Wanna Hoop? Here’s Your Chance
You want to play for this man? You can.
By John Helsley
follow me on twitter @jjhelsley
Always dreamed of running onto the court at Gallagher-Iba Arena, a full house in a frenzy?
If you’re a full-time OSU student, lace up your sneaks.
Now an annual tradition, Cowboys coach Travis Ford is planning another round of walk-0n tryouts, with the chance to rub — or exchange — elbows with Matt Pilgrim and Ray Penn and Keiton Page and the boys.
You’ll have to get up early, real early, before Starbucks even opens. But if you want this, you’ll have to pay the price.
Here’s the details:
What: OSU walk-on tryouts.
When: 6 a.m., Wednesday, September 15.
Where: Inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Who: Any male full-time student enrolled at Oklahoma State’s Stillwater campus. Potential players must verify that they meet the minimum requirements to participate in a tryout by stopping by the office of Athletics Compliance on the second floor of the OSU Athletics Center prior to the tryout.
Details: Participants must also provide proof of health insurance, documentation of a physical exam that has been performed in the last six months, and results of a sickle cell solubility test performed in the last six months before participating in the tryout.
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
NCAA Game Day: Sizing Up OSU-Georgia Tech
By John Helsley
MILWAUKEE – Here in the nation’s Dairyland, those analyzing tonight’s Midwest Regional matchup between OSU and Georgia Tech are focused on one aspect: size.
Or the Cowboys’ lack of it.
Is it key? Yes… and no.
The Cowboys have faced long and athletic frontlines before — and slayed the giants.
Cole Aldrich, Marcus Morris and Co. with Kansas. Luis Colon and all his lanky legions at Kansas State. Baylor’s Ekpe Udoh and Anthony Jones and Josh Lomers. And others.
Are those combinations as talented as Tech’s duo of Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal? Potentially, no, with both projected as first-round NBA draft picks.
But the boys from the Big 12 are far more accomplished than the Yellow Jackets’ pair, who hardly dominated as Tech went just 7-9 in a down ACC. Favors and Lawal haven’t consistently put their potential in place.
“We’re not the biggest team in the world,” said Cowboys coach Travis Ford. “But our guys have figured out how to compete. We’ve played against some big teams. Kansas was big and Texas was big and Baylor’s big. You go down the line, there’s some big teams in the Big 12.
“And our guys, at times, they’ve figured it out. And at times we haven’t. But we understand going into these situations that we’ve got to be overachievers, that we’re going to have to make up for some lack of height and some different things at some point. And we understand that.”
Understand this: Georgia Tech faces matchup issues as well, with the pressure on to chase OSU’s shooters on the perimeter. And one of those big men will have to join in the chase.
That’s a mismatch, too, for a Tech team that has at times struggled to defend the 3-point line against a team with James Anderson, Obi Muonelo and Keiton Page that has gunned down better big teams already.
“Obviously, that’s crucial,” said Jackets coach Paul Hewitt. “Because they’re a great 3-point shooting team, one of the better 3-point shooting teams we’ve seen all year. When we’ve struggled, we’ve really allowed people to get going from 3.”
This is a far better matchup than Sunday’s possible showdown with Ohio State, which also starts four guards, but has big athletic guards who will contest shots and pressure the Cowboys to work hard with screens and cuts to create open shots.
Tonight, as it’s been much of the year, it’s not about any OSU weakness inside, but one of the Cowboys’ strengths: the 3-point shot.
If they’re on, they’re through to Round 2.
Prediction: Cowboys 75, Yellow Jackets 67
Cowboys Moving Up?
By John Helsley
Rejoice, Cowboys fans, over your Bedlam blowout to start the Big 12 Tournament.
Get giddy, too, over Nebraska’s stunning upset of Missouri.
That opening day combination at the Sprint Center may have created a subtle shift in the NCAA Tournament bracket that carries seismic implications.
Checking out Joe Lunardi’s updated (as of late Wednesday night) bracketology, OSU moved from a No. 8 to a No. 7 seed in his bracket projection, joining the Tigers as a 7.
