Jan. 6—NORMAN — After the first few made shots, Ricardo Felix gave up sitting still on his couch more than 270 miles away.

He had to jump and celebrate.

OU guard Umoja Gibson was on fire Saturday evening, unleashing lightning-quick 3-pointers that felt like daggers to then-No. 9-ranked West Virginia.

Felix witnessed barrages like this when he coached Gibson in high school.

The confidence builds and Gibson becomes nearly unstoppable.

“I know how he is,” Felix said. “Mo’s one of those guys when he gets hot, man, he gets hot. He will not miss. His confidence level is just ridiculous when he sees that ball go in.”

Gibson hit a career-best eight 3-pointers while scoring 29 points in the upset of West Virginia. He earned Big 12 Player of the Week, Big 12 Newcomer of the Week and NCAA.com Player of the Week honors.

It was his biggest and brightest performance at the college level, validating his rise from the recruit who was too small to a Sooners breakout star just days before returning home to face No. 2-ranked Baylor at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

“I most definitely feel like I proved myself,” Gibson said. “I’m showing what I’m capable of doing.”

This was the performance on a big stage Felix believed could happen five years ago as an assistant coach at University High in Waco, Texas.

It just took Gibson a little longer than he hoped.

As a sophomore in high school, Gibson was frustrated. He was playing well at the AAU level and in school ball. But other players in his class were getting more attention.

So, he approached Felix asking why.

Felix told Gibson that if he really wanted to get that attention and reach the next level, he needed to be in the gym even more.

Workouts before school started. They stayed after practice for more work. Gibson watched Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard film over and over in Felix’s class.

Felix believes Gibson just needed that little extra push.

Gibson quickly noticed a big improvement on the court. He averaged 22.4 points and 11.1 assists as a senior, helping University reach its first No. 1 ranking.

“Once I saw once you put in the work for repetition, it actually shows in the game and I just got addicted to doing it each and every day,” Gibson said.

But that still wasn’t enough for college coaches.

He was listed as a zero-star, 5-foot-11 recruit — now 6-1 with the Sooners — and wasn’t considered explosive.

Baylor, just 4 miles away, said he was too small. That was a tough blow for a kid who hoped to play in front of his hometown fans.

“They have what they want in a point guard,” Felix said. “I guess Mo just didn’t fit that mold.”

Texas State was the only heavily interested school. But Felix made a phone call.

Kenrich Williams — a University graduate now with the Thunder — played at New Mexico Junior College before TCU. Felix called Williams’ NMJC coach, James Miller, who had just joined North Texas’ staff.

Felix made his pitch. Gibson had everything but size. He still got the job done. Soon, Gibson was headed to Denton.

And he flourished with North Texas before transferring to OU in the offseason, looking for a place to play point guard more.

Gibson still isn’t necessarily handling the ball much, but he’s making a big impact.

“He’s literally in the gym, I’d wager, as much as anyone in the country,” OU coach Lon Kruger said. “He’s in the gym all the time. He worked hard on his game. It’s so great to see him get the results that he’s getting.

“He’s spent the time. There’s no shortcut to doing something really well and he shoots the ball really well. He does that because of all the time he’s invested.”

Felix, who is now University’s head coach, can’t help but beam with pride.

ESPN reached out Monday looking for old film clips and photos. There’s a buzz about Gibson around the University program.

It’s the perfect setup for Wednesday’s homecoming.

“I’m glad that he’s finally getting rewarded for all his hard work,” Felix said. “I want him to succeed more than anything.”