Bedlam Breakdown
The Cowboy kids -- Markel Brown, Mike Cobbins and Le'Bryan Nash -- celebrate a Bedlam win.
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
Several times this season, Cowboys have chatted on about their tough half-court defense, drawing nods and thoughts of “yeah, yeah, yeah.”
Well, maybe it’s time to buy in.
The Cowboys put the clamps on OU Monday night, forcing the Sooners into a 32.4 percent shooting night in a 72-65 Bedlam win.
OU made just 24-of-74 shots from the floor.
In three Big 12 games now, the Cowboys have held Texas Tech to 39.6 percent shooting, Texas 30 percent and OU 32.4 percent.
“We know our half-court defense is going to be our identity,” said Cowboys captain Keiton Page.
As for the rest of us, we’re slowing catching on. And to think, we’ve always expected offense from Travis Ford’s teams.
“(Defense) is something we take a lot of pride in, Ford said. “In the past it has gotten overlooked. It’s not now because we can’t score.
“Everybody used to think all I did was offense and my teams have always scored a whole lot of points. But the people who know us, we probably spend 70 or 80 percent of our time on defense every day. Our offense shows that at this point.”
Monday night, OSU’s offense looked better, too, although it’s not necessarily reflected in their final 38.6 percent shooting number. But that number was skewed late, when the Cowboys tried to run clock and wasted several offensive possessions. And overall, they moved the ball with better spacing and flow, resulting in several dunks and back-door layups, the result of a new emphasis to get players moving more fluidly on the floor.
OSU’s 13 assists were the team’s third-highest total of the season.
A few more day-after Bedlam thoughts:
* Le’Bryan Nash is finding his second gear. Recent games have seen him play with more energy and passion, resulting in more production, which the Cowboys desperately need to free Page and the rest of the Cowboys. Now, imagine what Nash can be when he finds third and fourth gear.
* While depth is a concern, the reduced roster may turn out to be a good thing for the Cowboys, both now and long-term. Ford admitted Monday night that he was previously struggling with sorting through all his available players to see who could play and who couldn’t. The defections of Fred Gulley and Reger Dowell and the unfortunate injury to Jéan-Paul Olukemi have forced Ford’s hand. And the resulting increased playing time for freshmen Brian Williams, Michael Cobbins and Marek Soucek has been beneficial, with all three looking like winning players for the future.
* The crowd wasn’t classic Bedlam, but it grew to be pretty good… considering. The teams were going up against the BCS title game, which has since been revealed as the No. 2 watched cable TV program – ever. Another factor playing against the basketball game was a 6 p.m. tip that made it difficult for fans coming from Tulsa or Oklahoma City. So a gathering of 9,000 or so isn’t at all bad.
Keiton Page Deserves Better
OSU's Keiton Page (12) dribbles past Texas Tech defender Javarez Willis (5) in the first half of a men's college basketball game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys and the Texas Tech University Red Raiders at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
Opinions on Keiton Page vary widely.
And wildly.
I don’t get it.
The Cowboys haven’t been great this year – or last – but I shudder to think where they’d be without Page.
So he doesn’t pass the eye test. And he’s not the best athlete on the floor; heck, may be among the worst.
Maybe the Pokes have too many athletes. Page is a basketball player.
And a winner, lugging around a young team struggling to find its way, doing his best to will it to victories. And Wednesday night’s win over Texas Tech in a Big 12 opener – a must win, lest there be any doubt – featured Page pulling the Cowboys over the finish line again.
Happy to let Le’Bryan Nash shoulder the load early, Page answered the call when needed late. He finished with 23 points, the bulk of which came with the rest of the Cowboys tightening on the offensive end.
Page scored OSU’s final 12 points and 16 of its final 17.
And in his third game at the point, the Cowboys committed just two turnovers – a school record – with Page providing five assists.
What’s not to like?
After the game, Tech coach Billy Gillispie gushed about Page. And if you think it was just polite coachspeak, it sure didn’t play that way.
For two seasons now, Page has been the object of opponents’ bad intent, drawing major attention that makes it difficult for him to even catch the ball in a normal flow, let alone get shots. With OSU lacking true scoring options, teams focus first and foremost on slowing Page.
Bill Self. Rick Barnes. Frank Martin. All have saluted Page, whether verbally or by devising defensive schemes aimed primarily at him.
That, friends, is respect.
When James Anderson and Obi Muonelo were still around banging down shots, things were easier for Page, who often found himself left free to fire.
Those days are long gone.
So Page is asked to carry the load, as hard as that is for a 5-8 unspectacular athlete to pull off. And more often than not, he obliges. Beyond all that, no other Cowboy is as orange as Page, anOklahomakid with a sense of school history who always plays the good soldier, representing the program in good times and bad.
His reward: a mixed bag of love and hate.
C’mon, get off Page’s back.
