Laser focused, Jacob Groves waited to shoot another 3-pointer as Porter Moser’s voice bellowed from a speaker at Oklahoma's practice on Friday.
While Groves waited, Moser’s chant of, “Gotta make shots,” rang louder through the Lloyd Noble Center when junior forward Sam Godwin missed a 3-pointer. The Wofford transfer shook his head and shuffled to the back of the shooting line.
He was met by Groves, who patted him on the back.
Porter Moser to his guys during practice: “gotta make those shots” #Sooners are getting that work in. pic.twitter.com/LleNpYeHLS
— Jason Batacao (@J_batacao) October 21, 2022
That moment encapsulates Groves’ new leadership role after he was more of a complementary transfer addition alongside his brother, Tanner, just a season ago. The senior forward has become trusted by Moser to reinforce the foundational principles of his program in their second season together.
With eight new players — four freshmen and four transfers — the Sooners need all the familiar leadership they can get to unite and pursue their goals, and Groves has answered the call.
“I feel like as a veteran, it's kind of on me and Tanner and Jalen Hill to be the guys that are picking everybody else up and kind of embracing everything that (Moser) is putting on us,” Groves said. “Coach always says that leadership is a transfer of belief, and so kind of getting guys to believe in what he's doing and believe in what he's saying, it’s huge for us.
“Whether it's talking to the guys in the locker room or outside of basketball or whatever, we’re just kind of making sure that we all stay grounded and trusting the process.”
Senior forward Jacob Groves during practice on Oct. 21.
While embracing leadership, Groves is looking to improve every facet of his game. The 6-foot-9, 216-pound forward who transferred from Eastern Washington last season,spent time tinkering his 3-point shot with new assistant coach Matt Brady, who players call the “shot doctor,” to become a more serviceable shooter on the perimeter.
Groves averaged 4.6 points per game and shot 40.6% from the fieldand 30.7% from beyond the arc last season. His percentage from 3-point range was the third lowest from any Oklahoma player with more than 20 attempts during the 2021-22 season.
“I’ve worked a lot with the shot doctor,” Groves said. “ I think a big part of that is just becoming an elite shooter, which really the team probably is going to need for me down the road. I’m going to need to be a guy we can count on to knock down a 3-pointer and do whatever it is to win, and that's been a huge part of it.”
The senior forward is also looking to become a better perimeter defender. Groves collected eight steals and three blocks in 34 appearances for the Sooners a year ago.
“I’m also working on my defense, continuing to work on sliding my feet against guys who are quicker and crafty with the ball in their hands,” Groves said. “I’m working a bunch in the weight room and working on embracing the technique that Coach Porter has kind of given me, and so just continuing to work on (defense) for sure.”
After a 70-68 loss to St. Bonaventure in the National Invitational Tournament last season, in which he scored just four points on 1-for-4 shooting, Groves has his sights set on helping OU return to March Madness this season.
He will look to set the standard quickly as Oklahoma nears the start of its season against Sam Houston at 7 p.m. on Nov. 7 in Norman.
“It was obviously frustrating,” Groves said of OU's season-ending loss. “But I think it all comes down to just where our heads were. We were still upset that we didn't get into March Madness, and we felt like we kind of got screwed over, which is fair. I think a lot of people said we did, but at the end of the day, it comes down to us just trying to find a way to win the game when it comes down to it. So we're looking forward to improving this year.”
