OU men's basketball shifts focus 'right back' to opener after Matt Brady's stunning exit

NORMAN — OU's coaching staff will be down a man when it tips off its 2022-23 season.

The Sooners announced the resignation of assistant coach Matt Brady on Tuesday, citing personal reasons. The news comes just a few days before OU begins its season with a home game against Sam Houston at 7 p.m. Monday.

"All I have for you is, at this time, Matt did resign for personal reasons," head coach Porter Moser said Thursday. "And I haven’t even thought about replacing him yet. My whole focus is on Sam Houston, so I haven’t thought about replacing him at this late time.”

OU hired Brady on June 4. He served as an assistant coach at Maryland from 2018-22 and accepted the same position at Elon on May 18 before joining the Sooners.

Brady brought 35 years of coaching experience to OU and specialized in improving players' shooting form, which earned him the nickname of "The Shot Doctor."

Brady only served on the Sooners' staff for a little less than six months, but players raved about his impact in that short amount of time.

More:Five things to know about OU men's basketball entering 2022-23 season

"Coach Brady might be one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen,” senior forward Jalen Hill said during the team's local media day on Sept. 29. “He’s tweaking guys’ shots and almost everyone is shooting better than last year."

The loss of Brady is a tough one for the Sooners, who have placed an emphasis on shooting the ball better this season.

OU shot 6-for-26 (23.1%) from 3-point range in its 89-53 exhibition win over Oklahoma City University on Oct. 25, but the Sooners are eager to improve in that department against Sam Houston.

“We addressed (with the team) that he resigned for personal reasons," Moser said. "And we went right back into focusing on the game. These guys are excited to play... Their focus is really the excitement to get going."

Brady becomes the third assistant coach to leave the staff for Moser, who enters his second season as OU's head coach.

David Patrick accepted the head coaching job at Sacramento State on April 5. K.T. Turner then joined Kentucky as an assistant coach on May 31.

OU's two remaining assistant coaches are Emanuel Dildy and Ryan Humphrey. Dildy is a former Northwestern assistant who returns for his second season on the staff, while Humphry is a former OU player (1997-99) who joined on July 1.

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C.J. Noland's new moves

C.J. Noland saw his opportunity to attack.

The sophomore guard gathered a pass midway through OU's exhibition win over OCU on Oct. 25 and immediately went to work on Zach Lerblance.

Noland dazzled on the perimeter with a between-the-leg move and a crossover before barreling into the lane. Once he got there, he lost Lerblance with a spin move before sinking a floater.

Noland finished the exhibition game with five points on 2-for-5 shooting from the floor in 18 minutes. The stat line doesn't jump off the paper, but Noland impressed by showing a willingness to put the ball on the deck more than last season.

Noland primarily served as a catch-and-shoot threat during his freshman campaign with the Sooners, and he had success. He shot 43.6% from deep.

But the 6-foot-2, 229-pound sophomore has the tools to expand his game this season. Noland has a strong burst off the dribble and is capable of using his strength to brush off contact on his way to the rim.

Noland averaged 3.9 points and 1.5 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game last season, which earned him a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. Now a second-year guard, he should be featured more prominently in the Sooners' offense.

“He’s got himself in way better condition than his first year," Moser said. "He’s a phenomenal student of the game... And he just physically is getting his athleticism into the game more... I really think you’re going to see a lot more of that Point A to Point B burst from CJ Noland this year.”

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Availability updates

The Sooners are expected to get two players back for their season opener on Monday.

OU was without Bijan Cortes (concussion protocol) and Luke Northweather (ankle) for its exhibition win over OCU, but both players are expected to play against Sam Houston.

“Bijan is fully cleared," Moser said. "He’s been practicing, so he’s been fully cleared. Luke went about 30 percent of the practice yesterday, so I think he’ll be available. I anticipate him being available based on having a couple of more practices before Monday.”

OU men's basketball: Sooners roar past OCU for exhibition win

OU vs. Sam Houston

TIPOFF: 7 p.m. Monday at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman (ESPN+)