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Maintaining perspective in midst of success

With record 27-game win streak, Oklahoma Wesleyan basketball team uses scripture as focal point.
Coach Donnie Bostwick has led Oklahoma Wesleyan to 27 straight wins. SHERRY BROWN/Tulsa World
Coach Donnie Bostwick has led Oklahoma Wesleyan to 27 straight wins. SHERRY BROWN/Tulsa World

By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
Published: 12/4/2009  2:20 AM
Last Modified: 12/4/2009  6:40 AM

BARTLESVILLE — Top-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan is one win shy of breaking the NAIA Division II record for consecutive victories.

What's the Eagles' secret?

Coach Donnie Bostwick throws the book at 'em.

The playbook?

No. The good book.

Everybody asks Bostwick how it feels to have a target on his team's back. And this is what he says:

"There's a guy named Benaiah in the good book, in the Bible, and it talks about him going into a pit after a lion on a snowy day," Bostwick said.

"I try to look at it and say, guys, I hope they never see our back. We are not going to try to run from the lion. We are going to go after the lion. If there's a target on our back, I don't want to let them see it."

OKWU won its 27th straight game last week to tie the NAIA Division II record for consecutive victories. The Eagles will try for No. 28 when they play a 7:30 p.m. Friday home game against Hillsdale Baptist College.

Every streak ends sometime. Bostwick said when his team finally loses, it won't be due to fear. He said it will be because his team did its best and got beat.

Bostwick said he has tried to instill in players that they can conquer — or "unlearn" — fear. He wants them to be courageous enough to win rather than fear the alternative.

"You can't be worried about losing," he said. "You can't be worried about messing up. I think one of the reason our team shoots the ball so well is they are not scared
to take a shot."

If the Eagles were panicky, their streak would have ended in the national tournament last season. Instead, they were calm enough to rally from a late four-point deficit and beat tournament host College of the Ozarks in the championship game.

Bostwick, a third-year coach with a 69-10 record, said, "We try to avoid the word 'proud' because of the pride-comes-before-a-fall type thing. But I am very, very proud of the guys and their willingness to buy into the principles we teach when it comes to meekness and fearlessness and understanding adversity is a good thing."

The Eagles returned two All-Americans, both from Duncanville, Texas.

Steve Briggs, a 5-foot-10 senior guard, made 168 shots from 3-point range last season. He has a tendency to hoist only a few shots per game and erupt when the Eagles need him most.

Sadiel Rojas, a 6-4 junior, has a "fire in him that's special," according to Bostwick. "He wants to score 50 and get 50 rebounds against everybody. He smells blood and when he feels there is a little weakness there, he is like 'give me the ball, these guys can't stop me.' There is a nice balance there between those two guys."

But the Eagles have other options.

"When you have got third and fourth fiddles that are really good, you are pretty good," Bostwick said.

"Our guys have really become unselfish... I've got good enough players that they all want to hit the last shot. But right now, whoever is hot, they get the ball to them and people have to start worrying about stopping that guy and he makes the next pass."

Jimmie Tramel 581-8389
jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com

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thomastte, (9 months ago)
What a great team of fine men--great role models for our commmunity. Go Eagles!
punkin, (9 months ago)
A terrific coach with both his heart and head in the right place. Also a wonderful story, very uplifting. Thank you Jimmie Trammel for taking the time to interview Coach Bostwick and share his story with all of us.
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