JimBob
01-16-2008, 08:07 AM
The Riley factor
By LYNN JACOBSEN World Sports Writer
1/16/2008
Sophomore star Andrea Riley has helped vault No. 18 OSU to its highest AP ranking ever.
The Oklahoma State crowd rushed onto the Gallagher-Iba Arena floor, and suddenly it became apparent how to stop Andrea Riley: Put her on your shoulders, and she can score no more.
Riley, a 5-foot-5 point guard who came to Oklahoma State when she had few other options, had just scored 45 points in an atmosphere unlike any other in the state's women's basketball history.
Riley's big game came in an 82-63 win over then-No. 6 Oklahoma, a team that has ruled the Big 12 and been among the elite in women's college basketball. And Riley's performance came on a night when a crowd of 13,611 -- the largest ever to witness a women's basketball game in Oklahoma -- packed the old arena and celebrated wildly.
The scene was the culmination of an assurance coach Kurt Budke gave to Riley in the recruitment process. Budke told Riley, an All-Stater from Dallas, she would play immediately, and the offense would suit her skills.
"Bottom line, it came down to us and Miami," Budke said. "The Texas schools had just signed point guards the year before. She wanted to go somewhere she could play 40 minutes. So far so good. She's developing her game and understands the commitment it takes at this level."
Riley has been an immediate success. She was the Big 12's Freshman of the Year last season, and she leads the league in scoring this season, at 22.5 points per game. Her performance against OU has triggered national media attention, and the OSU program has its highest ranking ever in national polls.
Against the Sooners, Riley played 39 minutes, handling the ball on every OSU possession. On a night when she had 45 points, zero was also an important number. She had no turnovers.
"I credit my team and the fans," Riley said. "I wasn't focused on getting so many points but rather winning the game. We just wanted to play hard and go out with intensity and fire. We did it as a team."
With the win over OU, the Cowgirls bolted from No. 25 to No. 18 in the Associated Press poll on Monday.
They return to the court at 7 p.m. Wednesday against Big 12 North foe Missouri at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Her thoughts are already on to the next opponent.
"Saturday's over," Riley said. "We have to move on. We have to live for the future and play for the future. It was nice but we can't look back."
Asked if there was added pressure to post staggering numbers every game, Riley said: "It's not about me. That would be selfish, and I'm not a selfish player. It's about doing what I have to do to help my team win.
"I don't go out saying I'm going to score this many tonight. I will do whatever I have to do to help us win."
Riley came from Dallas Lincoln High School, the same school OSU men's basketball player Byron Eaton attended. Since her arrival at OSU, Riley has started every game. She led the Cowgirls in scoring as a freshman, averaging 12.8 points a game. Her 148 assists were the most by any freshman at Oklahoma State.
She led the Cowgirls to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996.
If opponents expected a sophomore slump, they have been disappointed.
Already the league leader in scoring, Riley's offensive outburst has been the buzz in women's basketball the past few days. She's fielded interviews from several national media outlets, including USA Today and ESPN.com.
Among those mesmerized by her performance was Texas A&M coach Gary Blair, who had just returned from a loss at Baylor. He found the game on television.
"I couldn't turn it off," he said. "Now, I've got to prepare to play her twice (the first of which is Saturday in College Station). The most unbelievable thing is that one little girl could control the whole game. Andrea would take about 15 seconds off the clock then go do her thing. It didn't matter who was on her."
Riley's night didn't get off to a great start. She was just 2-of-10 from the field in the first half. But she scored 37 points in the second half.
It may be a little premature, though, to anoint her queen of the league.
"It's way too early," Blair said. "For one, look at strength of schedule. Where she has been getting her numbers over the course of the year has been against weaker competition. Now they are playing lights out.
"She's playing like the best guard in the conference, but there is too much game to be played to call her the best right now."
Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said, "I don't know if she is the best. We are just two games into the conference. The best player does it consistently every game.
"Was she the best player in the conference Saturday? She might have been one of the best three in America on Saturday. If she continues to put up the numbers she did, (the coaches) will have to talk about it."
