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Tulsa Basketball Signs Two High School Seniors
11/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2008
Tulsa, Oklahoma - The University of Tulsa basketball signed two high school seniors -- Tulsa metro player Bryson Pope and Arlington, Texas big man Kodi Maduka -- to national letters-of-intent, it was announced today by Head Coach Doug Wojcik.
Pope, a 6'6", 205-pound guard/forward, enters his senior season as one of the state of Oklahoma's top players. A two-year letterwinner and starter, Pope has helped Jenks High School post a two-year mark of 43-11 and advance to the state quarterfinals both years.
As a junior, Pope averaged 16.6 points and 8.2 rebounds, while shooting 56-percent from the field and 76-percent from the free throw line. He scored at a 13.2 clip in his sophomore season, while pulling down 7.1 rebounds including a single-season school record for most offensive rebounds. Pope also shot 54-percent from the field and 71-percent from the free throw line as a sophomore.
Pope also led his team in steals both as a sophomore and junior. As a sophomore at the Tournament of Champions, Pope totaled a double-double in all three games. Last year, Pope tallied 31 points, 10 rebounds and four assists to lead Jenks to a win over Edmond Memorial in the area finals to send the Trojans into the state playoffs.
"Bryce is an overall well-rounded player in the sense that he'll be a Ray Reese defensively and rebounding the basketball, and also being able to put it on the floor very similar to Ben Uzoh. He continues to improve his shooting at this point. He's a guy that gets things done. He's involved with all facets of the game. Bryce understands defensive principles, rebounding and he's a very physical kid."
Pope is a two-time first-team all-conference selection and was named the Frontier Valley Conference Player of the Year as a junior. He also earned Tulsa World all-metro and second-team all-state honors his junior campaign.
"I think as good of a player that Bryce is right now, he has so much upside," said Jenks Head Coach Clay Martin. "He has a tremendous skill level and is an outstanding athlete who can finish at the rim. Attacking the basket is definitely his strength. We were really excited to see him this summer put in so much time in becoming a more consistent jump shooter, something he'll have to do at the next level.
"Bryce knows how to make people around him better. He can create shots for his teammates and is very unselfish with the ball," said Martin. "He also doesn't get enough credit for his defensive ability. He is a really active player defensively who can adjust shots and deflect passes. It's amazing to see how many times he gets his hands on the basketball during the course of a game. He has a true knack for rebounding. Bryce has an innate ability to find the missed shot, and get put-backs for us, several of which have been huge over his career.
"We're excited about his opportunity to play for Coach Wojcik. The coaching staff at Tulsa did a phenomenal job of recruiting him," added Martin. "Tulsa is not only getting a great basketball player, but a fine student and a tremendous person."
Maduka is a 6'10", 190-pound center from Arlington Martin High School. As a junior, he averaged 6.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in his first season on the varsity during the 2007-08 campaign while his team posted a 19-14 record.
"We're looking for the best from Kodi to come this year. He played about 10 minutes a game last year behind two seniors. Kodi really came on strong for us late last year in the districts and into the playoffs," said Arlington Martin High School Head Coach Jeff Plemons. "Kodi is very young, a great student and has a bright future."
Last year, Maduka had a 13-point, six-rebound performance against Arlington Bowie and a game-high 13 rebounds against Arlington High School. Recently, Maduka collected 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks in a scrimmage against North Crowley High School.
"Kodi does a lot of things well. He's very athletic and he's long with a 7'3" wingspan. He has good hands, is a good passer and shoots the mid-range shot pretty well," said Plemons. "He's a very smart basketball player. Kodi is thinking of not only what's happening at that time, but he's thinking a play or two ahead of the situation. He does a lot of things really well. Kodi is very fundamentally sound in the post and has a great jump-hook."
"Kodi is in the mold of a Jerome Jordan-type of player. You never know if he can duplicate what Jerome has become, but he is very young. He just turned 17 on October 20th. He's thin, but has a 7-3 wingspan and a very high skill level," said Wojcik. "If there's a weakness right now it's just his weight and strength, and hopefully human nature will take over and our strength program will help him. With what we'll have coming back next year, there will not be a ton of pressure on him as a freshman.
"Bryce and Kodi are great students too. We've recruited Bryce since he was a freshman and offered him as a sophomore. We're proud to say that we've signed the best player in the Tulsa-metro area. Kodi is a phenomenal student and he fits in really well with what we're trying to do here at the University. It's a great fit with both of them in balancing athletics and academics," said Wojcik.
November 2008 Basketball Signees Name Pos Ht. Wt. Class Hometown/High School PPG RPG Kodi Maduka C 6-10 190 Fr. Arlington, Texas/Martin 6.1 5.0 Bryson Pope G/F 6-6 205 Fr. Jenks, Okla./Jenks 16.6 8.2
