OU guard Kaden Cooper staying patient, trusting process
One of the biggest reasons for the surprising 10-0 start for the OU basketball team is its depth. The Sooners have been able to play a strong eight-man rotation that has head coach Porter Moser joke about having eight starters.
It really has worked that way, especially with the three guys coming off the bench having a wealth of experience. Freshmen were in these spots before for Moser. Now? It’s super seniors like Le’Tre Darthard and Rivaldo Soares.
So that’s tremendous for the on-court product. But a lot of people thought Kaden Cooper would figure more into plans. Instead, the freshman is growing, but a good chunk is from the bench.
Cooper was the standout signee for OU’s 2023 class. However, Darthard and Soares have just been so good in their role and accepting their role that right now? Cooper’s role is to wait. And trust.
It’s just a month in, but Moser is happy with how Cooper has handled everything.
“The process has been all a credit to him, all a credit to Kaden and those around him because he has stayed patient,” Moser told SoonerScoop on Saturday night. “He is working in practice. He understands he has older people in front of him. He’s not pouting. He’s learning and watching tape. He’s doing the whole process. A credit to who he is and the people around him that he’s being patient.”
When OU led 21-20 vs. Green Bay, you weren’t sure if Cooper would have the chance. OU, though, absolutely took off from that point, leading 74-34 at one point in the 81-47 victory.
And Cooper played almost the last 11 minutes of the game. Straight. For someone who hasn’t seen a lot of action, Moser was letting Cooper get some minutes in. And not just a limited stretch.
“We got up, and I just wanted to keep him in there,” Moser said. “Sometimes it’s hard to go 10, 11 minutes in a row. Right away, he got some simple rebounds and outlet passes. He did some good things. We made a defensive adjustment at halftime, and he did it.
“It’s a process of keep getting better, comfortable. Same thing like with Otega last year. He has some older guys in front of him, understands that. There’s going to be a time when we’ll need him. We need him to keep growing and get better. Today he took a great step with good, solid minutes. It’s a credit to him to staying coachable and staying patient and the people around him.”
The numbers aren’t going to wow you. But Cooper scored four points with two rebounds and didn’t turn the ball over.
It was his most productive outing in more than a month. Nobody is believing Wednesday’s game vs. North Carolina will be a chance for Cooper to shine. However, OU does close the non-conference slate with Central Arkansas (Dec. 28) and Monmouth (Dec. 31).
Whatever minutes he can get are going to be oh-so valuable. Once that Big 12 grind comes, it is never going to stop.
Oweh’s dazzling night
Moser mentioned Oweh going through it last year what Cooper is experiencing now. In that same regard, Cooper can look at Oweh and see what can happen if you just trust the process.
Oweh had one of the better defensive nights for a Sooner defender in a long time. He finished with 12 points but added seven steals. Seven, the most for an OU player since 1999.
“I thought he was anticipating,” Moser said. “He’s getting his athleticism into the game. Again, it’s a great lesson for us. No matter what’s going on the offensive end, shots falling or not falling, defense has got to be there possession by possession.”
And there was still room for Oweh to bring the Lloyd Noble Center crowd to its feet. Setting up for a breakaway dunk, Oweh decided to put some style into it.
A little reverse action that worked the OU fans into a frenzy.
“Yeah, so I got the transition, and then I saw that no one was kind of following – they were following but not aggressively, so I was like, ‘alright, might as well try it.’ I do that dunk a lot in practice, and like when I’m just playing around. I do that dunk often, so I’m very comfortable with it.”
