SB Nation - Romero Osby

Sooner Basketball Lands Frontcourt Duo Over The Weekend

M. Hofeld — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:27:43 -0000

It was pretty much a given that Gonzaga transfer Ryan Spangler was coming home to play basketball at OU. However, with depth being a current issue Sooner coach Lon Kruger also secured another big man who is eligible to play immediately for Oklahoma.

As Spangler toured the campus over the weekend he was accompanied by JUCO forward D.J. Bennett from Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa. He's listed at 6-8/215 and will be able to provide immediate depth behind Romero Osby and Andrew Fitzgerald. Originally from Carl Sandburg High School out of Orland Hills, IL Bennett was thought to be heading to Arkansas before committing to Oklahoma on Saturday night.

Spangler is from Blanchard, Oklahoma (just 16 miles from Norman) and despite being the 2011 Gatorade Player of the Year in Oklahoma he wasn't recruited by the Sooner head coach Jeff Capel. He now brings his 6-8/235 frame back to OU where he will have to sit out a year per the NCAA transfer rule.

Former Oklahoma HS Player Of The Year Ryan Spangler To Transfer Closer To Home

Rich DeCray — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:45:47 -0000

The Oklahoma Basketball program is still looking to add to itself in terms of depth. Depth was and still is a major concern with this team under the direction of Head Coach Lon Kruger. Now, the Sooners could find a hidden gem of sorts in the news of a local kid and former Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year wanting to be closer to home. The basketball program currently has a vacant scholarship spot for the 2012 class. Could this be an answered prayer for Kruger and Co.?

After garnering the Gatorade Player of the Year award, Ryan Spangler signed with the Gonzaga Bulldogs. At 6'8 225, you begin to gain attention simply because of your size. From there, you simply need to show that you have the skill set that can be developed to play on the next level.

At Bridge Creek HS in Blanchard, OK, Spangler was a standout not only on the hardwood but also on the gridiron. His decision to pursue basketball would take him to Spokane, WA after the only in state program to recruit him was the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. As a true freshman, Spangler saw time in 22 games. However, most of that time came in mop up duty while he averaged 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds. In the NCAA Tournament, Spangler would have his best game of the 2011-2012 campaign against West Virginia with 4 points and 8 rebounds. Now, just a year and a half after his signing, Spangler is feeling a bit home sick and will be looking to transfer somewhere closer to home.

Gonzaga has already granted Spangler his release and he will be searching for another shot.

Looking at the depth in post players, Oklahoma currently has Andrew Fitzgerald and Romero Osby. Behind those two will be Amath M'Baye and Tyler Neal followed by Casey Arent. However, the reason for concern is that four of those names will be seniors in this upcoming season. It is time to start reloading at the four and five and Spangler could fit the mold that Lon Kruger is looking for.

Word on the street is that Spangler will take a visit to Oklahoma this weekend. Maybe he will take in the Spring Game as well as get a feel for the campus, the fans, and tradition.

Oklahoma Basketball: The Year In Review (Part I)

Rich DeCray — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 07:47:21 -0000

The Oklahoma Sooners did not have much expectation heading into the 2012 season under new head coach Lon Kruger. However, Sooner Nation saw this team building a sense of comradery that will benefit them in the coming years. In coming recruits will find a home away from home in this new family that is on the up and up. All that needs to be said is that good things are yet to come.

In part one of this Year In Review series, let's take a look at something that all Sooner fans can love...monster jams.

Cameron Clark's High-Flying Windmill Dunk (via ESPN)

The Sooners were certainly flying high at the beginning of the season as they went on a tear doing the unexpected. Oklahoma went on to win 10 of its first 12 games. On this particular play, Sooner guard Cameron Clark is the trail man on a fast break with Sam Grooms. Now while Grooms could have been a bit selfish with this play, he instead rewards his teammate for running the floor with him and it certainly did not disappoint. Clark takes the dish and turns it into a windmill jam against Sacramento State. There is no mistaking that Clark is very athletic and he has had some better dunks in previous seasons yet this is always a crowd pleaser.

Clark was not the only player who wanted in on the action...

