Oklahoma State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Set to Face Marquette
June 21, 1999 | Cowboy Basketball
November 18, 1998
#13 Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) at the
VoiceStream Wireless Challenge
Thursday and Friday, Nov. 19 and 20, 1998 * Cowboy Radio Network Stan Sheriff Center (10,300) * Honolulu, Hawaii
Probable Oklahoma State Starters
Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG F 34 Desmond Mason 6-6 207 Jr. 16.0 9.0 19 points, 14 boards vs. California East All-Stars C 45 Alex Webber 6-10 257 Jr. 0.0 3.0 14 rebounds vs. Athletes First G 20 Adrian Peterson 6-4 205 Sr. 21.0 6.0 Consensus preseason Big 12 player of the year G 35 Joe Adkins 6-2 190 Jr. 23.0 *4.0 22 points, six rebounds, six assists vs. Athletes First G 44 Doug Gottlieb 6-1 180 Jr. 3.0 *10.0 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in 1997-98 * - assists per game
The Schedule
Thursday, Nov. 18
OSU vs. Marquette, 5 p.m. HST (9 p.m. CST)
Nicholls State at Hawaii, 7:30 p.m. HST (11:30 p.m. CST)
Friday, Nov. 19
OSU/Marquette at Hawaii, 8 p.m. HST (Midnight CST)
OSU/Marquette vs. Nicholls State, 10 p.m. (2 a.m. CST)
About the Cowboys - Oklahoma State, ranked 13th by the Associated Press and 18th by USA Today/ESPN, travels outside the contiguous 48 states for the first time in four years when it competes in this weekend's VoiceStream Wireless Classic. The Cowboys, who competed in the 1994 Great Alaska Shootout in their last trip off the mainland, opened their 1998-99 season Monday with a 90-65 victory over Northwestern (La.) State.
Aloha - The Cowboys are returning to Hawaii for the first time since 1993, when OSU competed in the Rainbow Classic. The Pokes hope to fare better than that OSU team, which went 1-2 in its trip to the islands. In the two Hawaii tournaments in its history (1987 Seasider Classic and 1993 Rainbow Classic), OSU has not come home with a title.
OSU Coach Eddie Sutton - Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) is in his ninth year at OSU and his 29th year of collegiate coaching. Under his guidance, OSU has advanced to the NCAA Tournament six times. Sutton currently owns a career record of 610-241 (71.7 percent) overall and is 180-77 (70.0 percent) at OSU. Sutton is just the seventh coach to reach 600 wins in 28 or fewer seasons.
The series with Marquette, Hawaii and Nicholls State The Cowboys have won all three meetings with first-round opponent Marquette. The most recent meeting between the schools was a 1993 NCAA Tournament matchup in Indianapolis, with the Cowboys coming out on top 74-62. The teams had met in a home-and-home series the previous two seasons, with OSU winning 64-52 at home in 1991-92 and 70-43 in Milwaukee in 1990-91. Oklahoma State and Hawaii have met just once, with OSU owning a 57-52 victory in Stillwater on Nov. 30, 1978. The Cowboys and Nicholls State would be meeting for the first time.
Inside the numbers
Here's a look at how the four VoiceStream Wireless Classic
competitors compare statistically:
OSU MU UH NSU Overall Record 1-0 2-0 0-1 1-1 Scoring Offense 90.0 77.5 60.0 78.0 Scoring Defense 65.0 50.0 71.0 70.0 Scoring Margin +25.0 +27.5 -11.0 +8.0 Field-Goal Pct. 49.1 52.3 43.3 47.7 Field-Goal Pct. Defense 55.8 28.3 40.4 46.0 Free-Throw Pct. 71.2 66.7 50.0 64.3 Rebound Margin +4.0 +19.0 +3.0 +1.0 Three-Point FG Pct. 11.1 53.6 33.3 26.9 Three-Pointers Per Game 1.0 7.5 5.0 4.5 Turnover Margin +7.0 -8.5 -7.0 +7.0
Cowboys win foul-plagued season opener - Oklahoma State took advantage of 39 fouls whistled on its opponent and opened the 1998-99 season with a 90-65 victory over Northwestern (La.) State on Monday. The Cowboys led by 20 at the half, only to see the Demons rally to cut the lead to seven points. However, OSU closed the game with a 23-5 run to ice the contest.
Adkins leads the charge in home opener - Junior guard Joe Adkins led OSU in scoring in the season-opening victory, scoring 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Adkins nearly matched Desmond Mason's stellar performance in the exhibition against Athletes First, scoring 22 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out six assists. He hit three of seven attempts from long range against the California All-Stars and also dished out a team-high nine assists - a would-be career high - while pulling down five rebounds in a versatile effort.
