Draining outside shots is something that is in his name and resume, and is something Tulsa had a difficult time doing last year.

The arrival of LaDavius Draine gives Tulsa a proven outside shooter. Along with fellow transfers Jeriah Horne and Sam Griffin, three-point shooting should be a strength this season.

"I feel like any time I can see any space, it's going in," Draine said of his shooting ability.

The 6-foot-4 senior transfer from Southern Miss brings immediate credibility. He is second on the career list for Southern Mississippi on made three-pointers with 220 and a 39.1 percentage.

Draine played four years for Southern Mississippi with a career average of 9.7 points per game. Last season, Draine toughed it out with a hurt leg for most of the season, and his numbers fell to 8.5 points and 34.7 percent on three-pointers and 4.2 rebounds while starting all 25 games.

His best seasons were as a junior and sophomore. In 2020, he averaged 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 35.2 percent on three's. In 2019, Draine shot 46.4 percent from deep, averaging 11.2 points and 3.6 rebounds.

But Draine is quick to point out he is more than just a three-point shooter.

"I feel like I can do a lot more things than just shoot," Draine said. "Coach Haith always tells me every day he's very surprised with how well I rebound, how well I can make plays and make my teammates get better. Things like that."

Wanting to be a part of a team with a chance to win had to figure into Draine's late decision to leave Southern Miss and his home state of Mississippi. The best team he played on was during his sophomore season where Southern Miss went 20-13, 11-7 in Conference USA and went to the CBI Tournament under head coach Doc Sadler.

After Sadler left, Southern Miss struggled in the last two seasons under new coach Jay Ladner, as the Golden Eagles went 9-22 in 2020 and 8-17 in 2021.

"For me, the sky's the limit for this team," Draine said of playing for TU. "We compete. Every day I think we get better. It's all for a chance to win a conference championship and play in the NCAA Tournament."

The extra year of eligibility granted to players is something that, when Draine thought about his options, made sense for him to play another year of college basketball.

"I was planning on going and playing professionally, but with Covid and everything, it kind of made everything uncertain," Draine said. "The Covid year, I tried to use it because it was the safest bet.

"Talking to my family, they thought it was the best decision for me to go into the transfer portal and go somewhere different," Draine explained. "At Tulsa, Coach (Kwanza) Johnson was the person who recruited me. He just made me feel like this is where I needed to be."

A late arrival at TU, only deciding to come to Tulsa in August, Draine is playing for a coach who is known for doing well with transfer players.

"Especially getting on the phone with Coach Haith, he just made me feel like this was going to be my best option," Draine said.

Haith was thrilled to get Draine with his ability and experience.

"Draine, obviously, is seasoned. If he would have been in the portal earlier he would have been highly sought after," Haith said. "You very seldom get a guy who has been a 1,000 point scorer in Division I.

"He's so mature. He's been through it. When we got him late, when he decided he didn't want to go play professionally, that he wanted to experience another year in college, that was a blessing."

Even on a bad leg last season, Draine's 42 three-pointers were more than any TU player last season. He made 70 three's in 2020 and 78 in 2019.

"Just having a guy that, not only because of his shooting, but because of his maturity, and his understanding, is valuable," Haith said. "He's put numbers up against good competition.

"No matter what role, whether it be starting or coming off the bench, he is a great addition."

Last season, teams didn't respect Tulsa's three-point shooting. And it resulted in a 11-12 season where Tulsa collapsed down the stretch. If respect is earned on three-pointers, the rest of the offense opens up.

In the exhibition game against NSU last Wednesday, Draine had 7 points and 5 rebounds, making 1 of 3 three-pointers coming off the bench. He made another long-range two-pointer.

Draine already has a degree in psychology. In graduate school he is studying sports administration. Being an NBA GM would be an ultimate goal.

But for now, Draine is going to enjoy having a chance to be on a winning team again and get in another year of college basketball.

Tulsa begins the regular season on Wednesday, November 10, at home against Northwestern State.