Oklahoma State University Athletics
Friday, November 13
Stillwater, OK
7 p.m.
Oklahoma State University
vs
UT Martin
Inside The Game: Cowboys Hosting Skyhawks In Hoops Opener
November 11, 2015 | Cowboy Basketball
RV/NR Oklahoma State (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. UT Martin Skyhawks (0-0, 0-0 OVC)
Date: Nov. 13, 2015
Tipoff: 7 p.m.
Site: Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, Okla.
Tickets: okstate.com/tickets or toll-free 877-ALL-4-OSU
TV: Cowboy Sports Network • Fox Sports Plus (Mike Wolfe, Bryndon Manzer & Allison Gappa)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: None
Internet Radio: http://okla.st/osutunein
Live Stats: okstate.com
Oklahoma State Game Notes
The Basics?The Oklahoma State men's basketball team (0-0 overall; 0-0 Big 12) is receiving votes for the AP Top 25, and plays host to UT Martin (0-0, 0-0 OVC) at 7 p.m. Friday at Gallagher-Iba Arena to tip off the 107th season of Cowboy basketball. The Cowboys will wear special turquoise Nike N7 uniforms to celebrate Native American Heritage Month.
?Senior Phil Forte takes center stage for the Cowboys this fall, and has the program's career 3-point record in his sights. Forte was a Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honoree, and needs just 62 three-pointers to tie Keiton Page (2008-12) for the school record. He ranked fourth in the Big 12 last year with an even 15 points per game.
?The Cowboys were picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 in a poll of the league's head coaches after finishing the 2014-15 season with an 18-14 record. Last year, the Cowboys were tabbed to finish eighth but finished the 2014-15 season in sixth place.
?Head coach Travis Ford enters his eighth season with the Cowboys, and ranks third in school history in both total wins (143) and win percentage (61.1 percent). Ford ranks behind only Eddie Sutton and Mr. Henry Iba in both categories.
?OSU won its exhibition game 94-66 over East Central on Friday evening thanks to 28 second-half points in the paint. Seven Cowboys scored at least nine points, led by Tyree Griffin with 12. See the full box score, notes and quotes on page five.
?The Skyhawks were picked to finish second in the West Division of the Ohio Valley Conference by the league's coaches and sports information directors. UT Martin recieved nine first-place votes, which was second only to Murray State in the polling. Belmont was the overwhelming favorite in the OVC East Division.
?Twymond Howard garnered preseason All-OVC honors after a standout junior season in which he was named to the league's All-Newcomer team in 2014-15. Howard, a native of Pearl, Miss., averaged 13.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game for the Skyhawks as a junior last year.
?Second-year head coach Heath Schroyer was the recipient of last season's Tennessee Sports Writers Association Coach of the Year award. In his first season at the helm, Schroyer guided the Skyhawks to 21 wins, which is just one shy of the school record, and marked a 13-win improvement over the previous year - tied for the fourth biggest win increase in the country. He was also one of 16 finalists for the 2015 Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award, which honors the nation's top mid-major coach.
?Skyhawk fans saw UT Martin take down Blue Mountain (NAIA), 72-39, in exhibition play on Monday night at the Elam Center. Fatodd Lewis led four Skyhawks in double-figures with 14 points and seven rebounds. Richard Lee added 12 points, Kedar Edwards tallied 11 points and eight boards and Twymond Howard had 10 points and eight boards. UT Martin turned 13 Blue Mountain turnovers into a 19-0 edge in points off turnovers.
?Oklahoma State is 82-24 (.774) in season openers in its history, and has won 20 straight dating back to the 1995-96 season. The Cowboys have won 25 of their last 26 season openers, which is good for a 96.2 win percentage dating back to 1989-90. OSU's only season opening loss in that span came against BYU, 69-59, at the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage on Nov. 23, 1994.
?OSU is even better in home openers. The Cowboys are 94-12 (.887) all-time in home openers, including 39 straight victories dating back to 1975-76. In fact, the Cowboys are 56-1 (.982) in home openers wince 1958-59. OSU is 74-3 (.961) in home openers since Gallagher-Iba Arena opened in 1938.
?The Cowboys are 193-5 (.975%) in home games vs non-league foes since 1987. During that span, OSU won 80-straight contests from 1987-98, which ranks as the fifth-longest streak in NCAA Division I history. All-time, Oklahoma State is 406-50 (.890%) in non-conference games inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
?After last Friday's exhibition win over East Central, the Cowboys have won 28 straight exhibition games dating back to the 2000 season.