Peterson opens season with strong outing Senior guard Adrian Peterson has been voted the preseason Big 12 player of the year, and he showed why with an impressive all-around performance against Northwestern State. Starting for the 87th time in his 89-game career, Peterson scored 21 points and also recorded six rebounds and a career-best six steals, which ties for the fifth-best single-game mark in school history. Peterson currently ranks 11th in school history in scoring (1,286).
Closure on openers - OSU has now won 24 consecutive home openers, a streak that began with a 1975 victory over Minnesota-Duluth. Although the majority of the lid-lifter triumphs have come by double-digit margins, there have been a share of close calls, most recently the miracle one-point victory over St. Mary's (Calif.) to open the 1996-97 season.
Mason stars in exhibitions, opening game Junior forward Desmond Mason earned preseason all-conference honors in this season's coaches' poll, and he showed why last week. Mason scored 19 points against the California East All-Stars, hitting seven of 12 field goals, and pulled down 14 rebounds (tying his career high) to lead OSU. Against Athletes First, he tallied 28 points to go along with eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocked shots. Mason opened the regular season with a quieter game but still had impressive numbers - 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
Montonati starts year with double-figure streak Junior forward Brian Montonati showed flashes of an impressive scoring touch last season, hitting for double figures in three games and, most memorably, scoring six crucial points late in the game at home against Oklahoma. Montonati has continued to show that form at the start of this season; he has scored in double figures in all three games against outside competition, including an 11-point performance against Northwestern State that also included four blocked shots.
Gottlieb continues to move up assist charts Junior guard Doug Gottlieb set a school record for assists average last season (6.9 apg) and earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Year recognition. Gottlieb opened the 1998-99 season in a similar vein, dishing out 10 assists in the Northwestern State game and moving past Byron Houston into 14th place on the OSU all-time assists list just one game into his second Cowboy campaign. Gottlieb now has seven double-figure assist games in his career, which ranks second in school history behind Andre Owens' nine. In addition, Gottlieb, a career 48.6 percent free-throw shooter, has hit nine of 11 attempts in OSU's first three games this year.
Frontcourt by committee impresses vs. All-Stars The biggest OSU question mark heading into the 1998-99 season, most "experts" agree, is the Cowboys' frontcourt play. However, OSU employed a four-man pivot rotation in the Nov. 10 exhibition and used it to near perfection. Starter Alex Webber and reserves John Gilmore, Brian Montonati and Scott Robisch combined for 67 minutes of action, producing 41 points (shooting 58 percent from the field and 83 percent from the foul line) and 22 rebounds. Gilmore scored 15 points, 13 in the second half, and Montonati had 12 points and nine rebounds.
Robisch adds scoring touch vs. Athletes First Sophomore forward Scott Robisch showed an impressive touch on his jumper in the Athletes First game, scoring a would-be career-high 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting. Robisch also pulled down five rebounds in the game while playing just 18 minutes. Robisch did set a career scoring high in the game against Northwestern State, tallying nine times to go along with five rebounds and three blocked shots.
Cowboys hit 100 in exhibitions - OSU hit 56 percent of its field-goal attempts and owned a 54-30 rebounding edge as the Cowboys closed their exhibition schedule with a 108-88 victory over Athletes First. The victory was OSU's 20th consecutive in exhibition games, dating to a 1988 loss to the USSR, and gave the Cowboys back-to-back 100-point games. Six Cowboys scored in double figures when OSU opened its exhibition season with a victory over the California East All-Stars. The Cowboys started slowly and trailed 11-4 with three minutes gone in the first half, but the Pokes used a 46-29 rebounding edge and out-shot the All-Stars 53.4 percent to 45.3 percent and pulled away for the 104-86 victory.
Looking ahead - After this week's tourney, the Cowboys return home Nov. 28 to face TCU, coached by former Oklahoma boss Billy Tubbs. The Cowboys and Horned Frogs staged a memorable contest last season, with OSU winning 82-81 in Fort Worth when two last-second tries wouldn't go down for TCU.
Cowboy Radio Network - OSU games will be broadcast on the OSU Radio Network with KWTV's Bill Teegins handling play-by-play duties and Tom Dirato, OSU coordinator of radio & TV, providing commentary. Dirato and Teegins are in their eighth year as the Cowboys' basketball radio team, and Dirato is calling OSU men's basketball for the 22nd season. This week's games, however, will feature Dirato on play-by-play and former OSU star and current volunteer coach Brooks Thompson on color, along with additional on-air support from coordinator of media relations Will Hancock. In addition to the traditional over-the-airwaves method, the OSU radio network can be accessed through the Internet (www.okstate.com) or on Teamline. Fans wishing to use Teamline should call (800) 846-4700 and use team code No. 1750. Use of Teamline requires a Visa or MasterCard.
