LAS VEGAS -- As Buddy Hield's range ballooned past the 3-point arc, his big smile winning over teammates and administrators alike around Oklahoma's Norman campus and becoming the avatar for all of college basketball, Lon Kruger made sure all that went into being Buddy -- the late-night workouts with reggae music booming off the gym walls, the unwavering self-confidence that fueled his transition to a knockdown shooter -- wasn't lost along the way.
"Our message to Buddy all year was, 'Don't change, don't change,'" said Kruger, the Sooners' head coach. "When you start getting those national accolades and recognition and player of the year conversations, don't change, don't change.