Oklahoma State Cowgirls
Overall Rank: #36
Conference Rank: #5 Big 12
Oklahoma State Team Page
Oklahoma State put together another great season under Coach Jim Littell. There were some ups and downs in Big 12 play, but the Cowgirls earned a five seed in the NCAA Tournament and fought their way into the Sweet Sixteen. They had little chance of beating Notre Dame in South Bend, but the team played relatively well against the Irish. The draw could not have been much worse for OSU and they even had to beat Purdue in West Lafayette in the second round. This group does lose some key contributors and one superstar, but there should be others waiting to step up.
2013-14 Record: 25-9, 11-7
2013-14 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Jim Littell
Coach Record: 68-32 at Oklahoma State, 68-32 overall
Strengths:
Liz Donohoe has been a staple in the starting lineup for three years now and heads into her senior season with 101 consecutive starts for OSU. Her scoring dipped to 11.0 points per game last season, but expect that number to increase now that it appears that Coach Littell will need her to do more scoring. The 6-0 forward is solid on the glass despite the fact that she spends so much time on the perimeter. Nearly half of her shots last season were three-pointers and she connected on an impressive 40.1 percent of those attempts. Brittney Martin, a 6-0 guard, had a great sophomore season and is ready to take over a bulk of the backcourt scoring. She is not a shooter, but Martin has the quickness and strength to get to the basket and finish with ease. She averaged 11.8 points per game and a team high 8.7 rebounds. LaShawn Jones certainly has the potential to turn into the third scoring threat for Oklahoma State. The 6-3 center averaged 9.4 points per game as a junior and led the team in blocked shots. She could stand to be strong on the glass, but the trio of Donohoe, Martin and Jones will keep this team among the best on the glass in the Big 12.
Weaknesses:
The potential problem is in the backcourt where there is a huge hole left by the departure of Tiffany Bias. She led the team with 13.9 points and 6.2 assists. The good news is Coach Littell has options, albeit unproven options. Sophomores Roshunda Johnson and Brittany Atkins both showed plenty of promise as freshmen. Johnson started six games and averaged 5.5 points and 1.5 assists. Atkins can attack the basket and averaged 7.3 points per game. Both will get every opportunity to step into full-time starting roles this season. Roddricka Patton, a transfer from Trinity Valley Community College, is a true point guard. She dished out 7.1 assists per game last season at the junior college level. There is a big step up in opposition of course, but she has the potential to turn into a leader of this team.
Final Projection:
If the backcourt lives up to their potential, this will be a very dangerous team. It may be asking too much for Johnson or Atkins to be Bias right now, so this group could take a small step back. But then there are players like Rylie Swanson, a 5-10 forward who spent a couple years at the junior college level. She is a great talent and a big time scorer and rebounder. If players like Swanson can boost the frontcourt even more, Oklahoma State will be a big team that also has the athleticism to shut down the opposition on the defensive end and the shooting ability to outscore just about anybody.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA Tournament
Projected Starting Five:
Roshunda Johnson, Sophomore, Guard, 5.5 points per game
Brittany Atkins, Sophomore, Guard, 7.3 points per game
Brittney Martin, Junior, Guard, 11.8 points per game
Liz Donohoe, Senior, Forward, 11.0 points per game
LaShawn Jones, Senior, Center, 9.4 points per game
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.7 (96th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 60.8 (47, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.3 (82, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 37.3 (41, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.6 (229, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 31.4 (167, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.2 (206, 9)
Rebound Margin: 4.9 (54, 4)
Assists Per Game: 14.0 (121, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.1 (61, 3)
Madness 2015 WNBA Draft Rankings:
#27 Liz Donohoe
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