It’s the same at Sporting News Today, where Mike DeCourcy also shifted the Cowboys up a notch.
The Cowboys have been fit as a notch below Mizzou based on a lower finish in the conference regular season and a head-to-head loss. But the Pokes and Tigers have altered their images of late, punctuated Wednesday.
Better yet for the Cowboys, they can solify themselves as a bracket riser tonight against Kansas State, a team they’ve already beaten. And it comes with little risk, as a loss in an upset role at a neutral site wouldn’t be all that harmful.
Why all the issue over one spot in the bracket?
Here’s why: The first round pits 8 vs. 9 seeds in tossup games, leading into a second-round matchup with a No. 1. A 7 not only gets a lower-seeded first round foe in a 10, the next round leads to a 2, which this season is drastically different.
Consider Lunardi’s bracket.
The 8-9 matchups: UNLV-Wake Forst, Louisville-UTEP, Cal-Clemson and Northern Iowa-Florida State.
The No. 10 seeds: St. Mary’s, Old Dominion, Cornell, Marquette.
Who would you rather play?
And the next step is the difference in the No. 1 quartet of Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse and Duke, and, the No. 2s of West Virginia, Kansas State, Ohio State and Purdue.
Again, taking your pick, it’s easy.
OSU-Kansas State: Three Keys:
1. Keep stroking. When the Cowboys are popping from the perimeter, they’re capable of beating anybody in the Big 12. The three likely teams standing between them and the tournament title — K-State, Baylor and Kansas — will attest. After Wednesday night, Keiton Page’s confidence must be soaring. Obi Muonelo’s strut is always in force. And James Anderson, after a quiet night against OU, figures to go off.
2. Stand Tall. The Wildcats are long and active, ranking fourth in the Big 12 in rebounding and second in offensive boards. They can kill a team with second chances. It’s vital that the Cowboys body up. And they’ll need the guards to help. The emergence of Matt Pilgrim should help.
3. Let It Fly. As mentioned above, the Cowboys have little to lose from this point forward, while the Wildcats are trying to reverse a two-game losing streak and confirm their own status as a No. 2 national seed that could land them in Oklahoma City for a regional. The Pokes say they’re having fun. Let the fun continue.
Bedlam Breakdown
By John Helsley
This Big 12 Tournament may lack intriguing story lines, especially today in the first round, but at least for us, there’s Bedlam.
And for Cowboys fans, this is surely a Bedlam pairing to savor.
In boxing terms, the Sooners are out on their feet, losers of eight straight and headed toward their worst season in decades. Decades.
Things have deteriorated rapidly since Blake and Taylor Griffin left Norman. And coach Jeff Capel has been forced to push every button imaginable in an effort to goose a squad that has revealed chemistry issues, flat performances and an aversion to team defense.
Willie Warren is out with an injury. Tiny Gallon could be limited by injury.
And by all indications, the season can’t end soon enough.
The Cowboys are here to oblige.
With the Soones wobbling against the ropes, the Cowboys could create a KO with one decent blow, unless Bedlam stirs something extra — something seldom seen from the Sooners of late — in their arch-enemy.
“They’re here for a whole different purpose and we’re here for a purpose and both teams are going to get after it,” said Cowboys star James Anderson.
OSU’s purpose: Publicly, a Big 12 Tournament title, which won’t come easy with the grind of four wins in four days needed. But mainly, the Cowboys can improve their NCAA Tournament seed with two wins, rising off that dreaded 8-9 spot in the bracket that everyone seems to have them occupying. Oh, and the joy of a Bedlam beatdown for the like of Anderson and Oklahoma natives Obi Muonelo and Nick Sidorakis and Keiton Page.
OU’s purpose: Presumably the spoils — or spoiler — of Bedlam, although frankly, I’m not sure many in this Sooner roster appreciate the rivalry yet.
The Cowboys should have posted a regular season Bedlam sweep, if not for a head injury that took Anderson out of Round 1 in Norman. They blistered the Sooners in Stillwater in Round 2.
