Hogs Boss Sooners~Fortson: Drew Lavendar on Steroids?

"Pigg,,,,, Sooooooeeyyyy,,, Razorbacks."

The Hog call was deafening as 19,604 snorting fans practiced tonight's New Year partying as their beloved hoop squad had answers for superstar, future multi-millionaire Blake Griffin and his Sooner teammates.

Definitely a nightmarish noise for Sooner hoop fans. Last night, Oklahoma took their undefeated, double Griffinized Sooners into Bud Walton arena only to be greeted by a pack of squawking HOGS and a possessed Razorback squad. Despite an incredible 2nd half comeback, OU fell 96-88 to fall to 12-1. Arkansas improves to 10-1.

I believe this game will HELP both teams. [see last graph]

Oklahoma bred Rotnei Clark [Celtics played against the Hoosiers backcourt of Rotnei & Keiton Page when Rotnei -Keiton were 6th graders] , who refused to join up with the state university for the next four years, took all of 15 seconds before uncorking a three point shot to start a first half onslaught that appeared to knock the Sooners back to the Oklahoma border. At halftime, the Hogs led 53-38. Clark finished with 15 points which included 3 of 4 from beyond the arc, despite missing his first free throw of the season. But he was not the headline act from the upset in the hills of Northwest Arkansas.

Hog wide receiver Marcus Monk, postman Michael Washington, and the quarterback of the Hog courters, amazing point guard Courtney Fortson stole the show. Monk came from the bench and chipped in 12 points, 6 rebounds and his 20 minutes of defending the Griffin brothers played a huge part in allowing Sanchez and Washington to survive the whole game without fouling out. They each had 4 fouls and Monk had 3. Washington's 24 points down on the block gives hope to BIG 12 opponents that Griffin can be scored on. Washington added 11 rebounds.

But it was Fortson who "wowed" this spectator. Although he may be an average shooter and capable of knocking down 3's [I haven't checked his year stats, but he was 3 of 14 FG's and 0-4 from beyond the arc last night], the diminutive Fortson was the player of the game.

Ultra-Quick might be an appropriate label for this sparkplug. Courtney, a freshmen who attended one year at a prep school, truly was the dominant player in the game. Pushing the ball relentlessly up the court, the lefthanded blurr looked like he was on fast forward while the other 9 players were playing at regular speed. He received credit for 10 assists, but it seemed like more. One time he was trapped in back-court without a dribble, and pivoted enough to zap a pass to a streaking Hog teammate for a layup. His no look passes didn't surprise his athletic teammates, and he added 8 rebounds to boot!

If it wasn't for OU freshmen, and former AAU teammate of Rotnei, Willie Warren, [35 points, including 18 of the Sooners first 23 points on 6 of 6 fgs], and long sleeve wearing Tony Crocker, who sat out a long stretch including the end of the first half thru about 8 minutes of the 2nd half. Crocker sat with four fouls, the last for an assessed technical for complaining about foul #3.

When Rotnei's last 3 pointer made it 72-47 caused another Hogfan explosion, most had to think this game was over. But that's when Crocker went OFF. Yes, all capital letters to O F F. Tony knocked in FIVE,, 5, [1,2,3,4,5] three pointers in a prolific 3 minute stretch and the most amazing part about this streak is that the Sooners shut out the Hogs the entire run. That made it 72-63 and still there were over 9 minutes left in the game.

Two free throws by Warren cut the Arkansas lead to 83-79 and still there were more than 4 minutes left.... The proverbial explanation of the comeback team NOT completing the task, "we wasted all our energy to get there, and didn't have enough to finish"..... might have been true.

It would have been devastating for Arkansas to lose this game. Instead, they have confidence in their squad and should continue to improve with their very youthful guards. Oklahoma was overrated in my opinion. They struggled in an early season home game against a very mediocre opponent. Several victories could have gone either way, and "luck" may have played a role. Wait,,, LUCK?.... of course Luck played a role. It always does!! Or , it NEVER does. Depends on the definition, right?

Regardless, getting HAMMERED like they did for the first 27 minutes surely brought them back to earth. Undefeated. Ranked #4 Nationally. Blake Griffin~assumed to be top pick by NBA at the next draft. Coach Jeff Capel is definitely the real deal. Getting blown out like they did on the road by this Hog squad, will allow him to regain whatever little bit of attention he may have lost during the nice opening season run. OU will be better now that they have LOST a game. And it goes without saying, they proved they can overcome that opening BLITZ by Arkansas, and still had a chance to win the game.