Romero Osby Dunk 2012 Bedlam (via gcart588)

As you can tell, as Grooms is bringing the ball up the court he runs into a 3/4 court press from the Oklahoma St. Cowboys. When the pressure arrives Andrew Fitzgerald comes in to set the screen to break Grooms free. As Fitz sets the pick, the Cowboy defense begins to cheat opening the pass to Romero Osby. The events that take place from there should be placed on a poster and scattered all over Cowboy territory to remind them of what is going to happen next season. From mid-court, Osby sees the lane open up and takes decides to slash into it. I've got to say, the big man has some speed. Steven Pledger remains in the corner as the kick out option and outside threat which keeps the defense from clogging the lane. As Osby approaches the launching pad, he is met by a defender that he flat out embarrasses. Of course the end results in an offensive foul, but you have to admire the ups that Roe possesses.

There were several other dunks that stood out throughout the season but these are two of the best by far! Look for the Sooners to continue to develop upon what they already possess with the addition of a few new components and this team could soar once again in Coach Kruger's second season while hopefully making the post-season.

Oklahoma Secures One-Way Ticket Home In 62-53 Loss To Texas A&M

Rich DeCray — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 02:37:51 -0000

The quick start to the season gave the Oklahoma Sooners a false sense of security heading into conference play. While OU was able to pull off a few upsets, conference play was a completely different monster as Oklahoma was only able to grab five conference wins.

Now, heading into the Big XII Tourney, the Sooners had a bit of confidence. They were to face a familiar foe for the second time in less than a week in the Texas A&M Aggies. However, the story would flip as the Aggies lead the charge taking a 27-22 half time lead.

The duo of David Loubeau and Khris Middleton would combine for 30 points and 16 rebounds. This would total nearly half the total points scored by the Aggies as they proved to be too much to handle. From the outside, Elston Turner poured in another 14 points hitting his season average. These three players were the perfect storm for which Oklahoma never had an answer.

You know it's a bad night scoring wise when Sam Grooms is the second leading scorer for the Sooners. One thing Oklahoma had to accomplish was getting the ball in the hands of Romero Osby who finished with a game high 17 points. Grooms added 13 and no one else hit the double digit mark. Cameron Clark continued his rebounding prowess and came up with 8 boards.

Simply put, the Sooners were dominated in every aspect as the Aggies pulled down 36 boards to Oklahoma's 26. Texas A&M was able to get 55 shots off to OU's 46 and more chances usually add up to more points. The Aggies only missed a total of two free throws after shooting roughly 64% on the season.

However, on the bright side, it would appear that the Sooners are in a much better place than they were before the arrival of Lon Kruger.

Big XII Tournament: Texas A&M vs Oklahoma Preview

Rich DeCray — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:25:20 -0000

The Big XII Tournament gets underway in Kansas City tonight as the Oklahoma Sooners take on the Texas A&M Aggies in the first game at 6PM. Following that, the other Oklahoma school in the Oklahoma St. Cowboys will go head-to-head against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at 8:30PM.

The game most people here are obviously going to be interested is the kickoff. These are two foes who should be very familiar with one another as the Aggies were defeated by the Sooners this past weekend. Don't expect many surprises or wrinkles to show up here.

Texas A&M and Oklahoma split the regular season games with the Sooners edging the Aggies in the final regular season game. This was important for OU as it would give them a small confidence boost and the mentality that they can beat aTm. While these teams are used to playing in front of a bit of a crowd, neither will travel well this year and the stands will remain empty. So for ease of things here is a rundown and who gets the edge in each category...

	Oklahoma Sooners	Texas A&M Aggies
Points Per Game	70	61
Defensive Rebounding	24	24
Offensive Rebounding	13	10
Assists/Turnovers	1.09	0.87
FG%	43.6	43.5
3PT%	35.6	33.1

A simple eye test will tell you that these two teams are near evenly matched. The biggest thing that is going to come into play is the defenses. Oklahoma seems to have a big let down defensively allowing teams to put together runs. Staying consistent will be the key tonight.

Andrew Fitzgerald and Romero Osby are a bit on the smaller side when it comes to bigs. They will be squaring off against Khris Middleton and David Loubeau who are roughly the same size as Oklahoma's bigs. You can bet this quartet will be putting up solid numbers. The x-factor then becomes Steven Pledger or Elston Turner. Pledger didn't play particularly well in the last outing against the Aggies, but neither did Turner.

