Korita is an important utility player for Tulsa Basketball

Lawson Korita may not be the first or second guy Tulsa fans think about when they are calculating how good the team will be.

But make no mistake. More often than not, the team plays better with Korita in the game. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound senior from Little Rock is one of those players whose presence is always felt on the court. And he is missed when he is not on the court.

The best example of this was last season when Tulsa was playing Wichita State at home late in the season. It was a game Tulsa should win, and badly needed to win.

But unfortunately, Korita was sick and had to miss the game. And it showed. From the start, with Korita out of the starting lineup, the game was an absolute disaster. The Shockers jumped on Tulsa early, and defeated Tulsa 81-60.

From a stats standpoint, or from someone who only casually follows the Golden Hurricane, Korita’s absence from the lineup wouldn’t seem to be so disastrous. Korita averaged 5.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game.

But it is the intangibles that Korita brings that makes him so valuable. That is something for which sixth-year Tulsa coach Frank Haith is keenly aware.

“I’ve always said this about Lawson: His value to our team is more than in his numbers in what he does,” Haith said. “He’s a guy who defensively knows everything we need to do on the floor. He’s always where he needs to be. He can guard, he can rebound. He’s a utility guy.

“As a coach, we know Lawson’s value. We know what he brings from a confidence standpoint to the other guys on the floor. He knows what we are doing. He’s been here four years. There’s no question he’s extremely important to our success.”

The question that needs to be answered about Korita is whether he can take the next step up and be one of Tulsa’s leading scorers. Korita certainly has the ability to score, but he is averaging just 1.5 points through two games this season.

“We would like to see Lawson be more consistent from three, and I think he can be,” Haith said. “He is a good shooter, he just hasn’t done it from a consistency standpoint in his career. But I expect him to do that more this year. But still do the things Lawson needs to do to help us win.

“We’ve asked him to be better at driving the ball, because he’s capable. He’s big and strong. People don’t realize how big and strong Lawson is until you stand up next to him. He can put more pressure on a defense if he’s more willing to drive the ball and be fierce at the rim, and I think he can do that.”

Korita made 28 of 93 (30.1 percent) on three-pointers last season, and for his career, he's 59 of 198 (29.8 percent), with a career scoring average of 3.8 points. However, he is off to a rough start this season, making just one of his first nine shots from beyond the arc.

“I’ve been working on my shot, my shooting off the dribble, my pull-up game,” Korita said. “My shooting, 100 percent, has improved. We had some people in the past who were able to do those things, and now some of those assets are gone. So I’ve been trying to improve myself so I can help the team that way.”

For the unselfish Korita, perhaps the first thing that was noticeable about his game when he arrived at Tulsa was his passing. After watching him for a couple of minutes, it is evident Korita’s passing skills are outstanding.

“Really, I’ve always been watching a lot of key players and their passing,” said Korita, who had 47 assists to only 19 turnovers last season in 31 games. “I’ve always wanted to make the extra pass.

“I feel like making a pass for a dunk or making a pass for a three is a better play than me doing something spectacular or making a shot. I feel like that betters the team, chemistry wise. So I’m always trying to make an extra pass.”

Haith has been well aware of Korita’s passing abilities since before Korita arrived at TU. That is a big reasons Korita played considerably from the time he arrived as a freshman. Korita averaged 12.7 and 13.5 minutes per game in his first two seasons, with a 2.8 scoring average in each of his first two seasons.

“With the way we play offense, we’re a paint-touch team, we’re an inside-out team. Lawson can skip that ball, he finds guys, he’s a ball mover,” Haith said. “The ball doesn’t stick with him.”

As good as his passing is, Korita’s value on defense is probably his biggest asset. In Tulsa’s frequently used match-up zone, it is imperative that everyone knows where they need to be.

Korita is the guy who gets everyone into their designed spots on defense. So when Korita wasn’t playing against Wichita State last season, Wichita State was getting a lot of extremely easy buckets, especially early, to set the tone for the game.

“My defense has improved a lot,” Korita said. “My communication with the team, defensive wise, has helped a lot. I feel like that is going to benefit us. When everybody is talking, when someone is in the wrong position, you’re able to tell him on the court to get wherever, and I feel like I’ve been contributing that way.”

Time has flown by for Korita, who came to Tulsa following the Golden Hurricane’s last NCAA bid in 2016 in a recruiting class of nine.

“It’s crazy. It feels like yesterday I was coming in as a freshman,” Korita said. "I barely knew anybody. It was a whole new team. It really hasn’t hit me yet. Me and Martins (Igbanu) are the only ones left from the freshman class.”

Korita is especially pumped up for his senior season and believes Tulsa can get back to the NCAA Tournament.

“I’m actually really excited. We’ve got some new guys who are going to contribute a lot,” Korita said of newcomers Reggie Jones, Brandon Rachal, Isaiah Hill, Manny Ugboh and Josh Early. “We’ve always been so close the past few years, but I feel like this year, if we just do all the controllables, if we play 100 percent as hard as we can, I feel like we are going to make it."

At 1-1, Tulsa is looking to bounce back from a road loss at Texas-Arlington. TU takes on Oral Roberts on November 12.