2010 Preview: Tulsa's Best Player

Originally Published: Oct 14, 2010 4:57 PM CDT

Bobby Lewis
Oklahoma Sports Reporter

TULSA, Oklahoma – A season ago, naming the Golden Hurricane’s best player was essentially a toss-up between floor general, Ben Uzoh, and 7-foot monster, Jerome Jordan. This season there is no doubt who Tulsa’s most dominant player is heading into the season.

Senior swingman Justin Hurtt caught the league’s attention a year ago as a junior. The 6-foot-4 3-point specialist posted 14.5 point and 3.4 rebound per game averages and kept fans on the edges of their seats with a handful of high-flying slam dunks per night. The sniper quickly got a reputation around Conference USA as a guy you couldn’t leave alone in the corner for any length of time. His jumpers hit net more often than iron.

Now as the established leader, Hurtt’s role is changing. The quiet, keep-to-himself, lead by example guy that would more likely kill you with kindness a year ago, is now forced into a more assertive role as the team’s go-to player.

Hurtt has the skills to make the leap to the NBA. Head coach Doug Wojcik has said so himself. Hurtt is as skilled a scorer as Conference USA has and was honored by the league coaches earlier this month when they voted him to the Preseason All-Conference USA first team.

Hurtt lead the team in scoring 11 times in 2009 and led in steals in nine games. His 39-percent 3-point shooting was tops on the team and good enough for ninth in the conference. Only Houston’s Kelvin Lewis (100) and UTEP’s Randy Culpepper (80) made more threes than Hurtt’s 75 a year ago.

For more on Tulsa’s 2010 outlook:

2010 Team Preview:
Tulsa’s Ready for C-USA Title run

Biggest departure:
Replacing Uzoh and Jordan

Biggest addition:
Freshmen and Transfers Ready of Play

Top Three Moments from 2009:
A Blowout, a Comeback and a Nail-biter

Bottom Three Moments from 2009:

Coming 10/28

Three games to look forward to in 2010:
Coming 10/29