Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Men's Basketball Faces Arkansas-Little Rock Tuesday Night
December 18, 2000 | Cowboy Basketball
Dec. 18, 2000
Tuesday's Game
Oklahoma State re-opens its 62-year-old home Tuesday when the Cowboys host
Arkansas-Little Rock in the first game played in the new Gallagher-Iba
Arena. Construction on the building began Jan. 12, 1999, and while some
auxiliary areas are not complete, the arena is now ready to host its first
games since March. The date equals the latest home opener in school history,
the 1933-34 team opened its season against Central Oklahoma on Dec. 19,
1933, with OSU winning 33-27.
OSU-UALR: The Series
OSU has won the only two previous games between the schools. Ironically, the
last meeting, the Cowboys defeated UALR 93-64 on Nov. 23 last year -- in the
first college basketball game played in Little Rock's ALLTEL Arena, the new
home of the Trojans. The other previous meeting came Dec. 12, 1998, with OSU
winning 88-41 in Oklahoma City.
OSU Coach Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) is in his 11th year at OSU and his 31st
year overall. Under his guidance, OSU has advanced to the NCAA Tournament
eight times. Sutton currently owns a career record of 664-260 (71.9 percent)
overall and is 234-96 (70.9 percent) at OSU. Sutton is the only coach to
take four different schools to the NCAA Tournament.
A quick look at Tuesday's game
Tuesday's game ends a string of six "home away from home" games, while its
true home court was under construction, Oklahoma State played two
exhibitions and four regular-season games throughout the state, winning all
four regular-season contests ... OSU, opening its 63rd season in
Gallagher-Iba Arena openers, is 59-3 all-time in GIA openers and has won its
last 25 home home-opening games ... Through Dec. 17, UALR (35.0) is ranked
fifth in the nation in field-goal percentage defense, and OSU (36.9) is
ranked 15th ... The game is also the debut of the Cowboy TV Network, the
network will televise four Cowboy games this season beginning with the UALR
contest.
OSU manages sluggish victory over Demons
OSU owned a 55.1-to-33.9-percent shooting advantage and out-rebounded
Northwestern (La.) State 43-25, but 23 turnovers and 58.6-percent free-throw
shooting prevented the Cowboys from pulling away for a more comfortable
victory Saturday. Oklahoma State ended up with a 73-59 triumph in the game
played in Oklahoma City as the team's final "home away from home" contest of
the year.
Another week, another award for Baker
Juco transfer Maurice Baker has bolted toward the top of the very early
contenders for the Big 12's newcomer-of-the-year award. The 6-1 guard leads
OSU in scoring (19.5 ppg) and assists (3.5 apg) and is second in rebounding
(6.0 rpg). He led OSU in scoring (17), rebounds (eight), assists (four) and
steals (three) at Wichita State, becoming the first OSU player to lead the
team in those four categories since Chianti Roberts did so against Tulsa on
Nov. 22, 1996, and scored a career-high 25 points against Arkansas. His
performance in those two games made him the Big 12 Rookie of the Week for
Dec. 12. Baker, who has averaged 22.8 points in the past five games after
scoring 24 against Northwestern State, was the Big 12 Player of the Week for
Dec. 5 after scoring 24 and 23 points against North Texas and UNLV.
Andre Williams on track in career blocks
Sophomore forward Andre Williams, one of just three returning lettermen for
OSU, has recorded double-doubles in the past two OSU games. He had a
career-high 16 points against Northwestern State, scoring 10 to help OSU
open up a seven-point lead in the first half. Williams had picked up the
second double-double of his career with an 11-point, 13-rebound performance
against Arkansas. His career-high 13 rebounds were vital as the Cowboys
maintained a modest rebounding edge over the Razorbacks. Though he has
played just 34 games in his Cowboy career, Williams is already 10th in
school history in blocked shots with 46.
OSU rallies to beat Arkansas in thriller
OSU erased a 10-point second-half lead and hung on for an exciting 74-73
victory over No. 21 Arkansas on Dec. 9. The Cowboys trailed by as many as 12
points in the first half, and Arkansas led by 10 with 11 minutes to play.
