ORU notebook: More toughness needed
BY JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
Sunday, January 13, 2013
1/13/13 at 7:14 AM
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During a press conference following a 61-50 homecourt loss to Stephen F. Austin, Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton suggested more than once that his team needed more toughness.
For instance, Sutton said he wanted players to step up and take charges and the Golden Eagle who is best at that missed a fifth consecutive game.
Junior forward Steven Roundtree was injured in a practice prior to a Dec. 28 game at Memphis and hasn't played since. Unfortunately, Roundtree is dealing with more than an injury.
The coach said Roundtree lost a grandfather the same day (Tuesday) that Patsy Sutton, mother of Scott Sutton and ORU assistant coach Sean Sutton, died.
Scott Sutton said Roundtree will go home to attend the funeral and won't travel with the team to road games next week at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Sam Houston State.
"We're hoping we get him back for the two games the following week," Sutton said, referring to a Jan. 24-26 homestand against Lamar and McNeese State.
Regarding Roundtree's health status, Sutton said Roundtree is "just not there yet."
Coming home: Stephen F. Austin sophomore forward Jacob Parker is from Bixby. He scored a career-best 16 points and hit 7-of-10 shots in a victory at Tulsa earlier this season. He scored seven points and grabbed seven rebounds to help the Lumberjacks go 2-0 against the city's two Division I programs.
Sutton name-dropped Parker without being asked about him. The coach was talking about how Stephen F. Austin has tough, smart players who don't try to do things they can't do.
"Take Jacob Parker," Sutton said. "He's a great example.
Sutton said ORU looked at Parker a little bit during the recruiting process. Sutton complimented Stephen F. Austin coach Danny Kaspar for seeing something in Parker that fit the Lumberjacks' style of play.
"He comes in there and he's a very, very effective player," Sutton said. "They've got a team full of those guys."
Streak over: Stephen F. Austin ended ORU's 17-game homecourt winning streak against league opponents. The Lumberjacks became the first conference opponent to win at the Mabee Center since Oakland on Dec. 30, 2010.
