A Reason the OK State Cowboys need to make the Dance


Lost in the more relevant arguments about the monumental nature of Oklahoma State's slide backwards in the Big 12 this year is another issue - the real reason YOU, and anyone you know, should root for the Cowboys to make the Dance.

Diaries ::

At one point, Mario Boggan and JamesOn Curry were arguably the most dynamic tandem in America. Somewhere around - but potentially above - the likes of Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds, Aaron Afflalo and Darren Collison, Joakim Noah and Al Horford, Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green, and Tyler Hansborough and Brendan Wright were Curry and Boggan.

In the team's January 16th three-overtime victory over Texas, which might rank as the high water mark of their season, Boggan and Curry combined for 65 points and 29 rebounds.

So, why should this matter to YOU? As most college hoops fans know, as the NCAA Tournament progresses, not only are "dynamic duos" all the rage, but storylines become an interesting part of the proceedings. As 65 teams get whittled to 16, CBS and other media outlets have a chance to actually focus on the players at hand - what makes them tick, what being in a Regional means to them, etc.

And, as most college basketball fans know, Curry was the leading high school scorer in North Carolina state history at one juncture; then, based on a marijuana arrest, he lost his scholarship to UNC before ending up in Stillwater.

Boggan once played at Florida, as a consensus Top 50 recruit. He was overweight, didn't seem to fit with Donovan's system, and eventually ended up at Community College before finding his way to Sean Sutton's program.

UNC and Florida, of course, have won the last two national championships. Curry and Boggan, as a result, would have had chances to partake in the sweet nectar of watching "One Shining Moment" with a smile on your face instead of sadness in your heart, but due to circumstances within their control, they lost that opportunity.

But now, they have somewhat gotten it back, and become quite the duo (generally speaking) in the meantime. Shouldn't we root for Boggan and Curry, who combined for 39 and 10 in OSU's last win, over Kansas State? Shouldn't we want them to achieve some measure of success? Shouldn't we want to see an Armen Ketayian feature during the San Antonio Regional on what this means to them? Shouldn't we?

I think we should. So, go Cowboys. Sorry, Doc Sadler - this is for the good of us all.


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JamesOn Curry is a Senior.  That means that for four years, we've had to endure the aforementioned Ketayian and Company trumpeting his ability to find himself in Stillwater.  We even heard all of this during Oklahoma State's previous Final Four trip in 2004.  I don't doubt that moving to Stillwater was a positive step in the boy's life, but we aren't talking about a required move in order to be closer to a dying relative.  We're talking about a kid that lost his scholarship at one premier program and ended up at another.  Forgive me if I sound insensitive, but we've heard his make-your-bed-now-lie-in-it story for four years.  If he and the other half of this ultimately-not-so-dynamic duo couldn't get it done during the season, especially when the Big 12 is not as strong as it has been in years past, I can only hope the selection committe will reward a different team with better merits and, who knows, maybe better stories.

by HeyDingis on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 12:53:14 PM EST

Wouldn't Hurt... (none / 0)

...for the Cowboys to earn a somewhat decent victory outside of the state of Oklahoma.

by CoLo on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 02:28:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

A Reason the OK State Cowboys need to make the Dan (none / 0)


by yvonat on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:31:55 AM EST
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