Oklahoma State Cowgirls
Overall Rank: #23
Conference Rank: #5 Big 12
Oklahoma State Team Page
The Oklahoma State women’s basketball program endured a tragic season. Coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna were killed in a plane crash shortly after the Cowgirls first game of the season. Needless to say, OSU had a tough 2011-2012 campaign. But on the floor, Oklahoma State came together and finished the season strong. They were left out of the NCAA Tournament, but Coach Jim Littell led the team to a WNIT title. OSU won nine of their last ten games and has a ton of momentum heading forward. It will never get easier for this young group, but Oklahoma State should be ready to take the next step and head to the NCAAs.
2011-12 Record: 22-12, 8-10
2011-12 Postseason: NIT
Coach: Jim Littell
Coach Record: 21-12 at Oklahoma State, 21-12 overall
Strengths:
The backcourt is a bit young, but they are loaded with talent. Point guard Tiffany Bias is the junior leader of the group. After averaging 13.1 points, 6.7 assists and 2.5 steals, big things are expected from Bias. She is not much of a shooter and committed a few too many turnovers last season, but another year of experience will improve her all-around game. Even if the turnovers are still high and her outside shot is not any better than it was in 2011-2012, Bias is still a great leader on both ends of the court and she can get to the basket and score or find her teammates. Liz Donohoe, a 6-0 wing will often be the target of Bias’ passing. Donohoe is a dynamic scorer who can shoot over smaller defenders and dribble by bigger defenders. Donohoe has the athleticism to play the three spot and the size to play the four if needed. Either way, she creates a mismatch. As just a sophomore, Donohoe’s best days are still ahead of her and that is a scary thought for the rest of the Big 12. Jordan Schultz was a part-time starter as a freshman and could play a larger role this time around. Offensively Schultz is pretty much just a three-point shooter, but that will be an important role for Schultz to fill whether she starts or not. If Schultz is not starting, freshman Brittney Martin probably will be. One of the top wings in this recruiting class, Martin will add another scoring threat to the backcourt. Add junior college transfer Kamri Anderson to the mix and the Cowgirls will have plenty of dangerous options on the perimeter.
Weaknesses:
The frontcourt is deep and more experienced than the perimeter, yet they seem to lack the potential of the backcourt. The team as a whole is not particularly strong on the glass despite Donohoe’s 7.8 rebounds per contest. Toni Young and Lindsey Keller are quality rebounders and provide much more to the team as well. Young is the interior scoring threat for Oklahoma State, averaging 12.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game last season. Young, a 6-2 senior, only started ten games, but was obviously very productive when she was on the floor and will usually finish games even if she is not starting them. Keller is a 6-2 center who mostly scores from offensive rebounds. She may not be a dynamic scorer or a flashy defender, but Keller does do the dirty work in the paint. The same can be said for Kendra Suttles. Suttles started 20 games during the 2011-2012 campaign and averaged 7.4 points and 4.7 rebounds. At the least she is a quality and experienced backup. The addition of Morgan Toben, a transfer from New Mexico, will add even more depth to the unit.
Final Projection:
Keller and Suttles can step outside and knock down the long ball on occasion and that is a nice skill set to have with centers that stand 6-2 and 6-1. With Young doing the more traditional scoring in the paint, the Oklahoma State offense gets everything they need from the post players. With a little more production on the glass, which the addition of Toben should provide, and a little more presence on the defensive end, the frontcourt could be more important to OSU than their talented perimeter players. In the meantime, the backcourt just needs to keep improving and Oklahoma State will be making some serious noise in March.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting Five:
Tiffany Bias, Junior, Guard, 13.1 points per game
Jordan Schultz, Sophomore, Guard, 3.4 points per game
Liz Donohoe, Sophomore, Forward, 13.1 points per game
Toni Young, Senior, Forward, 12.0 points per game
Lindsey Keller, Senior, Center, 7.6 points per game
Madness 2012 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#20 Brittney Martin
