Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Face First Conference Road Test
April 09, 2003 | Cowboy Basketball
OSU-Baylor: The Series Oklahoma State owns a 32-11 margin in the all-time series and is 6-2 against the Bears since the start of Big 12 play three years ago. Although OSU won in Waco by 13 last year, previous Ferrell Center matchups had been exciting BU victories: The Bears defeated OSU 78-77 on Feb. 1, 1997, and 97-95 in double overtime Jan. 17, 1998.
OSU Coach Eddie Sutton Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) is in his 10th year at OSU and his 30th year of collegiate coaching. Under his guidance, OSU has advanced to the NCAA Tournament seven times. Sutton currently owns a career record of 644-253 (71.8 percent) overall and is 214-89 (70.6 percent) at OSU. Sutton is just the seventh coach to reach 600 coaching victories in 28 or fewer seasons.
No. 14/13 Oklahoma State Cowboys (12-1, 1-0 Big 12) at Baylor Bears (9-4, 0-2 Big 12) Saturday, Jan. 15, 2000 - 3 p.m. - OSU Radio Network - ESPN+ Waco, Texas - Ferrell Center (10,284)
Probable Oklahoma State Starters
Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG
F 30 Brian Montonati 6-10 220 Sr. 14.2 8.7
Averaged 21.0 points, 13.0 rebounds in two games last week
F 34 Desmond Mason 6-5 215 Sr. 18.5 7.6
Career-high 32 points in last visit to Ferrell Center
C 45 Alex Webber 6-10 270 Sr. 7.2 3.9
11 points vs. Texas Tech last Saturday
G 35 Joe Adkins 6-1 190 Sr. 9.9 *4.5
Needs 60 points to become OSU's 22nd 1,000-point scorer
G 44 Doug Gottlieb 6-1 180 Sr. 7.2 *10.2
Career-high 18 points against Langston, leads nation in assists * - Assists per game. Probable starters based on most recent game.
Probable Baylor Starters
Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG
F 21 Jamie Kendrick 6-8 210 Sr. 8.2 5.1
F 24 Terry Black 6-5 215 Jr. 15.5 10.2
C 54 Ben Echols 6-11 240 Sr. 8.6 7.7
G 3 Tevis Stukes 5-11 185 Sr. 17.8 *2.5
G 23 DeMarcus Minor 6-4 210 Jr. 10.3 *5.9
1999-2000 OSU Schedule/Results
Wednesday, Nov. 10 Athletes First (Exh.) W 93-80
Wednesday, Nov. 17 Global Sports (Exh.) W 91-63
Friday, Nov. 19 Appalachian State& W 87-75
Saturday, Nov. 20 Idaho& W 81-50
Tuesday, Nov. 23 at Arkansas-Little Rock W 93-64
Saturday, Nov. 27 North Texas W 103-65
Wednesday, Dec. 1 Wichita State W 68-56
Saturday, Dec. 4 Texas-San Antonio W 87-66
Sunday, Dec. 12 vs. San Diego State% W 97-63
Wednesday, Dec. 15 Alcorn State W 79-53
Saturday, Dec. 18 at UNLV# W 89-75
Tuesday, Dec. 21 at Washington W 84-72
Thursday, Dec. 30 vs. LSU@ L 53-63
Wednesday, Jan. 5 Langston W 125-65
Saturday, Jan. 8 Texas Tech* W 55-47
Saturday, Jan. 15 at Baylor* 3 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 19 Texas* 8 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 22 at Texas A&M* 12:45 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 26 at Kansas State* 7 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 30 Baylor* 12 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 2 at Texas Tech* 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 5 Texas A&M* 3 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 7 Kansas* 8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 12 at Oklahoma* 3 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 16 at Texas* 8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 19 Nebraska* 6 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 21 at Missouri* 8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 26 at Iowa State* 3 p.m.
Wednesday, March 1 Colorado* 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, March 4 Oklahoma* 8 p.m.
