Trae Young named assistant general manager of OU Basketball
The Norman native announced on ESPN's NBA Today that he's accepted a role as assistant general manager of the OU basketball program. In addition to his new position, Young will donate $1 million dollars to the program.
Advertisement
'As someone who grew up in Norman and played at the University of Oklahoma, stepping into the role of assistant GM for OU Basketball is a huge honor,' said Young. 'This program has such a rich history, which I am fortunate to have been and continue to be a part of. In my new role, my focus is on helping contribute to OU's winning culture, working alongside the coaching staff and front office to bring in the right players to help us compete and succeed at the highest level.'
Young played one season with the Sooners in 2017-18, earning first team All-America honors along with National Freshman of the Year.
Young's role will include fundraising efforts, assisting in building the roster from high school prospects to the transfer portal, and negotiating contracts in accordance with NCAA rules and regulations.
Sooners tournament run comes to an end with loss to UConn in Sweet 16
Advertisement
He's the second NBA player to accept an assistant GM role. Steph Curry did the same with his alma mater Davidson.
OU Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione thinks this move makes perfect sense for Young and the Sooners.
'Trae is a son of Norman, Oklahoma, and he's given so much to our city and its people,' said Castiglione. 'He has a strong affinity for this place and his commitment to ensuring our community is a thriving one is truly unmatched. He's also an OU legend who, in his time here and since, continues to achieve excellence both on and off the court. With this appointment, we're taking his commitment to Norman and to OU to the next level, dedicating our mutual support together to the success of our men's basketball program. His mind is made for this game, and we're incredibly fortunate he's in our corner wanting to put his talents and innovative thinking toward strengthening our program. On top of that, his continued financial generosity buoys our efforts in ways few other schools can enjoy. Even as he's thriving in the NBA, he never forgets his roots. We couldn't be more appreciative of him as well as excited to work together in helping our program flourish in this new era of college athletics.'
Young, a four-time NBA All-Star, will try to help Porter Moser's club build on a 20-14 season that ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Advertisement
'This is a really big day and incredibly exciting,' said Moser. 'First, just a huge thank-you to Trae for the $1 million gift to our program. What an unbelievably gracious offering. It will be put to effective use as we continue on our path toward sustained high-level success. We are extraordinarily grateful for the generous contribution.
'Second, Trae's addition as assistant general manager is going to pay significant dividends for our program on multiple levels. He is a basketball junkie in so many ways. He's obviously one of the biggest and most recognizable on-court talents in the world, so he brings immediate credibility with younger players. But I can tell you that Trae also pays close attention to the national basketball landscape and is dialed in to all levels of the sport. His knowledge, coupled with his desire for our program to be the best it can be, will absolutely move us forward.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pete Alonso passes Darryl Strawberry for most home runs in Mets history, then hits another one
The New York Mets have a new home run king. Pete Alonso hit a two-run blast off Atlanta Braves starter Spencer Strider on Tuesday, extending New York's lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the third inning. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] The home run was the 253rd of Alonso's career, moving him past a tie with franchise great Darryl Strawberry for the most in Mets history. Alonso broke the record in front of an appreciative Citi Field home crowd that celebrated the achievement with a standing ovation. Then he hit another one in the sixth inning. The solo shot off of reliever Austin Cox extended New York's lead again, this time to 11-5. It also extended his new Mets record to 254 home runs. His second home run of the night again sent Citi Field into a frenzy. Strawberry went on to tally 335 home runs in a career that also included stints with the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees. But his 252 with the Mets previously stood as the franchise record. Alonso, 30, re-signed with the Mets on a two-year, $54 million contract in the offseason and will presumably have plenty of opportunities to add to his now-franchise-record home run tally. Alonso led the NL with 53 home runs in his rookie campaign in 2019. In the years since then, he has remained one of baseball's premier sluggers, with 34-plus home runs in each season that wasn't shortened by COVID-19. Tuesday's home runs was Alonso's 27th and 28th of the season in his 118th game, putting him well on pace to eclipse 30 home runs again, with 43 games remaining on New York's schedule. The Mets will need all they can get from Alonso as they fight for a spot in the playoffs. The Mets entered Tuesday's game amid a seven-game losing streak and having lost 11 of their previous 12. The slump dropped them to 63-55, six games behind the first-place Phillies in the NL East. That said, they remain in control of their playoff path, with a two-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the final wild-card berth in the National League.
