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Jadon Jones hoping to be the lift for OU basketball

Bob Przybyloby: Bob Przybylo10 hours agoBPrzybylo

OU basketball better have taken full advantage of last week and the two gimme games at the Lloyd Noble Center.

The Sooners aren’t coming home anytime soon, and the 4-2 record could look a lot different in a few weeks.

Next four games for OU? Road or neutral site battles against legitimate competition. It all starts Friday afternoon against Marquette. Then it’s at Wake Forest next Tuesday, followed by Arizona State in Phoenix next weekend. And wrapping it all up with the Bedlam showdown vs. Oklahoma State at the Paycom Center on Dec. 13.

OU (4-2) vs. Marquette (4-3) (Chicago)
When: 1 p.m.
TV: NBC

Maybe one reason OU fans should feel a little bit better? The return of Jadon Jones. After missing last season with a back injury and the first games this season with a groin issue, he was back last Thursday.

“It felt great. Just still trying to get back in the flow of things, kind of get reacclimated to everything,” Jones said. “I’m just really grateful to be out here. It’s been a while since I played. It’s easy to get caught up in the minutes and all that stuff, but I’m just happy to be playing basketball. I’m super blessed.”

Head coach Porter Moser said Jones was on a minutes’ restriction schedule. Jones played 13 minutes with eight points.

Jones came right back last Sunday to play 16 minutes. He scored seven points with three rebounds. He’s already 10-for-10 from the free throw line.

Jones was known as a 3-and-D guy. You can never have too many shooters or guys that want to play defense.

He’s back and ready.

“You put in the work, and you trust yourself,” Jones told SoonerScoop. “It’s just a matter of doing everything the right way, not letting the moment be too big, not rushing. I trust myself fully.”

Rogers taking the steps

If it sounds like we’re talking about OU freshman center Kai Rogers too much, there’s a reason. The ceiling for this team goes up a whole bunch higher if he can get it going.

Sunday was the first sign of in-game action to suggest it. Not just playing mop-up duty time. Rogers went 13 minutes with four points and six rebounds. However, five of those were on the offensive end.

OU is going to need Rogers. This step up in competition during the next few weeks will give us a great idea of how much Moser trusts Rogers at this point.

“I think he saw how excited everybody got when he got an offensive rebound,” Moser told SoonerScoop. “I think he saw his value in there. We need more guys playing their roles. Not everybody can be the leading scorer. Not everybody has the green light that Nijel Pack has.

“It doesn’t mean that everybody can’t have huge value. I thought Kai – we have to continue to get his conditioning up. That happens with game minutes. I thought his presence was felt (against Alcorn State).”

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