Thur.-Sun., March 9-12 Big 12 Championship All times CST, * - Big 12 Conference games, & - America's Youth Classic, Stillwater, Okla., % - game played in Oklahoma City, # - Las Vegas Showdown, Las Vegas, Nev., @ - Sugar Bowl Classic, New Orleans, La.
Scouting the Bears Under new head coach Dave Bliss, Baylor (9-4, 0-2 Big 12) has already won more games this season than it did all last year. Tevis Stukes (17.8 ppg) is one of the leading scorers in the Big 12, and Terry Black (15.5 ppg, 10.2 rpg) is one of just two league players currently averaging a double-double. Saturday's game will mark the end of a merciless three-game stretch to start BU's conference schedule - all three games will have come against ranked teams - and will be Baylor's first home conference game.
In the polls OSU reached a season-high No. 11 position in both major national polls before its Dec. 30 loss to LSU. The Cowboys have not been higher during the regular season since the 1993-94 team climbed as high as No. 8 in early December. OSU has been ranked in 10 consecutive AP polls, the Cowboys were ranked 11 straight weeks last season, a streak that was the longest since the 1990-91 and 1991-92 teams were ranked for 24 consecutive polls, including all 18 in 1991-92, just the fifth time in its history and the first since 1957-58 that an OSU team had gone wire-to-wire in the polls.
Inside the numbers Here's a statistical look at Saturday's opponents with their Big 12 rank in parentheses.
All Games Big 12 Games
OSU BU OSU BU
Overall Record 12-1 (2) 9-4 (6) 1-0 0-2
Scoring Offense 84.7 (2) 72.4 (8) 55.0 43.0
Scoring Defense 62.6 (3) 66.2 (8) 47.0 73.5
Scoring Margin +22.1 (1) +6.2 (8) +8.0 -20.5
Field-Goal Pct. 50.0 (2) 45.6 (7) 35.6 33.3
Field-Goal Pct. Defense 38.2 (2) 40.9 (7) 35.2 45.4
Free-Throw Pct. 70.3 (3) 64.7 (10) 81.8 64.7
Rebound Margin +6.2 (4) +4.6 (8) +8.0 -18.5
Three-Point FG Pct. 35.7 (8) 31.5 (12) 25.0 18.2
Three-Pointers Per Game 6.2 (5) 6.1 (6) 4.0 3.0
Turnover Margin +5.8 (1) -2.8 (10) +2.0 -5.0
Cowboys back to doing it with defense The OSU teams of the first half of the 1990s made their name with defense, holding opponents well below 45 percent in the vast majority of games. That trend shifted in the second half of the decade - remarkably, OSU was last in the Big 12 in field-goal defense in 1996-97 - although OSU did improve its ability to force turnovers. This season, OSU seems to have married the best of both trends, the Cowboys have held seven opponents under 40 percent field-goal shooting and have forced more than 20 turnovers in seven games as well. Here's a statistical look at OSU defense in Eddie Sutton's first five years at OSU and in each of the past five years:
Year(s) FG Defense TO forced
1990-95 41.3 13.3
1995-96 45.1 17.3
1996-97 44.7 12.7
1997-98 44.4 17.4
1998-99 42.3 16.3
1999-2000 38.2 20.1
Montonati continues consistent offensive output Senior forward Brian Montonati made a name for himself as a super sub last season, scoring in double figures 11 times off the bench and doing so five times in games when he played less than 20 minutes. Although he's stepped into a starting role - and parlayed it into six double-doubles and 10-points-plus scoring in every game - he continues to show a knack for scoring points in small amounts of playing time. The team's starting big forward is fourth on the team in minutes but second in scoring (14.2) and first in rebounding (8.7). Montonati scored a career-high 28 points to go along with 12 rebounds in last week's victory over Langston, and he had 14 points and 14 boards against Texas Tech. OSU wins ugly in league opener Oklahoma State shot a season-low 35.6 percent from the field but used excellent defense and a strong inside game to defeat Texas Tech 55-47 in Stillwater on Jan. 8. OSU's three-man frontline rotation of Fredrik Jönzén, Brian Montonati and Alex Webber combined to score 35 points and grab 26 rebounds to lead the Cowboys while the defense held the Red Raiders to 35.2 percent field-goal shooting.