His burden is heavy enough.
–
By John Helsley
jhelsley@opubco.com
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
OSU-SMU: Five Things
By John Helsley
@jjhelsley
Because it’s December and it’s still too soon to surrender on the season, OSU’s game against SMU tonight inAmericanAirlinesCenteris big.
Big enough even to call a must-win, if – if – the Cowboys still hold NCAA Tournament hopes.
Bottom line: The Pokes are better than SMU. They should win this game; not that just being better has assured anything this season. There hasn’t been a game yet in which you came away from a Cowboys win thinking they really looked good or produced a complete effort.
Still, let’s go on the assumption that OSU has the better players and should win. And forget theDallaslocale, this won’t be some sort of home-court advantage for SMU.
So it’s must-win.
Here are five things to watch:
1. The Point Plan. Keiton Page surely gets the nod at the point, a move necessitated by the failure of the other three guys to hold that spot – Fred Gulley, Reger Dowell and Cezar Guerrero. Of course, Gulley and Dowell have since left the program. Guerrero’s playing time figures to get a major bump. But it’s mostly about Page. And while a lot of folks have claimed this is what they’ve all been waiting for, it’s not ideal, for Page or the Pokes. Remember, Page was pushed to the point for a while last year. And it didn’t work out so well. Opponents pressured Page all the way up the floor, making him labor just to get the ball past midcourt. It wore him down on the offensive end, affecting his playmaking ability as well as his scoring ability.
2. Nash’s Homecoming. For freshman Le’Bryan Nash, this game represents a return home to theDallasarea where he starred as a prep player. How will he respond? Will it fire him up? Will he try to do too much? The Cowboys need Nash at his best.
3. The Rotation. Previously, a rotation that stretched as many as 10 deep created problems for Cowboys coach Travis Ford, who had to try to manage playing time for so many deserving players. With Gulley and Dowell now gone, some of that has been alleviated. Will that mean increased time for Brian Williams or even Marek Soucek?
4. About The Mustangs. SMU was pretty good a year ago, winning 20 games. But these aren’t those Mustangs. Even at 7-4, they don’t own a quality win and have lost toColoradoState,FresnoState, Oral Roberts andJacksonState. Did we say must-win?
5. Defining Roles. The buzz word surrounding this OSU team early was versatility. Now, you have to wonder if mixing and matching players and working guys at different positions may have set them back, with guys not fully recognizing their roles. That’s sure the way it’s looked. Maybe the trimmed roster allows for better definition.
Point Of Emphasis: What Do The Cowboys Do Now?
Cezar Guerrero is the point guard of the future. Is that future now?
By John Helsley
jhelsley@opubco.com
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
Just last week, Reger Dowell talked excitedly about OSU’s game against SMU (coming up Wednesday night atAmericanAirlinesCenter), which offered a return home for theDallasarea product. Dowell was a high school standout at nearbyDuncanvilleand relished the chance to play before family and friends.
Presumably, Dowell is already home, having left the Cowboys program as the latest defector from the recruiting class of 2009.
Dowell’s departure appears curious on the surface, as his profile as the point guard on the team had seemingly been enhanced with Fred Gulley’s exit a week earlier.
Except Dowell’s rise in status was apparently brief.
The Cowboys, struggling to find an offensive identity – with point guard play a considerable factor in the ongoing struggles – seem ready to turn back to Keiton Page at the point.
Page, who played there some a year ago, offers the most stability and leadership, although his perimeter offense has typically suffered when he’s running the point. But then, Page’s offense was already suffering in a stagnant system that made it a challenge for him to even shake free for shots.
And with the season a teetering disappointment at 6-5, Cowboys coach Travis Ford seemingly has seen enough, and will place the offense in the hands of the one player he trusts the most: Page.
Freshman Cezar Guerrero, the point guard of the future, remains in place. His role should increase, either in sharing the position – allowing Page to still play predominantly at the 2 – or as a backup receiving significant minutes.
So, what to make of Gulley and Dowell leaving two weeks apart?
The answer is probably complex.
This we know: Ford is hard on point guards, as a former point guard with high standards himself. Gulley’s former Twitter photo was a shot of him standing there, taking a serious tail-chewing from Ford on the sideline.
This we also know: since Byron Eaton’s senior season, the Cowboys have gotten little from the point, rolling through several players at the position. Few assists. Few points. Fewer and fewer wins.
This season was no different, with Gulley, Dowell and Guerrero all failing to seize opportunity. It all comes down to playing the way Ford wants them to play, which is unselfishly. It’s his way or…
And that brings us back to the 2009 recruiting class, Ford’s first at OSU. From that group, all three point guards – Gulley, Dowell and Ray Penn – have all bolted from an overall group of defectors that stands at a staggering six players, seven if you count Karron Johnson, who signed but never made it toStillwater.
