Christien Sager: From walk-on to walking tall
Published: 3/8/2012 9:29 AM
Last Modified: 3/8/2012 9:29 AM
Oklahoma State basketball coach Travis Ford put freshman walk-on Christien Sager on scholarship this season because the Cowboys happened to have a spare scholly laying around.
Sager didn’t score a point during the regular season. But he earned his scholarship by performing like a "real" player during a 76-60 victory over Texas Tech in a Big 12 Tournament opener,
Sager scored his first points as a Cowboy when he flushed a 3-pointer with 5:47 remaining in the first half. Then, 13 seconds later, he took a charge. A couple of minutes after that, he dove belly-first onto the court to bat a loose ball toward Keiton Page, who ran downcourt for a layup.
During the regular season, Sager played 19 minutes and took one shot. In Sager’s postseason debut he played a 17 minutes and scored five points.
“Not only did he score some points, but he made some unbelievable defensive plays,” Ford said.
“He brings a toughness to our basketball team, a real toughness. I hope he sticks with it because I think he’s a guy... that could be a regular rotation guy eventually for us.
“But he helped us win this game. He was a big, big factor. So was (Marek) Soucek. They all were. They all got in there and battled and overachieved and played better than they have been.”
Sager played a bigger-than-normal role because OSU has only six other scholarship players. The priority before a 6 p.m. Thursday quarterfinal against Missouri? Said Ford, "We've got to make sure that we get our guys some rest."
--Jimmie Tramel.
Written by
Jimmie Tramel
Sports Writer