Both Pleger and Turner lead their teams in scoring. If one or both hit their numbers for tonight while the supporting cast does their role, we could be in for a game of ups and downs for both sides. However, the Aggies really have nothing to play for at this point. On the other hand, Oklahoma will be looking to remain at .500 on the season to keep their post-season tournament hopes alive. It is going to take at least a .500 record for OU to be considered for the NIT and it starts tonight.

So what needs to happen? 1) Oklahoma must put the ball in the hands of Osby. He has hot the hot hand as of late and will look to continue that trend. Not only does Roe need the ball, 2) Cameron Clark needs to get going early. I'm not talking points wise either. This kid has been a force on the glass recently with 20 rebounds in the past two outings alone. He will need to look to be aggressive on the glass tonight as well. The Sooners will need these two things firing in succession to 3) build a lead. The lead is going to be essential and will decide if OU can weather a second half run by the Aggies.

The Sooners will be wearing the home jerseys tonight with a little bit of confidence. Pride will be on the line and for the Sooners a shot at the NIT. Join in as the Big XII Tournament kicks off at 6PM tonight!

The Preview You Must View: (8) Oklahoma vs (9) Texas A&M

Nathan Kotisso — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:02:04 -0000

Did you miss us? We missed you.

I think we all needed some time to recharge our batteries a bit. So get ready to be bombarded with tons of content in the month of March. Because it's...well, you know. But enough of that.

The 2012 Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament starts off with an 8-9 battle between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas A&M Aggies. A "Tale of Two Seasons," really. The Big 12 coaches picked A&M to share the conference title in the preseason but anything that could go wrong did go wrong in College Station. On the other hand Oklahoma brought in Lon Kruger to be their head coach and not much was expected in his first season. Sure they flirted with contention for a little bit but soon faded towards the bottom of the Big 12.

It was tough to figure out these Sooners from the start. They finished as runner-up of the 76 Classic in November, they beat an underrated Oral Roberts team and then gave the Cincinnati Bearcats all they could handle before losing by 1 in Cincy. Some kind of job Lon Kruger's doing, everyone thought.

But Big 12 play began and they were the lucky ones who started off at Missouri, home for Kansas and a date at Oklahoma State. They lost all three, but they went on to score wins in three of their next five games, a sweep of Kansas State and a victory against Texas Tech. But that's when it went horribly, horribly wrong. At 13-7 with 10 left to play, OU would lose all but two games the rest of the way.

Now they're playing for a spot in the NIT, if they can win a game or two in this tournament. While most will remember their late season slide, they have plenty of bright spots on the roster. Steven Pledger is one of the more productive scorers in the Big 12, Romero Osby and Andrew Fitzgerald form a solid 1-2 punch down low and point guard Sam Grooms finished just two assists behind Baylor's Pierre Jackson for tops in the Big 12. Here's the kicker: all four are juniors and if they return for their senior seasons, we could be talking about the Sooners for an NCAA bid in 2013. Future's bright in Norman.

There wasn't any mystery to the Aggies. They were torched in November by the Florida Gators, who they'll see a lot more of in the near future, and haven't recovered. Head coach Billy Kennedy was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, freshman point guard Jamal Branch left the program and star Khris Middleton was just a shell of himself while battling a bum hamstring.

The play of Washington transfer Elston Turner was a welcome sight, leading the team in scoring (13.8) and three-point percentage (.398). If there's something to look forward to in the game, at least it'll be competitive. The mid-January matchup went to overtime where A&M prevailed and last Saturday's OU win was a nailbiter. So what are the Ags playing for? Pride. That's all they have left after such a crappy season. If the Aggies were to win today, it would be their second victory dating back to February 1st, so there's that.

But if I were a betting man, I'd put my money on the Sooners to take this one. And if it is their last game in the conference, I'd like to say thank you, Aggies, for the post-Melvin Watkins era of basketball. Best of luck in the SEC and tell Missouri I said hello.