Webber saves his best for when OSU needs it Senior center Alex Webber is displaying a talent for scoring points when his teammates can't seem to. Against Wichita State on Dec. 1, Webber scored 20 points, shooting nine-for-11 while the rest of the team hit just 27 percent of its shots. Webber slumped after that game, though, and had not scored in double figures since then heading into the Texas Tech game. Against the Red Raiders, Webber scored 11 points, hitting five of eight field-goal tries while the rest of the team hit just 16 of 51.
Jönzén provides inside punch off the bench Forward Fredrik Jönzén entered his sophomore season with no career double-digit scoring performances. But Jönzén has hit for 10 or more points six times this season, including in each of the past two games. He scored 10 points and hit five of seven field-goal attempts against Texas Tech, combining with Webber to shoot 67 percent from the field while the rest of the team shot 24 percent. The Swedish import averaged 2.3 points and 2.7 rebounds as a freshman, hitting 46.9 percent of his field-goal attempts and 42.9 percent of his free-throw tries. This season, he's at 9.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 60.3 percent from the field and 69.2 percent from the line.
Adkins' amazing clutch shooting shows up again Senior guard Joe Adkins earned OSU's "Mr. Clutch" award last season after hitting numerous late three-pointers in close games. Saturday, Adkins showed he still has that ability this season. The Cowboys' starting two-guard was two-for-11 from the field and one-for-six from three-point range in the first 39 minutes of the victory over Texas Tech. But with 1:08 remaining, OSU's lead down to six points and the shot clock at two seconds, Adkins hit an off-balance three-pointer over Tech center Andy Ellis to ice the victory. Adkins finished with 10 points in the game and moved ever closer to the 1,000-point barrier. On the OSU career records lists, Adkins ranks 27th in scoring (940), seventh in assists (351), 12th in steals (129) and fourth in three-pointers made (145).
Cowboys set plenty of milestones in victory The Cowboys' Jan. 5 game against Langston will leave its mark on the OSU records book. Winning 125-65, OSU set a school record for assists (36) - the team's first 15 baskets were assisted - and recorded the second-highest point total in school history (any of three missed three-pointers in the final minute would have notched a new mark) while also tallying the fourth-widest victory margin. Oklahoma State committed just seven turnovers, the last times a Cowboy squad had fewer were the Sweet Sixteen and Final Eight games in 1995, when OSU turned it over just six times against both Alabama and Wake Forest.
Career nights all around for Pokes Several Cowboys had career-topping performances in the team's victory over Langston. Montonati led the team in scoring with a career-high 28 points and recorded his fifth double-double this year, Desmond Mason pulled down a personal-best 15 rebounds to go along with his 22 points, giving him 18 career double-doubles, fourth in school history, Glendon Alexander recorded career highs in points (25) and three-pointers made (seven) despite playing just 23 minutes, and Doug Gottlieb recorded a career-best 18 points and his third career points-assists double-double. It marked the first time since a Jan. 8, 1994, triumph over Oklahoma that OSU had three players score 20 points in a regulation game.
Up next The Cowboys' biggest game of the season to date takes place Wednesday, Jan. 19, when OSU hosts nationally ranked Texas in an 8 p.m. game. The contest will be televised on the ESPN Regional network. After that game, OSU hits the road to face Texas A&M on Saturday, Jan. 22, and Kansas State on Wednesday, Jan. 26.
Mason continues to move up the charts Senior forward Desmond Mason is making his mark in several areas of the OSU records book. With 1,332 points in his career, Mason now ranks 11th in OSU career scoring. He also ranks eighth in OSU history in rebounds (669), 11th in steals (131), seventh in blocked shots (71), ninth in minutes played (3,104), ninth in games started (88), fourth in consecutive games started (83) and fourth in double-doubles (18). Mason scored 22 points and pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds in the victory over Langston.