?Oklahoma State is 57-3 in its last 60 games when holding its opponent under 60 points.
?OSU has made at least one three-pointer in 484 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 13, 2001.
?Only 33 teams have played in the NCAA Tournament in at least five of the last seven years. The Cowboys reached the Big Dance in 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
?Scoring depth is a key for the Cowboys. Under Travis Ford, OSU has averaged more than 70 points per game in four of his seven seasons. In those four seasons of more than 70 points per game, the third and fourth leading scorers on the team averaged a combined 24.4 points per game. In Ford's three seasons scoring under 70 points per game the third and fourth scorers averaged 18.3 points per game - a difference of 6.1 points each game.
?Under Travis Ford, Oklahoma State is 49-3 (.942) in non-conference home games, and 94-18 (.839) overall at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
?Dating back to 1987, Oklahoma State is 143-5 in non-conference home games. During that span, the Pokes won 80 straight over non-conference opponents in Gallagher-Iba Arena from 1987-98, which is the fifth-longest streak in NCAA history. All-time, the Cowboys are 406-50 in non-conference play in GIA.
?The Cowboys have started the year with a 9-1 record in each of the last three seasons, and in five of the last seven years under Travis Ford.
?Oklahoma State has six Final Four appearances to its credit, including trips in 1995 and 2004. The six Final Fours rank 10th among all schools nationwide, while only 12 schools have been to the Final Four more than twice since 1995.
?Friday's season opener is expected to be the 100th appearance in an OSU uniform for senior guard Phil Forte. The all-time leaders in games played by a Cowboy are Bryant "Big Country" Reeves (1991-95) and Byron Eaton (2005-09) with 136 appearances each. Forte could challenge the program's top 10 list this season.
?Travis Ford has coached OSU to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three years and has downed 20 ranked opponents during his time in Stillwater. But this summer, it was his playing career that earned him a spot in the Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame. A prep star at Madisonville High School, Ford scored 2,676 career points and dished out 677 assists en route to McDonald's and Parade All-America honors. He went on to play at Kentucky, where he set the records for single-game assists (15), single season 3-pointers (101) and consecutive free throws made (50). Ford was apart of a magical run to the Final Four in 1993.
?Point guard Jawun Evans became the third McDonald's All-American to sign with OSU under Travis Ford's watch, and this summer he became the third Cowboy to win gold with USA Basketball at the U19 FIBA World Championships. Evans ranked second on the team with 2.7 assists per game, and the Americans were +68 points with Evans on the court over the tournament's seven games. Evans joined Marcus Smart (2013) and Matt Clark (1979) as OSU players with gold at the U19 games.
?Despite the loss of Le'Bryan Nash (17.2 PPG), Anthony Hickey (9.8 PPG) and Michael Cobbins (6.8 PPG), OSU still returns 51 percent of its scoring and reloads with a stable of new talent. A trio of players have stepped into the leadership roles this offseason - Phil Forte, Jeff Newberry and Leyton Hammonds - who were named captains by a team vote.
?Igor Ibaka, the younger brother of Oklahoma City Thunder star Serge Ibaka, joined the Cowboys from Northeastern Oklahoma this summer. Listed at 6-9, 240-pounds, Igor has proven to be a bruiser in the paint. He averaged 14.0 points and ranked 27th in the NJCAA with 9.8 rebounds per game for NEO in 2013-14. Igor also ranked 14th in the NJCAA with a 64.0 field goal percentage.
?Head coach Travis Ford was in need of a veteran paint presence, and he got just that with the signing of Chris Olivier in June. A 6-8, 230-pound forward, Olivier graduated from Eastern Illinois in the spring with a degree in Organizational Professional Development, and will be eligible immediately for the Cowboys. He averaged 13.0 points on 54.2 percent shooting for EIU last year, but led the Panthers in league play with 15.9 points per Ohio Valley Conference game. Olivier is a 52.6 percent shooter for his collegiate career.
?Travis Ford fortified his 2015-16 signing class in July with versatile four-star wing Davon Dillard. ESPN ranked Dillard the No. 3 player in the state of Indiana and the No. 21 small forward in the nation after averaging 16.0 points per game for Our Savior New American School (N.Y.). Renowned for his explosive athleticism, Dillard chose OSU over offers from Indiana, Pittsburgh, California, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Purdue, Creighton and others.
