Tulsa men's basketball is ready to begin the season
If the strength of the seniors is any indication of the upcoming season, then the 2020-2021 season ought to be a strong continuation of Tulsa's last season.
In the case of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, the seniors provide a terrific base for an uncertain year overall for college hoops, as Tulsa kicks off its season Saturday at 6:30 p.m. against TCU in Kansas City in the Hall of Fame Classic.
Elijah Joiner, Brandon Rachal, Darien Jackson, and Manny Ugboh provide talent, experience and leadership for a team that will be reinforced by some newcomers that are bound to make an impact.
Tulsa coach Frank Haith begins his seventh season at Tulsa coming off a 2019-2020 season where the Golden Hurricane won a share of the AAC championship, finishing 21-10 overall, 13-5 in conference play before COVID-19 cancelled what was a remarkable season.
"You can't win without a good locker room. I know those guys have all embraced our culture and what our program is all about," Haith said about his seniors. "You've got to have people of leadership who are speaking the language you are speaking to have success. I feel real good about those guys understanding what it takes to win.
"Obviously, they were part of a championship team last year, but they also understand what it takes to have a championship locker room. What are kids saying when you're not around. And I think the messaging from those guys will be what we want them to give. And that excites me the most about this team. I think we have a really good locker room and a really good understanding of what it takes to be successful."
Joiner is the guy with the most experience at TU, having taken over at point guard last season. Joiner is really a combo guard who frequently comes through in the clutch, most noteworthy being his dramatic, game-winning three-pointer against Wichita State last season.
"I feel like as a point guard I have gotten a lot better at that role, understanding the game better, watching a lot of film in this time that I've had off, due to COVID, looking back at watching games from last season," said the 6-foot-3 Joiner, who averaged 7.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game in 2020.
"And really, pretty much improving as a point guard. Being more aggressive with my touches. Just making sure I know where my guys are at and where they need the ball as well."
Rachal was perhaps Tulsa's best player overall player last season, combining his defensive prowess with explosive offensive skills. Rachal was truly outstanding in his first season at TU as a juco transfer, finishing second in scoring with 12.1 points per game, as well as leading TU in rebounds (5.8), blocks (18), and steals (45).
"I've always been a guy who never takes a play off on defense, that's always willing to make a dirty play, to stick my nose in for my team and run through a wall for them," Rachal said. "So that is what I plan to do again this year on a high level with some offense, too."
Rachal feels like he has improved considerably from last season.
"A lot of ball handling, a lot of catch and shoot stuff, a lot of shooting off the dribble," Rachal said about what he has been working on. "Just continuing to craft my game. I worked on some back to the basket game to post up smaller guards.
"I always work on my overall game. Watching a lot of film, studying ball screen reads, and reading the defense to know whether I can make a play for myself or make a play for my teammates."
Jackson is another incredibly athletic, tenacious defensive performer who added outside shooting to his repertoire in the second half of last season. The 6-3 Jackson has steadily improved his overall game in his three previous seasons at TU, averaging 7.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and was second on the team in steals with 44.
"Being more of a leader and knowing I can contribute more than being just a defensive guy," Jackson said about how he has improved at TU. "With all of our newcomers I have developed maturity and I now have the role of passing on what I have learned these three years at TU. Basically, being a good leader."
The 7-foot Ugboh started 15 games last season but only averaged 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per game. Ugboh will be competing for playing time at center this season mostly with Rey Idowu and Josh Earley.
Of the new faces in Tulsa's lineup this season, all eyes will be on transfers Keyshawn Embery-Simpson and Curtis Haywood - both who had to sit out last season due to not being approved to play immediately by the NCAA.
"Keyshawn Embery and Curtis Haywood, both of those guys will be rotational guys with tremendous impact, both Oklahoma kids," Haith said. "Both of those guys had really good high school careers in the state. Both went to power five schools, so they're good players. They'll be great additions."