Sooners-Aggies can be seen tonight at 6pm central time on your Big 12 Network affiliate. If you wanna know which one, click here.

Previewing the Big 12 Basketball Tournament

jc25 — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 04:22:52 -0000

Texas finds itself in a unique situation going into the Big 12's postseason tournament. For once, the Longhorns aren't comfortably just awaiting a high seed. Instead, they find themselves squarely on the tournament bubble, teetering between the "Last Four In" and the "First Four Out".

Interestingly enough, the rest of the teams in the tournament fall on either side. The top five teams in the Big 12 have their bags packed for the tournament, while the bottom four need to win out to get in. Here's how the Big 12 tournament shakes out:

FINAL FOUR CONTENDERS

Kansas Jayhawks (Big 12 Tournament #1 Seed)

Season Recap: Chalk. The Jayhawks rocked the Big 12 again, securing the regular season championship for the 8th consecutive year. Thomas Robinson is either 1A or 1B in the National Player of the Year races (to Kentucky's Anthony Davis), and Tyshawn Taylor is one of the most improved players in the nation. But Kansas' calling card is the defense, from shot-blocker extraordinare Jeff Withey to All Glue-Guy Travis Releford.

Predicted Big 12 Tournament Finish: Champions. Kansas has won five of the last six--bet against them at your own risk.

Predicted NCAA Tournament Bid: #1 seed. And the inevitable head-scratching loss to a lesser opponent.

Missouri Tigers (Big 12 Tournament #2 Seed)

Season Recap: Senior experience. The Tiger seven-man rotation includes five seniors, a junior, and an emerging sophomore point guard in Phil Pressey. The inside-out duo of Ricardo Ratliffe and Marcus Denmon is comprised of two of the most offensively efficient players in the nation. And versatile swingman Kim English has a smile that lights up the sun.

Predicted Big 12 Tournament Finish: Title game. The Tigers avoid the rugged frontcourts of Baylor and Kansas St., which makes for a yellow brick path to the finals.

Predicted NCAA Tournament Bid: #2 seed. Very match-up dependent. Drawing a rugged, interior-powerful team early could spell doom for the Tigers.

******

Baylor Bears (Big 12 Tournament #4 Seed)

Season Recap: A mystery wrapped in an enigma. A promising 17-0 start dissolved into a disappointing run through Big 12 play (sound familiar, Longhorns fans?). Still, they're probably the most talented team in the Big 12, if not the most intelligent. Perry Jones III and Quincy Miller are future lottery picks. However, I find that the team's two players to watch are Quincy Acy, who rightfully won first team All-Big 12 honors over Jones III, and Pierre Jackson, a dagger 3-point shooter and deft passer who also loves to turn the ball over.

Predicted Big 12 Tournament Finish: 2nd round exit. The Bears' two games with Kansas St. this year have been won by a combined 3 points. I'll give the nod to the Wildcats, but it's a coin flip.

Predicted NCAA Tournament Bid: #4 seed. Can Baylor make the Final Four run I had predicted at the beginning of the season? The Bears will need to channel the ghosts of 2010 to do so.

SWEET 16 POTENTIAL

Iowa St. Cyclones (Big 12 Tournament #3 Seed)

Season Recap: Transference. The Cyclones got a new Mayor in town in head coach Fred Hoiberg. He, in turn, went out and recruited some talented cast-offs, most notably future NBA first round draft pick Royce White. In conference, the Cyclones beat every single team except Missouri. If they don't hit their three's, they're toast. If they do, their opponent is.

Predicted Big 12 Tournament Finish: 2nd Round Exit. Cold shooting touch helps the Big 12's quest for six tournament teams? That's what the Horns are hoping for.

Predicted NCAA Tournament Bid: #8 seed. Brand name recognition is a problem for Iowa St. The Cyclones haven't made the tournament since 2005, and the "just happy to be there" mentality won't be enough to get them past a 1 seed, let alone a 9.

******

Kansas St. Wildcats (Big 12 Tournament #5 Seed)

Season Recap: Martinesque. It's been the typical rock 'em, sock 'em, Frank Martin ballclub. The Wildcats don't win pretty, but they win. Rodney McGruder is one of the more underrated players in the nation. A couple of guys that hardly look capable of playing pickup basketball, Angel Rodriguez and Will Spradling, leads the offense, while the interior is mix and match.