Liberty Mounds to Hotchkiss Boarding School

Team Oklahoma's 6'11" center Monty Brown considered transferring to Holland Hall Prep School, about 12 minutes away from Liberty Mounds HS where Brown studied and played basketball last year. He also thought about Cascia Hall & Bishop Kelley. Tulsa's three private schools with quality basketball programs were discussed and looked at. But through the contacts of Ted Owens, former Kansas University coach who led the Jayhawks to the Final Four two different times, Brown now runs the hardcourt of Hotchkiss Prep.

Hotchkiss? Is it a disease? No. A new game? Nope. Try a boarding school that is estimated by Mapquest to be about 23 hours 22 minutes from Monty's home in Liberty Mounds. Approximately 1461.47 miles away from Green Country, right here in the heartlands.

So instead of seeking a {local} different coach to influence and help Monty develop his god given "long" assets [see picture above!], and grow on the hardwood, instead, the college hoop prospect decided to head to Connecticut and attend Hotchkiss Boarding School. Monty said they are scheduled to play Oak Hill Academy, a perennial Top 10 team. His coach is former NBA center Fred Benjamin.

With several top prospects on his team, Hotchkiss practices have included coaches from Boston College, Syracuse [head coach Jim Boeheim himself!], and Stanford.

Monte is a top student and enjoyed being a "supervisor" while working at Sutherland's this summer. With a coach that has been there, not to mention is larger than Brown and able to bang him around in practice when necessary, it will be interesting to follow Monte and how he fares in the land of the giants. It wouldn't surprise to see Brown on the next level. Exactly what division is yet to be seen.

Good Luck Montego!!

Team Oklahoma Represents in Stillwater

Freshman Marquisse [Mar-KEESE] Jackson, [third from the right in picture] 6'5" forward for Team Oklahoma this summer, played two minutes in the Oklahoma State vs Mercer University game in Gallagher Iba Arena. Jackson, who averaged 16 points and nine rebounds for coach Tim Bart’s Bartlesville Bruins last year. He is majoring in Engineering while playing on the Mercer Bear's Division I basketball squad.

Jackson was rewarded with the scholarship after hitting the national circuit with Team Oklahoma, coached by Don Calvert, jr. and assisted by Don Calvert, senior. Calvert senior is a member of the Oklahoma Coaches Hall of Fame.

Team Oklahoma went to the Final Four of the Kingwood Classic in Houston, where they fell to the eventual champion, the olympic developmental squad from Canada. Jackson was the only graduate, as the rest of the squad are currently playing their senior season.

Mercer, who is coached by Oklahoma native Bob Hoffman, upset USC last season to shock college basketball fans.

This year, they've already won two huge road games, beating both Alabama and Auburn in hostile territory. Marquisse, who came off the bench and was a force to be reckoned with for opponents of Team Oklahoma, has played a few minutes in about half of Mercer's games.

Congratulations Marquisse!

Battle of the Hall's ~ Cascia Falls 61-60 to Dutch

SCOREBOARD
In an electrified atmosphere at the Holland Hall gym, the Dutch knocked off the arch-rival, 2nd ranked Cascia Hall Commando's 61-60.

The Dutch were led by 6'5" senior Brock Morton's 28 points and 12 rebounds,, which were just the obvious components he utilized to dismantle the larger, more experienced and favored Cascia Hall.  Young Dutch players Bailey Miles, sophomore transfer from Bishop Kelley High School, and sophomore Ethan Elbert, who started for Mounds High School last year, were red hot from beyond the 3 point line to support Morton, who took his battles into the mid range area.

Bill Russell didn't score a lot of points for the Boston Celtics. However, he was unquestionably THE leader of the Celtic dynasty,,,, with his incredible goal tending style of defense. Standing 6'9", he was about 6" taller than Holland Hall's William Tisdale. But Tisdale gave Coach Brad Shelley reason to smile with his superb defensive abilities he displayed against the Commando's. Tisdale, whose uncle Waymon was the best basketball player EVER to put on an Oklahoma Sooner jersey, had at least four blocked shots during the middle two quarters to frustrate Cascia Hall and keep them from establishing an inside presence. Although slightly built, compared to his muscular father, former BTW Hornet William, Sr., Tisdale's explosive and QUICK jumping ability enabled him to alter Cascia's shots, and lead the way for the Dutch victory.

Cascia jumped out to an early advantage behind the scoring of senior Will Bryant and his junior brother Luke Bryant ["dribbling siblings"] but the Dutch fought back and when Morton connected on two free throws after the first half clock had expired, the score stood Southside [Holland] Hall 32 and Mid-Town [Cascia] Hall 29.

