AnniePokely
11-28-2007, 09:26 AM
• Cowgirls at home Thursday night
Ryan Steele - NewsPress
Andrea Riley had quite the basketball teacher.
As a kid, she spent countless hours on the court with her father, Roosevelt — who was a member of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters before his daughter was born.
“He had some tricks up his sleeve, that’s for sure,” Andrea said. “With him showing me how to handle the ball, it helped me become a better point guard. You have to learn that stuff at an early age or it’s going to be kind of difficult when you get to (the Division-I) level.
“I used to struggle when I was young and my dad would always say, ‘You’re not going to be able to do it your first try, second try or third try. You have to work on it and continue to work on it.’ That’s the kind of motivation he gave me.”
During Riley’s prep career at Lincoln High in Dallas, she was listed as one of the top 10 prospects in the state of Texas, and during her final summer of AAU basketball, she caught the eye of Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke.
“When she played against the best, she rose to the top,” Budke said. “You could see then that she wasn’t afraid and she wanted to be on the floor with the best. That’s when I knew she was pretty special.”
Budke signed Riley to help resurrect a Cowgirl program that went 29-83 from 2002-06. The 5-foot-5 guard didn’t need long to work her magic — she led OSU in minutes played (34 per game), scoring (12.5 points per outing) and assists (5.04 apg) last season.
She also led all Big 12 freshmen in points, assists, steals (2.04 spg) and was the school’s first player to be named the conference’s Freshman of the Year. In addition, she helped lead the Cowgirls to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996.
“It’s hard for a freshman to come in and be the leading scorer,” Budke said. “It’s a tough role to take but she did a nice job with it last year. She’s obviously so important to this team.”
This season, Riley has continued to develop. Last week, she recorded 28 points in OSU’s 76-58 road win against UC-Riverside, then scored 22 of her career-high 32 points in the second half as her team topped Fresno State, 87-73.
It was the highest point total by a Cowgirl since Whitney Pegram scored 32 against Tulsa in Dec. 2005, and Riley has now scored double figures in 16 straight contests.
For her effort, Riley was named the Big 12’s Player of the Week — becoming the program’s first player to earn the distinction since Trisha Skibbe in ’04.
“(Andrea) has the ability to take over a game when she needs to,” Budke said. “She’s growing up on the floor. She’s becoming a better player and it showed (last) week. Offensively, she can do it all. Now she understands she has a responsibility every night to put numbers up.”
With a full year under her belt, Riley admitted her comfort level has risen.
“In every game last year, I had butterflies but now I just go out and play like it’s just another game,” she added. “I’m taking baby steps right now — I’m not the full-blown leader but I feel like I’m getting there. (Being at OSU) is a blessing.
“People told me I couldn’t do it because I came from Lincoln, and when people tell me I can’t do something, I want to go out and prove them wrong. My dad always said, ‘You don’t have to prove anybody wrong, but if that gives you motivation, do what you have to do.’”
The Cowgirls (6-0) host Arkansas State at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Almost there
In this week’s Associated Press Top 25 rankings, O-State is at the top of the “receiving votes” category with 57 votes — meaning the Cowgirls would be ranked 26th in the nation if the poll was extended.
If OSU gets a victory Thursday, it will likely climb into the national rankings next week for the first time since February of 1996.
“Are we that good? I don’t know that yet,” Budke said. “Once you get in the Big 12 South, it’s so tough every single night. All we can do is play the people on our schedule to the best of our ability and not let anything slip up.”
Riley added, “Knowing that you’re getting respect makes you want more. We’re hungry for it and people doubting us is making us even stronger.”
Ryan Steele - NewsPress
Andrea Riley had quite the basketball teacher.
As a kid, she spent countless hours on the court with her father, Roosevelt — who was a member of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters before his daughter was born.
“He had some tricks up his sleeve, that’s for sure,” Andrea said. “With him showing me how to handle the ball, it helped me become a better point guard. You have to learn that stuff at an early age or it’s going to be kind of difficult when you get to (the Division-I) level.
“I used to struggle when I was young and my dad would always say, ‘You’re not going to be able to do it your first try, second try or third try. You have to work on it and continue to work on it.’ That’s the kind of motivation he gave me.”
During Riley’s prep career at Lincoln High in Dallas, she was listed as one of the top 10 prospects in the state of Texas, and during her final summer of AAU basketball, she caught the eye of Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke.
“When she played against the best, she rose to the top,” Budke said. “You could see then that she wasn’t afraid and she wanted to be on the floor with the best. That’s when I knew she was pretty special.”
Budke signed Riley to help resurrect a Cowgirl program that went 29-83 from 2002-06. The 5-foot-5 guard didn’t need long to work her magic — she led OSU in minutes played (34 per game), scoring (12.5 points per outing) and assists (5.04 apg) last season.
She also led all Big 12 freshmen in points, assists, steals (2.04 spg) and was the school’s first player to be named the conference’s Freshman of the Year. In addition, she helped lead the Cowgirls to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996.
“It’s hard for a freshman to come in and be the leading scorer,” Budke said. “It’s a tough role to take but she did a nice job with it last year. She’s obviously so important to this team.”
This season, Riley has continued to develop. Last week, she recorded 28 points in OSU’s 76-58 road win against UC-Riverside, then scored 22 of her career-high 32 points in the second half as her team topped Fresno State, 87-73.
It was the highest point total by a Cowgirl since Whitney Pegram scored 32 against Tulsa in Dec. 2005, and Riley has now scored double figures in 16 straight contests.
For her effort, Riley was named the Big 12’s Player of the Week — becoming the program’s first player to earn the distinction since Trisha Skibbe in ’04.
“(Andrea) has the ability to take over a game when she needs to,” Budke said. “She’s growing up on the floor. She’s becoming a better player and it showed (last) week. Offensively, she can do it all. Now she understands she has a responsibility every night to put numbers up.”
With a full year under her belt, Riley admitted her comfort level has risen.
“In every game last year, I had butterflies but now I just go out and play like it’s just another game,” she added. “I’m taking baby steps right now — I’m not the full-blown leader but I feel like I’m getting there. (Being at OSU) is a blessing.
“People told me I couldn’t do it because I came from Lincoln, and when people tell me I can’t do something, I want to go out and prove them wrong. My dad always said, ‘You don’t have to prove anybody wrong, but if that gives you motivation, do what you have to do.’”
The Cowgirls (6-0) host Arkansas State at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Almost there
In this week’s Associated Press Top 25 rankings, O-State is at the top of the “receiving votes” category with 57 votes — meaning the Cowgirls would be ranked 26th in the nation if the poll was extended.
If OSU gets a victory Thursday, it will likely climb into the national rankings next week for the first time since February of 1996.
“Are we that good? I don’t know that yet,” Budke said. “Once you get in the Big 12 South, it’s so tough every single night. All we can do is play the people on our schedule to the best of our ability and not let anything slip up.”
Riley added, “Knowing that you’re getting respect makes you want more. We’re hungry for it and people doubting us is making us even stronger.”