Ryan Spangler gives Oklahoma an inside presence in run to Final Four

It’s easy to overlook Ryan Spangler amid Oklahoma’s hail of three-point shots, but if you’ve ever banged bodies with the Sooners power forward under the basket, he probably left a mark. One that was black and blue.

“He relishes being a tough guy,� Oklahoma assistant coach Steve Henson said of Spangler, a 6-foot-8, 234-pound senior who helped the Sooners win last week’s NCAA West Regional in Anaheim to advance to Saturday’s Final Four against Villanova.

“We’re not the most physical team in the country. We’re not a big, bulky, strong, bang-’em-up team. We run-and-gun and shoot a lot of threes. But Ryan loves being the enforcer, lining up and battling guys in the paint.�

Oklahoma (29-7) relies on the long-range shooting of guards Buddy Hield, who dropped 37 points on Oregon in the regional final and averages 25.4 points a game, Jordan Woodard (13.0) and Isaiah Cousins (12.8) for the bulk of its offense.

Spangler, who averages 10.3 points and 9.2 rebounds, provides the much-needed muscle to tangle with opposing big men.

“I do the dirty work, whatever I can to help the team win,� Spangler, 24, said. “I think every team that wants to be good has to have someone like me. I’m not the most athletic, the tallest or the longest, but I can guarantee you that no one is going to outwork me.�

Spangler is relentless, attacking the rim on offense and the backboard on defense with ferocity and often frustrating opponents — and their fans — with his pesky, in-your-face play.

“I enjoy being an antagonist,� said Spangler, who has already earned a degree in business. “A lot of people don’t like it. Our fans love it. I’m probably the most hated player for other teams, but I’m going to keep playing like I do.�

Asked where his motor comes from, Spangler said, “I think from my mom.�

LeAnn Spangler, 57, is a retired special education teacher who coached high school basketball for 15 years.

“I don’t sit down very much; I’m a goer,� she said by phone from the family home in Tuttle, Okla. “I could never sit down when I had kids in the classroom, and it’s the same now. I don’t sleep much. I wake up and never turn on the TV. I always have something to do. I just don’t slow down.�

Spangler’s father, Larry, is a drilling engineer for an oil and gas company, but he also coached high school football and basketball for 17 years. Ryan, born in October 1991, said most of his birthdays were celebrated in locker rooms. In fact, within 24 hours of birth, Ryan was at a game.

“He was born on a Thursday at 3 a.m., and we had a Friday night game,� his mother said. “It was homecoming, and I just don’t miss games.�

Spangler has two older brothers, Rob, 33, and Rustin, 31, who played football at Southeastern Oklahoma State. Ryan, who starred in football (as a quarterback) and baseball as well as basketball at Bridge Creek High, about 25 miles west of Norman, grew to be even bigger than his brothers.

“They beat me up all the time when I was little,� Ryan said, “but they won’t touch me now.�

Spangler wasn’t recruited by former Oklahoma Coach Jeff Capel out of high school. Asked why, Spangler said, “Stupidity, I guess.�

Spangler signed with Gonzaga before Capel was fired in March 2011. He played his freshman season (2011-2012) in Spokane but grew homesick. Released from his scholarship, he transferred to Oklahoma, which had hired Lon Kruger as coach.

After sitting out the 2012-2013 season, Spangler joined Hield, Woodard and Cousins in the lineup as a sophomore in 2013-2014. The quartet has started 104 consecutive games in three years, developing an on-court chemistry and off-court bond that helped fuel the school’s first Final Four run since 2002.

“We’ve spent a lot of time together on and off the court, learned a lot about each other,� Spangler said. “They’ll be my friends forever. But I think the biggest thing is we know where each other’s going to be on the court. We know what each other is going to do. We can be accountable to each other, so it’s good.�

Spangler teamed with forward Khadeem Lattin to outplay an Oregon front line that was bigger, quicker and more athletic last Saturday. The Sooners had more offensive rebounds (11) in the first half than the Ducks had total rebounds (10) and scored 15 second-chance points.

Spangler has averaged 33 minutes a game this season and has not fouled out, important because the Sooners’ reserve forwards — Jamuni McNeace and Dante Buford — are freshmen.

“One thing that gets overlooked is we lean on him to be our enforcer and tell him to do it without fouling,� Henson said. “Most teams we play flail away with no concern for fouls because they’re deep and have big benches. We need Ryan for 34-36 minutes a night. To know you have to fight like crazy without fouling is kind of unfair sometimes.�

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Twitter: @MikeDiGiovanna