Now Round 3 brings Cowboys fans something to savor.
Keys to the game
1. Get off quick. The Cowboys go as their shooters go. If Anderson, Muonelo and Page show some stroke from the perimeter early, the rout could be on. If not, the Sooners could find some confidence and some reason for hanging around.
2. Slowing TMG. Sooners guard Tommy Mason-Griffin popped the Cowboys for 30 points in Gallagher-Iba Arena, more than any player scored on OSU this season. He’s capable of keeping OU in it.
3. Inside presence. One of the keys to OSU’s stretch run has been the emergence of Matt Pilgrim. He’s capable of neutralizing Gallon and doing his own damage in the paint.
Prediction: Cowboys 85-72
Here Comes No. 1
By John Helsley
jhelsley@opbuco.com
Bill Self readies for another return to Stillwater. Yet in a stark departure from the past, that’s not the prominent story line for Saturday’s KU-Cowboys clash.
You’ve got OSU in search of securing an NCAA Tournament bid, something a win over the Jayhawks would all but clinch.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Cowboys true combo guard Keiton Page said.
You’ve got the Jayhawks lugging the nation’s No. 1 ranking, making them the first top-ranked team to invade Gallagher-Iba since 1989. For perspective on that rarity, consider this:
“I was born in 1989,” OSU star James Anderson said.
And you’ve got Anderson and KU’s Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich all in the thick of the Big 12 Player of the Year race, with Saturday perhaps serving as a separator.
Then you’ve got self, who played at OSU and graduated at OSU and depending on who you believe, was all set to coach at OSU before working out a massive extension to remain in Lawrence, spurring Cowboys athletic director Mike Holder to openly admit being broken hearted nearly two years ago.
Of course, OSU ultimately went another direction, hiring Travis Ford, who’s job of reshaping and recasting the Cowboys is ongoing.
And now, as Self returns to his alma mater for the first time since that 2008 courting, the emotional connection seems to have subsided — for now — on both sides.
Both have more pressing matters; a Big 12 championship for Self; a big win for the Cowboys.
Time, we know, changes everything.
Self’s take:
“When I was head coach at Oral Roberts, we played there every year. It wasn’t as emotional when were down 41 (points), but it was still an emotional deal. And then when we come back here (to KU), people made a big deal about going back. And that was emotional to me.
“It’s not emotional any more. It’s a business trip. We will not mix personal on this business trip.”
That’s not to say Self doesn’t still harbor love for OSU. He does. As he said this week, “That’s my school. That’s my wife’s school.”
But KU is his profession.
“There will be some people that I will love to see, but that will be when we’re coming out of the locker room after the game. That’s not a negative toward OSU, but I can’t do both.
“I would think that anybody going back and playing their alma mater, it’s probably a little different the first few times you do it. But once you do it a while… I think when (Michael) Jordan was playing for the Wizards and every time he went back to Chicago to play, it probably lessened a little bit as far as being emotional. I could be wrong. Of course I’m not comparing that to Jordan, gaw, that’s a bad comparison.
“I don’t think it’s going to be that big a deal.”
OSU-Texas: Who’s Got Who?
By John Helsley
jhelsley@opubco.com
Made it safety to Austin, where just yesterday they were hurling snowballs and building snowmen and one young man even went skiing down the Capitol steps.
Today, however, there’s no evidence of the weather that was.
Thank, gawd, this annual trip is always about escaping the cold, not dragging it along across the border. And after being in Ames a week ago, the promise of warmth keeps you going.
Now, it’s up to the Cowboys to heat things up inside the Erwin Center tonight, where the Longhorns still haven’t revealed a definite starting five.
After losing point guard Dogus Balbay — one of the defensive stars of Texas’ win in Stillwater — to a blown knee, the Horns are likely to go big, with 6-6 forward Gary Johnson joining a front line of 6-7 Damion James and 6-10 Dexter Pittman.
That would make for matchup problems, not that it’s anything new for these vertically challenged Cowboys. But it could also create advantages for OSU on the offensive end, where the Horns would have to scramble to keep up with James Anderson and Co. on the perimeter.
