Power Lunch Chat Recap: Brandon Chatmon
Justin time?
Already a proven playmaker on returns, Justin Gilbert is looking to make plays at CB.
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
Follow me on Twitter @BChatmon
Sophomore Justin Gilbert made a name for himself as a kick returner during his freshman season at Oklahoma State.
This spring, the Cowboys are hoping Gilbert begins making a name for himself as a cornerback. At 6-foot, 193 pounds, Gilbert has the size and the elite speed which defensive coordinators covet nationwide.
A offensive standout at Huntsville (Texas) High School, Gilbert made the transition from quarterback to cornerback last season. Gilbert saw spot duty on defense during his true freshman season.
“When he first got here he was a quarterback, he’d played on the offensive side of the ball,” cornerbacks coach Jason Jones said. “It took some time to get adjusted, learn techniques and the defense.”
This season, Gilbert is battling fellow sophomore Devin Hedgepeth to replace Andrew McGee as the starting cornerback opposite Brodrick Brown.
“Towards the end of the season, especially the bowl practices, he really started to mature,” Jones said. “He’s progressing well. I think he’ll see one of the biggest improvements (on the team).”
Power Lunch Chat Recap: Brandon Chatmon
Spring drills will be key for Deaton
Johnny Deaton will battle to backup Brandon Weeden this spring.
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
Follow me on Twitter @BChatmon
Heading into this spring, Johnny Deaton is looking to regain the backup quarterback spot at Oklahoma State.
Deaton ended last spring as OSU’s backup quarterback and even took some snaps in the Pokes’ season-opening win over Washington State. But the former Sand Springs standout was supplanted on the depth chart by Clint Chelf as the season progressed.
With the Cowboys spring drills fully underway, coach Mike Gundy is looking for improvement from Deaton as he battles to back up All-Big 12 quarterback Brandon Weeden.
“He was a freshman last year,” Gundy said. “And at times he didn’t make the best decisions but that’s very common in this offense.”
A former four-star recruit, Deaton has plenty of talent who could become a quality dual-threat quarterback in the future. Deaton has physical skills, he just has to learn how to be a quarterback and get comfortable with all the extra requirements the position demands.
Said Gundy: “He has to learn to manage the offense and make good decisions when he is throwing the ball.”
OSU Hoops: Who’s Your Five For 2011-12?
Did Reger Dowell do enough to solidify his status at the point for 2011-12?
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
As we close the book on the 2010-11 Cowboys hoops season, it’s easy to look ahead to next year.
This season was disappointing in many ways and next year offers much more optimism, with expected growth for OSU’s young players and the anticipated arrival of LeBryan Nash and Cezar Guerrero, if not a big man to add to the recruiting list.
One of the fun things to ponder going forward: Who will be the starting five?
There could be serious competition, especially if Darrell Williams is cleared from his legal troubles and rejoins the team. Consider the contenders for a starting role:
G Keiton Page. A senior and three-year starter, Page will benefit from what should be a permanent place at the off guard spot, where he can concentrate on perimeter shooting.
G Jéan-Paul Olukemi. Had his ups and downs, with the latter coming especially on the road. His adjustment to Big 12 basketball took time, but revealed progress. His offseason should be focused on diversifying his offensive game and learning to play hard for 40 minutes.
G Markel Brown. Exciting freshman gained confidence as the season moved along. An inconsistent shot is the only keeping him from being a big-time scorer. He’ll put up thousands of shots in the offseason in an effort to improve.
G Reger Dowell. His explosiveness off the dribble is as good as anyone in the Big 12. And he has scoring skills. But to be a long-term answer at the point, he needs work as a playmaker. He didn’t have a single assist in the NIT loss to Washington State.
F Darrell Williams. He was just starting to get it, when his season was shut down amid rape charges. His status for 2011-12 is unknown.
F Mike Cobbins. Redshirted this year and needs to add bulk, but everybody around the program believes he’ll be a dynamic player for the Cowboys. And if OSU turns up the tempo next season, he’ll fit right in with that scenario.
G/F LeBryan Nash. All the talent scouts confirm that Nash is a superstar. The big questions appear to be whether he can play hard all the time and how he’ll fit in.