Head Coach Eddie Sutton - Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) is in his ninth year at his alma mater with a 180-77 record at the school as well as a 610-241 overall mark in his 29th year of collegiate coaching. Under his guidance, OSU has advanced to postseason play in seven of eight years and has won 20 games or more six times. Sutton is the 20th coach in Division I history to reach the 600-victory mark, and he is just the seventh coach to reach it in 28 years or less, joining Denny Crum, Bob Knight, Adolph Rupp, Dean Smith, Jerry Tarkanian and John Wooden. Only three active coaches (Crum, Knight and Tarkanian) rank ahead of Sutton in both victories and winning percentage, and only one other coach - Nov. 28 foe Billy Tubbs - joins OSU's boss in having won coach-of-the-year awards in four different leagues. Sutton, who previously coached at Creighton, Arkansas and Kentucky, is the only coach in NCAA history to lead four different schools to the national tournament. With Sutton and Henry P. Iba among the 600-win club, OSU is one of only three schools - joining Illinois and Kentucky - with two coaches among the all-time top 20.
Years School (No. of Years) Pct. Conf. NCAA 1970-74 Creighton (five) 82-50 .621 --- 2-1 1975-85 Arkansas (11) 260-75 .776 139-35 10-9 1986-89 Kentucky (four) 88-39 .693 48-24 5-3 1991-99 Oklahoma State (ninth) 180-77 .700 71-45 11-6 Totals 28 years (851 games) 610-241 .717 258-104 28-19
Sutton at Oklahoma State Year Record Conf./Finish NCAA Final AP Notes 1990-91 24-8 10-4/First 2-1 14th OSU's second Big 8 championship 1991-92 28-8 8-6/T-Second 2-1 11th Second straight Sweet 16 1992-93 20-9 8-6/T-Second 1-1 23rd Big Eight Coach of the Year 1993-94 24-10 10-4/Second 1-1 19th NCAA Second Round 1994-95 27-10 10-4/Second 4-1 14th Final Four/Nat'l Coach of the Year 1995-96 17-10 7-7/T-Fourth --- --- 1996-97 17-15 7-9/T-Sixth --- --- First career NIT appearance 1997-98 22-7 11-5/T-Second 1-1 --- Big 12 Coach of the Year 1998-99 1-0 AP preseason No. 13
Preseason pubs pick Pokes -
Several preseason publications have rated OSU highly, most notably the Sporting News, which lists OSU No. 8 in the nation. In addition, polls of the Big 12's coaches and media have made the Cowboys the preseason favorite to win the league race. Here's a rundown of how various national prognosticators forecast the Cowboys' season.
Nat'l Big 12 in
Publication Rank Top 25 Notes
1998-99 College Basketball 19 KU 23
Athlon - OSU picked to reach NCAA Tourney; Peterson: honorable mention All-America Basketball News 12 KU 16 "Heavenly Hundred": Mason No. 62, Peterson No. 92 Dick Vitale's 20 KU 7 Peterson: No. 8 shooting guard, No. 3 "All-Rip Van Winkle"; Gottlieb: No. 20 pt. guard Lindy's 20 KU 14 OSU picked for NCAA 2nd round; Mason: No. 4 sm. forward in nation; Gottlieb: No. 19 pt. guard; OSU's backcourt rated ninth Sport 15 KU 11
Sporting News - 8 KU 9, OU 25 Peterson No. 6 shooting guard in nation; OSU's backcourt rated ninth Street & Smith's 14 KU 13 Peterson: honorable mention All-America; OSU picked for Sweet 16
Player Thumbnails
#35 * Joe Adkins * 6-2 * 190 * Jr. * G Led the Big 12 last season in free-throw shooting in conference games (88.0 percent) ... had his most impressive performance in the season finale against Duke, scoring 20 points and recording seven assists, five rebounds and two steals ... 23 points against Northwestern State to lead the Cowboys ... hit all three of the team's three-pointers against the California East All-Stars.
#4 * Glendon Alexander * 6-5 * 215 * Jr. * G Eligible to join the team for the Dec. 12 game against Arkansas-Little Rock; must sit out the first semester under NCAA transfer guidelines ... named to the SEC's all-freshman team two years ago ... the most prolific scorer in Texas high school history ... averaged 34.5 points and 8.9 rebounds as a senior at Newman Smith High School.
