Exactly One Week Away from the Start of Full Hoops Practice
STILLWATER --Erik Pastrana doesn't look anything like his bio picture on the Oklahoma State website. As the Cowboys assistant coach walked into Hideaway Pizza to sit down for a radio interview he was sports a full dark beard and mustache. He was thin and even passed on Hideaway Pizza, which is a delicacy in Stillwater. Pastrana lamented that his facial hair and his fasting, which he is doing up to 16-hours a day is a product of too much time on his hands and too much time in one place.
"It's been very, very difficult," Pastrana said of being campused since the COVID-19 pandemic started. No in-person recruiting off campus, so no spring or summer evaluations of players. Then there has been no in-person recruiting on campus meaning no players coming by the basketball office and getting campus tours. All recruiting has been virtual on the computer or over the phone or by mail. It will stay that way through the end of 2020 and that means signing day in less than a month in November will mean signing recruits that the coaching staff has not put eyes on since early March and beyond.
"Recruiting is all about relationships and there is just so much you can do on a virtual visit, a zoom call, or a text," added Pastrana of the recruiting restriction. "It's really hard to build a relationship on the phone or by text. You need to see these kids and their families in person in order to evaluate if they are the right fit or not."
Pastrana said he doesn't know what to do with himself being in one place for so long. That is they same thing the media heard from his boss, head coach Mike Boynton, in a zoom call back in the early summer.
What they have been doing is working with the players over the last half of the summer and now just about into the official start of practice on Oct. 14. The schedule is still somewhat uncertain. There is a rumor of a potential three-game guaranteed tournament at the start of the season with the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. They know there will be two conference games in December with TCU coming to Stillwater and the Cowboys going to Austin to play Texas.
Just getting to full practice will be a wanted change for everybody. Pastrana acknowledges that the coaching staff believes in the pieces they have.
"Lot of guys, we're 12 hours (practice a week) now and with everything going on it has been great with our guys spending time together on the court, but we are definitely getting to that antsy part where we are going to want to see another opponent pretty soon," said the energetic assistant coach. "Official practice starts next week and we're excited about that. We are excited about the roster and there haven't really been any surprises because we knew what we were bringing in."
Those names of players may begin with national top recruit Cade Cunningham, who led the move to stick with the program even after the rugged NCAA probation was announced but doesn't end there. Among newcomers to go with Cunningham that have been mentioned with excitement include Canadian Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, Texas product and 6-10 post Montreal Pena, transfer three-point shooter Ferron Flavors Jr., Putnam City West All-State standout Rondel Walker, and Nebraska prep standout Donovan Williams. The list of strong impressions rotates on a daily basis.
"The thing that has stood out the most with all these guys has been the athleticism and the pace of these shorter practices," Pastrana said with excitment. "It is fun to watch and sometimes it is hard to stop it because you just want to keep watching them get up and down."
It would appear that returning point guard and the team's Rock of Gibralter last season in Isaac Likekele coupled with the emerging Kalib Boone and the arrival of Cunningham gives the Cowboys three strong spokes and the wheel will turn with combinations involving other players.
"Those three are the key cogs for us and then you have an assortment of guys all around that can contribute in different way and that is kind of exciting," Pastrana confirmed.
The rotation could be much larger than normal. It could also fluctuate game-to-game depending on the ability and the flavor of the opponent.
"It's a different set of problems as opposed to other years where we are coaching and we are trying to find our six or seven guys that can contribute," Pastrana theorized. "Okay, now we know we have enough but which guys are going to fit into those roles and buy into playing with each other. The interesting aspect of Cade (Cunningham) and Ice (Likekele) is those two guys are alphas, but there are not score first guys. They are guys that want to get other guys involved. Now, it is a matter of moving those other chess pieces around and putting them together where they can be most effective."
Stephen Howard came over with Pastrana for the interview and told me that it could be a week or two before the announcement on how many fans will be allowed for the season in Gallagher-Iba Arena. It is known that the court level will be pretty much reserved for the teams, officials, and scorer's table. Fans will be up in the lower bowl and above. It could be 25 percent like football or close to it.
One very exciting thing for fans and media alike is that head coach Mike Boynton has agreed to have the first practice Oct. 14 live on webcam for all to see. He has also agreed to be mic'd up to give the fans a guide through the practice with all of this Cowboy talent.
