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SportsLine.com Report
March 18, 2000

A glance at 2001

It seems like Kelvin Sampson always finds a way to keep his cupboard stocked, although his recruiting classes rarely rank nationally. That's probably a tribute to his coaching ability; he seems to take the players he has and turn them into a unit capable of competing.

Still, he will take some heavy losses after this year, and will be hard-pressed to replace Eduardo Najera's senior leadership.

The coach

Sampson will be in Norman for a while. He's at a nice spot as far as his career goes, with only a select few jobs truly considered a move up. Right now, Sampson is a good fit for Norman, and Norman is a good fit for him. In the meantime, he continues to try to build Oklahoma back to the status it achieved under Billy Tubbs.

Who'll be back

The Sooners are optimistic about the future because of the play of J.R. Raymond, Hollis Price and Nolan Johnson. Jameel Heywood will be back to give them solid minutes inside. Still, the key will be for one of these guys to step up and set the tone emotionally, as Najera has done so well.

Who's gone

The Sooners will loss Najera, and he will be tough to replace. In fact, the Sooners lose their entire front line as Renzi Stone and Victor Avila also complete their eligibility. The Sooners starting front line for 2001 isn't on campus yet.

Key newcomers

Johnny Gilbert (6-7) of Minneapolis, Minn., has loads of potential. Daryan Selvy (6-6) of Midwest City (Carl Albert J.C.), is considered the top junior college player in Oklahoma and Aaron McGee (6-7) of Vincennes (Indiana) Junior College is one of the leading scorers and rebounders in the JC ranks.