Even Budke was reluctant to tag his rising star as the best overall.
"It's too early in the year to talk about that," he said. "She's in the conversation, that's for sure. When I think of great players, it is players who can't be guarded one on one. Courtney Paris faces that every game in conference."
Was it one of the best overall performances?
"It's by far the best single-game performance I have seen as a coach," said Budke, whose coaching career started 24 years ago. "Someone who scores over 40 points without a turnover? The points are more impressive, but it's close. A point guard should have a game without a turnover. It's their job."
Budke said he really wasn't surprised about Riley's banner night.
"Absolutely we thought she could do this," he said. "When we were recruiting her, her game always rose to the top against the top teams."
The 45 points wasn't the most she has scored. Riley put up 51 points in an AAU game coached by her dad.
Riley has adjusted to instant stardom on the OSU campus.
"It's a good feeling to have students come up and tell you how much they love Cowgirl basketball," she said. "The win really helps the program. It helps us get more support and I think we deserve a little bit of respect. We've worked so hard."
Asked if she considered herself the best player, Riley said, "I don't really worry about politics. I worry about my team coming out on top. It's a team effort. People around me make me better every day."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOP SCORERS
The top 5 scorers in the Big 12 Conference in women’s basketball this season:
(All games)
Player, School Avg.
Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State..... 22.5
Jackie McFarland, Colorado........ 18.5
Alyssa Hollins, Missouri.............. 17.7
Takia Starks, Texas A&M............ 17.3
Brittainey Raven, Texas............... 16.5
SPOTLIGHT ON RILEY
Andrea Riley
5-foot-5 . Guard
Sophomore
Signed with Oklahoma State out of Dallas Lincoln where she was a four-year starter and All-Stater as a senior. Led the Cowgirls in scoring as a freshman (12.8) where she also set the freshman single-season assist record (149) to earn Big 12 Freshman of the Year. This season, Riley is averaging 22.5 points per game. She leads OSU in steals (55), assists (64) and 3-point percentage (.429).
By LYNN JACOBSEN World Sports Writer
1/16/2008
Sophomore star Andrea Riley has helped vault No. 18 OSU to its highest AP ranking ever.
The Oklahoma State crowd rushed onto the Gallagher-Iba Arena floor, and suddenly it became apparent how to stop Andrea Riley: Put her on your shoulders, and she can score no more.
Riley, a 5-foot-5 point guard who came to Oklahoma State when she had few other options, had just scored 45 points in an atmosphere unlike any other in the state's women's basketball history.
Riley's big game came in an 82-63 win over then-No. 6 Oklahoma, a team that has ruled the Big 12 and been among the elite in women's college basketball. And Riley's performance came on a night when a crowd of 13,611 -- the largest ever to witness a women's basketball game in Oklahoma -- packed the old arena and celebrated wildly.
The scene was the culmination of an assurance coach Kurt Budke gave to Riley in the recruitment process. Budke told Riley, an All-Stater from Dallas, she would play immediately, and the offense would suit her skills.
"Bottom line, it came down to us and Miami," Budke said. "The Texas schools had just signed point guards the year before. She wanted to go somewhere she could play 40 minutes. So far so good. She's developing her game and understands the commitment it takes at this level."
Riley has been an immediate success. She was the Big 12's Freshman of the Year last season, and she leads the league in scoring this season, at 22.5 points per game. Her performance against OU has triggered national media attention, and the OSU program has its highest ranking ever in national polls.
Against the Sooners, Riley played 39 minutes, handling the ball on every OSU possession. On a night when she had 45 points, zero was also an important number. She had no turnovers.
"I credit my team and the fans," Riley said. "I wasn't focused on getting so many points but rather winning the game. We just wanted to play hard and go out with intensity and fire. We did it as a team."
With the win over OU, the Cowgirls bolted from No. 25 to No. 18 in the Associated Press poll on Monday.
They return to the court at 7 p.m. Wednesday against Big 12 North foe Missouri at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Her thoughts are already on to the next opponent.
