Hoops and Hardball
By John Helsley
Monday delivered some interesting tidbits for two off-the-radar sports at OSU: basketball and baseball.
The countdown to Major League Baseball’s deadline to sign draft picks had several potential Cowboys in play. When the smoke all cleared in the hours after midnight Monday, it didn’t go as well as hoped for the Pokes, yet wasn’t a total loss, either.
Of the four players in play — 09 pitchers Andy Oliver, Tyler Lyons and Tyler Blandford, and prep SS signee Mychal Givens — three agreed to last-minute deals, with Lyons the one returning to Stillwater.
The Givens signing, by the Orioles, hurt worst, since the O’s had cut off negotiations heading into the weekend and it appeared the nation’s No. 2 recruit would be heading to OSU.
Overall, it wasn’t a lost result. To the contrary, it was a big win, just to plug an ace like Lyons into the top of the rotation for 2010.
When last season ended, Cowboys coach Frank Anderson couldn’t have counted on any of the four to be at OSU. Only an economy that strapped MLB teams left those players dangling for so long. And even then, deals were eventually done across the board, marked by the Nationals signing of Stephen Strasburg for a cool $15 million.
On to basketball, the Cowboys welcomed everyone expected, including big men Jarred Shaw and Matt Pilgrim.
Shaw, a 6-10 freshman from Dallas, has been cleared by the NCAA and is eligible to play this season. The No. 15 center prospect in the nation by Rivals.com, Shaw averaged 13.5 points and 9.7 rebounds for Carter High’s state title team last season. There had been some question about his eligibility.
Pilgrim’s status for this season remains an issue. He transferred from Kentucky when new coach John Calipari declined to renew his scholarship. It’s now up to the NCAA to decide if he’s immediately eligible to play for the Cowboys.
The decision is critical for Pilgrim, who already sat out last season at Kentucky, after transferring there from Hampton.
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