After Lon Kruger shockingly retired, the Oklahoma Sooners have hired Loyola-Chicago coach Porter Moser as their next head coach. Moser was the hottest coach on the market after his team upset one-seed Illinois in the second round just a few years after his magical Final Four run. Moser put together a handful of good teams at Loyola during his time there, especially this year’s team that was one of the top defenses in the country.
Moser’s profile really grew back in 2018 when his senior-laden team made the Final Four and propelled the school into the national spotlight. His teams have come to be known for their stingy defenses and the way they share and move the ball on offense. Moser reportedly turned down the Indiana job before deciding to leave his home area of Chicago for the Oklahoma job.
After runs to the Final Four and Sweet Sixteen, Loyola Chicago head coach Porter Moser has agreed to a deal to become the next head coach of Oklahoma, per sources.
Moser helped put the Ramblers back on the grand stage.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 2, 2021
Moser will now move to Oklahoma who’s best player declared for the draft this week in Austin Reaves. The rest of the team is expected to be back with the core of the team still being fairly young. They have young guards who should be ready to step up into bigger roles and continue to play hard-nosed defense under their new coach who preaches it. Moser will now keep the list of coaches in the Big 12 who have made a Final Four the same as he and Kruger have both made one. The number actually has grown with Scott Drew making his first this year and could continue to grow based on the hires at Texas Tech and Iowa State. Although it seems unlikely either school will be able to reel in a coach who has already made a Final Four.