Alexander's quick scoring triggers key second-half runs The Cowboys' sixth man, senior guard Glendon Alexander, has displayed an uncanny ability to score points in bunches, evidenced by his vital performances at UNLV and Washington. In both games, with OSU trailing, his rapid-fire scoring keyed game-turning runs for the Cowboys. Against the Runnin' Rebels, he scored 10 points in two minutes to lead a 14-0 run that gave OSU the lead for good, in Seattle, he hit for eight in one minute and 10 seconds as OSU scored 11 straight to defeat the Huskies. After scoring a career-high 25 points in just 23 minutes against Langston, Alexander has hit 28 of 54 (51.9 percent) three-point attempts in the past eight games. His career-high 25 points against Langston included a career-best seven three-pointers, the most by an OSU player since Randy Rutherford hit a school-record 11 against Kansas in 1995.
Gottlieb moves into all-time top 25 in assists Senior point guard Doug Gottlieb led the nation last season in assists and recorded the 13th-best single-season assist total in NCAA Division I history. Already this year, he is well ahead of his school-record assist average from last season. Gottlieb has 129 assists in the first 12 OSU games of the year, with 786 assists in his career, Gottlieb ranks 20th in Division I history. His current career average of 7.63 per game ranks 13th on the NCAA D-I chart. Duke's Bobby Hurley holds the total career assists record with 1,076, and Avery Johnson of Southern set the D-I record for career average with 12.00 per game. Gottlieb hit eight of 10 field-goal attempts against Langston, scoring a career-high 18 points and recording his third career points-assists double-double.
Other Cowboys can dish it, too In addition to Gottlieb's prowess as a passer, as well as Joe Adkins' - the Cowboys' starting backcourt leads the country in assists with 15.5 combined per game - the entire OSU team has made a name for itself as a strong passing team in the past couple of seasons. The NCAA statisticians' manual states that as a rule of thumb, 50 to 60 percent of field goals should be accompanied by assists. But in 1998-99, OSU's assist/field-goal ratio was 67.9 percent, compared with 60.7 percent in 1997-98. This season is little different, as 68.7 percent of the Cowboys' field goals have been assisted. After dishing out a school-record 36 helpers against Langston (including assists on the first 15 baskets), OSU leads the nation with 21.3 assists per game.
Charting the Cowboys against the Bears Desmond Mason scored a career-high 32 points in leading OSU to a victory in its most recent game in Waco, and in a meeting last March, Doug Gottlieb set a Big 12 Tournament record with 14 assists. Here's a look at current Cowboys' career statistics against Baylor:
Name G-GS FG-A Pct. 3G-A Pct. FT-A Pct. RPG PPG Hi Pts.
Adkins 8-4 19-45 .422 8-22 .364 15-16 .938 1.6 7.6 20
Alexander 3-2 10-40 .250 8-15 .533 7-8 .875 3.0 11.7 23
Gottlieb 5-4 8-26 .308 3-9 .333 4-6 .667 2.6 4.6 9
Jonzen 3-1 3-4 .750 0-0 --- 3-9 .333 4.7 3.0 4
Mason 8-6 44-83 .530 7-16 .438 28-35 .800 5.9 15.4 32
Montonati 5-0 7-15 .467 0-0 --- 3-4 .750 3.2 3.4 6
Webber 5-2 15-25 .667 0-0 --- 6-8 .750 5.2 7.2 14
Williams' status remains uncertain Freshman forward Andre Williams has missed the past four games while OSU and NCAA officials sort out an eligibility issue. OSU director of athletics Terry Don Phillips released the following statement last week: "After meeting with NCAA officials earlier this week in Indianapolis, we have a better understanding of the NCAA's present position. However, given the particular facts relating to Andre's case, we are not in agreement with their current interpretation as it applies to the rules of amateurism, but we do appreciate the willingness of the NCAA to continue dialogue on the matter. I do want to emphasize that neither Andre Williams or anyone else has knowingly violated rules as they apply to this situation."