Predicted Big 12 Tournament Finish: 3rd Round Exit. The Wildcats haven't been able to figure out their in-state rivals, and the third time isn't the charm.

Predicted NCAA Tournament Bid: #7 seed. Despite the high KenPom ratings, the tournament projections aren't showing the mid-tier Big 12 teams a lotta love, so the Wildcats may need to pull a big upset to make it to weekend two.

EVERYDAY I'M BUBBLIN'

Texas Longhorns (Big 12 Tournament #6 Seed)

Season Recap: So close, yet so far. Had the Horns returned one-and-dones Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph, we would have been talking about a Final Four run. Instead, we lament all the close losses that led to a 9-9 conference record. J'Covan Brown is awesome-o, and Myck Kabongo is enigmatically talented. All that is for naught if we're having the same discussion next year with both players gone to the professional ranks.

Predicted Big 12 Tournament Finish: 3rd Round Exit. The intelligent, experienced Tigers have been all kinds of wrong for Texas.

Predicted NCAA Tournament Bid: Last Four In. Call me an optimist.

CANNON FODDER

Oklahoma St. Cowboys vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders (Big 12 Tournament #7 vs. #10)

Season Recap: The Cowboys have a promising core for next year if diaper not-so-dandy Le'Bryan Nash returns to team with Markel Brown and incoming five-star Marcus Smart. That's no help for this year, as the team was just too talent-deficient to make a dent in the Big 12. Despite a valiant effort against Texas, the Red Raiders are one of the worst power conference teams in the nation.

Predicted Big 12 Tournament Finish: Texas Tech wins. Upset of the century of the week!

******

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas A&M Aggies (Big 12 Tournament #8 vs. #9)

Season Recap: The Sooners are on the up-and-up with new head coach Lon Kruger at the helm. They could be a homeless man's Missouri next year with returning seniors-to-be Romero Osby, Steven Pledger, and Andrew Fitzgerald. The Aggies are on the down-and-out as they exit the Big 12 with their tail tucked between their legs. Preseason top 25 rankings in both football and basketball fizzled into ~.500 seasons, with oft-injured Khris Middleton yet another poster child of why it's better to leave when your draft stock is highest.

Predicted Big 12 Tournament Finish: Did you hear about the Aggie that moved to Oklahoma and raised the IQ of both states? Sooners win, I guess.

Big XII Basketball Awards Announced

Rich DeCray — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:49:54 -0000

Yesterday marked the release of the Big XII Basketball awards. There is a good crop of players in the conference and weeding out the boys from the men was not something that was as easy as it may have been in past seasons. When thinking Big XII Basketball, names such as Perry Jones III or Royce White or Thomas Robinson come to mind, and these are just a few.

However, the biggest surprise is that the Oklahoma Sooners were unable to land a name on the list (outside of an honorable mention). Sure, they didn't play particularly well in conference play as a whole, but there were some stand out players. Romero Osby remained consistent throughout the season while Sam Grooms ranks among the top in the nation in categories. Some players were able to come on late, which in the eyes of the coaches bumped names like these and Steven Pledger down a few notches.

Congrats to all those who were mentioned. Without any further ado, here is the list of awards.

2011-12 PHILLIPS 66 ALL-BIG 12 MEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDS

Player of the Year:	Thomas Robinson, Kansas, F, Jr., 6-10, 237, Washington, D.C./Brewster Academy [N.H.]
Defensive Player of the Year:	Jeff Withey, Kansas, C, Jr., 7-0, 235, San Diego, Calif./Horizon
Newcomer of the Year:	Royce White, Iowa State, F, So., 6-8, 270, Minneapolis, Minn./Hopkins/Minnesota**
Co-Freshman of the Year:	Quincy Miller, Baylor, F, Fr., 6-9, 210, High Point, N.C./Westchester Country Day School Le'Bryan Nash, Oklahoma State, G/F, Fr., 6-7, 230, Dallas, Texas/Lincoln
Sixth Man Award:	Michael Dixon, Missouri, G, Jr., 6-1, 185, Kansas City, Mo./Lee's Summit West**
Co-Coaches of the Year:	Fred Hoiberg, Iowa State [Career and at ISU: 38-25, 2nd season] Bill Self, Kansas [Career: 470-156, 19th season; At KU: 263-51, 9th season]