"Saturday's over," Riley said. "We have to move on. We have to live for the future and play for the future. It was nice but we can't look back."
Asked if there was added pressure to post staggering numbers every game, Riley said: "It's not about me. That would be selfish, and I'm not a selfish player. It's about doing what I have to do to help my team win.
"I don't go out saying I'm going to score this many tonight. I will do whatever I have to do to help us win."
Riley came from Dallas Lincoln High School, the same school OSU men's basketball player Byron Eaton attended. Since her arrival at OSU, Riley has started every game. She led the Cowgirls in scoring as a freshman, averaging 12.8 points a game. Her 148 assists were the most by any freshman at Oklahoma State.
She led the Cowgirls to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996.
If opponents expected a sophomore slump, they have been disappointed.
Already the league leader in scoring, Riley's offensive outburst has been the buzz in women's basketball the past few days. She's fielded interviews from several national media outlets, including USA Today and ESPN.com.
Among those mesmerized by her performance was Texas A&M coach Gary Blair, who had just returned from a loss at Baylor. He found the game on television.
"I couldn't turn it off," he said. "Now, I've got to prepare to play her twice (the first of which is Saturday in College Station). The most unbelievable thing is that one little girl could control the whole game. Andrea would take about 15 seconds off the clock then go do her thing. It didn't matter who was on her."
Riley's night didn't get off to a great start. She was just 2-of-10 from the field in the first half. But she scored 37 points in the second half.
It may be a little premature, though, to anoint her queen of the league.
"It's way too early," Blair said. "For one, look at strength of schedule. Where she has been getting her numbers over the course of the year has been against weaker competition. Now they are playing lights out.
"She's playing like the best guard in the conference, but there is too much game to be played to call her the best right now."
Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said, "I don't know if she is the best. We are just two games into the conference. The best player does it consistently every game.
"Was she the best player in the conference Saturday? She might have been one of the best three in America on Saturday. If she continues to put up the numbers she did, (the coaches) will have to talk about it."
Even Budke was reluctant to tag his rising star as the best overall.
"It's too early in the year to talk about that," he said. "She's in the conversation, that's for sure. When I think of great players, it is players who can't be guarded one on one. Courtney Paris faces that every game in conference."
Was it one of the best overall performances?
"It's by far the best single-game performance I have seen as a coach," said Budke, whose coaching career started 24 years ago. "Someone who scores over 40 points without a turnover? The points are more impressive, but it's close. A point guard should have a game without a turnover. It's their job."
Budke said he really wasn't surprised about Riley's banner night.
"Absolutely we thought she could do this," he said. "When we were recruiting her, her game always rose to the top against the top teams."
The 45 points wasn't the most she has scored. Riley put up 51 points in an AAU game coached by her dad.
Riley has adjusted to instant stardom on the OSU campus.
"It's a good feeling to have students come up and tell you how much they love Cowgirl basketball," she said. "The win really helps the program. It helps us get more support and I think we deserve a little bit of respect. We've worked so hard."
Asked if she considered herself the best player, Riley said, "I don't really worry about politics. I worry about my team coming out on top. It's a team effort. People around me make me better every day."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOP SCORERS
The top 5 scorers in the Big 12 Conference in women’s basketball this season:
(All games)
Player, School Avg.
Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State..... 22.5
Jackie McFarland, Colorado........ 18.5
Alyssa Hollins, Missouri.............. 17.7
Takia Starks, Texas A&M............ 17.3
Brittainey Raven, Texas............... 16.5
SPOTLIGHT ON RILEY
Andrea Riley
5-foot-5 . Guard
Sophomore
Signed with Oklahoma State out of Dallas Lincoln where she was a four-year starter and All-Stater as a senior. Led the Cowgirls in scoring as a freshman (12.8) where she also set the freshman single-season assist record (149) to earn Big 12 Freshman of the Year. This season, Riley is averaging 22.5 points per game. She leads OSU in steals (55), assists (64) and 3-point percentage (.429).