You call them Cowgirls. I call them 'Bad Girls'
Published: 3/26/2012 12:16 PM
Last Modified: 3/26/2012 12:18 PM
Oklahoma State’s journey from early-season tragedy to the WNIT’s Final Four is a feel-good story. But the Cowgirls are -- and I mean this as a compliment -- bad girls.
Bad in terms of behavior? Not as far as I know.
Bad in terms of talent? No. You don’t win 20 games (and four postseason games, regardless of the tournament) by putting intramural players on the floor.
They’re this kind of bad: They’re Detroit Pistons-from-another-era bad.
Before any of the current OSU players were born, the Detroit Pistons were known as the “Bad Boys” and they won NBA championships in 1989 and 1990.
The "Bad Boys" captured titles in an unconventional way, getting perimeter scoring from center Bill Laimbeer (8-of-22 on 3-point attempts during the 1990 finals) and inside baskets from their guards (Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars combined for 68 2-pointers and two 3-pointers during the 1989 finals). Folks on the Bizarro planet must have loved it.
I got “Bad Boys” deja vu while watching OSU win a WNIT game Sunday against Colorado. The only players who hit 3-pointers were forwards. Meanwhile, point guard Tiffany Bias got nine of her career-high 10 field goals by driving to the basket. Inside players provided outside points and vice versa.
The Pistons also were known as the “Bad Boys” because they weren’t afraid to play (borderline) dirty. I won’t go there with the Cowgirls. But let’s see if the “Bad Boys” blueprint leads to Jim Littell’s team hoisting a trophy at season’s end.
Written by
Jimmie Tramel
Sports Writer