Ties in the voting created additional spots for Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year

All-Big 12 First Team	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Hometown/Previous School(s)
Royce White, Iowa State**	F	6-8	270	So.	Minneapolis, Minn./Hopkins/Minnesota
Thomas Robinson, Kansas**	F	6-10	237	Jr.	Washington, D.C./Brewster Academy [N.H.]
Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas**	G	6-3	185	Sr.	Hoboken, N.J./St. Anthony
Marcus Denmon, Missouri	G	6-3	185	Sr.	Kansas City, Mo./Hogan Prep
J'Covan Brown, Texas	G	6-1	197	Jr.	Port Arthur, Texas/Memorial

All-Big 12 Second Team	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Hometown/Previous School(s)
Quincy Acy, Baylor	F	6-7	235	Sr.	Mesquite, Texas/Horn
Pierre Jackson, Baylor	G	5-10	180	Jr.	Las Vegas, Nev./Desert Pines/College of Southern Idaho
Rodney McGruder, Kansas State	G	6-4	205	Jr.	Washington, D.C./Arlington Country Day [Fla.]
Ricardo Ratliffe, Missouri	F	6-8	240	Sr.	Hampton, Va./Kecoughtan/Central Florida CC
Keiton Page, Oklahoma State	G	5-9	165	Sr.	Pawnee, Okla./Pawnee

All-Big 12 Third Team	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Hometown/Previous School(s)
Perry Jones III, Baylor	F	6-11	235	So.	Duncanville, Texas/Duncanville
Scott Christopherson, Iowa State	G	6-3	195	Sr.	LaCrosse, Wis./Aquinas/Marquette
Jeff Withey, Kansas	C	7-0	235	Jr.	San Diego, Calif./Horizon
Kim English, Missouri	G	6-6	200	Sr.	Baltimore, Md./Randallstown/Notre Dame Prep
Phil Pressey, Missouri	G	5-10	175	So.	Dallas, Texas/Dallas Episcopal

All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (Listed alphabetically by school)
Quincy Miller (Baylor), Chris Allen (Iowa State), Melvin Ejim (Iowa State), Jamar Samuels (Kansas State), Steven Pledger (Oklahoma), Romero Osby (Oklahoma), Le'Bryan Nash (Oklahoma State), Myck Kabongo (Texas), Elston Turner (Texas A&M), David Loubeau (Texas A&M)

Big 12 All-Defensive Team	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Hometown/Previous School(s)
Quincy Acy, Baylor**	F	6-7	235	Sr.	Mesquite, Texas/Horn
Jeff Withey, Kansas**	C	7-0	235	Jr.	San Diego, Calif./Horizon
Jordan Henriquez, Kansas State	F	6-11	250	Jr.	Port Chester, N.Y./The Winchendon School [Mass.]
Rodney McGruder, Kansas State	G	6-4	205	Jr.	Washington, D.C./Arlington Country Day [Fla.]
Michael Dixon, Missouri	G	6-1	185	Jr.	Kansas City, Mo./Lee's Summit West

Big 12 All-Rookie Team	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Hometown/Previous School(s)
Pierre Jackson, Baylor**	G	5-10	180	Jr.	Las Vegas, Nev./Desert Pines/College of Southern Idaho
Quincy Miller, Baylor	F	6-9	210	Fr.	High Point, N.C./Westchester Country Day School
Royce White, Iowa State**	F	6-8	270	So.	Minneapolis, Minn./Hopkins/Minnesota
Le'Bryan Nash, Oklahoma State	G/F	6-7	230	Fr.	Dallas, Texas/Lincoln
Myck Kabongo, Texas	G	6-1	169	Fr.	Toronto, Ontario, Canada/St. Benedict's Prep [N.J.]

** - Unanimous Selection

Kansas Wins The Big 12 AND Cleans Up On Awards Day!!

