Oklahoma State Basketball: Top five players to ever play for the Cowboys
Dec 30, 2016; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys mascot Pistol Pete motions to the crowd during the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Gallagher-Iba Arena. WVU won 92-75. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
The Oklahoma State basketball team has a storied history, and today we look at the top five players in the program’s history.
Oklahoma State has one of the most storied men’s basketball programs in all of college basketball. Since a committee formed to represent the Coaches Poll announced the 1945 OK State football team National Champions, and the OK State basketball team won national titles in 1945 and 1946, they became the first school to win a basketball and football national title in the same year. Recent years brought harder times on the men’s basketball program as former head coach Travis Ford had a difficult tenure with the team.
When considering players for this list, recognizing players today tend to spend less time in college than a few decades ago makes individual seasons matter that much more. Yet, OK State never had a big problem with players only staying in school for one season.
Many options to choose from so many good Cowboy teams makes this list extremely difficult but we managed to narrow it down to five players. Honorable mentions listed for the first three outside the top five are also included in this ranking. Fans are encouraged to share who they think the best players in OK State men’s basketball history are.
Honorable Mention: James Anderson
Position: Shooting Guard
Years: 2007-2010
Anderson started his career with OK State back in 2007-08. He played for the Cowboys at the start of head coach Travis Ford’s tenure. Moreover, Anderson saw a rapid rise in his numbers through the development of his three years in college. His scoring went from 13.3 points per game his freshman year, to 18.2 as a sophomore, and then his career-high 22.3 his last season as a junior.
He is the second-best scorer in OK State history at 17.9 points per game. In Anderson’s first season with OK State his head coach was the son of Eddie Sutton, Sean Sutton. However, OK State made it as far as they ever would with Anderson on the roster in 2008-09, making it to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. That was also Ford’s first season with the Pokes.
The following season Anderson won Big 12 Player of the Year averaging 22.3 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 steals. Yet, the Cowboys were eliminated in the Round of 64 in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
Anderson was a lethal shooter and great scorer with the Cowboys. He shot 46 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the three-point line in his career.
Honorable Mention: Joey Graham
Position: Guard/Forward
Years: 2003-2005
Graham started his career with the UCF Golden Knights during the 2000-01 season. He ended up with OK State starting in the 2003-04 season, after transferring from Central Florida. Graham also played football for a while in college.
His two seasons with OK State also resulted in the best years the Cowboys had since 2000. During the 2003-04 season, the Pokes made it to the Final Four. And during the 2004-05 season, the Pokes made it to the Sweet Sixteen.
Graham led the Big 12 in scoring during his senior season in 2004-05. He averaged 15.0 points per game during his two seasons at OK State. The best stat Graham posted with the Cowboys was his three-point percentage, which stood at 47.6 percent career.
His efforts senior year garnered him Second Team All-America honors and First Team All-Big 12 honors. Graham remains in a special place in OK State fan’s hearts as he would take his prosperous college career into the NBA as the 16th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors.
Honorable Mention: John Lucas III
Position: Point Guard
Years: 2003-2005
Lucas III teamed up with Graham to put together one of the best two seasons runs in OK State basketball history. And much like Graham, Lucas III split his career with two different schools, playing two years with each. In Lucas III’s case, he played for two teams, both in the Big 12. He started with the Baylor Bears in 2001, then transferred to OK State before the 2003-04 season.
He averaged 16.3 points per game, 4.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.6 rebounds. Moreover, his best season came in 2004-05 when he put up 17.7 points per game, good for sixth in the Big 12. Lucas III’s three-point percentage of 43.1 percent was good for best in the Big 12 in 2004-05.
Lucas III became a very decorated after the 2004-05 season, splitting the Big 12 Player of the Year award with fellow Cowboy Tony Allen. He was also awarded with being a First Team All-American and First Team All-Big 12 (for the second time with the Pokes).
More than anything, Lucas III was likely the most integral part of the Pokes Final Four run in 2004 and then played a big part again in their 2005 run to the Sweet Sixteen.
5. Marcus Smart
Position: Point Guard
Years: 2012-2014
Smart was actually recruited through a current OK State player, senior shooting guard Phil Forte. Both players went to high school at Flower Mound Marcus. Smart was a five-star recruit that was one of Travis Ford’s prized commits during his tenure in Stillwater. At 6’4″, 220 pounds, Smart had a combination of size, strength, and athleticism that’s hard to find at the point guard position.
Smart led the Cowboys to an enormous victory over the Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence during the 2012-13 season. He averaged 15.4 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, 4.2 steals, and 4.2 assists in 2012-13. Those stats paved the way for Smart to be named Big 12 Player of the Year. He was also named a First Team All-American and First Team All-Big 12 as a true freshman.
