Tulsa Basketball: 2017-18 Season Wrap-Up

If someone had told Tulsa basketball fans that the Golden Hurricane would finish the season with 19 wins, there probably would not have been much wailing.

Finishing with a 19-12 record was a nice improvement over the previous mark of 15-17. Not perfectly satisfying, obviously, but not a bad improvement, especially considering TU finished fourth in the AAC after being picked eighth in the preseason.

With that said and with the dust starting to settle on the 2017-18 Tulsa hoops season, it is a good time to think about the past season and what's in store for the future.

Let’s start with the seniors. Junior Etou had a mostly terrific senior season, getting named second-team All-AAC and second-team NABC All-District 25. Corey Henderson really improved his entire game, and Jaleel Wheeler settled into a somewhat reduced but more productive role off the bench.

All three seniors leave a terrific legacy for the next generation of TU players, and have left the program in good shape.

Besides those seniors, lasting images of the season will include gutty overtime home wins over UConn and Tulane. There were some disappointing losses, to be certain, including the stunning way the season ended. Not playing in the postseason stings, for sure, especially for the seniors.

However, there was much more positive than negative. And watching Sterling Taplin and DaQuan Jeffries gut it out at the end of the season when clearly not healthy was heartening to watch.

After Frank Haith’s first two teams as TU’s coach were overstocked with returning players that got Tulsa to the NIT and NCAA tournaments, the 2016-2017 season was a tough one where Tulsa had to almost entirely rebuild. Finishing 15-17 was disappointing, but not over-the-top horrible.

This season, watching returning players such as Etou, Taplin and Henderson show significant improvement was fun to watch. In fact, a strong argument can be made that every returning player showed improvement over the previous season.

There will be a strong base of players back on campus in the fall, and if the returning players can show improvement, along with positive contributions from newcomers, there is every reason to think that the 2018-19 season will result in postseason play.

When projecting for a future season, starting with what is already known is always wise. With just the returning players, a starting lineup of Taplin, Curran Scott, Lawson Korita, Jeffries and Martins Igbanu is a strong place to start. Add Elijah Joiner and redshirt transfer Jeriah Horne to the mix, and you have a first seven that can play.

Jeffries in particular could make big strides if he has a full year of good health. He was terrific at times after transferring from Western Texas CC via ORU. With a year under his belt, the athletic Jeffries could have an absolutely terrific senior season.

Darien Jackson and Geno Artison could figure in as well. Jackson, in particular, is an intriguing, athletic prospect who needs to show marked improvement in shooting and ball handling. If he does that, he could make an impact.

It would be shocking if Horne isn’t a force and replaces, at least in part, some of Etou’s role. Horne was a heralded recruit out of high school who had some strong games for Nebraska as a freshman, and he has a similar size and game to Etou.

For the fans who aren’t overly buzzed about the incoming recruiting class, first of all, the class isn’t finished. One never knows what Haith and staff will bring in. There is currently one available scholarship, and TU is looking at a solid group of big men.

There are reasons to be excited about Tulsa’s three new additions – all 3-star transfers that have already signed.

Zeke Moore is a 6-foot-7 guard who can shoot. He averaged 5.3 points in 20.8 minutes for Saint Louis as a freshman before sitting out this season in junior college. He shot 39.1 percent on three-pointers.

Peter Hewitt is a 6-10 force inside that will give Tulsa much-needed size and defensive ability. He had a strong junior college season and will have three years of eligibility. In 23 minutes per game at Las Positas this season, Hewitt averaged 10.4 points and 9.1 rebounds while shooting 58-percent from the field. He earned first-team all-conference accolades for his efforts.

Chris Barnes is a bit of an unknown. Having played sparingly for UTEP as a freshman, the 6-4 guard transferred but sat out in juco ball this season. He should give TU another option at point guard.

If the Golden Hurricane can add another contributor to the recruiting class, it could make things even more interesting. But as it is, there will be a good base of players to provide what could be marked improvement in 2018-2019.

And if that happens, TU could be dancing in March of 2019.