But despite going up against a Razorback defense averaging a plus-12.3
turnover margin coming in, the Cowboys committed just one turnover in the
final 11 minutes and hit 51.9 percent of their shots while holding Arkansas
to 36.7 percent. Victor Williams' three-pointer -- just OSU's third in the
game while Arkansas dropped in 13 -- tied the game at 62 with 4:33 left, and
Maurice Baker gave the Cowboys the lead for good two minutes later. Baker
also clinched the victory, giving the Cowboys a four-point lead with 9.4
seconds left when he hit two free throws. The triumph was OSU's first over a
ranked non-conference opponent in a regular-season game since the 1991
Preseason NIT.
Jonzen renews scoring touch
Swedish import Fredrik Jonzen, whose breakout performance in last year's
postseason earned him All-East Region honors in the NCAA Tournament,
struggled offensively with just eight points at Wichita State. Though he
scored just four points in the first half against Arkansas, he busted out
for 15 important points in the second half, including eight during OSU's
decisive 26-11 run. Jonzen scored 13 points and had seven rebounds in
Saturday's victory over Northwestern State.
Victor Williams shines in second game
Transfer guard Victor Williams, who came to OSU after a year at Illinois
State, had 20 points against North Texas to go along with three assists and
three steals. Against Arkansas, Williams scored 13 points -- 11 in the
second half -- including one of the game's biggest baskets, a three-pointer
that tied the game with 4:33 remaining. Williams went to the free-throw line
with five seconds left against UNLV needing to make both charities, he
swished both attempts to send the game into overtime.
Up next
OSU plays its final game before the holiday break Friday when the Cowboys
host Lamar in a 7 p.m. game. The Cowboys visit San Diego State on Dec. 30
and return home for a Jan. 3 game against Texas-San Antonio before opening
Big 12 play at Texas on Jan. 6.
On the air
OSU games are broadcast on the Cowboy 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 10th year as the
Cowboys' basketball radio team, Dirato is calling OSU men's basketball for
the 24th season. 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.
For Tuesday's game, Teegins slides over to the television side to handle play-by-play duties on the Cowboy Television Network while Dave Garrett handles radio duties. Teegins will be joined by ESPN color analyst Jimmy Dykes for Tuesday's game. The Cowboy Network includes KSBI (channel 52) in Oklahoma City, KWBT (channel 19) in Tulsa, KWEM (channel 31) in Stillwater, KOMI (channel 24) in Woodward, Cox Cable local channels throughout Oklahoma, and (for non-conference games only) College Sports Southeast.
Head Coach Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) is in his 11th year at his alma mater
with a 234-96 record at the school as well as a 664-260 overall mark in his
31st year of collegiate coaching. Under his guidance, OSU has advanced to
postseason play in nine of 10 years and has won 20 games or more eight
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 one active coach (Tarkanian) ranks ahead of Sutton in both victories and winning percentage, and Sutton is the 26th person overall and the fifth active boss to coach 900 NCAA games. 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.
Player Thumbnails
15 - David Anderson - F - 6-7 - 190 - Fr.
Played just two minutes against UMKC but scored seven points thanks to a
7-for-8 showing from the line ... earned eight minutes of floor time against
North Texas ... saw his first OSU action in the second exhibition, played
seven minutes and pulled down two rebounds ... originally from Levittown,
Puerto Rico, Anderson moved to the U.S. in summer 1998 ... averaged 18
points for Hargrave Military Academy in 1998-99 ... played with the Puerto
Rican national team in summer 2000 ... McDonald's All-American.
1 - Maurice Baker - G - 6-1 - 175 - Jr.
Career-high 25 points, including a layup that gave OSU the lead for good,
against Arkansas ... averaged 22.8 points in past five games ... 24 points
vs. Northwestern State ... 24 points (10 of 12 from the field), six
rebounds, five assists, three steals vs. North Texas ... 23 points against
UNLV, six in overtime ... Big 12 player of the week Dec. 5, Big 12 rookie of
the week Dec. 12 ... led OSU in points, rebounds, assists, steals at Wichita
State ... has hit at least one three-pointer in every game this season.