G Cezar Guerrero. Should at least share the point with Dowell, joining the Cowboys as a guy who can score and run an offense. He’ll give the Cowboys a guy who can create offense for himself and teammates.
Who do you like for the starting five? Send me suggestions and an explanation why, either here or at jhelsley@opubco.com.
As always, send me any questions or comments, too.
A piece of humble pie
Brandon Weeden says he's "getting better" as a golfer.
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
Follow me on Twitter @BChatmon
When Brandon Weeden competes with his teammates, he’s often served a piece of humble pie.
Not his football teammates, his golf teammates.
Oklahoma State’s All-Big 12 quarterback is a walk-on for the Cowboys golf team and Weeden has gained a greater respect for the talent of Kevin Tway, Peter Uihlein and the rest of the OSU golf squad during his limited time as a member of the team.
“It brings a new light to it,” Weeden said. “You know they are good but you really don’t appreciate it until you play along with them, they are unreal. There are 13 of them and all 13 can play.”
Weeden has enjoyed the experience but, make no mistake, football has remained priority No. 1.
“Football is first so I haven’t had the chance to play many rounds,” Weeden said. “It’s kind of nine-hole increments if I’m even able to play. It’s a lot of practicing on my own and trying to get better. I’m getting better, when you play at Karsten it kind of forces you get it better.”
After feeling like the bottom man on the totem pole for a while, Weeden decided to even out the playing field a few weeks before spring football began.
“To balance it out, I brought a football to Karsten Creek the other day and threw it around with them,” Weeden said. “It made me feel a lot better about my golf game.
“I have to keep telling myself, I’m a quarterback, not a golfer.”
OSU-Washington State: Five Keys
Marshall Moses would love nothing more than a return to Gallagher-Iba Arena for another Senior sendoff.
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
Oh, boy, another road challenge for the Cowboys.
And way out west, at Washington State, reminding of OSU’s botched trip to Gonzaga earlier this season, a hint of what the Cowboys would become in enemy gyms.
Bad.
This time, however, there are definite carrots dangling out in front.
* A return home to Gallagher-Iba Arena to play Northwestern; not to mention one final fling for OSU’s seniors – Marshall Moses, Matt Pilgrim and Nick Sidorakis – who would relish another Senior Night.
* Extending their NIT run, with that game against Northwestern for a spot in the NIT Final Four in Madison Square Garden. As Matt Pilgrim pointed out, it’s for a ring!
Cowboys coach Travis Ford has wanted this chance, despite OSU’s rocky road record. And he’s not backing off now.
“I think it all goes back to wanting to win, period,” Ford said. “But road games, I’ve always told my teams, are the greatest challenges in all sports. Trying to go onto somebody else’s field or court or whatever it may be is the greatest challenge.
“Any time you go try and win one on the road is rewarding. Obviously, we haven’t done that too well this year.”
Maybe tonight. Late tonight.
If you hoped for a move to the Pac-10 when all that conference flirting was going on, this is a taste of what you’d have for basketball.
Long-distance travel and games past your bedtime, let alone your kid’s bedtime.
How do you like it now?
Can the Cowboys win tonight? Sure.
If they can solve the road.
Five Keys:
1. Road Rage. We’ve discussed this for months now – and again above – but the Cowboys are just a different club on the road. Just look at the Bedlam game in Norman. Maybe they gained something from back-to-back good games in the Big 12 Tournament, on a neutral floor, mind you, although Sprint Center sure looked like Allen Field House East. WSU had just 4,213 in the stands for its opening NIT win over Long Beach State, but expects many more with students back on campus from spring break. If OSU can manage what figures to be a pretty rowdy environment, it’s got a chance.
2. Come Together. Doesn’t it seem like this reduced roster has produced better chemistry? Maybe tightening things up has brought the Cowboys together. But there have been times in the last few weeks when OSU actually looked like decent team. Matt Pilgrim is playing with more passion, and producing. Reger Dowell adds an explosive element at the point. Those wild cards, combined with Keiton Page, Marshall Moses, Jéan-Paul Olukemi, Markel Brown and Nick Sidorakis have given the Cowboys a glossier new look late.
3. Mold Klay. Washington State guard Klay Thompson is the Pac-10’s leading scorer, a legitimate threat who can dominate a game. Who handles him? The Cowboys don’t have anything resembling a lockdown defender, but have had some luck with Brown and Olukemi on athletic guys Thompson’s size. The challenge will be in forcing Thompson into shots he doesn’t want to take.
