Oklahoma State University Athletics
Point Guard University
December 03, 2014 | Cowgirl Basketball
The rise of Oklahoma State's women's basketball program over the last eight years has undoubtedly been fueled by the point guard position.
During that span, Andrea Riley and Tiffany Bias combined to lead the Cowgirls to eight consecutive postseason berths, including five NCAA appearances. In more than 260 career games, the duo produced 4,458 points, 1,498 assists, 583 steals and multiple All-America honors.
Upon his arrival in Stillwater, former head coach Kurt Budke's rebuilding project needed a difference maker and got that and more in Riley. Before the offensive dynamo had even set foot on campus, Budke knew he had his centerpiece.
"Andrea will be one of the quickest players I have ever coached. She is an outstanding scorer that can break you down off the dribble or shoot the three. She is as quick with the ball as she is without it, is great at getting separation with her quickness and can single-handedly change her opponent's game plan," Budke said.
As a freshman, the Dallas, Texas native directed her squad to the nation's largest turnaround en route to helping OSU reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 years. Just two years after the Cowgirls endured a winless conference season, Riley propelled them to just the second NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in program history.
Four years and 2,835 career points after her arrival, Riley exited as the Big 12's all-time leading scorer and the first Cowgirl ever taken in the WNBA Draft.
The departure of Riley made way for the arrival of Bias, an energetic playmaker with the defensive tenacity equal to the offensive prowess of Riley.
The Andover, Kan., native would wrap up her career as the school's all-time leader with 791 assists, the third-highest total in league history. Like Riley, Bias guided the Cowgirls to a Sweet 16 appearance and heard her name called come draft night. This past summer, she capped her rookie campaign with a WNBA title with the Phoenix Mercury.
In the moments following Bias' final game in a Cowgirl uniform, OSU head coach Jim Littell reflected on his energetic floor general's impact.
"She's been the face of our program and she has been a leader since the day she stepped on campus. She has taken our program to new levels from being a WNIT team to the Sweet 16. It all falls on what this young lady has done and how she's led over the years," Littell said.
"I have never had a young lady in 37 years of coaching that gives more, expects more of herself and is a better teammate than she is," Littell said.
With Riley being the program's cornerstone and Bias serving as its face, the bar has been set for OSU's next-in-line point guard, Roshunda Johnson. The tools are in place, but the sophomore is far from the finished product.
"Ro is a good point guard and has a good skill set to her. She can shoot the ball extremely well and has worked hard in the offseason. She's got to get that high-intensity level and a consistency in her game every day. She has some big shoes to fill," Littell said.
While the task of replacing two of the best players in program history looms, Johnson welcomes the challenge.
"I look forward to it and am excited because I know my team is looking for me to step up and be the point guard they know I can be," Johnson said.
To become an elite point guard like her predecessors, Johnson has been working on more than just her skills on the court.
"I have been in the gym outside of practice. I have been talking more and leading my team, picking them up when they are down, holding them up when we aren't doing well and bringing them back together. I would say I have been a better leader than I was last year," Johnson said.
As Johnson takes the reins, she has a luxury not afforded either of the Cowgirls' previous two stars. Riley and Bias were both handed the keys to the car as true freshmen with little margin for error, while Johnson was able to spend her freshman year under the tutelage of Bias.
"Playing behind a senior I learned a lot. I learned how tough the Big 12 really is, how hard you have to play and where my defense needed to be. I learned to be more of a leader than what I was when I came here," Johnson said.
Even in a reserve role, Johnson showed flashes of brilliance as a rookie, earning Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors. Those instances came at opportune times and showed why she was ranked among the top 50 recruits in the country.
Johnson initially turned heads with a 15-point outing in OSU's overtime contest against Baylor in Stillwater. In the squad's next outing, Johnson buried the game-winning jumper at TCU in the waning seconds.
The Little Rock, Ark., native saved her best for last in the postseason. In the Cowgirls' second-round NCAA Tournament win at Purdue, Bias went down early in the second half with an injury. With her return questionable and the season hanging in the balance, Johnson calmly stepped in and ran the show, finishing with a career-high 16 points, four steals and three assists.
"I have always been thrown into tough situations and I am used to it now. I just prepared myself at practice and had to step up and do what I needed to do. When the time came, I was prepared. I knew I had to play up to the competition level," Johnson said.
For a school long known for the likes of running backs such as Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas, Littell says the women's hoops program may have found its calling card thanks to Riley, Bias and, potentially, Johnson.
"This has kind of been Point Guard University. You know, football was looked at for a long time as Tailback University and I think that has been a trademark of our team."
