Why this was not a wasted year for Nijel Pack, OU basketball

Go back to last spring, and the minute that Nijel Pack committed to OU basketball, the wheels were turning.

Pack, and Indianapolis kid, how cool would it be for him to return to Indy for the 2026 Final Four? Pack and Tae Davis both going home.

Great story, just not the one that was written during the 2025-26 season. Instead, it was more about growing up as a man. Because you have no choice but to learn about yourself when you’re 11-12 and on a nine-game losing streak.

What everybody in that locker room should have learned is they can and will fight back. The Sooners finished the season winning eight of their last 11 games to go 19-15 and come ‘this close’ to the NCAA Tournament.

The First Team Out of the Big Dance, Pack and company are extending their season into this week with The Crown. It all starts against Colorado at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Las Vegas.

Pack did not envision that to be his final games in college. However, now that it is? Let’s go ahead and get it going and win this thing.

“It hurt for a minute,” Pack told SoonerScoop about Selection Sunday. “Honestly, it still does, watching the games and thinking, ‘Man we could’ve probably done something special if we were playing right now.’ For us, now moving our focus onto this and another opportunity, I think I’ve been able to lock in on this.

“It’s given me an escape route to not just sit there and pout about it, think about it. I’d say honestly it probably took 24 to 48 hours, then I locked in on, alright, we have a new opportunity, let’s go out and win it.”

Pack and OU head coach Porter Moser have a unique relationship. It started back when Moser was recruiting Pack out of high school.

Then this year, of course, took it to another level. Moser said repeatedly he trusted Pack for the big moment. Pack came up just short in the clutch moments vs. Alabama and vs. Arkansas in the SEC Tournament, but Moser would fire back and say that’s a great shot for a great shooter.

“It meant a lot to me, honestly,” Pack said. “He trusted and put faith in me to recruit me here even though I wasn’t cleared yet to play. I was still injured. We were (unsure) about was I going to get another year for my redshirt. He took the opportunity and he trusted that I could come here. I really appreciate that. Every day, he has invested into me. He’s held me accountable in times I didn’t wanna practice or times I was down myself or the team was down.

“He’s brought this group closer together. He does a really good job of that, is bringing guys together, getting them to buy-in, especially as we went through that stretch. I think this team has grown so much. I think for the guys next year to come back, they have things to learn off of. “Now I feel like they won’t have a stretch like that again and they’ll be a really good, talented team next year.”

So, no, this season won’t end with Pack and Davis and OU cutting down the nets in Indianapolis. But it wasn’t a lost year.

Not from the Pack side of things. And certainly, not from the Moser side, either, for OU.

“Just an elite shot maker,” Moser said. “I covet that shot making ability. But also, you guys have seen him in this interview room all year long. He matches and exceeds. His character. His impact with the guys? So I appreciate he said that about me believing in him. I appreciate Nigel for, in his last year, when we were struggling, to believe in me that there’s a path every day coming.

“And I always say, man, your head coach can’t have a bad day believing and bringing energy. Same with your best players. Our best players can’t have bad days. If our best players are not believing, you’re not going to believe. And that’s the thing that these guys will always be able to draw on. No matter what the outcome was, they’ll always be able to draw from in their lives. What was the choice they made when they were down and out, when other people did not believe? Every guy on this team chose to keep fighting. You can draw on that in life because that is so much about how you respond when crap happens to you. I appreciate Nijel so much for being a leader in the locker room and always believing there was a path when no one else did.”