Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Basketball Preview
October 30, 2001 | Cowboy Basketball
Oct. 30, 2001
Stillwater, Okla. - The 2001-02 version of the Oklahoma State Cowboys could be one of the deepest in the Eddie Sutton era at OSU. The Pokes have as many as 11 players that could play vital roles as Oklahoma State attempts a run at the national title.
A year ago, the Cowboys returned only three players that had seen any floor time from the previous season and no seniors. This year, there are five players that averaged more than 29 minutes a game and three others that started at least one game. Add into that a mix of newcomers and redshirts and its a prime opportunity for the dean of the Big 12 to prepare a championship-caliber squad.
It all begins with the guy wearing No. 1, Maurice Baker. The Big 12 Conference's Newcomer of the Year in 2000-01, Baker is the epitome of the do-it-all guard. Last year, he led the team in scoring, field-goal shooting, three-point shooting, free-throw shooting and dishing out assists. Add to the list his 6.7 rebounds per game and many consider him the best rebounding little man in the country. He's already been named to the preseason list for the Wooden Award, naming the top-50 players in the nation. He's the type of player that doesn't speak much, but lets his actions do the talking.
"I don't see how Maurice can top last year, because other teams are really going to concentrate their defensive efforts on him," said Coach Sutton. "I'd be surprised if his stats are as good. He may be a lot better player, but I don't know if he'll have the numbers that he had a year ago. That was an unbelievable year that he had. Without Mo Baker, we would have had a pretty mediocre year."
Another player that will vie for conference and possibly national honors is 6-10 senior Fredrik J?nz?n. A member of the Swedish national team this summer that participated in the World University Games, J?nz?n averaged 15 points per game last season while shooting 52 percent from his post position. His play was good enough to earn him all-conference honors by both the coaches and the Associated Press.
"Mo and Fred are the best two players on this team coming into this season, and I will express to them that this is their team," said Coach Sutton. "Fred got a lot of experience this summer over in China (with the Swedish National Team in the World University Games), and that will make him a better ball player."
The third senior in the class of 2002 is Antoine Broxsie, a 6-10 forward that saw action in 18 games last season and started four. He's an impressive shot blocker who transferred from Minnesota two years ago. He has the ability to see some considerable playing time should he choose to work at it.
The junior class is chocked full of potential. Victor Williams, who started 28-of-30 games a year ago, brings back an 11.5 points per game average, as well as 110 assists while averaging 33.5 minutes per contest. He was named to the Big 12's All-Newcomer team last year after transferring from Illinois State, where he was honored as the Missouri Valley Conference's Freshman of the Year. Vic had spurts of offensive output last year to go along with his defensive prowess. He worked hard on both his strength and his shooting ability during the offseason.
The most underrated player on the team has to be junior swingman Melvin Sanders. Not only did he start every game last season, but he was consistently called upon to defend the best player on the opposing team. Even with his defensive duty, he was able to manage eight points and over four rebounds per game. With his near world-class athletic ability, look for Melvin to step up his scoring on fastbreaks.
Andre Williams has the ability to block shots when nobody else expects him to. His 100 collegiate swats already rank him in the top five in OSU history after just two seasons. He had a career-high five blocked shots on two occasions last year, at Kansas and vs. Texas Tech. He started 17 games last season for the Cowboys, but has made it well-known that he likes to be the first player off the bench. Andre has been working on his midrange jumper for most of the offseason, and should be able to add it to his arsenal this year.
After a knee injury hampered his freshman season, Terrence Crawford has had a full offseason to rehabilitate his leg. He showed signs of greatness last season, and that should only improve with a year of experience in the Sutton system. TC had 76 points, 52 rebounds and 26 assists in just 22 games last year.
"Terrence is physically recovered from the injuries that impacted his freshman season," said Coach Sutton. "We expect a lot, and anticipate he'll do some of the things we thought he could do even as a freshman."
Jack Marlow spent the summer running with the offensive linemen of the football team, and was successful in dropping 20 pounds from his seven-foot frame. Look for Jack to be more active in the post this season, and he should get more minutes with his better endurance.
Ivan McFarlin is a forward who sat out last season, but did practice with the Cowboys. He's in the mold of Andre Williams, at 6-8 with a large wingspan. His work ethic is impeccable, both on the court and in the classroom. He is considered a rebounding and shot-blocking specialist, and will finally be able to show off his talents this year. Coach Sutton has consistently called him a "warrior".
A trio of newcomers have transferred to Oklahoma State this season, and two have a chance to contribute immediately. Aaron Hill is a 6-3 guard that has exceptional long-range ability. He's extremely athletic, and will be able to relieve Mo and Vic from the extensive minutes they played last season.