Unexpectedly, Smart announced that he would stay for his sophomore season in 2013-14 after being considered a lottery pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Led by Smart, the Cowboys came into the 2013-14 season ranked no. 8. However, that transpired much differently than expected. At one point, the NCAA suspended Smart for pushing a Texas Tech fan in Lubbock.
In 2013-14, Smart averaged 18.0 points per game, 4.8 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.9 steals. Smart might have had the most talent of any player to play for the Cowboys in the last 15 years. Yet, a shortened career and not making it past the Round of 64 held him back.
4. Desmond Mason
Position: Forward
Years: 1996-2000
Mason is known by basketball fans as one of the best dunkers of the early 2000s. At 6’7″, 224 pounds, Mason was one of the most electric athletes ever to put on the Pokes jersey. He started with the Cowboys in 1996-97 during the Eddie Sutton era. That season was not the best for the Pokes as they finished just over .500 with a second round exit in the NIT.
Mason is one of the few players on this list that spent his entire four years with OK State. He had a natural progression through his four years with the Cowboys. Mason only played 16.8 minutes per game his freshman year. However, that turned to 35.4 minutes per game by his senior season. Four-year players should always hold a special place in fans’ hearts because as time progresses it gets harder and harder to find.
By Mason’s senior year he averaged 18.0 points per game, 1.5 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 block. He was even named a First Team All-American by College Hoops Inside after the 1999-2000 season. That was also one of the best seasons for OK State in recent memory. The Cowboys made it all the way to the Elite Eight in the 2000 NCAA Tournament.
During his career at OK State, Mason averaged 23.3 and 10.9 rebounds per 40 minutes. His per 40-minute averages are some of the most impressive numbers in Oklahoma State history.
3. Byron Houston
Position: Forward
Years: 1988-1992
Houston played with the Pokes back in the days of the Big 8 Conference. Furthermore, he might have some of the most impressive stats ever posted by an OK State player. Houston split time between head coaches. His first two years in college were under the last years of Leonard Hamilton. His last two years in college were under Eddie Sutton for the first two years of his tenure with the Cowboys.
Even looking at his freshman stats, Houston looked like a double-double machine. He averaged 13.0 points per game, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks. Each of his four seasons saw him put up at least a double-double when looking at his per 40-minute averages.
Houston’s best season came during Sutton’s first season with the Cowboys. In his junior campaign, Houston posted 22.7 points per game, 10.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, 2.1 assists, and 1.3 steals. It was one of two seasons Houston had averaging a double-double. Houston’s efforts his junior campaign led the Cowboys to a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the 1991 NCAA Tournament and a Big 12 title. Best of all, he was named 1990-91 Big 8 Player of the Year.
There might not be any player in OK State more similar to Charles Barkley than Houston. He was selected 27th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1992 NBA Draft, in a career that lasted four seasons.
2. Bryant “Big Country” Reeves
Position: Center
Years: 1991-1995
Big Country is one of the most popular players in OK State basketball history. The Pokes made it at least to the Round of 32 in every NCAA Tournament during Reeves’ career. At 7’0″, 275 pounds, Reeves was possibly the most dominant center in OK State history. He is a two-time Big 8 Conference Player of the Year award winner.
Reeves started to get quite a bit of playing time in his sophomore season. He averaged 19.5 points per game, 10.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. Head coach Eddie Sutton put a lot of trust in Reeves starting in the 1992-93 season, where he won his first Big 8 Player of the Year award. That was also the only time Reeves averaged a double-double in his entire career.
Each season Reeves spent with the Cowboys they finished second in the Big 8. His best season as a leader came when he led the Pokes to a Final Four appearance in the 1995 NCAA Tournament. Furthermore, Big Country averaged a career-high 21.5 points per game during the 1994-95 season, where he won his second Big 8 Player of the Year award.
Reeves illustrious career at OK State landed him as the sixth overall draft pick in the 1995 NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies, also their first ever draft pick. Big Country’s son, freshman Trey Reeves, is now with the Pokes under head coach Brad Underwood.
1. Bob Kurland
Position: Center
Years: 1942-1946
Robert “Bob” Kurland played for OK State back when they were known as the Oklahoma A&M Aggies. He also played for the U.S. Olympic basketball team twice that won the Gold Medal. Kurland was coached by the legendary OK State had coach Henry Iba, who half of the basketball arena is named after (Gallagher-Iba Arena).
Kurland also led the Aggies to two, their only two, national titles. Furthermore, Kurland was the entire reason that the goaltending foul in basketball is even a thing. He used to jump above the rim and grab opponents’ shots before they went through the basket.
In 1945-46, Kurland’s last year at Oklahoma A&M, he was named the Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year. Moreover, both times the Aggies won the NCAA title, Kurland won the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
Most famously for Kurland was his regular dunking. He was the first college basketball player to really introduce was became known as the “slam dunk”. Kurland was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1961. He later died in 2013 at the age of 88.
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