The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

BUDDY Hield’s decision to return to NCAA basketball for his senior season drew mixed reactions from his fan bases and Hield’s stock continues to increase headed into his final year of eligibility.

Reputed mock draft site www.nbadraft.net projects Hield as a mid first round pick at the No.18 spot in its latest 2016 Mock Draft released August 14.

Another site, www.draftexpress.com has him projected as a mid second round pick at No.41.

Hield has continued to improve his stock after impressive performances this summer at the Nike Skills Academy and at Adidas Nations which saw him rise as high as No.12 on mock draft boards.

Locally, the Grand Bahama native hosted his first basketball camp in the Eight Mile Rock area.

After much speculation, Hield announced his decision to return to the Oklahoma Sooners for his senior season back in April.

“You have to be smart,” Hield said. “You can’t go in there and a take a gamble and bury yourself. I just know the best decision was to come back and improve. That way when the time comes, I’ll be ready.”

Hield became the 21st player in Sooners’ history to earn All-America honours and the first since Blake Griffin was the consensus national player of the year in 2009. He became the first player in the conference to be named Big 12 player of the year and to the academic all-conference first team while also leading the league in scoring.

Hield averaged 17.4 points a game last season and added 5.4 rebounds a contest, most among Big 12 guards. He also led the league with his 93 three-pointers and ranked sixth in free throw percentage at 82 and ninth in three-point field goal percentage at 36.

A volume shooter and one of the best in the NCAA, he scored in double figures in 32 of 35 games on the year, including in 28 of the final 29, in helping the Sooners to a 24-11 record and a berth to the “Sweet 16.”

The Sooners will lose just two players that played in the “Sweet 16” game and will welcome an incoming recruiting class which features four-star recruit Akolda Manyang.

“I feel like the best is yet to come with this team,” Hield said. “My main goal is to go to the Final Four. Why not go there? It’s my last year. Be the best player that I can be and help this programme go forward.”

He said the process in determining whether he was ready to make the jump was humbling. He was told he needs to improve his ball-handling and his ability to create off the dribble.

“It’s kind of embarrassing for me, because I’m always in the gym, but I never really work on my ball-handling. I always work on my shooting. I need to accept the challenge and work on things I need to get better at. I’m ready to make that next jump in my game,” he said. “I’m a scorer at heart. I love to score the ball. Being a two guard, most two guards know how to handle the ball really well to get them their shots. I like the challenge. I want to get better. I feel like the best is yet to come for me. I just can’t wait to see the progress I can make this summer.”

He added to his long list of accolades this season when he was named a third-team All-American by both the Associated Press and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He was also one of 15 finalists for the Wooden Award, doled out to the national player of the year, and one of five finalists for the inaugural Jerry West Award, given to the top shooting guard of the year.

Hield already ranks fifth in OU history with his 202 career 3-pointers and 15th with his 1,366 points. His 183 treys over the last two seasons represent a two-year school record.