?It's not uncommon to hear about a multi-sport star in football and baseball (see Brandon Weeden), but OSU walk-on Codey McElroy is attempting a college basketball career after a stay in minor league baseball. A native of Frederick, Okla., McElroy played baseball in college at Eastern Oklahoma State, Texas and Cameron, when was drafted in the 19th round by the Atlanta Braves. He played two years in the Braves system, and advanced as far as Single A play for the Rome Braves. After batting .210 with an OPS of .588 in 80 minor-league games, McElroy hung up his cleats in favor of basketball shoes, and the OSU coaches have been impressed with his motor and work ethic.
?A summer of teambuilding, both on and off the court, spawned this year's team motto - together and toughness. Stylized as "TNT", the players break each huddle by saying the motto, and it's even found its way onto the player's practice gear. Travis Ford and the Cowboys spent the summer doing a unique teambuilding activity each week. The players cooked for each other in "Cowboy Chefs" nights, played paintball and even took a trip to the water park.
?Marcus Smart, Markel Brown, James Anderson, Michael Cobbins and Darrell Williams all saw significant action in the NBA Summer League this July. Anderson, who recently signed a two-year deal with the Sacramento Kings, joined Smart in leading their teams in scoring, while Brown finished the summer with seven straight double-digit scoring games. Cobbins and Williams both picked up key minutes that could help them find a roster spot this fall.
Date: Nov. 13, 2015
Tipoff: 7 p.m.
Site: Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, Okla.
Tickets: okstate.com/tickets or toll-free 877-ALL-4-OSU
TV: Cowboy Sports Network • Fox Sports Plus (Mike Wolfe, Bryndon Manzer & Allison Gappa)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: None
Internet Radio: http://okla.st/osutunein
Live Stats: okstate.com
Oklahoma State Game Notes
The Basics
On the Air
?The game will be televised by the Cowboy TV Network, and will be available on Fox-Plus with Bryndon Manzer and Mike Wolfe calling the action. The game can be heard on the Cowboy Radio Network with Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb on the call.Oklahoma State From a Distance
?Oklahoma State is one of just 22 school nationwide to play in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons, and will look to keep that streak alive in 2015-16.?Senior Phil Forte takes center stage for the Cowboys this fall, and has the program's career 3-point record in his sights. Forte was a Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honoree, and needs just 62 three-pointers to tie Keiton Page (2008-12) for the school record. He ranked fourth in the Big 12 last year with an even 15 points per game.
?The Cowboys were picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 in a poll of the league's head coaches after finishing the 2014-15 season with an 18-14 record. Last year, the Cowboys were tabbed to finish eighth but finished the 2014-15 season in sixth place.
?Head coach Travis Ford enters his eighth season with the Cowboys, and ranks third in school history in both total wins (143) and win percentage (61.1 percent). Ford ranks behind only Eddie Sutton and Mr. Henry Iba in both categories.
?OSU won its exhibition game 94-66 over East Central on Friday evening thanks to 28 second-half points in the paint. Seven Cowboys scored at least nine points, led by Tyree Griffin with 12. See the full box score, notes and quotes on page five.
UT Martin From a Distance
?UT Martin is coming off a season that included a run to the semifinals of the CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament, and a school record 12-road wins - the most by any Division I team in the country. The Skyhawks were 21-13 a year ago, including three postseason road wins in the CIT. UT Martin fell in the CIT semifinals to the eventual champions, Evansville, 79-66.?The Skyhawks were picked to finish second in the West Division of the Ohio Valley Conference by the league's coaches and sports information directors. UT Martin recieved nine first-place votes, which was second only to Murray State in the polling. Belmont was the overwhelming favorite in the OVC East Division.
?Twymond Howard garnered preseason All-OVC honors after a standout junior season in which he was named to the league's All-Newcomer team in 2014-15. Howard, a native of Pearl, Miss., averaged 13.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game for the Skyhawks as a junior last year.
?Second-year head coach Heath Schroyer was the recipient of last season's Tennessee Sports Writers Association Coach of the Year award. In his first season at the helm, Schroyer guided the Skyhawks to 21 wins, which is just one shy of the school record, and marked a 13-win improvement over the previous year - tied for the fourth biggest win increase in the country. He was also one of 16 finalists for the 2015 Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award, which honors the nation's top mid-major coach.
