Umoja Gibson is primed for a big finale at Oklahoma.
The former North Texas transfer is entering his second and final season for the Sooners, and his work ethic off the floor has already become the stuff of legends.
Lon Kruger often wished that every single one of his players approached practice like Gibson last year, and now new OU head coach Porter Moser has been equally blown away.
“Mo Gibson is a great example of working game speed,” Moser said on Monday after Oklahoma’s exhibition victory over Rogers State. “He shoots game speed. Some guys go into the gym and — it’s the John Wooden thing of don’t mistake activity for achievement. Go in and throw in 50 shots at half speed.
“When Mo shoots, he’s shooting at game speed all the time. So when he shoots that quick-release 3, I know he’s practiced it.”
Gibson’s work ethic has served him well, as he’s averaged 12.2 points per game for his career, shooting combined 39.8 percent from 3-point range at both North Texas and Oklahoma.
This year, Gibson is looking to take his game to another level.
Against Rogers State, the Waco, TX, native dropped 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including a 4-of-4 performance from deep.
Gibson averaged 9.1 points per game last year at Oklahoma, a career low, but he looked as comfortable as ever letting shots fly in a Sooner uniform.
“He definitely looks confident,” Moser said. “ … He’s earned that green light. Shooting is one of those things where you’re not entitled to have the green light. There’s a lot of coaches who’ll say ‘shooting isn’t an equal opportunity position,’ but it is for Mo. It is for Mo.
“He’s worked himself, he shoots it, he’s really earned a ton of confidence by how he hard he’s worked.”
Moser said he was also pleased with how Gibson has worked to improve his overall scoring threat this offseason as well, and that he’s now much more than just a catch-and-shoot deep threat.
“He definitely looks confident,” Moser said. “ … He’s been better off the dribble.
“He’s expanded his game, but he also just — him and I talk about that offensive role.”
But shooting isn’t the only thing Moser wants Gibson to do this season.
Gibson has the potential to be a menace on defense, Moser said, and he’s relying on his senior guard to help lead the charge on the other end of the floor.
And for Gibson’s money, he said he’s up to the challenge.
“Since Coach (Moser) stepped foot on campus, he told me he wanted me to be a pest on defense,” Gibson said on Monday after the victory over Rogers State. “He wanted me to go after the ball. High hand, sliding my feet, he just emphasized that when he first stepped on campus.
“I took on the challenge. … I still have room for improvement and I’m going to keep trying to get better at it.”
Gibson’s efforts were rewarded on Monday night, as the guard was all over the place. He swiped two steals in 19 minutes of action, while being an overall defensive headache the rest of the night, tipping off what could be a big run in his last trip around college basketball.
“He’s worked on other parts of his game so he doesn’t feel that he’s one-dimensional,” Moser said. “His defense was much better. With Jordan (Goldwire), (Elijah Harkless) and him really defensively doing some things.”
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