When Morton's no look pass found Miles in the corner, and Miles connected for his 3rd consecutive trey, the Dutch were looking at a surprising 10 point advantage at 41-31. But all-state football receiver/cornerback, and former DUTCH student Price Pinkerton, led Cascia back into the game with his best offensive explosion of the season.

Cascia finally knotted the score midway 4th quarter, and from there, the lead bounced back and forth as Pinkerton and Morton kept exchanging blows. Each scored 10 points in the final quarter, with Morton's pullup 12 foot jumper with 35 seconds remaining proving to be the game winning shot.

However, the game was far from decided at that point. Elbert had the defensive assignment to shut down Pinkerton as the clock wound down, and made a superb defensive slide to prohibit the red hot Pinkerton from penetrating. Pinkerton pulled up for a 15 footer which came up short, but Cascia's Sam Clancy, who quarterbacked the Commando's to their second consecutive football state championship just 13 days earlier, tied up Miles on the rebound and gave Cascia another chance. [Speaking of championships, do you realize that Cascia Hall would have to win the State Football crown for the next FIVE YEARS in a row to equal what I believe is the most amazing record EVER in sports...... the John Wooden led UCLA Bruins and their SEVEN, yes 7, consecutive NCAA National Basketball Championships....truly unbelieveable!]

Another Cascia miss and Pinkerton was called for a foul on Elbert with just four seconds remaining. One of the referees signaled the one and one situation, before timeout was called by Cascia Hall Head Coach Brian Rahilly. He and his assistant, Tulsa University Athletic Hall of Fame member Tracey Moore,  apparently did not notice the scoreboard [see pic above] which clearly showed that it was Cascia Hall's 4th team foul, thus, the Dutch would receive the ball out of bounds. There was obvious confusion as the 3 officials seemed to be a little confused themselves.

When the timeout ended, Cascia's players came out and proceeded to march down the court to line up for the free throw on the Dutch end; meanwhile, right in front of the Cascia Hall bench, before realizing what was happening, the referee handed the ball to the Dutch player, who passed inbound to an uncontested Morton before the last 4 seconds ticked off and the only thing that mattered was the picture above. 61-60 Dutch. Four team fouls. Game Over. Immediately as the horn sounded, the Holland Hall student body swarmed the floor to celebrate the upset victory over Tulsa's "other" Hall.

Alan Santos, the only senior besides Morton to see action, made several slick assist for the Dutch who also recieved strong production from Jake Freudenrich and William Tisdale, both who blocked shots and came up with key rebounds. Their inside presence was invaluable.

Morton snared 10 rebounds, dished 4 assists and totalled 3 steals. He was 2 for 4 from 3 point range. His knack of always playing his hardest, was never more on display than it was on this Friday night at the Dutch gym. A lot of heart and desire along with some phenomenal 3 pt shooting by Miles and Elbert were just enough to keep the Dutch unbeaten for the year. Morton was recently named by VYPE High School Sports Magazine as one of the ELITE 4 Boys in Green Country this year. If he keeps playing like he did against Cascia Hall, more honors are sure to come.

Coach Brad Shelley, in his first year at the Dutch helm, can now claim an undefeated record in his first "Year" at Holland Hall, as the Dutch raised their record to 7-0 and don't play again until the Oklahoma City Heritage Hall tournament on January 1rst, 2nd and 3rd.

Holland Hall travels to #1 Ranked Metro Christian on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009. Their next home game is a rematch against NOAH at 8 pm on January 9th.

The Dutch open their Southwest Preparatory Conference schedule on January 16th, at home against Dallas Greenhill.

A rematch against Mid-Town [Cascia] Hall is scheduled for January 27th at 8 pm at the Commando gym.

Jim Valvano would be proud!!

"Never give up....never, never,never, NEVER give up!" ~ Jimmy "V" Valvano inspired millions with his message as he fought back against the cancer that ravaged his body and ended his life way too early.

I don't know if OU women's coach Sherry Coale used that inspriational message during her halftime talk yesterday, but it would have been appropriate after the Sooners fell behind by 26 points at HALFTIME against the California Golden Bears.

The Sooner women closed the game with a 34-6 run in the Battle by the Bay Classic in San Jose.

"One of the craziest games I've ever been a part of," Coale said. "Complete role reversal from one half to the other."

Reserve Nyeshia Stevenson hit back-to-back 3-pointers and gave Oklahoma its first lead of the game with 3:43 to play, and the fifth-ranked Sooners made an improbable comeback from a 26-point halftime deficit to shock No. 9 Cal 86-75 on Saturday night in the Basketball by the Bay Classic.