Head Coach Eddie Sutton Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) is in his 10th year at his alma mater with a 214-89 record at the school as well as a 644-253 overall mark in his 30th year of collegiate coaching. Under his guidance, OSU has advanced to postseason play in eight of nine years and has won 20 games or more seven 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 two active coaches (Knight and Tarkanian) rank ahead of Sutton in both victories and winning percentage, and only one other coach - TCU's 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) Record 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
1991-2000 Oklahoma State (10th) 214-89 .706 82-51 12-7
Totals 30th year (896 games) 644-253 .718 269-110 29-20
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 23-11 10-6/T-Fifth 1-1 --- NCAA Second Round
'99-2000 12-1 Fourth-best start in school history
On the air 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 ninth year as the Cowboys' basketball radio team, and Dirato is calling OSU men's basketball for the 23rd 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.
Saturday's game will be televised on the ESPN Regional network, including KJRH (channel 2) in Tulsa and KFOR (channel 4) in Oklahoma City. Bill Doleman and Chris Piper will handle on-air duties for the TV broadcast.
Player Thumbnails
#35 - Joe Adkins - 6-1 - 190 - Sr. - G Needs 60 points to become OSU's 22nd 1,000-point scorer ... team-high 18 points vs. Appalachian State ... 17 points, all in the second half, against Idaho ... 16 points, four-for-four from three-point range against San Diego State while playing in Oklahoma City, his hometown ... nine assists at Arkansas-Little Rock ... career-high eight rebounds against Wichita State ... earned the team's "Mr. Clutch" Award last season by hitting several key baskets late in several games, did so this year against Texas Tech, hitting a three-pointer over 6-10 Andy Ellis in the game's final minute.
#4 - Glendon Alexander - 6-5 - 215 - Sr. - G Career highs of 25 points, seven three-pointers against Langston ... 18 points - 15 in the second half, including 10 in one two-minute span during OSU's game-breaking run - against UNLV ... again scored quickly, hitting for eight points in one minute, 10 seconds, in a 15-point effort at Washington ... averaging 13.5 points and hitting 57.1 percent from the field in home games ... 28-for-54 from long range in past eight games ... led OSU in scoring with 19 points against North Texas ... set a Big 12 Tournament record last season with 16 three-pointers, including five against Baylor and a career-high six against Oklahoma.
Antoine Broxsie - 6-10 - 240 - Jr. - F Injured a knee in practice in early November and has been diagnosed with ligament damage ... 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 ... eligible 2000-01.
#42 - Zac Cazzelle - 6-5 - 215 - Jr. - G A walk-on redshirt last season, Cazzelle saw his first court time in the Idaho game and scored two points ... tallied five times at Arkansas-Little Rock and hit three-pointers against Texas-San Antonio and San Diego State ... played at Centenary in 1996-97, 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.
#11 - Nate Fleming - 6-0 - 180 - Fr. - G >Played the final minute against Idaho, North Texas, San Diego State and Alcorn State ... broke his nose in practice in late December but returned to practice this week ... lettered three years in basketball under coach Garret Mantle and four in tennis while at Edmond North ... two-year team captain in basketball and three-year captain in tennis ... outstanding student who was class valedictorian and a National Honor Society member ... senator on the student council ... helped lead Edmond North to a state semifinal appearance and was a member of the national eighth-place AAU team.
#44 - Doug Gottlieb - 6-1 - 180 - Sr. - G Leads the nation in assists and is ranked 20th in Division I career assists ... career-high 18 points against Langston, also had 11 assists for his third career points-assists double-double ... 13 points, 16 assists against North Texas ... his 16 helpers against the Mean Green rank second in school history to his OSU record of 18 ... holds or shares school and Big 12 records for assists in a half (11), game (18), season (299) and career (632) ... led the nation in assists last season with 8.8 per game, an average that ranked 13th in NCAA Division I history.
