Porter Moser can’t help but think of the film “Taken” while talking about one of the newest offseason acquisitions for Oklahoma basketball.
After his daughter is abducted abroad, Liam Neeson’s character in the 2008 action thriller famously informs the antagonists over the phone that he has “a very particular set of skills… that make [him] a nightmare for people like you.” Regarding Oklahoma’s freshman forward Kuol Atak, who signed a 2024 contract and became a full member of the Sooners this summer, Moser feels the same way.
“We knew he was skinny, and he’s going to have to gain some weight, but he’s 6-9, and he has an amazing skill,” Moser stated in an Oklahoma City radio interview last week on The Franchise. “I feel like Liam Neeson from the film “Taken”—”I have a certain set of abilities.” One of Kuol Atak’s greatest shots is how quickly he can release it. He is a really good shooter, standing at 6 feet 9 inches and shooting very high. elite.
Atak, a four-star prospect in the 2024 class was rated as the No. 111 overall recruit and the 25th-ranked power forward in this recruiting cycle. He played high school ball at Haltom in Fort Worth, Texas, where he averaged 22.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in 33 contests as a senior while shooting 36.2% (100-of-276) from 3-point range.
Despite his 6-foot-9 frame, though, Atak was listed at just 185 pounds as a recruit. The Sooners hope to add on to his lengthy frame as they prepare him for a future in the SEC.
“We just got to get him stronger,” Moser said. “He’s competing, he’s trying. He’s getting three square (meals) a day. He’s gaining and stronger, but he’s 6-9 and needs some weight. Everybody loves him. Our veteran guys are just shaking their head, and he’s come in, and his shot-making ability is off the charts.”
While most of the attention this offseason is rightfully on returning pieces Jalon Moore and Sam Godwin, as well as the Sooners’ six transfer additions — including the likes of Duke Miles, Jadon Jones, Brycen Goodine and JUCO transfer Jeff Nwankwo — who should make up the bulk of OU basketball’s everyday rotation, Atak and fellow freshman Dayton Forsythe have settled in nicely so far this summer.
Forsythe, a three-star guard out of nearby Dale High, has been fearless in the early goings in Oklahoma basketball’s practice gym. The 6-foot-3 guard was rated as the No. 1 player in the state and the No. 247 overall prospect in the 2024 class and after winning three state championships at Dale—where he scored 2,243 career points and averaged 20 points, six rebounds and nearly four assists per game as a senior while shooting 40% from beyond the arc—he has brought the same tenacity and winning mentality to Norman.
“He’s a winner,” Moser said. “He’s come in with no fear. He can get to where he wants to go. He’s athletic. He gets so mad when people say he’s ‘sneaky athletic.’ He’s athletic. He’s gone down the lane and dunked in traffic already. He can make 3’s. We’re all really excited about him, and we think fans are going to love him, because he’s tough, hardnosed, and he’s a winner.
“The thing is, he can get to where he needs to go. Sometimes, freshmen come in and they’re overwhelmed by the athleticism; he hasn’t been overwhelmed yet. He’s really been able to actually dictate a lot. He’s very, very good, and I’m excited about him.”
Leave a Reply