Welcome to OU: Luke Northweather
Before the rest of Oklahoma’s 2022 class arrived on campus last month, SoonerScoop.com caught up with several of them for one final interview.
From dealing with the coaching chaos to embracing the all-in mentality of Brent Venables, it was certainly a whirlwind few months.
Welcome to OU – Luke Northweather.
As OU and Porter Moser were looking to fill out the roster, most of the attention went toward the transfer portal.
The Sooners landed their fair share from there, but Moser and staff kept one eye open toward some diamond in the roughs from the high school ranks like Northweather.
He had a few offers, but things took offer in April when it became a three-team race between OU, Missouri and Wisconsin.
“It was a little stressful, at first,” Northweather said. “But everything came into place and just had to be patient. I was a little worried that I wasn’t going to get my dream about playing Power 5 conference ball.”
Northweather took his official visit to OU on spring football game weekend. He was actually there with now-transfer guard Grant Sherfield as well.
Northweather was offered during the visit, and although the Badgers and Tigers took their best shot, Northweather said he knew almost immediately he was going to be a Sooner.
“After seeing the campus, I was pretty set with OU,” Northweather said. “Seeing everything and being there for the spring football game, it was awesome. The whole atmosphere and seeing that support for all the sports was really cool.”
Northweather took off as a senior, scoring more than 29 points per game with 11 rebounds per contest and earning Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year honors.
“It's not as much giving them an opportunity,” said Moser at the OU Caravan stop in Oklahoma City. “It's 'Do I believe in their ability?' I believe my eyes. My eyes have been the thing that I go with, and I've been wrong. But I've been right a lot. I think that's the No. 1 thing. You've got to trust yourself, trust what you like and not worry about a ranking or this or that.
“Getting to know Luke, watching him play and seeing how we play, I like going through the five. I like a skilled five. He competes and he's a winner. Look at the record he had in high school. He talks about winning. He's going to be 6-foot-11, 240 pounds, and he can really shoot. He didn’t play on the shoe circuit. I think that’s why he didn’t get seen as much. That benefited us. I really like him a lot. He’s a high-level, character kid.”
What Moser sees is exactly what Northweather sees, too. His ability to immediately fit in with the offense and the philosophy of Moser.
Jacob Groves was the host for Northweather, and Groves stressed the amount of support the program receives. It caught Northweather’s attention.
“The coaches, the team, I love what Coach Moser is doing,” Northweather said. “The attitude and energy that he brings to everything. He’s a smart coach but very energetic.
“I play a lot of the five position and pick-and-pop. They use Tanner Groves like that, and I can stretch the floor and be just like that.”
Give credit to Northweather for realizing he could evolve his game. He was a pure back-to-the-basket type of player as a freshman and sophomore. That added versatility helped him achieve his dream and reach this level of basketball.
“It was a tough adjustment, initially,” Northweather said. “But I think going from junior year to senior year, I got better and more comfortable with it. I think I’m going to fit in just fine.”