#12 - Fredrik Jönzén - 6-10 - 230 - So. - F Career-best 19 points at Arkansas-Little Rock, hitting seven of eight field-goal tries and all five (another career high) of his charities, scored 13 in the first half ... 15 points vs. Langston ... 12 points, career-high-tying nine rebounds at UNLV, including 10 points, six rebounds in second half with OSU's starting big men in foul trouble ... 14 points against North Texas, going six-for-six from the field ... 10 points, seven rebounds against Texas Tech.
#43 - Jason Keep - 6-10 - 290 - So. - C Played key minutes against UNLV with other big men in foul trouble ... nine points, seven rebounds in exhibition debut ... injured his left knee against Global Sports and missed the first three regular-season games, returned to the lineup for his first regular-season action against North Texas, scored five points in five minutes ... career-high six points against Langston ... 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.
#3 - Daniel Lawson - 6-3 - 205 - Jr. - G Made a quick impression in the exhibition vs. Athletes First, scoring a bucket almost immediately after being inserted in the lineup late in the game ... got into the game late against Idaho and UALR, tallying his first OSU points in the latter game ... 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.
#34 - Desmond Mason - 6-5 - 215 - Sr. - F Named to the preseason all-conference team by the league's coaches ... preseason fourth-team All-American according to Blue Ribbon ... 27 points against Appalachian State ... 28 points, career-high-tying four three-pointers against UALR ... 22 points, career-high 15 rebounds against Langston ... has started 83 consecutive games, the fourth-longest streak in school history and seven shy of the record ... starred in the NCAA Tournament with 54 points in two games, ranking third among all players through the tourney's first two rounds.
#30 - Brian Montonati - 6-10 - 220 - Sr. - F Six double-doubles this season, including a career-best 15 rebounds against North Texas ... the 15 caroms against the Mean Green were the most by an OSU player since Bryant Reeves had 20 against Kansas in 1995 ... career-high 28 points against Langston ... only Cowboy to score in every game this year ... 14 points, 14 rebounds against Texas Tech ... 18 points in exhibition opener ... scored in double figures 11 times last year, five coming when he played under 20 minutes.
#24 - Rodney Sooter - 6-2 - 190 - Sr. - G Saw his first action this year against Idaho, also saw the floor against Arkansas-Little Rock, North Texas, Texas-San Antonio, San Diego State and Alcorn State ... walked on to the program last season ... saw his first action of last year in the UALR game and saw his three-point attempt go in and then out of the hoop ... also played against Houston Baptist and Baylor at home ... 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.
#45 - Alex Webber - 6-10 - 270 - Sr. - C Went scoreless for the first three games of 1998-99 but would have none of that this season, scoring OSU's first points of the year 34 seconds into the Appalachian State game ... 20 points against Wichita State, keeping OSU close to set up a late run to victory ... hit nine of 11 field-goal attempts against the Shockers while the rest of the team shot 27 percent ... 11 points against Texas Tech, hitting five of seven FGs while the rest of the team hit 31 percent from the field ... 12 points, including a five-for-five effort from the field, against North Texas ... led OSU in field-goal percentage last year and is on pace to do so this season.
#40 - Andre Williams - 6-7 - 210 - Fr. - F Has become a crowd favorite with his active, spirited play ... has missed five straight games while eligibility issues are being cleared ... career highs of 11 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks, three dunks and 20 minutes against Alcorn State ... 10 rebounds against Appalachian State, becoming the first freshman ever to record double-digit rebounds in an OSU season opener ... seven points, eight rebounds at UALR ... blocked three shots in five minutes of playing time against Global Sports ... was ranked as the nation's No. 21 power forward by Future Stars out of high school ... the team's best leaper - can reach 11-7.
Victor Williams - 5-10 - 170 - So. - G Illinois State's starting point guard as a freshman and named the top freshman in the MVC ... began his career with a stellar performance against Oakland with 19 points, seven rebounds and seven steals ... 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 ... eligible 2000-01.
