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‘Still a Sooner’ but ‘not optimal’ as Porter Moser reacts to Alec Blair leaving OU team

Bob Przybyloby: Bob Przybylo4 hours agoBPrzybylo
Blair
Oklahoma wing Alec Blair (Photo by: OU Athletics)

It was a blow for OU basketball last week when freshman wing Alec Blair told the team he was leaving to focus on baseball.

A blow, but he is still a Sooner, said head coach Porter Moser.

“It’s not optimal,” Moser said. “It’s not optimal that it happened after one game. You know, we had committed to each other in the offseason—a year ago, and then talked through the offseason and just committed to the process. So, it’s not optimal for us.

“With that said, he made a decision. He’s a 19-year-old young man. He’s a great young man. He made a decision that was best for himself, and he had to do it. He’s still a Sooner. I hope people come out and watch him play baseball; I will. It’s unfortunate for our team and not optimal for our team, because we need him, but he feels that’s best for his baseball career. But he’s a Sooner, and he’s a young man that we’re all going to get behind when he wears that baseball uniform.”

Blair was considered a legitimate two sort star in high school. As good as he was in basketball, he has been considered an even bigger can’t—miss prosect in baseball.

Blair played three minutes in last week’s victory, with one point and one rebound. He notified the coaching staff and the OU team Wednesday.

No hard feelings from his teammates.

“I mean, we supported him, as always,” guard Nijel Pack said. “We always talked to him about it; we talk about baseball, we talk about the World Series, and he’s always giving us insight on baseball stuff because I have nothing—or no clue about baseball at all. We all supported him on his journey. He reached out to us, and we were like, ‘Man, you’re a warrior—going from basketball practice to baseball, and then baseball to basketball, working out, working on his swing and then coming in here working on his jump shot.

“I’m like, ‘Man, you’re a different breed for that. Like, I don’t know how you do it.’ For him to say, ‘Hey man, I think it’s just time for me to focus on baseball,’ we all supported him. He’s a man. He had to do what he had to do. We all support him. At the end of the day, I know I’m going to be out there to watch him a couple games. He said I could hit him whenever so I can work on my baseball swing as well. So, we’re all still going to be close. I don’t think this breaks us at all. We’re just happy he’s doing what he loves best.”

OU is back in action for the students only game at McCasland Field House vs. Arkansas—Pine Bluff on Tuesday night.

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