- Publish date:
Scouting Reports 10 OKLAHOMA
REMEMBER THESE HANDLES: STRETCH, THE Creator, T-Love, Helicopter
and the Hawk. Those were the sobriquets stitched on the warmup suits
of last year's Sooner second-teamers, who regularly beat the starters
in practice. Now, with the graduation of three starters from last
year's team, which finished second in the NCAAs, the bench bunch will
have a chance to shed its warmups. ''We talked about being one of the
Final Four teams last year, and I think we could have been,'' says
forward Michael (Helicopter) Bell. ''I think it should have been
Arizona, Duke, Oklahoma and Oklahoma's second team.''
Coach Billy Tubbs's top priority will be finding another postman
to play opposite his fleet center, 6 ft. 10 in. Stacey King (see page
32). The favorite is junior Tony (the Hawk) Martin. ''Last year's
team ran,'' he says. ''This year we're going to run and pound.''
There are also Andre (the Creator) Wiley, Tyrone (Stretch) Jones and
Bell, who, at 6 ft. 6 in., is the only player King credits with
blocking more than one of his shots.
Another important moniker to remember is Daron. That happens to be
the given name of Mookie Blaylock, whom pro scout Marty Blake calls
the best senior playmaker in the country. Blaylock, who had 232
assists and 150 steals in 1987-88, should be helped by the switch
from off-guard. ''It's going to create more opportunities for me,''
he says. ''I'll be able to control what happens on the court.''
Filling Blaylock's former position will be Terrence (T-Love) Mullins,
who can fill it up fast.
Before last season no one had heard much about King, Blaylock or
forward Dave Sieger. They merely stepped in and made Tubbs's
full-court defense and quick-shot offense work as never before.
''This is rebuilding, phase two,'' says Tubbs. ''This team maybe
jumps a little better and has more speed than last year's.'' And the
former second team is ready to be first. ''No problem,'' says
Stretch. ''Pressure makes me fresher.''
