JimBob
01-21-2008, 08:03 AM
Budke's faith in Cowgirls reaps success
By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist
1/21/2008
STILLWATER -- Kurt Budke saw something in Oklahoma State women's basketball that very few others noticed.
A future.
Budke knew there were a few obstacles. The Cowgirls had not won in recent years. Interest in the program, at a school with high-profile programs in both men's basketball and wrestling, was virtually nonexistent.
Budke looked at OSU women's basketball with a different slant. He saw opportunity.
"I knew the history of basketball at this school," said Budke. "I saw what coach (Eddie) Sutton had done with the men's program.
"I knew it could be done here. If I didn't think it could be done, I wouldn't have come here."
Instead, Budke left Louisiana Tech, one of the most tradition- rich women's programs in the country, for the huge challenge at OSU.
Budke's Cowgirls are off to one of the best starts in the country. They've gone from worst in the Big 12 (0-16 just two years ago) to national power. They've pounded the No. 6 team (Oklahoma) in the country and won at No. 19 Texas A&M on Saturday.
They've got one of the best players in the country, Andrea Riley, who had 45 points and zero turnovers in the runaway victory over OU. Then, she scored 29 and the game-winner with seven seconds left to beat A&M.
And, Budke is now getting the attention he deserves for one of the great coaching miracles in recent years.
The Cowgirls went from winless in the Big 12 to making the NCAA Tournament last year and now are a legitimate threat to make a run in the NCAAs.
There are great turnarounds every year in college athletics. We've even had a few around here. It would be hard to top what Steve Kragthorpe did for Tulsa football. Or, what Eddie Sutton did for OSU's men's basketball and Sherri Coale for Oklahoma's women's basketball. Nolan Richardson put TU basketball on the map.
Still, what Budke has done is nothing less than remarkable. He took a program from nowhere to national significance in just three years. The program has gone from a few hundred fans showing up for games to a packed house of more than 13,000 for Bedlam.
"I've told our kids we've done nothing more than win a few games right now," said Budke. "I look at the Big 12 standings and I see we've won a couple of games. We've got a long ways to go. We've got a lot of the season left to play.
"Yes, it is fun what we've done so far. But there is so much more out there. So, we'll keep working and trying to get better. There's a lot of room for us to get better."
That would certainly appear to be possible.
The Cowgirls are one of the youngest, and most talented, teams in the country.
They have a superstar, Riley, surrounded by a bunch of role players.
"There's no question Andrea is a great player," said Budke. "But we're not getting done what we've done without the girls around here. We have a bunch of girls who understand their roles and how they can contribute.
"We win because of all of them."
That is a far distance from where OSU women's basketball was just a few short years ago.
Not only had the program been neglected for years, but the Cowgirls played in arguably the toughest women's basketball conference in the country.
To become just competitive in the Big 12 Conference, Budke would have to turn OSU into a national power.
That's how high of a level the Big 12 was playing.
Again, Budke saw that potential.
"I look around the country and I see a lot of women's programs that have gone through what we had to go through," said Budke. "I've seen this kind of rise at other women's programs at schools where the men were already a national power.
"You could certainly say that about Duke and North Carolina. Those are schools that didn't have much tradition in women's basketball but they built great programs to go with great men's programs. You could even say that about Connecticut. So, I knew it could be done here."
He also knew fan support would be critical. That appeared to be a huge hurdle because OSU not only drew sellouts for men's basketball but regularly drew over 5,000 fans for the top-notch wrestling program.
"Again, all that said to me was that there are great fans here at OSU," said Budke. "I think I saw it as a chance to build our own great fan base.
"I never worried about fan support. I figured if we won that the fan situation would take care of itself."
It certainly has. The Cowgirls started winning, and the fans have come out. The crowd for Bedlam on Jan. 12 (13,611) was the largest to ever watch a women's game in the state of Oklahoma.
"I think this season will be a little bit of a roller coaster for us," said Budke. "We don't have the best talent in the league. We'll have to fight hard.
"We got down 12 up at Kansas and fought back. That's the way the season will be. Every game in this league (with 10 teams receiving votes in the latest poll) is a struggle. But we have a chance if we work hard."
