OU women's basketball media day concluded Thursday evening with new faces and new philosophies as the Sooners prep for their 2026-2027 season.
Here are key takeaways:
Head coach Jennie Baranczyk looks to create WNBA product
As the game evolves, Sooner head coach Jennie Baranczyk is changing alongside it. Through recognition of the WNBAs shifting landscape, Baranczyk wants to alter her coaching style to better fit it.
“There's different ways that you're trying to do things. You're trying to focus more on player development. You're trying to understand performance at a different level.” Baranczyk said.
Former OU center Raegan Beers went undrafted in April, something Baranczyk is looking to change for her future players.
“Reagan [Beers] didn't get drafted, but she made a team and she found a way,” Baranczyk said. “So I need to understand the world of the WNBA. I need to understand the language. I need to understand, you know; how do we really prepare our players to be able to get there? We're in a league [where] a lot of our players go to [the WNBA] and are very successful. So I want to make sure that players come to Oklahoma.”
Strong transfer class
Baranczyk talked highly of incoming transfers, including Kansas guard Keely Parks, Kansas State guard Jordan Speiser, Maryland center Isimeneme “Isi” Ozzy-Momodu and Virginia forward Sa’Myah Smith.
The former five-star recruit Parks is a Norman native who spent her freshman season with the Kansas Jayhawks. Parks averaged just 5.1 points per game and 1.1 assist per game but will look to increase her role with the Sooners.
Baranczyk had high praises for her local guard.
“Keeley is one [we obviously] recruited for a long time and wanted her,” Baranczyk said. “I think she's grown a lot this summer. I think her presence has grown. I've seen her confidence grow… What she does so well is she just has a very good feel for the game. She just moves well, and she's kind of stealthy… there's times where you want her to do a little bit more, but she’ll find a way… she can shoot the ball. She can pass the ball. I really like her defense right now. l think she does a great job of being able to get through [screens, perimeter activity] and pick up full court… and she's learning a lot of things.”
OU brought an additional former 5-star recruit in Kansas State transfer Jordan Speiser. Speiser averaged 10.2 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game through 37 games as a freshman, playing 22.9 minutes per contest. Speiser’s calling card is her three-point shot.
“That's what I’m known for,” Speiser said on Thursday's media day. She finished her 2026 season at Kansas State launching 5.7 threes per contest.
Maryland transfer Isi Ozzy-Momodu adds a second layer to the Sooners heavy shooting transfer class as an offensive-rebounding big and intelligent screener. Ozzy-Momodu averaged 6.4 rebounds per game (2.7 being offensive) off 18.3 minutes per game through 21 starts (31 games played).
Baranczyk mentioned Ozzy-Momodo's strengths as a big.
“I love what Isi’s bringing. I think Isi brings a lot of rebounding for us. [She’s] another rim runner, another player that can get into some screening actions outside, [and] in the flow of transition,” Baranczyk said.
This complementary addition to the Sooners transfer class may directly correlate to Baranczyk's statement on evolving alongside the game. Throughout the professional ranks, analytically driven offense is taking over: creating three-point opportunities, crashing the glass, creating second chance opportunities.
Fifth-year transfer by way of Virginia and LSU, Sa’Maya Smith, acts as the glue in Baranczyk's eyes; a 2-way forward who excels off-ball.
“What Sa’Maya brings is an incredible amount of experience,” Baranczyk said. “She can run the floor. She does a great job playmaking with guards when she doesn't have the ball. She's a great screen and roll player. She's a shot blocker. She has a really quiet leadership about her; that she just goes about her business.”
Baranczyk values Smith’s persistence and battle scars.
“She's won a national championship. She's the only person on our team and has. So, she (knows) what it takes, and she knows that it takes something every day.”
Can't play everyone
Baranczyk believes this incoming transfer class boosts their depth to another level, but with this much talent, she understands there's only so many minutes to loan.
“What's really challenging is sitting down and looking at how many minutes everybody's going to play because they're not going to play as many as they want to play,” Baranczyk said. “We have a lot of depth. I really like our depth. And the best thing we can do with depth is to get experience. And in order to get experience, you have to have game-minutes. And there's only 200 game-minutes… We're kind of like a scattered puzzle right now… you really have to figure out how those pieces work together.”
Regular season action tips-off against North Carolina on November 2, at 1:30 p.m. in Paris, France, on ESPN 2.
This story was edited by Charlie DiVincenzo.
