OSU Hoops: Next Year’s Starting Five
Ray Penn could impact the offense in 2010-11.
By John Helsley
James Anderson… gone.
Obi Muonelo… gone.
Along with invaluable leadership and toughness and clutchness, the Cowboys are also losing their top two scorers, a duo responsible for 1,174 points this season, or 48 percent of the team’s scoring.
Read that again — almost half of the team’s scoring.
Where will all that lost production be made up in 2010-11? From everywhere, would be the best guess.
Matt Pilgrim should step up his offensive role and responsibility. Ray Penn’s return provides a jolt of scoring upgrade to the point. Marshall Moses is a proven, if sometimes erratic, scorer. And Keiton Page is the leading returning scorer, after averaging 10.7 points this season.
Sound good? Maybe not so much.
Well, don’t be alarmed. There are other answers, as well as some intriguing questions, like: How will Page’s role be defined?
In addition to the guys listed above, the Cowboys are counting on a boost from several newcomers, most notably freshman shooting guard Markel Brown and Juco transfer JP Olukemi. Brown averaged 32 points a game as the star on a 41-0 state title team in Louisiana.
Brian Williams, another talented guard, and forward Michael Cobbins are worth watching as well.
And OSU holdovers like Fred Gulley, Nick Sidorakis, Roger Franklin, Jarred Shaw, Torin Walker and Reger Dowell offer optimism of improved play.
Some will stride forward, while others will step back.
The coming months — and how hard guys work in the offseason — will determine the risers and fallers.
And these months will go a long way to answering the Page question.
With the return of Penn and the additions of Brown and Williams, the guard spots are drawing a crowd.
The Cowboys need Brown to be as good as advertised; good enough to start. And Olukemi, already on campus, has shown enough to project as a starter.
OSU coach Travis Ford has hinted that Page needs to make himself more versatile. And more valuable. Handling a share of the point guard responsibilities this season, when Penn was hurt, was a start. But right now, Page looks like a super sub at both guard spots, able to run the offense or fire daggers at enemy zones.
One guy’s early starting five:
PG Ray Penn
SG Markel Brown
SF JP Olukemi
F Matt Pilgrim
F Marshall Moses
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Comments
Brad, I think them not being on the floor together has more to do with them being the only two big men capable of playing. Why risk both of them to fouls at the same time? I like Page, but agree he would be better as the 6-man where he can spell either of the back two spots and has the experience so there would not be a drop off. The two new guys may end up starting, but they will have to oust Page first, if nothing else, he has the experience edge. The backup front court guys need to spend their time at the dinner table and weight room in addition to learning more of the game.
I will be surprised if the Cowboys make the NCAA tourney next season. They are losing too much in Obi and James. This next season will truly define for us just how good a coach Ford is. With no real size (again!), and very little backcourt experienc, OSU will be in a bad situation.
Take a long look at incoming JUCO Darrell Williams from Midland JC. He is a legit 6′ 8″ and can rebound like a madman. I watched him all season and his skills are for real. He can drive the ball, shoot the 3 ball. He likes to play inside and is built like Pilgram. He will be fun to watch.
I think that you guys are under estimating Page. I think he will step up. He’s smart on the floor and he has shown signs of driving better. I think he is much better than last year. If he improves as much as Byron Eaton did between his sophmore and Junior year he will play. With two years experience in Ford’s system he won’t make the mistakes that the new guys will. When he gets hot he can play with anyone.
Bob, no real size? Um, what? We are upgrading size everywhere. Size is not about having a 7 footer in the paint. It’s about having size at every position. With the recruits coming in, I think OSU is going to see a drastic change…both in size and in depth.
How does OSU’s backcourt have little experience? Penn, Page, and Gulley have all proven they can run the point. Throw Sidorakis in there with a developing Dowell and I’d say the backcourt is the least of our worries.
If Helsley’s starting 5 holds water that means that we will have very experienced and valuable players coming off the bench to keep the offense going and the defense tight. Just because JA and Obi graduated doesn’t mean that scoring will go down. It just means that shot selections will be more spread out (as opposed to JA jacking up 20-25 a game).
I think Alex Webber will have a solid senior season as well. With his unathletic build and brutal hops, he’s destined to get dunked on this year more than ever. GO POKES!
The cowboys will just get better and better as long as Travis Ford is the coach. Need to get the fans in the seats somehow.
Size DOES matter! Baylor is signing a 6’11″ incher out of Duncanville and they already have several big guys. Guess what? They are still in the tourney. We don’t need Gulley types (great kid, but what does he actually do, except foul because he can’t guard?) We DO need a good point guard…is Penn it? I haven’t seen much from him either. I’m just glad I’m not a college basketball coach…too many guys leaving early, too many guys that are building projects…etc., etc.
I think Penn did a great job as a freshman at the point. His outside shooting will improve but he gets to the hoop faster than any point guard we’ve had at OSU in years. He’s a terrific ball handler too. I think you can pencil in Penn and Page as the starting guards. Moses and Pilgrim can hold down the post pretty well, but where we fail miserably is not having any legitimate forwards. James Anderson could play a little small forward, but need a good quality 6’7″ guy and a 6″8″ guy to man the forward positions. A guy who can slash and shoot and one who can muscle his way to the rim. Like a Ricky Jacobs and a Raymond Crenshaw.
I think Darrell Williams will help us. At 6′ 8″ 235 Lbs., he qualifies as a big PF. HCTF says “He’s one of the top-five junior college big men in the country. You can pretty much write down a double-double every night for him. He has extreme versatility. He can really handle the ball and step out. He’s very athletic and understands the game.” I hope he gets his chance, he is not shy about going to the hole.
Well I’ve seen enough of Travis Ford to believe the guy definitely knows what he’s doing. We just have to get away from that three guard offense. Those type teams will never get you to the Final Four.
Ive seen jp olukemi play and hes a really good player. Hes tough and extremely strong ,will get to the basket at will with his athleticism.He can also shoot but thats where he can improve.Overall i see great things for him next year.
I hope all you guys are right, I haven’t seen any of the newcomers play, and some of you have, so I’ll take your word for it. But you still need a couple of good big men, not just one or two that can get into foul trouble and wind up on the bench at critical times. I agree that Ford is doing a creditable job so far, and I think next season will be a test. If he can get the team back to the tourney, and maybe win a game or two when he does, I will definitely be convinced. At least the team is winning 20+ games now.
Don’t you think that Ford likes Page too much not to start him? Also, the first time I saw Pilgrim and Moses on the floor together was late in the second half in their ncaa tournament game, and I think that has to do with them not getting along with each other.