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Storytime with Doug: His ‘Welcome to GIA’ moment

This story, guys.

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Photo Attribution: Here

Photo Attribution: Here

I emailed Doug Gottlieb recently 10 questions I had for him about his career, OSU sports, and some of his favorite stories. He sent back some gems. I’m going to bring them to you in installments over the next few weeks. As always, thanks to Doug for the tales.

Here was my question: I wrote that two of my favorite places in the world are totally empty middle-of-the-night GIA and packed to the gills, out-of-its-mind GIA. What’s your favorite personal moment in that building (doesn’t have to be a game)?

My first year at OSU we played ORU.[1. 1997-98, old GIA.] They had Tim Gill, Barry Hinson was their coach — he went to OSU, coached at Stillwater HS.

We were down nine points with seven minutes to go and we were at the line.

We liked to press on made free throws and that team was pretty good pressing with Mase on the ball, Joe and Pete on the wings and I was the rover in a diamond press. But I also liked to run and jump press. 40 Red was a zone press, 40 Blue was man, but you could run and jump.

So we are at the line and this is like my third game playing for Coach. At the line we call out the defense and the secondary break on offense in our mini-huddle. The call always came from the sideline. ORU had just put in a freshman from Stillwater named Phillip Owens at the point. He looked shaky in the first half, and who wouldn’t? Mid-major player, grew up in Stillwater, obviously wanted to play at OSU and while I was a redshirt sophomore, I was 21 and experienced, he was just a kid in his hometown.

So I get the call from Coach (40 Red) and tell the guys we are going to switch it up (you can wave off coach, but you better be right) and I call 40 Blue. The object as a guard is to pressure the ball, but don’t foul and don’t let him blow by you all while you try and get him to turn. Every turn gives the defense a chance to take the ball from him, or to stunt and double him.

Owens made eye contact with me and he switched hands right before he spun to change directions or “turn” and I tapped the ball to Pete who passed it to me and I laid it in. The place went bonkers. We picked up and turned him over twice more on double teams and the run was on.

The very last play for the game Pete stole the ball I grabbed it and threw an alley oop to him and he dunked it as the buzzer sounded as we won by like seven[1. It was 73-66.] He screamed as he dunked and hung on the rim. Place was going crazy! We were all hugging and Pete said “Why are we all hugging, we only beat ORU!”

It was funny as heck.

After the game Barry Hinson started crying and saying the “Old Girls got us” meaning Gallagher Iba. There was a moment in the run late that I simply could not hear anything. It was my welcome to Rowdiest Arena moment.

And we just beat ORU.


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