As for the defensive dilemma should Texas look large, the Cowboys could sure use a re-appearance of Marshall Moses.
This has not been a welcoming town for OSU over the years. Since the formation of the Big 12, the Cowboys have won just twice in Austin. So the Pokes will be leaning heavily on the improved leadership that has been evident through a three-game winning streak.
“It’s been fun watching Obi (Muonelo) and James kind of taking this team under their wing a little bit and understanding what this time of year is all about,” said Cowboys coach Travis Ford. “You can see they’ve raised their leadership ability this time of year. You can see the intensity they have and the sense of urgency they have.
“That’s been fun. They’re using their experience to help these younger kids, in practice, the day of games and things like that. We just hope it continues. It’s something these guys have worked on over an extended period of time this year. They haven’t always been comfortable doing that. But now’s a good time to have it, that’s for sure.”
Keiton Page, while just a sophomore, is contributing, too.
“I think Keiton provides it in that guys know that he was starting this time last year and playing a lot of minutes into the NCAA Tournament. He’s starting to speak up more.
“It’s pretty much those three and Nick (Sidorakis) can jump in there, the players respect him.”
And Ford emphasizes how important that kind of leadership can be during a season’s stretch run.
“It’s important this time of year,” Ford said, “as important as anything we do, making sure players hold themselves accountable. And holding players accountable is the leadership within the team. We’ve been doing it for a long time, but when you can get players doing it, that helps a lot.”
OSU-Iowa State Afterthoughts
By John Helsley
jhelsley@opubco.com
Sitting in the Kansas City airport, waiting on a flight home from the frozen cornfield that is Iowa and thinking how hard it must be to be a Royals fan. Pitchers and catchers are reporting, hope springs eternal, and yet, the sports talk radio guys here are killing the Royals already.
(Sorry, compadre Mike Baldwin!)
But that’s not why you’re here.
Cowboys won a crucial game Wednesday night in Ames. A game with many twists, from a big blown lead (20 points in the first half); to a nearly 22-minute scoring drought by James Anderson; to Obi Muonelo’s greatest game as a Cowboy (seriously); to an underrated defensive job on ISU’s big two of Craig Brackins and Marquis Gilstrap; to a hang-on-at-the-end finish that saw the Cyclones give away some chances at the end.
Quick thoughts, before boarding:
* Muonelo’s growth as a player was evident against ISU. Clearly, he sensed that his team needed somebody to step up with the offense struggling. And he did, scoring 21 straight points during a stretch that turned away the Cyclones’ comeback. Considering OSU’s still-difficult quest for an NCAA Tournament bid, Muonelo’s pack mule effort and 31 points resulted in his best game in orange.
* Didn’t get this in the print edition, but Keiton Page suffered a minor thigh pull that shouldn’t be an issue. Page left the game late, yet was back on the floor at the end. And he was walking fine on the way to the bus after the game.
* The Cowboys face a stretch of four straight games against ranked teams, beginning Saturday with Baylor. We’ve been saying this a lot lately, but consider it a must win. At 6-5, the Cowboys need at least two more wins and maybe three to go dancing. With three home games left, and Nebraska the only one that looks like a lock, beating Baylor could be a necessity.
* As Matt Pilgrim emerges, Marshall Moses’ game has suffered. Moses’ work on the defensive end shouldn’t be dismissed Wednesday night, but it was a miserable night for him on offense. Missed a dunk and a couple of point-blank shots. Turned the ball over. Seems Marshall is having a difficult time adjusting to his new reserve role.
The Post-Penn Plan
Keiton Page may be transitioning to the point.
By John Helsley
jhelsley@opubco.com
Ray Penn’s worst fear went official last week, with his season ruled over due to the ongoing issue with his right knee, where a “stress reaction” isn’t getting better and threatens to get worse.
The loss of Penn may not rank as OSU’s worst fear, yet it dramatically changes the team’s dynamic and shrinks an already small margin for error.
