In the wake of his team’s stunning season-opening loss, Oklahoma coach Porter Moser was looking for a player to set the tone to get his club heading back in the right direction.
He believes he’s found that player in Derrion Reid.
After rebounding with a win in the team’s second game, Reid and the Sooners (1-1) will look to continue to build momentum when they host North Alabama (2-0) on Monday in Norman, Okla.
“He’s confident. He’s not pressing,” Moser said. “He’s that in-the-program, second-year guy that’s confident where he needs to be. He’s thinking about winning and making the right play instead of thinking about like, ‘Am I doing good?’ I think that’s what newcomers sometimes do. Derrion’s in the moment of what needs to be done to win.”
Reid had 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting in Oklahoma’s 84-57 win over Mississippi Valley State on Friday.
“He’s not a naturally overly loud communicator, but he’s working on it,” Moser said. “Really proud of him on how he’s trying to take ownership and lead. I don’t think we have any one alpha dog on the team but I think we can [find] strength in a pack of four or five guys.”
Another of those players is SMU transfer B.J. Edwards, whose eligibility was in question until just before the season.
After going 1-for-7 from the field in 68-64 loss to East Texas A&M in the season opener, Edwards was 6-for-10 with four 3-pointers to lead the Sooners with 18 points off the bench in Friday’s win.
For North Alabama, Monday’s game will be a step up in competition after starting the season with tight victories over UC Davis and Union.
It’s the first of back-to-back road games against major conference opponents. The Lions will play at Miami on Friday.
North Alabama has been led by its guard play so far, with Mike Evbagharu averaging 15 points and Caden Harris 13.0 points through the first two games.
Both are new additions to the roster, with Evbagharu transferring from Canisius and Harris coming from Division II Point Loma Nazarene in the offseason.
The Lions are looking for their first victory over a major conference team since beating Ole Miss in December 2022.