Cheyne Gadson is an NJCAA honorable mention All-American who is high on everybody's list. He's a potent point guard that passes well and is able to pull up and shoot the jumper. However, he had to go through knee surgery in late September and won't be able to return to full speed until early November.
"Cheyne (Gadson) and Aaron Hill are going to help us this season," said Coach Sutton. "Mo and Victor Williams last year probably played more minutes than any guard combination I've ever had. We almost wore those guys out. With Cheyne and Aaron, we're going to have more depth in the backcourt. Some of the best teams I've ever fielded have been ballclubs where we played three guards, so there will be times this year where we play Mo, Vic and one of those other guys."
The Cowboys got quite a transfer in 6-8 forward Jason Miller from North Texas. Jason averaged nearly 13 points and seven rebounds per game last year for the Eagles, but will have to sit out this season due to NCAA transfer eligibility rules. He had 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting in 21 minutes vs. OSU last year.
Coach Sutton has several horses in the stable for the future, with 6-8 freshman Pat Moore walking on with the Cowboys this year. Pat was considered the cream of the crop of the class of '01 after his sophomore year, and he was consistent his junior and senior season, earning Class 3A All-State honors at Pawnee High School.
Another newcomer that has piqued the interest of many Cowboy fans is 7-2 center Frans Steyn. Frans played rugby for 11 years in his home country of South Africa, but has never played organized basketball. Despite his unbelievable athletic ability, he is expected to redshirt this season, as he needs a year to develop his game.
"We are not planning on Frans to play too much, if he plays at all," said Coach Sutton. "People see what he looks like and they can't help but get excited. He has made so much progress in a short time, but you have to remember, he had never played basketball, and he has a lot of catching up to do. I don't see him playing much, if any. I am real excited to watch his development."
Also listed on the 2001-02 roster are freshmen Guy Ikpah, a redshirt freshman from Williamstown, N.J., Scott Blakemore of Bartlesville, Okla., and Jeff Johnson, of Kingfisher, Okla.
Practice couldn't come soon enough for Coach Sutton and the rest of the staff. The Cowboys will have to get prepared quickly as they open the season with a home game vs. Cincinnati on Friday, Nov. 17. The game will be the first of many to be televised, and will be a national broadcast on ESPN. The Bearcats have been ranked as high as 15th in some of the preseason polls.
"Its really good with the opening of the college basketball season because here in Stillwater, we have such a showcase facility and atmosphere for college basketball," Coach Sutton said.
UC is one of many teams ranked in the preseason polls that are on the Cowboys' schedule. Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas of the Big 12 have all been ranked in one poll or another. Fresno State is another OSU non-conference opponent that has received national recognition, as Jerry Tarkanian's Bulldogs are in the top 25 of several preseason polls.
"We've always tried to schedule to the quality of our team," said Coach Sutton. "That's why we tried to upgrade our schedule this year. It's a very challenging schedule but we believe we'll have a quality basketball team."
Oklahoma State will open the season in an unprecedented manner with five games in six days. Following OSU's season opener with Cincinnati, the Cowboys will host Austin Peay the following afternoon as part of the Las Vegas Tournament. Two days later, OSU will play Providence on Monday night and Siena College on Tuesday night in Vegas. Wednesday will be the championship round.
"I think it will be a good test for us that first week, like playing in the NBA," Coach Sutton said. "That's OK. It will give us a chance to evaluate our depth and we hope to be deeper."
After the Thanksgiving break, the Cowboys have a game vs. North Texas on Nov. 24, marking the sixth game in nine days for OSU. The game with the Eagles will be the first of five-consecutive home games for the Cowboys through the first half of December.
The next three games will be relatively short road trips to Kansas City (vs. UMKC on Dec. 19), Little Rock (vs. Arkansas on Dec. 22) and Oklahoma City (vs. Ball State in the All-College Classic on Dec. 29).
Oklahoma State will open the Big 12 portion of its schedule on Jan. 5 as the Cowboys entertain the Texas Longhorns. OSU will be looking for revenge as the 'Horns won all three meetings a year ago. The game will be the first of many to be televised as part of the Big 12 syndicated package.
Eighteen of OSU's games during the regular season will be televised, including five national broadcasts. Most fans that live within the state of Oklahoma will be able to see every away game, excluding the Las Vegas Tournament. Cowboy Sports Properties has picked up four road games that were not scheduled to be televised by another outlet.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys have a serious chance at competing for the Big 12 Championship and more in 2001-02. The components are there, its just a matter of it all coming together. And Eddie Sutton, one of the premier coaches in the country, is the man that is capable of doing just that.
