OU men's basketball: Entering junior year, Jalen Hill hoping to be a scoring threat for Sooners

Oct. 7—After Oklahoma's season ended back in March, Jalen Hill met with coach Porter Moser.

The subject? Improving Hill's jump shot.

Hill finished the 2021-22 season with a high field goal percentage (57.5) and free throw percentage (76). But he struggled from the 3-point line, converting just 8-of-39 attempts (21 percent) from beyond the arc.

That's been the main focus for Hill during the offseason. He's been working with Matt Brady, who Moser hired as an assistant coach back in June, to help tweak his mechanics and build consistency and confidence with his outside shot.

"I've been shooting really good this summer," Hill said last week at the team's media day. "I'm just trying to keep it up and stay consistent with that and [keep] my confidence high."

If Hill can sustain that improvement in the upcoming season, that bodes well for the Sooners' chances of success. Even if it doesn't, the Sooners will still be counting on Hill in a lot of other areas.

The junior forward's role grew significantly last season in Moser's first year at the helm. After starting just six games his first two seasons, Hill was in the starting lineup for all 35 games last season. He finished second on the team in minutes per game (30.5) and was one of only three players to appear in every game.

Despite his limited jump shooting, Hill proved to be a reliable utility player for the Sooners, averaging 9.1 points, a team-high 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

Moser and the Sooners found some success with using Hill as a post player, giving him opportunities to score against smaller players. While Moser plans to continue going to that, he's emphasized Hill becoming a more perimeter-oriented player this season.

He's confident Hill's three-point shooting has improved, too.

"He's really improved his shot," Moser said. "He's moved it up. Sometimes he had it in front of his face. We've done some tweaks and adjustments all summer and I think his shot looks a lot better. He's more confident off the dribble. He's quicker from point A to point B off the dribble. I think he's been working a lot in those areas.

"But I think he's becoming more of an inside-outside threat this year, being able to knock down shots. I think that's a big, big difference in him. He'll get a fast-break point, he'll get an offensive rebound, he'll get a post up, he'll get to the foul line, that's eight points. He's learning how to become a scorer rather than a glue guy. I think that's a big, big step for him because he's just been really confident. He's been really going."

One area where he had an impact was his defense, as Moser often used Hill as the primary defender on the best perimeter player for opposing teams. He recorded 32 steals and 14 blocks last season.

Moser is confident Hill will be an even better defender this season.

"Jalen has taken another step defensively," Moser said. "His body, he's really been working with his nutrition. By far, you'll look at him and say he looks as good as he's ever been in his career. The physical condition, the lean muscle, and his pride level on defense is off the charts. Jalen Hill has been an elite defensive player all summer and fall.

"You can just see his confidence of knowing what we're doing defensively. There's a lot that goes into it when you learn a new system and Jalen's really comfortable."

The best thing for Hill, however, may be his increased comfort heading into Year 2 with Moser. Hill, along with fellow rotation players Tanner Groves, Jacob Groves, Bijan Cortes and CJ Noland, returns with a better understanding of Moser's system on both ends of the floor.

"I think it's a great thing because last year, nobody knew what to expect," Hill said. "This year, we've got guys coming back... I think we're able to help lead the guys that weren't here last year and be able to teach things to them.

"Since we know what we need to do and what we need to get to, I think we'll be able to accomplish what [we want]."

Jesse Crittenden is the sports editor of The Transcript and covers OU athletics. Reach him at jesse@normantranscript.com or at 405-366-3580