Oklahoma State University Athletics
Big 12 All-Stars Open with Victory
June 21, 1999 | Cowboy Basketball
August 8, 1998
STEVENAGE, England - The Big 12 All-Star Basketball Team got solid playfrom its three big men, while four players came off the bench to scorein double figures in a 116-72 win over the Steveange Rebels All-Stars onFriday in the first game of the squads European tour.
Texas center Chris Mihm scored 12 points, grabbed 14 rebounds andblocked seven shots and Nebraska center Venson Hamilton also notched adouble-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Kansas center EricChenowith scored 17 points to lead all Big 12 scorers.
The first-ever Big 12 All-Star squad also got solid help from the benchas Colorado guard Kenny Price hit four three-pointers en route to 16points. Oklahoma State guard Adrian Peterson scored 12 points for theBig 12 team in a reserve role.
Considering the team arrived in England just over 24 hours before thegame, Big 12 Coach James Dickey was happy with the win. Although histeam outrebounded Stevenage by an incredible 83-27, Dickey asked formore improvement from his team rebounding the basketball.
"We are happy with the win," said Dickey, who will be in his eighthseason at Texas Tech next year. "It gave us an idea of what it's like toplay a game on a foreign court. I thought our players did a nice job.Two areas we must improve on, one we've got to be stronger with thebasketball. It is a physical game over here. We've got to do a betterjob on the defensive boards."
The Big 12 shot 57.5 percent from the floor and 44.0 percent fromthree-point range. However, the Rebels All-Stars were limited to 27.5percent overall and 34.6 from beyond the arc.
The Big 12 squad, playing the first of three consecutive games in theStevenage Arts and Leisure Centre, won its first game of the six-gameEuropean tour that will take the 11-man squad to England, Belgium,Germany and France. On Saturday, the Big 12 All-Stars will play theBudweiser League's Manchester Giants, considered to be the best team inthe country.
"The Manchester team is probably the best team in all of England,"Dickey said. "It certainly is a big challenge we are looking forward to.Our players will understand having one game under our belts that theywill need to get ready because the competition is going to getstronger."
Dwayne Martin, the only American on the Stevenage squad, scored agame-high 24 points thanks in a large part to 11 free throws. BryanBalser hit four three-pointers, scoring 20 points for the Rebels.
"They are extremely athletic, extremely big," Balser said of the Big 12team. "They are well coaches. In particular, I like the off guards. Thebig men ar just huge. We just couldn't compete with that today. Theydominate the boards at both ends of the floor and we couldn't stop themfrom getting any shot they wanted in the paint."
The Big 12 All-Stars hit 11 three-pointers in the victory. With the Big12 down 8-7 early in the first half, Price keyed a 23-5 run with threestraight baskets, including two three-pointers.
"I got to sit down for a while and watch guys play," Price said. "I gotthe feel of everything, the atmosphere. Once I got used to what we wereup against, I just went in and played."
Price, a 6-4 guards from Springfield, Mo., averaged a team-high 14.5points last season and led the Big 12 in three-point percentage (42.1)and treys made (3.3). He was honored as the league's newcomer of theyear by the conference coaches.
"The transition coming here is a real hard one to make," Price said."It's tough with the eight-hour flight, trying to stay up all day tomake sure your nights are the way they should be and getting enoughsleep. It's been a good trip so far and I'm looking forward to the restof it."
The Stevenage Rebels All-Stars cut the Big 12 lead to 41-29 with lessthan five minutes remaining in the first period. However, the Big 12All-Stars outscored their English counterparts 20-11 the rest of the wayto hold a 61-40 advantage at halftime. In the second half, the Big 12team outscored the Rebels 28-6 over the first nine minutes.
NOTES: The team toured Cambridge Friday morning, which included a boattrip through the city. The squad visits London again onSaturday...Dickey started Kansas' Eric Chenowith, Missouri's Jeff Hafer,Oklahoma's Michael Johnson, Baylor's Jamie Kendrick, and Iowa State'sMartin Rancik...Dr. James Burke, Texas Tech's team doctor, is alsoaccompanying the Big 12 All-Stars. Burke was reared in England nearLiverpool before moving to the United States.
BIG 12 CONFERENCE ALL-STARS 116, STEVENAGE REBELS ALL-STARS 72
BIG 12: Jamie Kenrick 4-5 0-2 8, Martin Rancik 5-8 2-2 14, EricChenowith 8-11 1-2 17, Jeff Hafer 3-7 0-0 7, Michael Johnson 0-1 0-1 0,Rayford Young 2-4 1-1 5, Venson Hamilton 6-8 4-4 16, Kenny Price 6-140-0, Shawn Rhodes 3-7 0-0 8, Chris Mihm 4-7 5-9 13, Adrian Peterson 5-80-0 12, TOTALS 46-80 13-22 116.
STEVENAGE: Balser 7-21 2-2 20, Prescott 2-6 0-0 4, Gooch 0-2 0-2 0,Martin 5-10 11-14 24, Pwsland 1-23 4-6 6, Collins 2-4 0-0 5, Clarkson1-1 0-0 3, Lavaud 2-6 1-3 5, Attewell 2-7 1-1 5. TOTALS 22-80 18-28 72.
HALFTIME - Big 12 61, Stevenage 40. 3-Point FGs Big 12 11-25 (Kendrick0-1, Rancik 2-5, Hafer 1-2, Young 0-1, Price 4-9, Rhodes 2-4, Peterson2-3), Stevenage 9-26 (Balser 4-9, Prescott 0-1, Gooch 0-2, Martin 3-6,Powsland 0-3, Collins 1-2, Clarkson 1-1, Lavaud 0-1, Attewell 0-1).Fouled out - none. Rebounds - Big 12 83 (Mihm 14). Stevenage 27 (Martin,Attewell 5). Assists - Big 12 25 (Young 6), Stevenage 7 (Powsland,Lavaud 2). Total fouls - Big 12 26, Stevenage 15. Technical - none.Attendance - 500.