?Skyhawk fans saw UT Martin take down Blue Mountain (NAIA), 72-39, in exhibition play on Monday night at the Elam Center. Fatodd Lewis led four Skyhawks in double-figures with 14 points and seven rebounds. Richard Lee added 12 points, Kedar Edwards tallied 11 points and eight boards and Twymond Howard had 10 points and eight boards. UT Martin turned 13 Blue Mountain turnovers into a 19-0 edge in points off turnovers.
107th Season of Cowboy Basketball
?Entering the 107th season of OSU hoops, the Cowboys are 1,594-1,110 (.589) all-time, including 27 NCAA Tournament appearances.?Oklahoma State is 82-24 (.774) in season openers in its history, and has won 20 straight dating back to the 1995-96 season. The Cowboys have won 25 of their last 26 season openers, which is good for a 96.2 win percentage dating back to 1989-90. OSU's only season opening loss in that span came against BYU, 69-59, at the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage on Nov. 23, 1994.
?OSU is even better in home openers. The Cowboys are 94-12 (.887) all-time in home openers, including 39 straight victories dating back to 1975-76. In fact, the Cowboys are 56-1 (.982) in home openers wince 1958-59. OSU is 74-3 (.961) in home openers since Gallagher-Iba Arena opened in 1938.
?The Cowboys are 193-5 (.975%) in home games vs non-league foes since 1987. During that span, OSU won 80-straight contests from 1987-98, which ranks as the fifth-longest streak in NCAA Division I history. All-time, Oklahoma State is 406-50 (.890%) in non-conference games inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Streaks & Trends Entering 2015-16
?The Cowboys have won their last 20 season openers dating back to the 1995-96 season. Last year, OSU took down Southeastern Louisiana, 85-55, thanks to 11 points and 11 rebounds from Le'Bryan Nash.?After last Friday's exhibition win over East Central, the Cowboys have won 28 straight exhibition games dating back to the 2000 season.
?Oklahoma State is 57-3 in its last 60 games when holding its opponent under 60 points.
?OSU has made at least one three-pointer in 484 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 13, 2001.
Cowboy quick hitters - team notes
?The Cowboys are one of only 22 programs to play in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons.?Only 33 teams have played in the NCAA Tournament in at least five of the last seven years. The Cowboys reached the Big Dance in 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
?Scoring depth is a key for the Cowboys. Under Travis Ford, OSU has averaged more than 70 points per game in four of his seven seasons. In those four seasons of more than 70 points per game, the third and fourth leading scorers on the team averaged a combined 24.4 points per game. In Ford's three seasons scoring under 70 points per game the third and fourth scorers averaged 18.3 points per game - a difference of 6.1 points each game.
?Under Travis Ford, Oklahoma State is 49-3 (.942) in non-conference home games, and 94-18 (.839) overall at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
?Dating back to 1987, Oklahoma State is 143-5 in non-conference home games. During that span, the Pokes won 80 straight over non-conference opponents in Gallagher-Iba Arena from 1987-98, which is the fifth-longest streak in NCAA history. All-time, the Cowboys are 406-50 in non-conference play in GIA.
?The Cowboys have started the year with a 9-1 record in each of the last three seasons, and in five of the last seven years under Travis Ford.
?Oklahoma State has six Final Four appearances to its credit, including trips in 1995 and 2004. The six Final Fours rank 10th among all schools nationwide, while only 12 schools have been to the Final Four more than twice since 1995.
Cowboy Quick Hitters - Player Notes
?Phil Forte is coming off the best season of his career, and was named Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention heading into his senior season. Forte was a Third-Team All-Big 12 selection in 2014-15 after racking up 15.0 points per game, which ranked fourth in the Big 12. Known for his relentless work ethic, Forte is a 38.9 percent 3-point shooter for his career, and has 238 career makes to his credit - only 62 behind Keiton Page for the OSU record. A veteran of 1,267 career points, Forte will also make an assault on the OSU scoring record books.?Friday's season opener is expected to be the 100th appearance in an OSU uniform for senior guard Phil Forte. The all-time leaders in games played by a Cowboy are Bryant "Big Country" Reeves (1991-95) and Byron Eaton (2005-09) with 136 appearances each. Forte could challenge the program's top 10 list this season.