21 - Antoine Broxsie - F - 6-10 - 235 - Jr.
Academically ineligible to start the season but hopes to join the active
roster this winter ... finishing recovery from January reconstructive knee
surgery ... played in 57 games in two years for Minnesota, averaging over
four blocks per 40 minutes of playing time ... second on the team in blocked
shots in both 1997-98 and 1998-99 despite averaging 10 minutes of playing
time.
14 - Terrence Crawford - F - 6-6 - 235 - Fr.
12 points, four assists, three steals vs. North Texas ... received starting
assignment against California All-Stars and had 12 points, seven rebounds
... top recruit in Oklahoma in 2000 ... averaged 21.0 points, 11.9 rebounds
and 3.9 assists per game as a senior while leading McGuinness to a 26-3
record and its third consecutive class 4A state championship ... Tulsa World
Player of the Year and the Gatorade Oklahoma High School Player of the Year.
11 - Nate Fleming - G - 5-11 - 185 - Fr.
Got into the game late against UMKC and scored the first point of his
career, also saw action against North Texas and Northwestern State ...
played in four games last season but eventually took a medical redshirt ...
lettered three years in basketball under coach Garret Mantle and four in
tennis while at Edmond North ... helped lead Edmond North to a state
semifinal appearance and was a member of the national eighth-place AAU team.
13 - Guy Ikpah - G - 6-0 - 165 - Fr.
Team captain who helped lead Williamstown (N.J.) HS to the Tri-County
Championship in 2000 ... hit the game-winning shot against Pitman High
School ... scored career-high 37 points in a game as a junior ... averaged
8.0 assists and hit 68 percent of his three-pointers as a senior ... also
competed in cross country for one year ... full name is Kwaghhange Orngu
Ikpah.
12 - Fredrik Jonzen - F - 6-10 - 230 - Jr.
19 points, 15 in second half, vs. Arkansas ... 17 points, nine rebounds in
season opener ... 19 points, 10 rebounds against California All-Stars ...
earned Big 12 all-improved and all-underrated honors last year ... also an
Academic All-Big 12 first-team honoree and the only OSU player to earn
All-East Region status ... career-high 21 points against Pepperdine ... 30
rebounds in two Big 12 Tournament games, including a tourney-record 17
against Iowa State ... last name is pronounced "zyahn-ZEE-un."
43 - Jason Keep - C - 6-10 - 280 - Jr.
Started for the first time in his career against UMKC, responded with a
career-high 14 points in just 14 minutes ... averaged eight points, seven
rebounds, 13 minutes in exhibition games ... played in 20 games and hit
two-thirds of his field-goal attempts last year ... scored six points twice
-- against Langston and Nebraska ... has already become a Gallagher-Iba
crowd favorite ... averaged 15 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots
at North Idaho College in 1998-99, his freshman season.
24 - Ellis Kidd Jr. - G - 6-4 - 180 - Fr.
Battled a sprained knee throughout preseason and made his first appearance
as a Cowboy at Wichita State and played against Arkansas as well ... Dallas
Morning News All-Area selection ... helped lead Madison HS to a 32-3 record
and the Texas 4A championship game ... coached by his father, Ellis Sr., who
led the Trojans to three state-final appearances in the past five years ...
helped his team to a 29-5 record as a junior, averaging 14.8 points, 10.1
rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, earning All-District 13-4A honors.
3 - Daniel Lawson - G - 6-5 - 215 - Jr.
Scored eight points in 13 minutes of backup backcourt play in Enid ...
career highs of seven points, 19 minutes vs. Northwestern State ... played
twice last year but ended up taking a medical redshirt season ...
second-team NJCAA Division II All-American at Mott (Mich.) CC ... earned
Michigan community college player-of-the-year honors ... helped lead Mott to
a 26-6 overall record and a final No. 2 national ranking.
55 - Jack Marlow - C - 7-0 - 330 - Fr.
