ANAHEIM, Calif. — At the Honda Center, Buddy Hield had just been named the West Regional’s most outstanding player. But on the makeshift stage at center court, the Oklahoma Sooners were pressing another senior, Isaiah Cousins, to take his star turn. Led by Hield, the Sooners clapped in rhythm until Cousins shyly stepped forward and began gyrating to his teammates’ beat.
The team’s core four of Hield, Cousins, Ryan Spangler and Jordan Woodard had made their 104th consecutive start Saturday, in the Sooners’ victory over Oregon. They have been together longer than many boy bands; long enough, anyway, for the other three to develop an affinity for the Bahamas-born Hield’s beloved reggae music.