4. Rely on Reger. The Reger Dowell experiment continues, mostly to positive results. And Dowell is one Cowboy who hasn’t been overwhelmed on the road so far. If he can keep the offense moving, while providing a take-it-to-the-rim threat, everything will run more smoothly. If Page has to handle the point for an extended time, the offense suffers.
5. Get Home. That should read, get home with a purpose. Suddenly, the Cowboys carry a realistic shot of making it to Madison Square Garden. Northwestern’s upset of No. 1-seed Boston College allowed for a quarterfinal home game at Gallagher-Iba Arena – if OSU wins tonight. And at home, inside GIA, the Cowboys would be favored. And let’s not forget, they’ve done well against the so-called “smart” schools this season, already owning wins over Stanford and Harvard. Why not Northwestern, too?
Ford Appreciates Fans
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
At first glance, the crowd of 5,342 inside Gallagher-Iba Arena for OSU’s NIT opener against Harvard might seem disappointing.
Cowboys coach Travis Ford was thrilled.
Consider the challenges the school faced in selling the game:
* Spring Break virtually eliminated the student faction, with the campus a ghost town.
* The athletic department was dealing with a short turnaround for sales, with the announcement of the game coming late Sunday night and the game set for Tuesday.
* The weather outside was absolutely perfect – pleasant and calm. Who wanted to be indoors?
Oklahoma State's Marshall Moses (33) and Oklahoma State's Keiton Page (12) celebrate during a first round NIT college basketball game between Oklahoma State University (OSU) and Harvard at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., Tuesday, March 15, 2011. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
* And, of course, it was the NIT, not the NCAA Tournament, at the end of a disappointing season.
Still, while the arena was less than half-filled, there was an energy inside and plenty of noise, contributing to a 71-54 win that extends the Cowboys season.
“I think this played a big role,” in the win, Ford said. “A huge, huge role. It did for me and I know it did for the team.
“We didn’t know what to expect crowd-wise tonight. To be honest with you, we didn’t expect a lot. It was on national television. We walked out there and it was as loud as it has been.”
After the game, Ford said he bumped into many fans who spoke words of magic.
“I can’t tell you how many people I have run into in the last 20 minutes that said they had never been able to come to a game until this game,” Ford said. “Or, ‘I hadn’t been to a game, but I could afford to come to this game.’
“So many people, I think, were excited to be at this game that maybe couldn’t have come to other games. But the energy level in this building tonight was great. Our players felt that. When I walked out there, I felt it.
“‘I went, hey, this is exciting. This is great. We are going to need it.’”
Back to the words of magic. Cowboys fans have complained about ticket pricing for several years now, with the cost of attending OSU games rising steeply and rapidly. They’ve cried out in e-mails and on message boards. And they’ve spoken silently, in the form of empty seats.
This should be a lesson for OSU officials, help your coach and help your team and help your fans and lower ticket prices.
The same ticket pricing principles from football – successful principles, we’ll allow – don’t apply to basketball.
On short notice, on a gorgeous spring day in a tournament that doesn’t exactly command attention, a decent number backed the Cowboys for the NIT.
Not long after the final buzzer sounded, Ford grabbed the public address mic to say a few words to the GIA gathering.
“I thanked them for making the effort,” Ford said. “Because everybody had to come buy a ticket to get in. We really appreciate the effort and really appreciate everybody sticking with this basketball team.”
OSU-Harvard: Five Keys
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
The NIT comes to Gallagher-Iba Arena tonight.
Fired up?
Semi-sort of? Yeah, me, too. Not what I was expecting this season. I did think the Cowboys were in for a transition, losing Big Game James Anderson and Obi Muonelo and counting on so many kids. But I thought they’d find a way into the NCAA field.
Didn’t happen, as OSU’s offensive inadequacies made scoring a very difficult endeavor all season long.
So it comes to this. A chance to play on, maybe even get a trip to New York City and a spot in the NIT Final Four, which would be a nice bonus for these Cowboys… if they care.
That’s one of the always obvious questions with the NIT – do the players care? If so, teams can find a purpose in the postseason and make a deep run. If not, if they’re wishing instead for sandy beaches or ski slopes for Spring Break, it usually ends soon. Therein lies the challenge for coach Travis Ford.