Visuals from escaping the BEAR TRAP.

They say that sports are a microcosm [definition at bottom of this post~] of life... yesterday's comeback by the Oklahoma Sooner ladies is a prime example that adhering to Valvano's LIFE message of never quitting.....can pay dividends in sports.

And now for today's vocabulary review:

mi·cro·cosm (mī'krə-kŏz'əm) Pronunciation Key
n. A small, representative system having analogies to a larger system in constitution, configuration, or development: "He sees the auto industry as a microcosm of the U.S. itself" (William J. Hampton).

Sooners Block Hurricane damage

The sixth ranked Oklahoma Sooners wasted little time in establishing their dominance on the hardcourt as they spurted to a 20-3 advantage on their way to 69-44 pounding of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

Brothers Griffin led the way as Tulsa committed 21 turnovers against the undefeated Sooners in the first ever College basketball game at the beautiful BOK Center in downtown Tulsa.

Tulsa's 7 foot Jerome Jordan, who attended a big man's camp with Blake Griffin this summer, was no match against the stronger and younger Griffin brother. Griffin even blocked Jordan's hook shot which is quite a feat for most players; but Griffin is definitely not like most players; it is more likely that he will be one of the top draft pics by the NBA this year, if not the FIRST pic in the draft.

With ball handling skills that enable him to lead the fast break, and athleticism that doesn't quit, OU fans should truly appreciate this extra year he gave to the university and it's basketball program.

For Tulsa, Steven Idlet continues to show that he is a force to be reckoned with, but Ben Uzoh needs more help than what he has been getting.

The Tulsa World has posted a wonderful slide show of pictures from the game.

Bob Stoops versus Mack Brown - after BCS Poll Released

Actually, Stoops doesn't smile like this very often!

Tis the season......Hoop time is here!!

Although football State Championships will be awarded this weekend in most of the Oklahoma High School classes, including two Tulsa area teams [Jenks vs. Union] driving over an hour away to settle their difference at T. Boone Pickens OSU stadium, it is tipoff time for the basketball boys. Small schools have been going at it for several weeks and now EVERYONE is playing.

One of the sites we like to visit, http://www.coachesaid.com/ puts out a periodic "HOT LIST" and thought we would give these prep hoopstars another weblink for their facebook. Congrats and let the games begin!!!


December 3
BOYS BASKETBALL
Nathan Beene, Granite Sophomore totaled 21 points and 12 assists in a rout of Eldorado.

Patrick Bryan, EarlsboroScorched the nets for 32 points as the Wildcats got off and running early on the way to a 90-60 victory against Asher.

Todd Canady, Metro Christian Class 3A preseason MVP got off to a flying start with a game-high 25 points as the Patriots pulled away from Arkansas contender Shiloh Christian.

Carlos England, Harding PrepTerrific start for the junior, averaging 23.5 points and just under 10 rebounds a game as the Eagles are 5-2 for the season.

Kaleb Foster, Medford The 6-5 senior was nearly unstoppable with 25 big points as the Cardinals cruised past Waukomis, 70-44.

Denzel Goudeau, Harding Prep Notched 27.5 points, seven assists and over six steals a game in the Eagles' runner-up finish in the Grace Christian Invitational.

Adam Harrell, Collinsville Cardinals needed all of his huge 32-point explosion to outslug Skiatook in an opening night overtime thriller.

James Harris, Tulsa Central One of the Braves few returnees stepped up large with a game-high 29 points helping Central to a 2-0 start in a 54-53 win against Tulsa Hale.

Joe Morris, Colcord Keyed a huge 36-11 first half run en route to 26 points in a 70-38 thumping of Watts.

Brock Morton, Holland Hall Catalyst for the Dutchmen with 28 points as they held off a late rally to edge Victory Christian in the season opener.

Mikey Orr, Calumet Senior guard has been scorching the nets, averaging 24 points per game in a 6-0 start. Notched a career-high 35 in a victory against Minco.

Dalen Qualls, Stratford Not a bad opening night for the sophomore sharpshooter, who torched Fox for 50 points in a big tournament win at Elmore City.

Dane Thrash, Granite Continued his torrid scoring pace with 32 points and nine assists in a win over Eldorado.

Jason Woodard, Fort Supply Sophomore guard was a one-man wrecking crew against Sharon-Mutual, ripping the nets for 37 points as the Bulldogs cruised to victory.

Darrius Woods, Coyle Poured in 54 points, 35 rebounds and 9 assists in a pair of opening wins over Oilton and Carney.