Four points, five rebounds in Cowboy debut vs. UMKC ... earned starting spot
against California All-Stars ... listed by some publications as the No. 2
prospect in Oklahoma, second only to Terrence Crawford ... averaged 17.3
points and 8.4 rebounds a senior, helping Union to a 21-5 record and a state
quarterfinal appearance for the second straight year ... second-team
All-Metro according to the Tulsa World ... averaged 18.1 points and 10.0
rebounds as a junior at Union ... coached by Rudy Garcia.
23 - Ivan McFarlin - F - 6-7 - 210 - Fr.
Will sit out the 2000-01 season as a partial qualifier ... all-state
selection after leading Willowridge to the class 5A state championship, its
third straight ... averaged 15.9 points, 14.9 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 3.2
steals ... MVP of the state tournament ... helped Willowridge finish the
year ranked No. 5 nationally by USA Today and No. 2 by HoopsUSA ... named as
a top-40 recruit nationally.
34 - Melvin Sanders - G/F - 6-5 - 205 - So.
10 points, four rebounds vs. UMKC ... 10 points, four assists, five steals
vs. North Texas ... 10 rebounds vs. UNLV ... hit for double figures in both
exhibition games, including a 14-point, seven-rebound effort against the
California All-Stars ... helped lead Seward County Community College to a
23-9 record in 1999-2000 ... first-team All-Jayhawk Conference ... stellar
track athlete who recorded a high jump of 7-2 to go with a 52-foot triple
jump and a 25-foot long jump.
40 - Andre Williams - F - 6-7 - 210 - So.
Career-high 16 points, 11 rebounds vs. Northwestern State for third career
and second straight double-double ... 11 points, career-high 13 rebounds vs.
Arkansas ... 13 points, eight rebounds, three blocks vs. UNLV ... 10 points,
six rebounds, three blocks, three steals at North Texas ... 10th in OSU
history in career blocks (46) despite playing just 34 games ... averaged
12.5 points, 5.5 rebounds in the two exhibitions.
5 - Victor Williams - G - 5-10 - 185 - So.
13 points vs. Arkansas, 11 coming in the second half, hit the game-tying
three-pointer with under five minutes remaining ... 20 points at North Texas
... 18 points, four assists against the California All-Stars ... Illinois
State's starting point guard as a freshman in 1998-99 and named the top
freshman in the MVC ... came into his own late in the year, averaging 13.4
points and 4.0 assists while hitting 53.1 percent of his three-pointers in
the final eight games of the season.
The OSU Athletics Center
Oklahoma State is slated to open its stay in the new Gallagher-Iba Arena in
mid-December. Here is a quick look at the facts of the construction:
Facility name: The arena itself will continue to be called "Gallagher-Iba Arena," but the entire facility is known as "The OSU Athletics Center."
Architects: Gary Sparks Companies
Contractor: Manhattan Construction
Projected capacity: 13,611
For current construction information, see the "Facility Update" section of OSU's Web site (http://www.okstate.com).
On tap this week
Here's a look at what is planned for construction during the week of Dec.
18:
- Complete ground-floor Gallagher-Iba finishes & inspections/punchlist
- EIFS at southeast corner
- Windows academics area
- MEP work control work and Test & Balance work
- Masonry: southeast corner & academics
- Metal roofing & cap flashing
- Concrete south street area
- Finishes in stadium club (flooring, painting & millwork)
- Steam tunnel work in Hall of Fame tunnel (on hold by OSU)
- Terrazzo east lobby, Heritage Hall & ground floor areas
- Punchlist new arena all areas
- Academic center/practice gym finishes
- Concourse finishes & inspection/punchlist
- Second-floor finishes
- Lower-level finishes
- OSU service agencies activities
- First game Dec. 19, 2000
Media Issues
Although press row will be virtually unchanged from the "old" arena -- apart
from its being located on the east side of the court rather than the west as
in past years -- media representatives should be prepared for a few changes
in OSU's press operations. Most importantly, press members will be asked to
wear their passes for press-room security purposes. More details will be
available as we near the arena's completion.