USA Today
9 minutes ago
- USA Today
MSU basketball listed among top teams in Big Ten in latest preseason rankings
Today's edition of the ROTHSTEIN 45 is now LIVE following recent 10:1. Purdue2. Houston3. St. John's4. Florida5. Michigan6. UConn7. UCLA8. BYU9. Duke10. Texas TechCC: @FDSportsBook, @ Michigan State basketball remains just outside of the top 20 in the latest preseason rankings from one of the game's top analysts. Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports has released an updated batch of preseason rankings for the 2025-26 college basketball season, and the Spartans remain listed just outside the top 20. Rothstein has the Spartans at No. 21 in his updated version of the rankings that were released on Tuesday. Among Big Ten teams, the Spartans rank No. 5 in Rothstein's list but there is a notable drop off after the top three. He has Purdue (No. 1), Michigan (No. 5) and UCLA (No. 7) all in the top 10, and then next from the Big Ten is Oregon (No. 20) one spot before the Spartans. Michigan State is the reigning Big Ten champs and went the furthest of any team from the league in the NCAA Tournament by reaching the Elite Eight this past season. However, the Spartans have lost a number of key pieces off that highly-successful team, including leading scorers Jase Richardson and Jaden Akins -- so many like Rothstein anticipate a step back from the Spartans next season. As I've said during most of this offseason, I feel like anywhere from No. 15 to No. 25 is about right for the Spartans in next year's preseason poll. I would be quite surprised if they were any higher than No. 15 and shocked if they were unranked when the official preseason polls drop in a few months. Click on the post below to see the complete updated rankings from Rothstein: Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
Boston Globe
9 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Pete Alonso breaks Darryl Strawberry's Mets franchise home run record
Led by manager Carlos Mendoza, the Mets poured out of the dugout to exchange embraces with Alonso as the crowd chanted his name. Alonso emerged for another curtain call during McNeil's at-bat. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Following the inning, the Mets played the theme from 'The Natural' and Alonso again doffed his cap as the camera lingered on Strawberry's No. 18 hanging above foul territory in left field at Citi Field. Advertisement It was Alonso's fifth homer in 10 games this month — as many as he hit in 43 games from June 10 through July 30. He tied Strawberry's record by going deep against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. A homegrown star, Alonso broke into the big leagues with a bang in 2019, hitting 53 home runs to set a major league rookie record and establish a franchise high for a single season. Advertisement The five-time All-Star has reached 40 two other times and been one of the most consistent sluggers in baseball since his arrival. After a protracted negotiation, he returned to the Mets as a free agent in February on a $54 million, two-year contract that includes a $24 million player option for 2026 which Alonso likely will decline. The only other active players who lead their current franchise in home runs are Manny Machado (Padres) and Mike Trout (Angels). Giancarlo Stanton, now with the New York Yankees, holds the Miami mark with 267 for the Marlins. Strawberry broke the previous Mets record with his 155th home run on May 3, 1988, passing Dave Kingman. The sweet-swinging outfielder hit 252 in 1,109 games for New York during his first eight major league seasons from 1983-90. He later played for the Dodgers, Giants, and Yankees, finishing his 17-year career with 335 homers. Alonso played his 965th regular-season game Tuesday. The durable first baseman has played in 372 straight, a team record. The Diamondbacks and Padres are the lone major league teams who haven't had a player hit more than 252 homers for them. Luis Gonzalez holds the Arizona record with 224, and Machado entered Tuesday with 187 for San Diego.