Owen — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:28:41 -0000

It's fun to look back at a regular season like the one we just had and realize just how impressive the growth of this team has been over the course of a five month span. Obviously five months doesn't tell the full story as this group has really been "our team" since last April, but in the last five months the Kansas Jayhawks have exceeded expectations and then some.

The funny thing about it is that I think even the most optimistic Kansas Jayhawk fan would have told you that we have a strong starting five, perhaps as good a starting five as anyone in the league, but depth was always the concern. Even with that mentality, the 16-2 record, the Big 12 championship and a team with the player of the year, coach of the year and defensive player of the year probably wasn't the expectation.

Yesterday the Kansas basketball program added those final pieces when Bill Self was named coach of the year, Thomas Robinson player of the year and Jeff Withey was named defensive player of the year. Throw Tyshawn Taylor as a first team all conference player and Kansas is WELL represented once again.

2011-12 PHILLIPS 66 ALL-BIG 12 MEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDS

Player of the Year:	Thomas Robinson, Kansas, F, Jr., 6-10, 237, Washington, D.C./Brewster Academy [N.H.]
Defensive Player of the Year:	Jeff Withey, Kansas, C, Jr., 7-0, 235, San Diego, Calif./Horizon
Newcomer of the Year:	Royce White, Iowa State, F, So., 6-8, 270, Minneapolis, Minn./Hopkins/Minnesota**
Co-Freshman of the Year:	Quincy Miller, Baylor, F, Fr., 6-9, 210, High Point, N.C./Westchester Country Day School Le'Bryan Nash, Oklahoma State, G/F, Fr., 6-7, 230, Dallas, Texas/Lincoln
Sixth Man Award:	Michael Dixon, Missouri, G, Jr., 6-1, 185, Kansas City, Mo./Lee's Summit West**
Co-Coaches of the Year:	Fred Hoiberg, Iowa State [Career and at ISU: 38-25, 2nd season] Bill Self, Kansas [Career: 470-156, 19th season; At KU: 263-51, 9th season]

All-Big 12 First Team	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Hometown/Previous School(s)
Royce White, Iowa State**	F	6-8	270	So.	Minneapolis, Minn./Hopkins/Minnesota
Thomas Robinson, Kansas**	F	6-10	237	Jr.	Washington, D.C./Brewster Academy [N.H.]
Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas**	G	6-3	185	Sr.	Hoboken, N.J./St. Anthony
Marcus Denmon, Missouri	G	6-3	185	Sr.	Kansas City, Mo./Hogan Prep
J'Covan Brown, Texas	G	6-1	197	Jr.	Port Arthur, Texas/Memorial

All-Big 12 Second Team	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Hometown/Previous School(s)
Quincy Acy, Baylor	F	6-7	235	Sr.	Mesquite, Texas/Horn
Pierre Jackson, Baylor	G	5-10	180	Jr.	Las Vegas, Nev./Desert Pines/College of Southern Idaho
Rodney McGruder, Kansas State	G	6-4	205	Jr.	Washington, D.C./Arlington Country Day [Fla.]
Ricardo Ratliffe, Missouri	F	6-8	240	Sr.	Hampton, Va./Kecoughtan/Central Florida CC
Keiton Page, Oklahoma State	G	5-9	165	Sr.	Pawnee, Okla./Pawnee

All-Big 12 Third Team	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Hometown/Previous School(s)
Perry Jones III, Baylor	F	6-11	235	So.	Duncanville, Texas/Duncanville
Scott Christopherson, Iowa State	G	6-3	195	Sr.	LaCrosse, Wis./Aquinas/Marquette
Jeff Withey, Kansas	C	7-0	235	Jr.	San Diego, Calif./Horizon
Kim English, Missouri	G	6-6	200	Sr.	Baltimore, Md./Randallstown/Notre Dame Prep
Phil Pressey, Missouri	G	5-10	175	So.	Dallas, Texas/Dallas Episcopal

All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (Listed alphabetically by school)
Quincy Miller (Baylor), Chris Allen (Iowa State), Melvin Ejim (Iowa State), Jamar Samuels (Kansas State), Steven Pledger (Oklahoma), Romero Osby (Oklahoma), Le'Bryan Nash (Oklahoma State), Myck Kabongo (Texas), Elston Turner (Texas A&M), David Loubeau (Texas A&M)

