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New PG For OSU

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See 2:00 mark.

The point guard situation has been the bane of Travis Ford’s existence thus far in Stillwater. He coached a suddenly overachieving (or properly achieving?) Eaton his first year in town but it’s been all kinds of awful since then.

The following players have started at PG since Eaton graduated:

Fred Gulley
Ray Penn
Reger Dowell
Keiton Page
Markel Brown
Cezar Guerrero
Obi Muonely
Nick Sidorakis (I have no idea if this happened but it sure feels like it did)

And exactly zero of them have been effective.

Ford still doesn’t know what he wants to do either, telling ESPN.com this about Marcus Smart:

He can be a great point guard. That might be his best position. He sees the court, handles the ball — he’s a natural leader. Obviously, he can play the 2, the 3, the 4. The way we play, we allow our players to use their talents. I don’t know that he has a defined position right now.

Then turning around and telling the Oklahoman this about Markel Brown:

But that leadership you talk about is the biggest area that we’re really looking to, ‘Who’s going to replace that?’ Because Keiton’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever had, so that is kind of a work-in-progress right now. We’ve had some guys that have been around a little bit that we’re kind of watching to see what type of active role they take this summer and things like that. But I think Markel Brown, just right off the top of my head, is one guy that can do that.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement for the guy who’s potentially going to be your starting point guard plus lead distribution and leadership guy[1. Uhhh, yeah…I guess….Markel! Yeah, he could be a leader!].

Over the weekend, Ford went out and got another PG, Kirby Gardner from San Bernardino Valley College.

Gardner seems like a decent player, good scorer, led his team in assists (I think around four a game[2. His stats aren’t available online although there’s this hilarious post that ends talking about how Gardner will play in “the Gallagher-Iba Arena next year.]), but even he doesn’t sound like he knows what he’s doing in Stillwater:

They hadn’t been recruiting me too long. Coach (Quincy Brewer at San Bernardino) told me that they had been looking at me and some of my film and my grades to see if I was eligible, and the next week I went on a visit. It just seems to be the place where I wanted to go.

Oh, sounds exciting.

He also talked about why he hadn’t signed with anyone yet:

Actually, my grades was the hold up.

You don’t say.

And how will Ford work him in?

They tell me that I fit the system well, and I’m their missing piece. I’ll do whatever it takes to win, and I guess they saw that about me.

Trust me, if a JUCO point guard from San Bernadino was the missing piece, then Travis Ford would not be recruiting a point guard from San Bernadino.

I’m not down on the kid, I hope he pans out really[3. We’re 1-2 on “point guards from the California area” between Gottlieb and Guerrero] but I also want to see Travis Ford have a plan beyond “crap, I hope this JUCO kid works out so we’re competitive in the Big 12 next season!

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