Embery-Simpson has been described as one of the top five players to come out of Oklahoma in the last decade. The 6-3 combo guard is a sophomore who averaged 4.1 points for Arkansas as a freshman.
A four-star recruit out of high school, the explosive, dynamic Embery-Simpson averaged 26.8 points and 5.6 rebounds while leading Midwest City to a state title his junior season. He played his senior season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Haywood is a 6-5 wing player who can flat out shoot, as well as being a strong defender and having an overall strong game. Haywood averaged 5.5 points and started 23 games in two seasons at Georgia Tech. He won a national championship for Brewster Academy in New Hampshire as a senior, after previously leading Mustang to a state title.
Rachal, Joiner, Jackson, Embery-Simpson, and Haywood appear to be locks to be in Tulsa's rotation this season, whether starting or coming off the bench. Five other players seem to be in the running to fill out TU's rotation early in the season.
Although many other candidates are vying for playing time, three newcomers to campus have stood out so far in practice.
"I think Keyshawn Williams and Austin Richie, and Rey, all three of those guys will have a chance early on," Haith said. "That's not to say some of the other guys won't eventually, but I think early on, those three guys have established themselves and will be part of our rotation."
Richie is a 6-6 long range bomber and terrific athlete who is a juco transfer. It would be extremely disappointing if Richie, who had the third most three-pointers in the nation last season in juco ball, is not an immediate impact player.
Richie can not only shoot, but his shooting is deadly from really long range, as he showed as a third-team NJCAA All-American at Triton College.
Williams is a 6-3 freshman point guard from Chicago who has continued to impress all through fall practice. A swift athlete, Williams is a good decision maker and can shoot as well.
Idowu is an intriguing prospect. The 6-9 junior transfer from Illinois State averaged 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds last season. He seems to have only scratched the surface on what he is capable of doing.
Josh Earley started two games last season, and looked good when he got a chance. Averaging only 5.2 minutes per game, the 6-7 Earley averaged 1.0 point and 1.3 rebounds as a true freshman.
Outside of those 10 players, Tulsa has three other scholarship players to go along with two walk-ons who are legacy players - kids of prominent past TU players.
Ryan Gendron is the son of Jonnie Gendron, who started on Tulsa's 1997 NCAA team that won its first round NCAA game. Gendron is a 6-4 redshirt freshman from Bishop Kelley who had to sit out last season due to transferring from OSU's baseball team.
Ari Seals is the son of TU assistant coach Shea Seals - Tulsa's all-time leading scorer from McLain HS. The younger Seals, whose full name is Shea Ari Seals, is a 6-3 guard who played high school ball in Frisco, Texas.
Tulsa has three other scholarship freshmen, the most noteworthy being 6-6 Christian Shumate, who was a high school teammate of Wiliams at Bloom HS in Chicago. Shumate is an explosive athlete who is working on refining his game at the college level.
Peyton Urbancic is a 6-6 sharpshooter from Naples, Florida. Bradley Alcime is a versatile 6-8 player from Fort Lauderdale, Florida who can score from inside or outside.
Tulsa lost two key seniors in Martins Igbanu and Lawson Korita, both whose leadership and skill sets will be missed. Igbanu was Tulsa's leading scorer, and his inside scoring was a considerable threat to opponents.
Korita was the defensive glue who held the team together, and also came up with key plays.
The two biggest issues facing this TU team will be inside scoring and three-point shooting. The 2020-2021 Golden Hurricane is as athletic as it has been in a long time, but unproven on the inside and in long-distance shooting.
Embery-Simspon, Haywood and Richie should provide considerable outside shooting to help other capable players like Joiner, Rachal and Jackson, who all have shown they can connect from beyond the arc.
On the inside, someone among the trio of Idowu, Earley and Ugboh needs to step up and show they can score.
Overall, Haith is happy with players on his squad.
"I feel good about our talent level," Haith said. "Now we've got to see how well we play together."
Joiner has confidence in all of his teammates.
"We have a veteran group, so we are still confident to think we can pull off the same thing we did last year," Joiner said.