NORMAN — Four NBA squads — Oklahoma City, Charlotte, Minnesota and Houston — were in attendance at Wednesday night’s Oklahoma-Arkansas contest.
Representing the Charlotte Bobcats as a scout was Darrel Johnson, formerly the head coach at Oklahoma Baptist University and Baylor University.
Johnson, who resides in Edmond, said there were only about five or six NBA squads — one of which was the OKC Thunder — enjoying current financial success.
“There’s a lot of empty seats at NBA games right now,” said Johnson, who added that his travel itinerary has been shortened somewhat because of the current financial atmosphere.
Johnson’s son, Derek, is currently a medical redshirt for the University of Evansville basketball squad. Derek Johnson was slated to play in last summer’s Faith 7 charity game in Shawnee but was injured during the first practice session and returned home.
• Arkansas scoring leader Rotnei Clarke’s 11-point effort against Oklahoma — his lowest output of the season — came on 5-of-13 shooting.
The Verdigris, Okla. sophomore established the Razorback record for points in a game with 51 in the season opener against Alcorn State. That included a Southeast Conference record 13 three-point buckets.
Clarke’s previous single-game low this season had been 16 points — against both Louisvllle and Appalachian State.
Clarke was a member of the victorious Oklahoma squad in the 2008 Faith 7 game in Shawnee.
• The Big 12 Conference had one of its leanest nights of the non-conference season, going just 4-3 Wednesday. Joining Oklahoma in winners’ row were Kansas over Alcorn State, Nebraska versus UT-Pan American and Texas A&M over Prairie View A&M. On the losing side were Iowa State against Northern Iowa, Oklahoma State opposite Tulsa and Missouri at Vanderbilt.
Counting Thursday’s wins by Texas Tech (home against Washington) and Texas (home against USC), the Big 12 sports a 68-14 record against non-conference opposition.
SHAWNEE, Okla. —