The Cowboys’ plan at point guard going forward: More Fred Gulley and Keiton Page, with an apparent emphasis on the latter.
Ideal? No. Penn’s quickness and ability to penetrate will be missed.
Survivable? Absolutely. The Cowboys won at Kansas State and are 3-2 overall with Penn on the sideline.
When Page missed five of six games recently, Page handled the majority of the duty at the point. Expect that to continue, with Gulley still prone to too many freshman mistakes.
A push toward more Page seemed to be the tone when Cowboys coach Travis Ford was asked if Penn’s injury presented an opportunity for Gulley.
“Absolutely,” Ford said, before continuing on. “It’s an opportunity for Keiton. Keiton Page hasn’t played much point. He should have wanted to have played some point this year. Being his size and everything, I wish he would have worked all summer long (and said), ‘Coach I want to be the point guard.’
“He might have wanted that. We never really gave him a shot. So now it is his chance, if that’s something he wanted. He’s never really said it, but it should be. It should be something that he should want to be able to do.”
Reading between the lines, it may present Page’s best opportunity going forward, as in next year and beyond, when he could be a top backup option at the point and shooting guard spots. The prize of the Cowboys’ recruiting class is 6-3 guard Markel Brown out of Louisiana, who figures to jump into the shooting guard spot previously manned by Page.
Currently redshirting JP Olukemi should get a serious look at the 3 position, as Ford looks to get bigger.
So the more versatile Page can be, the better.
In that regard, it’s an important stretch for Gulley, too, since Page could be infringing on his future playing time at the point.
Ford said he’s not looking for any specific stat numbers from Gulley.
“No, we haven’t talked about that,” Ford said. “I don’t want to put that pressure on him. I did that with Byron (Eaton) last year, midway through the season. I do it with certain guys with different stats. But, with him, more positives than negatives. And understand your job on defense. First and foremost, understand your job and don’t turn it over.”
No pressure? The pressure is on.
OSU-A&M: Afterthoughts
By John Helsley
jhelsley@opubco.com
The Cowboys answered a major question Wednesday night: How would they handle the aftermath of their big win at K-State.
Asked and answered. In fine fashion.
OSU’s 73-69 win was solid, especially considering the Cowboys were without starting point guard Ray Penn again.
A&M actually played one of its best offensive games of the season, uncharacteristically firing in 3-pointers. And OSU weathered the blows and came out with a home win — a mandatory home win — that revealed another positive development.
Backup point guard Fred Gulley, splitting time with Keiton Page in replacing Penn, played his best game yet. It was reminiscent of Saturday, when Nick Sidorakis emerged with a breakout game.
“(Gulley) made plays tonight,” said Cowboys coach Travis Ford. “His offense came by making plays, not by him trying to create something himself. That’s not his game. He got it by a back-door layup. He got it off a tip-in. he made free throws. That’s what he needs to do. And he can do that, because he’s athletic and he’s long. We need some of that out of him. That’s a huge bonus when we can get a few points out of him, because our team struggles at times to score.
“Just as Nick did last game, I thought Fred did this game. When you’re trying to just survive and piece minute-by-minute together, the way we’re doing, you’ve to have guys step up that may not normally be scoring a lot of points or playing a lot of minutes. You’ve got to have that.”
For Gulley, who scored a career-high eight points, it was an opportunity to shake some recent struggles and show some of the stuff that made him a two-time Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year.
“I really feel like this is something I can build upon,” Gulley said. “I feel like myself out there and how I’m used to playing. It just felt good and hopefully I can build on it.”
So does Ford.
The Cowboys’ next test takes them to Mizzou, where the Tigers bring the pressure for 40 minutes. Penn’s status remains iffy. And even if he is able to play, Gulley will be needed.
“The more I play, the more confidence I’ll get,” Gulley said. “I know Missouri likes to do a lot of pressure, but if we handle it right we can use the pressure against them and turn that into a lot of easy offense.
“(Wednesday) was just a good startup. We’re going to keep working to where we feel good against Missouri and can handle their pressure.”
