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Posted: Saturday October 26, 2002 11:37 PM Updated: Wednesday October 30, 2002 4:46 PM Oklahoma State Cowboys
The following preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the most thorough preview available of the upcoming season, order the 2002-03 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518. Team Preview | Blue Ribbon Analysis
When Eddie Sutton took over as Oklahoma State’s coach in April 1990, the Cowboys had made only one NCAA Tournament appearance in 25 years and had only seven winning seasons during that time. Sutton has made postseason trips a norm at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have advanced to the postseason 11 of the past 12 years and have won 20 or more games 10 times under Sutton. They don’t plan to stop any time soon. After two straight losses in the NCAA Tournament’s first round, Sutton has reloaded with a blend of experienced returnees and talented newcomers. "We do have a good nucleus returning," Sutton said. "And I think we’ve recruited some players who can step in and give us some help. They better, because I think the Big 12 is going to be better than it’s been. I can’t see much drop off in the top six clubs, and the bottom teams have all gotten better." The Cowboys return four players with extensive game experience.
Leading the way will be 5-foot-10 senior point guard Victor Williams (13.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.2 apg), who started 32 games last season. Williams was chosen to the All-Big 12 honorable mention team last season and was on the All-Underrated team, chosen by writers around the league. He ranked 12th in the league in assists and 12th in steals with 46. Williams’ biggest improvement as a junior was a better assist-to-turnover ratio. As a sophomore, Williams committed almost as many turnovers (102) as he made assists (110). He’s started 58 of 62 games in his two-year career at Oklahoma State. He spent his freshman year at Illinois State, where he started 25 of 31 games. Melvin Sanders, a 6-foot-5 senior swingman, returns at the small forward position. Sanders (8.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg) started all 32 games last season and shot 35.6 percent (47-of-132) from 3-point range. He led the team in 3-pointers. Sanders, who has started every game in his two years at Oklahoma State, is probably the team’s best perimeter defender and usually draws the toughest assignments. Cheyne Gadson, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, returns after starting last season when Maurice Baker was lost for the year. Gadson (6.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg) started nine of the past 11 games and averaged 10.4 points during a 10-game stretch late in the season. He scored a career-high 17 against Texas A&M and grabbed nine rebounds the next game against Texas. "Victor and Melvin should have good senior years," Sutton said. "Cheyne gave us some quality minutes. I look for those three guys as far as being able to give us some good leadership, along with Andre [Williams] ." Sutton stocked his backcourt with his 2002 recruiting class, signing four guards -- 6-foot-4 junior Tony Allen, 6-foot-1 junior Janavor Weatherspoon, 6-foot-1 freshman Ross DeRogatis and 6-foot-1 freshman Julian Richardson. Allen, a shooting guard, played for Wabash Valley (Ill.) Community College last season and led it to a fourth-place finish in the NJCAA Tournament. He was spectacular in the tournament, averaging 22.8 points and 10.8 rebounds in four games while shooting 50 percent from 3-point range and 82.4 percent from the line. Wabash finished 32-6 and was ranked No. 15 in the final junior college poll. Weatherspoon, a combination guard, was the fifth-highest scorer in NJCAA last year when he averaged 24.4 points at Odessa (Texas) Community College. A third-team NJCAA All-American, Weatherspoon also averaged 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 rebounds and shot 51.4 percent from the floor, 44.7 percent from 3-point range and 74 percent from the line. He was also recruited by Mississippi State, Texas A&M, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oregon and TCU. Richardson, a point guard from Monsignor Edward Pace High School in Miami, averaged 18.8 points, five rebounds and three steals as a senior last year and earned second-team Class 3A all-state honors. His team reached the state semifinals. DeRogatis, a combination guard, averaged 22.1 points, five rebounds and 3.5 assists last season at Mansfield (Texas) High School. "We felt we needed to bolster our backcourt some," Sutton said. "We were able to do that." Other returnees to the backcourt are 6-foot-1 sophomore Jeff Johnson and 6-foot-1 sophomore Scott Blakemore. Both played in only four games last season. Blakemore scored three points and Johnson didn’t score, but had one rebound. Both are walk-ons. Three guards will sit out under NCAA transfer rules -- 6-foot-6 junior Daniel Bobik from Brigham Young, 6-foot-7 junior Joey Graham of UCF and 6-foot-6 junior Stevie Graham of Central Florida. The Grahams are twin brothers. Terrence Crawford, a 6-foot-6 junior swingman, was Sanders’ backup last season and averaged 13 minutes. Crawford (2.