Porter Moser credits Big 12 teams for work in transfer portal
Midway through the college basketball season, Oklahoma Sooners head coach Porter Moser praised the entire Big 12 conference for how teams were able to build through the Transfer Portal.
It came up when Moser was explaining where the success Oklahoma has had this season came from. He explained that like the rest of the conference, the Sooners were able to build through the portal with success.
“I’ll tell you, I think the Big 12 has done as good a job in the portal as anybody in the country,” Porter Moser said. “Look at the success Texas Tech has had in the portal. Look at the success Iowa State‘s had in the portal. Kansas State, tremendous help in the portal. Look at Texas. Max [Abmas] is arguably one of the best players in the country. Kansas, Hunter Dickinson. I mean, Baylor. I’m gonna keep going down every single team and I’m gonna name you three or four guys.”
It’s not just that Big 12 teams have used the portal. According to Porter Moser, it’s that they’ve used it the right way to find players who fit their teams.
“I think this whole league has done a great job of evaluating and getting pieces that fit who they are, fit what they’re doing, and I don’t know a league that top to bottom — tremendous success in this league with portal guys. Older, physical, fits what their program is doing,” Moser said.
This season, Oklahoma is 15-3 and ranked in the AP Poll. That’s a year after the Sooners finished with a losing record. It’s a turnaround that Porter Moser and Oklahoma needed and it was made possible by the portal.
“And that’s what I’d say about us. Our guys fit. Javian [McCollum], we really wanted, needed speed, shooting at that guard spot. We needed some older big wings that could defend physically against higher level athletes. Rivaldo Soares. Le’Tre Darthard. John [Hugley] gives us a big, physical presence,” Moser said.
“So, we did well in the portal of getting needs we had and I don’t think you can look further than the Big 12 to find a league that has done the same. Tremendous success from every program on getting portal pieces that fit.”
Porter Moser addresses concerns about court storming
After a fan crashed into Iowa star Caitlin Clark, there were renewed concerns about safety when fans storm the court. Those are concerns that Porter Moser weighed in on.
“I do think people got to be prepared. I’ll tell you this. We get to Cincinnati, Cincinnati had a court storming against TCU. Literally an hour and a half before the game security pulled me aside and said if Cincinnati wins and they were on the court, this is what’s gonna happen. We were coming out of the one exit because you’re gonna shake their hands and we got a whole tunnel. We’re gonna go right to a door behind their bench. So they were completely prepared. They had security there,” Moser said.
“And they are so I think the preparation is part of it, too. There’s got to be some kind of penalty if there’s contact with a student athlete … It’s hard because we court stormed when we played Alabama. But there’s gotta be sanctions if there’s a crossing a line of touching a student athlete or something thrown at a student athlete. They gotta feel safe down there. But but it’s preparation. And then it’s got to be an education to your fans. Don’t cross the line.. If you’re gonna storm the court, run the middle, but your first responsibility is to get the other team off safely. And I think we’ve got to continue to work on that.”