Jarred Shaw, Roger Franklin and Torin Walker have also moved on, making for the washout of an entire recruiting class.
What to make of that?
Well, in hindsight, a class that was originally highly ranked has been revealed as something far less. As players, no one from that list will be missed with great regret.
Still, that many players bailing out doesn’t look good. And some of them could have been solid role players, although they’d first have to accept such a role. Guys today are less inclined to think of themselves as anything less than stars.
Going forward, Ford would be wise to get Guerrero as much time at the point as possible, as he’s clearly the guy going forward.
Phil Forte, signed in November, is more of a shooter, although he could help at the point. And there’s no one else coming who projects as a point guard, although the Cowboys will surely be on the search again with scholarships opened up.
In the meantime, the Cowboys will have a different look going forward this season. And, considering what we’ve seen, that may not be all bad.
John Helsley’s Power Lunch Chat Recap
Gina Mizell’s Power Lunch Chat Recap
OSU football commitment Trace Clark video highlights
I realize that high school recruiting videos showcase only a player at his best. But this video features eight and a half minutes of Wichita, Kan. defensive end Trace Clark, Oklahoma State’s latest commitment, mauling people. That’s a lot of mauling.
Clark comes from a family of athletes. His father, Stevan, was played at Kansas State and was as defensive end for the New England Patriots in the early 1980s. His brother, Zac, is a senior defensive tackle at Oregon. His two sisters are or were Division I volleyball players. Here’s an interview with Trace Clarke as a sophomore talking about his football future.
Cool love hair, sort of an Anderson Varejao look.
Gina Mizell’s OSU Power Lunch Chat Recap
OSU Hoops: Taking Manhattan?
Markel Brown could get the call for slowing Pitt's Ashton Gibbs.
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
Sitting there in JQH Arena Wednesday night, watching the Cowboys fall behind by 12 early in the second half – following a fading performance to the first half – I couldn’t help but think, ‘Here they go again.”
With a road losing streak dating back to February of 2010, it looked like just another disappointing excursion away from home.
Then something happened, giving the Cowboys and their fans reason for hope.
A team struggling to reveal an identity, revealed some fight and toughness in an enemy arena that while hardly hostile, was still energized and fully against them.
The Pokes made plays.
They made shots.
They got stops.
They made free throws!
And, again on the optimistic side, a squad heavy on freshmen and sophomores took a step toward growing up.
“It’s a huge step for us,” said senior guard and captain Keiton Page. “We know how tough it is (on the road). When you go out there and play like a team, like that, we can be really good.”
Now comes a very different challenge: No. 15 Pitt, today at 1:30 p.m., inside Madison Square Garden.
This is a game Cowboys players have anticipated in scanning a difficult nonconference schedule. Their last trip to the Big Apple didn’t go so well. They hope they’ve indeed grown in this return for an ESPN2 event.
They better have, as this figures to be their toughest test – to date, and perhaps for this entire season.
This collection of Cowboys has upside – a dangerous word.
Five thoughts on the Pokes entering into the Pitt game:
1. The roster is deep with talented pieces. And a lot of different guys contributed in the 72-67 win over Missouri State, a team picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference.
But the task for OSU coach Travis Ford remains putting those pieces together in the right combinations and finding an offensive flow that fits their skills, of which shooting and post offense are not a part of.
Ford has begun tightening his use of the roster – more on that to come in Monday’s Insider edition in The Oklahoman – and more is in order, particularly today.
2. Le’Bryan Nash, the famed freshman, may be figuring things out somewhat, although the process will take time. The Cowboys need Nash to man up, which he did at Missouri State, playing aggressively and with a toughness, giving his team scoring and rebounding down the stretch.
Finally, we’re seeing that he can be a go-to type of scorer on the offensive end. The Cowboys went to him Wednesday and he responded.
3. Philip Jurick is turning out to be a great find and addition. But he must avoid foul trouble. He’s OSU’s only real power presence in the post, able to offer some physicality. And while he should be aggressive in going for blocked shots, a great deterrent for opposing teams, he can’t help if he’s on the bench with fouls.
4. Pitt is good, really good, maybe even Final Four good. The Panthers took a tumble in the rankings when they lost at home 86-76 to Long Beach State in mid-November. Pitt has won six straight since. And the Panthers are led by a tough senior tandem of Ashton Gibbs and Nasir Robinson. Gibbs is big-time good and he could prove troublesome for the Cowboys today. Pitt, like OSU, also has a dynamic freshman in 6-9 forward Khem Birch.
5. Winning today will be tough, extremely tough. But the Cowboys need to at least play well. The Missouri State win was a solid win on the road and it couldn’t have come at a better time, with confidence in danger of slipping and the Panthers next. That win bought the Pokes some time, win or lose in Manhattan. Still, a poor effort could surrender some of those positives.
Power Lunch: Chat with Gina Mizell