#42 * Zac Cazzelle * 6-5 * 220 * Jr. * G Walked on to the program this season; a likely redshirt who is expected to contribute next season ... spent a year at Northern Oklahoma College after transferring from Centenary ... started the final nine games of the year as a freshman with the Gents ... averaged 7.7 points in 27 games, playing over 20 minutes per contest ... scored in double figures nine times, including a career-high 18 in one game.
#32 * John Gilmore * 6-7 * 240 * Jr. * F Transferred to OSU from Tyler (Texas) JC after spending one year at Wisconsin-Milwaukee ... earned all-region and all-conference honors last season at Tyler ... averaged 18.7 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots while shooting 58 percent from the field ... MCC All-Freshman Team member two years ago while playing at UWM ... scored 15 points and pulled down five rebounds in the exhibition victory over the California East All-Stars.
#44 * Doug Gottlieb * 6-1 * 180 * Jr. * G The Big 12 Newcomer of the Year last season ... set a school record for assists per game (6.9) ... has hit 11 of 13 free-throw attempts in the three games so far; he hit 48.6 percent from the stripe last season ... dished out eight assists against the California East All-Stars and nine against Athletes First ... scored 10 points, hitting three of six field-goal tries, against the All-Stars ... 10 assists against Northwestern State, his seventh career double-figure assist game (second on the school list).
#33 * Michael Johnson * 6-7 * 220 * So. * F Saw action in 10 games last season, scoring four points vs. UTPA and two at Texas A&M ... was called "Too Much in the Clutch" by the Kansas City Star during his senior year at Shawnee Mission (Kan.) East High School after he hit numerous buzzer-beating shots to win games or send them into overtime ... possible redshirt this season.
#12 * Fredrik Jonzen * 6-10 * 230 * Fr. * F Played for the club team Sallns, which won the Swedish 20-and-under championship in 1997-98 ... named to the all-star team and was MVP at the championship ... spent one year as a teammate of Johnson at Shawnee Mission (Kan.) East High School ... missed the All-Stars game with an injury but saw action against Athletes First, scoring two points and pulling down three rebounds ... recorded just two points and three rebounds in 13 minutes but played well against Northwestern State.
#34 * Desmond Mason * 6-6 * 207 * Jr. * F Named to the preseason all-conference team by the league's coaches ... scored 19 points - and had 14 rebounds and four blocked shots - against the California East All-Stars, including an amazing reverse dunk off a Doug Gottlieb alley-oop pass ... 28 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks against Athletes First ... hit 12 of 17 shots Friday night ... 16 points, nine rebounds, three blocks against Northwestern State.
#30 * Brian Montonati * 6-10 * 220 * Jr. * F Scored in double figures in both exhibition games ... 11 points, six rebounds, 5-for-6 free throws against Northwestern State ... also blocked a career-high four shots against the Demons ... scored in double figures three times last year but had probably his most important performance at home against Oklahoma, when he scored six crucial points in the final 2:03.
#20 * Adrian Peterson * 6-4 * 205 * Sr. * G The Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year ... scored 18 points in both exhibition games ... scored 21 points for his 69th career double-figure game and his 21st 20-pointer ... trying to become just the fourth player in school history to average double figures in scoring in four consecutive years ... also looks to become the fifth player to lead OSU in scoring in three straight seasons ... 11th in school history in scoring.
#40 * Scott Robisch * 6-10 * 220 * So. * F/C Played impressively in both exhibition games, scoring 13 points and hitting six of seven field-goal tries against Athletes First ... career highs of nine points and three blocked shots against Northwestern State; also pulled down five rebounds ... hopes this season to avoid the injury bug that bit him in each of the last two years - had tendinitis in a knee and a broken hand two years ago and missed most of the year with a stress fracture in his thigh last season.
#24 * Rodney Sooter * 6-2 * 180 * Jr. * G Walked on to the program this season ... played for two years at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, playing for Coach Lonnie Spencer ... three-time all-conference and -district performer at Miami (Okla.) High School ... father, Mark, played baseball and basketball at Oklahoma ... uncle Bruce Sooter played basketball at Texas A&M.
#45 * Alex Webber * 6-10 * 257 * Jr. * C Hoping to regain the form he showed early in his freshman season ... missed the second half of his rookie year with a ruptured disk and never quite returned to form last year ... started both exhibition games at center ... played especially well against Athletes First, pulling down a would-be career-high nine rebounds in the first half and finishing with 14.
#31 * Jared Weiberg * 6-3 * 180 * Jr. * G Spent two seasons at Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa, Okla., playing for Coach Mick Weiberg, his father ... averaged seven points per game and hit 41.5 percent of his three-point attempts ... the nephew of the new Big 12 Conference commissioner, Kevin Weiberg ... his brother Chad is OSU's POSSE coordinator.
