing in six transfers and three freshmen following the end of the Lon Kruger era.

It’s a clean slate for Moser, who gained national praise for his work at Loyola Chicago. In his 10 years as the Ramblers’ shot caller, Moser led the program to a Final Four run in 2018 and a Sweet Sixteen appearance this past season.

Now at the helm for the Sooners, there's one missing piece to the puzzle that is Moser’s debut recruiting class.

With redshirt freshman Rick Issanza's decision to enter the transfer portal on June 14, Oklahoma returned to having 12 scholarship players on its roster.

That's one spot shy of the NCAA’s limit, and even though Issanza is still working out with the team as he decides if he wants to return or not, the Sooners could be looking for another transfer to add to the mix.

So, who’s the last piece? While the puzzle remains unfinished, the picture becomes clearer when looking at what the Sooners need to address with their final scholarship spot.

Oklahoma shouldn't be worried about its defense thanks in part to a pair of returners.

Elijah Harkless is a 6-foot-3 junior who plays bigger than his listed height. He ranked 33rd in the country in steal percentage last season (3.9), according to KenPom, and he'll likely be the team's starting small forward this season.

Jalen Hill is also back in the mix. The 6-7 sophomore only played an average of 17.4 minutes per contest last season, but he’s an active defender who has a chance to claim the starting power forward spot this time around.

Then there’s the new backcourt duo of Jordan Goldwire and Marvin Johnson. 

Goldwire is a 6-foot-2 senior who took pride in being an aggressive on-ball defender during his time at Duke, while Johnson is a 6-6 senior who used his length to interrupt passing lanes at Eastern Illinois.

Defense is taken care of for the Sooners, but it’s the offense that remains questionable.

A bulk of Oklahoma’s scoring should come from its frontcourt. Moser made his biggest splash of the offseason when he lured the brother duo of Tanner and Jacob Groves away from Eastern Washington.

Tanner is a 6-foot-9 redshirt junior who averaged 17.2 points and 8 rebounds per game last season, which earned him the Big Sky Conference Player of the Year award. Meanwhile, Jacob is a 6-foot-7 sophomore who averaged 9.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per contest.

Throw in Ethan Chargois, a 6-9 senior from SMU who averaged 8.8 points in just 24.1 minutes per game last season, and the Sooners can surely count on their bigs to put the ball through the hoop.

Getting some consistent scoring from their guards could be trickier, though.

Austin Reaves and De'Vion Harmon combined for an average of 31.2 points per game last season. But the dynamic duo is no longer in Norman, and it's unrealistic to expect that level of production from Oklahoma's new core.

Goldwire shot 39.9% from the floor in his four years at Duke, Johnson lacks the perimeter scoring you’d like to see out of your shooting guard and Harkless’ effective field goal percentage of 47.5% ranked last on the Sooners last season.

The one outlier is Umoja Gibson, a 6-foot-1 junior who carved out a role on the team last season by getting buckets. Gibson averaged 9.1 points per contest and shot a team-high 41.1% from the arc.

The veteran guard will compete for a starting role this season, but he'll likely become Oklahoma’s second unit leader. And while Gibson did serve as a combo guard last season, it wasn’t an ideal role due to his lack of size.

That brings us to Oklahoma’s biggest remaining need: A wing player who can score the ball.

Goldwire, Johnson and Harkless should set the tone defensively. Any offensive production they provide will also be a welcomed sight, but the Sooners shouldn't bank on it.

Finding someone who can create for himself, allow Gibson to thrive at the one and provide more size than Harkless at the three is the best-case scenario.

Without that kind of player, Oklahoma will have to rely on the freshmen duo of CJ Noland and Bijan Cortes. Both prospects are capable scorers, but neither of the 6-foot-3 guards can solve that need for a swingman.

Another possible need is a bigger five to back Tanner Groves, which Issanza could be should he return. Still, leaning on an undersized center hasn't been an issue for Moser in the past.

Loyola Chicago star Cameron Krutwig was also 6-foot-9, and the Sooners can roll out 6-10 center Akol Mawein for certain matchups. 

That circles us back to the wing, where Oklahoma would benefit from a versatile prospect in the 6-foot-5 range who can create for himself.

With Chargois and Jacob Groves also likely to make up the second unit's frontcourt, Oklahoma would be far more equipped to keep up on the scoreboard in the always-competitive Big 12 Conference.