Big 12 All-Defensive Team	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Hometown/Previous School(s)
Quincy Acy, Baylor**	F	6-7	235	Sr.	Mesquite, Texas/Horn
Jeff Withey, Kansas**	C	7-0	235	Jr.	San Diego, Calif./Horizon
Jordan Henriquez, Kansas State	F	6-11	250	Jr.	Port Chester, N.Y./The Winchendon School [Mass.]
Rodney McGruder, Kansas State	G	6-4	205	Jr.	Washington, D.C./Arlington Country Day [Fla.]
Michael Dixon, Missouri	G	6-1	185	Jr.	Kansas City, Mo./Lee's Summit West

Big 12 All-Rookie Team	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Hometown/Previous School(s)
Pierre Jackson, Baylor**	G	5-10	180	Jr.	Las Vegas, Nev./Desert Pines/College of Southern Idaho
Quincy Miller, Baylor	F	6-9	210	Fr.	High Point, N.C./Westchester Country Day School
Royce White, Iowa State**	F	6-8	270	So.	Minneapolis, Minn./Hopkins/Minnesota
Le'Bryan Nash, Oklahoma State	G/F	6-7	230	Fr.	Dallas, Texas/Lincoln
Myck Kabongo, Texas	G	6-1	169	Fr.	Toronto, Ontario, Canada/St. Benedict's Prep [N.J.]

** - Unanimous Selection

Talk about being one fortunate fanbase. Some might think we're spoiled. To some extent that might be true, but there can't be too many that haven't been pleasantly surprised at almost every turn this year. Based on the fact that Taylor and Robinson were unanimous selections, I'd be willing to bet that Tyshawn Taylor might have been Robinson's biggest challenger for player of the year and that duo has allowed Kansas to carry on with business as usual.

Looking at the other awards I do think that Fred Hoiberg is a great co-selection along with Self. Iowa State is a team that has grown in leaps and bounds since the beginning of the season and found a way to finish 3rd in the league. Having them on the other side of the Big 12 bracket is probably a good thing because outside of Kansas, Kansas State and maybe Missouri, Iowa State is one fanbase that can pack a Kansas City arena for the Big 12 tournament as well as anyone.

All in all I think it's a pretty fair rundown without too many so called snubs. Some fanbases might disagree but I think you can make a counter argument for just about every person on the list. If I had to pinpoint one Jayhawk that has the potential to find his way onto a team here in the next year it would be Elijah Johnson. Johnson has really started to develop into a strong defensive standout for Kansas and it probably goes a little unnoticed at the moment. But if Withey does return and doesn't fly up any draftboards late, then Johnson and Withey could make for a Kansas team with a very defensive oriented identity in 2012-2013.

Oklahoma Edges Texas A&M On Senior Day In Ugly Bout 65-62

Rich DeCray — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 23:36:32 -0000

As a side note, it was surprising to see the attendance number at 9,349. Not sure how accurate that is but I would doubt that many people were in the stands all day long with all the free shirts left sitting around.

The Oklahoma Sooners led by Romero Osby with 24 points in a break-out game of sorts, held the lead the entire way. While it was the not the quality win many Sooner fans were hoping for right before the conference tournament, it does give OU a bit of confidence as they will face the Texas A&M Aggies once again.

This game saw surges by the Aggies as they pushed for the lead eventually coming with in one before falling short at the end. David Loubeau led the team in scoring but it was Khris Middleton who had the big game pouring in 14 of his own to go along with 7 boards and 3 assists.

The Sooners made the Aggies work for shots while limited Elston Turner from the 3-point line. Turner attempted 8 three-pointers while only hitting 3 of them, which would pretty much sum up his scoring. Coming into this game, it was something Lon Kruger knew had to happen and his team executed very well.

Sam Grooms returned to his normal self dictating the offense with 7 assists and only 2 turnovers. On an afternoon where 2/3 of the Big Three struggled, Oklahoma escaped with a win in the final seconds.

The Sooners face Texas A&M once again Wednesday night in first round of the conference tournament. Here's the full Big 12 Tournament Bracket.