Tall order for Cowboys in All-College
Published: 12/19/2009 10:26 PM
Last Modified: 12/19/2009 10:26 PM
I didn’t know a heck of a lot about LaSalle -- Oklahoma State’s opponent Monday in the All-College Classic -- before a recent media huddle with Travis Ford.
Now I’m convinced it’s a bad match-up for the Cowboys.
OSU starts a pair of 5-foot-9 guards, Keiton Page and Ray Penn.
LaSalle’s starters at the same positions are seniors who stand 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-5.
So, if you’re sizing up this game, size is the operative word.
“Their point guard (first-team preseason All-Atlantic 10 selection Rodney Green) will spend more time in the post than he will in the perimeter,” Ford said. “He has always been that way.”
How does Ford know? Because, when he was coach at UMass, he was in the same league as LaSalle.
“From day one, they have always posted (Green up in the paint) and that could be the majority of their offense,” Ford said.
“I have never gone into a game with a guy as small as Ray to try to guard him, but that is something we are going to work on and be prepared for.”
Ford said LaSalle coach John Giannini has a brilliant offensive mind and does a great job of creating mismatches. He won’t have to create one Monday. A mismatch -- at least from a size standpoint -- will occur naturally.
LaSalle, 6-3 with losses to Villanova, South Carolina and Kansas, was picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic 10.
--Jimmie Tramel
Written by
Jimmie Tramel
Sports Writer