By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist
1/21/2008
STILLWATER -- Kurt Budke saw something in Oklahoma State women's basketball that very few others noticed.
A future.
Budke knew there were a few obstacles. The Cowgirls had not won in recent years. Interest in the program, at a school with high-profile programs in both men's basketball and wrestling, was virtually nonexistent.
Budke looked at OSU women's basketball with a different slant. He saw opportunity.
"I knew the history of basketball at this school," said Budke. "I saw what coach (Eddie) Sutton had done with the men's program.
"I knew it could be done here. If I didn't think it could be done, I wouldn't have come here."
Instead, Budke left Louisiana Tech, one of the most tradition- rich women's programs in the country, for the huge challenge at OSU.
Budke's Cowgirls are off to one of the best starts in the country. They've gone from worst in the Big 12 (0-16 just two years ago) to national power. They've pounded the No. 6 team (Oklahoma) in the country and won at No. 19 Texas A&M on Saturday.
They've got one of the best players in the country, Andrea Riley, who had 45 points and zero turnovers in the runaway victory over OU. Then, she scored 29 and the game-winner with seven seconds left to beat A&M.
And, Budke is now getting the attention he deserves for one of the great coaching miracles in recent years.
The Cowgirls went from winless in the Big 12 to making the NCAA Tournament last year and now are a legitimate threat to make a run in the NCAAs.
There are great turnarounds every year in college athletics. We've even had a few around here. It would be hard to top what Steve Kragthorpe did for Tulsa football. Or, what Eddie Sutton did for OSU's men's basketball and Sherri Coale for Oklahoma's women's basketball. Nolan Richardson put TU basketball on the map.
Still, what Budke has done is nothing less than remarkable. He took a program from nowhere to national significance in just three years. The program has gone from a few hundred fans showing up for games to a packed house of more than 13,000 for Bedlam.
"I've told our kids we've done nothing more than win a few games right now," said Budke. "I look at the Big 12 standings and I see we've won a couple of games. We've got a long ways to go. We've got a lot of the season left to play.
"Yes, it is fun what we've done so far. But there is so much more out there. So, we'll keep working and trying to get better. There's a lot of room for us to get better."
That would certainly appear to be possible.
The Cowgirls are one of the youngest, and most talented, teams in the country.
They have a superstar, Riley, surrounded by a bunch of role players.
"There's no question Andrea is a great player," said Budke. "But we're not getting done what we've done without the girls around here. We have a bunch of girls who understand their roles and how they can contribute.
"We win because of all of them."
That is a far distance from where OSU women's basketball was just a few short years ago.
Not only had the program been neglected for years, but the Cowgirls played in arguably the toughest women's basketball conference in the country.
To become just competitive in the Big 12 Conference, Budke would have to turn OSU into a national power.
That's how high of a level the Big 12 was playing.
Again, Budke saw that potential.
"I look around the country and I see a lot of women's programs that have gone through what we had to go through," said Budke. "I've seen this kind of rise at other women's programs at schools where the men were already a national power.
"You could certainly say that about Duke and North Carolina. Those are schools that didn't have much tradition in women's basketball but they built great programs to go with great men's programs. You could even say that about Connecticut. So, I knew it could be done here."
He also knew fan support would be critical. That appeared to be a huge hurdle because OSU not only drew sellouts for men's basketball but regularly drew over 5,000 fans for the top-notch wrestling program.
"Again, all that said to me was that there are great fans here at OSU," said Budke. "I think I saw it as a chance to build our own great fan base.
"I never worried about fan support. I figured if we won that the fan situation would take care of itself."
It certainly has. The Cowgirls started winning, and the fans have come out. The crowd for Bedlam on Jan. 12 (13,611) was the largest to ever watch a women's game in the state of Oklahoma.
"I think this season will be a little bit of a roller coaster for us," said Budke. "We don't have the best talent in the league. We'll have to fight hard.
"We got down 12 up at Kansas and fought back. That's the way the season will be. Every game in this league (with 10 teams receiving votes in the latest poll) is a struggle. But we have a chance if we work hard."