Jason Keep remembers the 10
Published: 1/27/2011 4:33 PM
Last Modified: 1/27/2011 4:33 PM
The 10th anniversary of a plane crash that killed 10 men, including two Oklahoma State basketball players, is today. The Cowboys continued the 2000-01 season after the plane crash and reached the NCAA Tournament.
The Tulsa World caught up with selected members of the team, including Jason Keep, who participated in a question-and-answer session.
In OSU lore, Keep is probably most famous for breaking a backboard in the grand opening game of expanded Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Keep was already tattooed by the time he arrived in Stillwater, but he added to his ink collection after the plane crash when he got a tattoo on his upper back in remembrance of players Nate Fleming and Daniel Lawson.
Keep didn’t finish his career at OSU. He transferred to San Diego University and reached the NCAA Tournament as a senior.
Now he and his wife, Kytzia, and their first child -- Anthoney Jason Beau Keep, born May 19 -- call Phoenix home. His employer is a professional basketball team in Turkey.
What have you done with your life since the plane crash season?
“Since the plane crash, I still continued to play basketball, as hard as it was. I went and won a championship in the (West Coast Conference) at the University of San Diego, then endured many workouts with the NBA and continued to play basketball overseas in multiple countries such as Italy, Poland, Turkey, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Jordan, Dubai, Egypt and probably more.”
How did players make it through that season and what difficulties did you endure?
“You know, it’s a tough and touchy subject to this day. I had nightmares for years to come after that happened us at O-State. But, to this day, I will never forget any one one of those guys and the sacrifice those families endured during the whole ordeal.
“I must say it was by far the toughest situation and toughest season I had ever endured. The sadness in the players’ eyes (and) the broken hearts of not seeing Dan and Nate with us in the locker room with us had to have been the worst.”
In what ways are you still affected by the tragedy of that season or does time really heal all wounds?
“To this day, this tragedy I’m sure affects each one of us who still make these trips to foreign lands and step on airplanes. I know it affects me! There’s not an airplane I step on that I dont think about that day or the fact that ‘is today my day?’ I will never forget my friends, my recruiting class, or more importantly, my family. They gave me memories of a lifetime and more importantly a base to life knowing that when its your time, it’s your time. They stand for more than I ever could have and represent a slice of life lost or what could have been. All we can do now is remember! I always know I will.”
--Jimmie Tramel.
Written by
Jimmie Tramel
Sports Writer