Cowboys set to Open Arena
Two years of anticipation will culminate Tuesday with the opening of OSU's
new Athletics Center, the home of Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Oklahoma State University and Manhattan Construction officials announced today that the Gallagher-Iba Arena court and adjacent seating will be ready for Tuesday night's men's basketball game with Arkansas-Little Rock.
However, since construction on many auxiliary facilities continues, much of the Athletics Center will be off-limits to the general public.
"Through hard work, we have accomplished the basic project objective," said Stephen McDonald, Manhattan project manager for the Athletics Center. "Manhattan, and the entire construction team, is very happy to be opening Gallagher-Iba Arena to the public.
"We certainly hope the public will like the end result," continued McDonald. "We are not completely finished with the Athletics Center project, so we hope fans will not be disappointed if there are some unfinished areas. We hope the unfinished areas do not inconvenience the fans in any way. Please bear with us, and these areas will be completed very soon to allow the entire facility to be used as designed."
There will be several areas of the Center that will be inaccessible to the general public, including the auxiliary gym, the academic center, Heritage Hall and Pete's Authentic Gift Shop. As with the past two years in the building, all of the public entryways will look very much like construction areas. Fans are encouraged to exercise caution when entering the building.
Tickets are available for OSU's first three men's basketball games -- Tuesday vs. Arkansas-Little Rock, Dec. 22 vs. Lamar and Jan. 3 Texas-San Antonio -- in Gallagher-Iba Arena, as well as several other events. The OSU women's basketball team plays its first home game Dec. 29 against West Virginia, and the wrestling team opens in Gallagher-Iba on Jan. 4 against Oregon. Fans interested in purchasing tickets may call the OSU Athletic Ticket Office at (877) ALL-4-OSU.
Athletics Center Frequently Asked Questions
What parking is available?
POSSE parking tags apply for basketball unless the tag specifically says
"football." Information has been mailed to season-ticket holders regarding
parking.
How early does the building open to the public?
The building opens 90 minutes before tipoff for men's basketball games and
one hour before the start of women's basketball and wrestling events.
Where does the public enter the facility?
The public will enter the facility through doors on the north and south ends
of the east side of the Athletics Center. Those needing wheelchair access or
holding floor or suite tickets will use the doors just off Knoblock Street
on the south or the doors next to the north parking lot (considered the west
side of the north and south public entrances).
Explain the process of entering the Athletics Center.
Tickets are torn when fans enter the building. A majority of people will
proceed to their seats through the main east lobby and take the escalators
to the concourse. The northwest and southwest gates are intended as pass
gates and for student entrances. Fans also have access to several stairways
that will lead to the concourse, as well as two elevators, one in each of
the northwest and southwest corners.
What fans are able to enter the arena on the floor level?
Only students and individuals that have tickets for floor seating (sections
AA through HH) will be allowed to the floor level.
Will there be signage telling fans where to go?
There will be some signage, but fans should look for ushers in yellow vests
for directions to their seats.
Will all concession stands and restrooms be functional?
All concession stands and restrooms on the concourse are expected to be
available, and selected spots on the ground floor will be available.
Will fans have access to the court after the game?
OSU Athletics is taking every precaution to protect the newly painted,
62-year-old floor of Gallagher-Iba Arena. For that reason, fans will not be
allowed onto the playing surface after the game.
Why are tickets available for games over the holidays even though the
building is sold out?
While classes are not in session, OSU provides the general public with an
opportunity to purchase the tickets usually reserved for students. The
student ticket package does not include the first three games in the
building, which take place while school is not in session.
Will there be any ceremony related to Tuesday's game?
No. The ceremonial dedication of the arena is Monday, Jan. 8, when OSU faces
Iowa State on Big Monday.
Will the scoreboard's video capabilities be operational?
No, they won't be this year. The scoreboard is finished, but the video
component has not been installed.
Tickets available for non-conference home games
Although Gallagher-Iba Arena is sold out for the season, tickets are
available for the first three non-conference games in the arena because,
since the games take place during holiday break, they were not included in
the student ticket package. Fans interested in purchasing tickets to the
games may call the OSU athletic ticket office at (877) ALL-4-OSU or may
access OSU's Internet site (www.okstate.com) and click on "Tickets."
