Point Guard Competition Making Entire Cowboy Roster Better

Point Guard Competition Making Entire Cowboy Roster Better

August 18, 2017 | Cowboy Basketball

STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State men's basketball program under first-year head coach Mike Boynton has prided itself on competing every day.

Boynton has established that he wants a physical, level-heading starting five by the time November comes around, and that sentiment is especially true for the point guard position.

With All-American Jawun Evans having departed for the NBA this summer, a fierce competition has emerged among sophomore Brandon Averette, newcomer Kendall Smith and freshman Zack Dawson to see who will man the point for the Cowboys this fall. As expected, the physicality has been evident, and the tenacious guards aren't shy about contact.

"When I get on that court and cross those lines, there's no such thing as being too competitive," Smith said. "When we get off the court, we can be friends and shoot the breeze. But on the court, there's no such thing as being too competitive."

Averette said Evans will be tough to replace, but the competitive nature between him and the other point guards will only benefit the team.

"It's a killer mentality," Averette said. "But in the end, going at each other every day with this level of competition will only help us and the team."

Smith averaged a team-high 16.7 points per game and 4.8 assists per game in his redshirt-junior season at California State University, Northridge. Averette managed eight multi-steal games last season for the Cowboys, and Dawson is a four-star recruit from basketball-hungry Miami. Tempers are bound to flare when the competitive-natured guards go face-to-face.

Smith said he hopes to motivate an already hard-working Cowboy lineup to work even harder in the offseason. He said he wants his persistency in practice to translate into a resilient team.
"We're fighters," Smith said. "With me as an older guy, I want to bring that level of intensity every day. And it starts from leading by example."

Averette said he has been working throughout the summer on his facilitating the ball to his threats on the outside in Jeffrey Carroll and Davon Dillard, the only two returning OSU players with at least 50 made baskets last year.

With both athletic guards looking to showcase their talents in hopes of earning the starting role when November arrives, the intensity is unrivaled months before the first tipoff. But coach Boynton told the two they will get playing time together, adding to an already star-studded Cowboy lineup.

This physicality and show of emotion is merely a preview of the competitiveness and willingness to win from the team.

"We're ready," Averette said. "We don't care who it is. We're going to go to battle and compete, and we're going to try to win every night."