?Travis Ford has coached OSU to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three years and has downed 20 ranked opponents during his time in Stillwater. But this summer, it was his playing career that earned him a spot in the Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame. A prep star at Madisonville High School, Ford scored 2,676 career points and dished out 677 assists en route to McDonald's and Parade All-America honors. He went on to play at Kentucky, where he set the records for single-game assists (15), single season 3-pointers (101) and consecutive free throws made (50). Ford was apart of a magical run to the Final Four in 1993.
?Point guard Jawun Evans became the third McDonald's All-American to sign with OSU under Travis Ford's watch, and this summer he became the third Cowboy to win gold with USA Basketball at the U19 FIBA World Championships. Evans ranked second on the team with 2.7 assists per game, and the Americans were +68 points with Evans on the court over the tournament's seven games. Evans joined Marcus Smart (2013) and Matt Clark (1979) as OSU players with gold at the U19 games.
?Despite the loss of Le'Bryan Nash (17.2 PPG), Anthony Hickey (9.8 PPG) and Michael Cobbins (6.8 PPG), OSU still returns 51 percent of its scoring and reloads with a stable of new talent. A trio of players have stepped into the leadership roles this offseason - Phil Forte, Jeff Newberry and Leyton Hammonds - who were named captains by a team vote.
?Igor Ibaka, the younger brother of Oklahoma City Thunder star Serge Ibaka, joined the Cowboys from Northeastern Oklahoma this summer. Listed at 6-9, 240-pounds, Igor has proven to be a bruiser in the paint. He averaged 14.0 points and ranked 27th in the NJCAA with 9.8 rebounds per game for NEO in 2013-14. Igor also ranked 14th in the NJCAA with a 64.0 field goal percentage.
?Head coach Travis Ford was in need of a veteran paint presence, and he got just that with the signing of Chris Olivier in June. A 6-8, 230-pound forward, Olivier graduated from Eastern Illinois in the spring with a degree in Organizational Professional Development, and will be eligible immediately for the Cowboys. He averaged 13.0 points on 54.2 percent shooting for EIU last year, but led the Panthers in league play with 15.9 points per Ohio Valley Conference game. Olivier is a 52.6 percent shooter for his collegiate career.
?Travis Ford fortified his 2015-16 signing class in July with versatile four-star wing Davon Dillard. ESPN ranked Dillard the No. 3 player in the state of Indiana and the No. 21 small forward in the nation after averaging 16.0 points per game for Our Savior New American School (N.Y.). Renowned for his explosive athleticism, Dillard chose OSU over offers from Indiana, Pittsburgh, California, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Purdue, Creighton and others.
?It's not uncommon to hear about a multi-sport star in football and baseball (see Brandon Weeden), but OSU walk-on Codey McElroy is attempting a college basketball career after a stay in minor league baseball. A native of Frederick, Okla., McElroy played baseball in college at Eastern Oklahoma State, Texas and Cameron, when was drafted in the 19th round by the Atlanta Braves. He played two years in the Braves system, and advanced as far as Single A play for the Rome Braves. After batting .210 with an OPS of .588 in 80 minor-league games, McElroy hung up his cleats in favor of basketball shoes, and the OSU coaches have been impressed with his motor and work ethic.
?A summer of teambuilding, both on and off the court, spawned this year's team motto - together and toughness. Stylized as "TNT", the players break each huddle by saying the motto, and it's even found its way onto the player's practice gear. Travis Ford and the Cowboys spent the summer doing a unique teambuilding activity each week. The players cooked for each other in "Cowboy Chefs" nights, played paintball and even took a trip to the water park.
?Marcus Smart, Markel Brown, James Anderson, Michael Cobbins and Darrell Williams all saw significant action in the NBA Summer League this July. Anderson, who recently signed a two-year deal with the Sacramento Kings, joined Smart in leading their teams in scoring, while Brown finished the summer with seven straight double-digit scoring games. Cobbins and Williams both picked up key minutes that could help them find a roster spot this fall.
Players Mentioned
Post
/ Cowboy Basketball
SF
/ Cowboy Basketball
PG
/ Cowboy Basketball
PG
/ Cowboy Basketball
SF
/ Cowboy Basketball
F
/ Cowboy Basketball
F
/ Cowboy Basketball
Wing
/ Cowboy Basketball
G
/ Cowboy Basketball
F
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