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg) is an excellent defender. "I think he has been pretty dedicated in the offseason," Sutton said. "But I think playing time will be harder to come by than last year because more people are competing for minutes." Onye Ibekwe, a 6-foot-7 freshman forward, brings great athleticism to the team. Ibekwe averaged 16 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks and two steals as a senior at Crenshaw High in Los Angeles last year. A McDonald’s All-America nominee, Ibekwe lettered two years in football and track and field at Crenshaw. He played AAU basketball for the H-Squad of Los Angeles until his senior year. Instead of playing AAU that year, he spent time visiting Nigeria, the homeland of his parents. Perhaps the marquee returning player is 6-foot-8 junior forward Ivan McFarlin, who was chosen to the All-Big 12 honorable-mention team. McFarlin (10.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg) was second in the Big 12 in field-goal percentage (.614). He was 10th in the league in rebounding and 12th in steals with 1.47 per game. McFarlin is also a standout interior defender, averaging 1.12 blocks, which ranked 12th in the Big 12. The Dallas Morning News selected McFarlin as its newcomer of the year in the Big 12. McFarlin sat out the 2000-01 years as a partial qualifier. Andre Williams, a 6-foot-8 senior forward, could see an increased role this season. Williams (3.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg) started 17 games as a sophomore, averaging 6.8 points and 7.7 rebounds, but his production and playing time dropped last season. He averaged 15.9 minutes. The frontcourt will be bolstered by two players who were on the team but sat out last season -- 6-foot-9, 245-pound junior Jason Miller and 7-foot-2, 306-pound Frans Steyn. Two years ago, Miller averaged 12.8 points and 6.8 rebounds at North Texas. He also had 40 blocks and 26 steals while starting 27 games. He shot 49 percent from the floor and 75 percent from the line. "Jason is a fierce competitor and a tireless worker," Sutton said. "And he’s extremely strong. … He can shoot the ball well facing the basket or with his back to the hoop. We’re fortunate he decided to transfer. He didn’t get to practice the whole year with us because he tore his knee up, but what we saw of him, he displayed a lot of promise. Somebody will have to work hard to keep Jason out of the starting lineup." Steyn was a rugby player at his native South Africa. He has a lofty goal: becoming the next Shaquille O’Neal. Steyn has never played organized basketball, but Sutton sees great potential. Steyn is extremely fit, has a 32-inch vertical leap and can bench-press more than 350 pounds and squat more than 400. "Frans made a lot of progress in the year, but he still has a great deal to learn about the round ball sport," Sutton said. "I think he can help us some this next year, but I really think he may be a year away from being able to give us a lot of quality minutes. "He has great work habits and he’s a marvelous athlete for a man his size. He may be the best athlete for a big man I’ve ever coached, but he’s never played the game." Old faces. New faces. Sutton’s team will have a new look this year, and if he can find the right combinations, the Cowboys could be pretty good. Victor Williams is a solid point guard, and McFarlin should become one of the better post players in the Big 12. Sanders has also started at small forward, so the Cowboys have several players with game experience. Enter the newcomers. Miller, the transfer from North Texas, will be a factor if he’s healthy. While practicing with the Cowboys last season, Miller suffered a knee injury. Steyn is a project. And a big one. Allen and Weatherspoon, two junior college transfers, are solid players who will bolster the backcourt. Sutton has plenty of players with whom to work. Finding enough minutes to keep everybody happy and some chemistry will be his task.
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