Harvard, OSU’s visiting foe in this first-round game, figures to bring it. The Crimson has never been in the NIT and hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament in 65 years.
So this is new. And exciting.
And that’s one thing to watch tonight, when the Cowboys come together at least one more time.
The Five Keys:
OSU's Marshall Moses goes to the basket between Kansas' Josh Selby, left, and Mario Little during the college basketball Big 12 Championship tournament game between Oklahoma State-Kansas in Kansas City, Mo., Thursday, March 10, 2011. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
1. Spring Break or Spring Breakthrough? As mentioned above, it’s hard to gauge a team’s interest in the NIT. So right away, check out OSU’s intensity. It should be apparent immediately, or at least through the first sign of adversity. The Cowboys have played hard in recent weeks, even when it looked like some guys might be playing out their careers and the NCAA Tournament went from longshot to no shot. Do they still have that in them?
2. Matching Smarts. Harvard is one of the renowned institutions of higher learning in the land. It’s an honor just to be accepted into school. So academically, the Crimson own a massive edge. But what about basketball IQ? Hasn’t been a strong point of this Cowboys club all season, although it has improved lately. We always assume the smart kids at the smart schools play smart, too. That may be a generalization. We’ll see.
3. Other Matchups. Physically, the Cowboys should hold the edge, with Matt Pilgrim, Jéan-Paul Olukemi, Reger Dowell and Markel Brown getting the athletic checkmark in the matchup box. Forward Keith Wright was the Ivy League MVP and must be accounted for. But the Cowboys should be in good shape if they just play relatively mistake free, and…
4. Don’t Foul. I know, I know, we’ve been spewing this advice for months. But it’s a plague for these Cowboys, who lost all three big men to foul outs in their near-miss against Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament. Foul the Crimson and you’re asking for trouble. Their 81.1 free throw percentage ranks No. 2 nationally. And a march to the foul line is the great equalizer to overcoming a talent disadvantage.
5. Cheap Tickets. With students gone for Spring Break – and certainly some fans, too – it’ll be interesting to see what kind of crowd shows up at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Give athletic director Mike Holder credit for tossing out cheap tickets of $10, $8 and $4, about half what Wichita State is charging.
OSU-KU: Five Keys
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter at jjhelsley
First, the good news: the Cowboys bounced back from their dismal Bedlam showing to beat Nebraska and push their record in first-round games at the Big 12 Tournament to 9-0.
The bad news: with that comes a Round 2 date with the Kansas Jayhawks, the same Jayhawks who administered the worst defeat of the Travis Ford era, 92-65, just weeks ago in Lawrence.
Can the Cowboys win? Uh, sure, but many, many things must happen, aside from a breakdwon of the bus carrying the Hawks to the Sprint Center.
Five Keys:
1. Hang Around. Ford said as much yesterday, just hang around, hopefully while KU slumbers through a morning game that hasn’t earned their interest, considering the previous meeting. Hang around and keep hanging until it’s crunch time, then get somebody, anybody, to hit some shots and put some pressure on KU, allowing for a stunning of the No. 1 seed.
2. Lawrence East. This isn’t Lawrence, but it’s close — both in proximity and feel, with the Jayhawks fans gobbling up tickets like they always do. There will be a pocket of orange in the stands, but make no mistake, this is no neutral floor, even if the K-State crowd and everybody else gangs up on KU.
3. Get Help. The Cowboys were clearly fatigued at the end of Wednesday’s game against Nebraska, a team that makes every game a grind. Now they’re playing again 24 hours later. And they’re not deep, missing Ray Penn and Darrell Williams and Fred Gulley. The guys off the bench will have to help, not just collect quick fouls and turnovers and return to the pine.
4. Free Page. Keiton Page showed again against Nebraska just how valuable he is. When he’s hitting shots, it’s an energizing force for the team and the offense, which needs his outside influence to free other players. He MUST be a factor — a positive factor — for the Pokes to even stay close.
5. Uh… C’mon, we’ve stretched it this far. This is a bad matchup for the Cowboys, as we saw with the game in Lawrence. The Jayhawks are fresh, at home, and if they’re not hungry, they’re just better. Way better.
