Keller Gives Himself and Cowboys Fans a Tremendous Birthday Present

STILLWATER – As I hammer away on my laptop typing this story, the birthday boy Jamyron Keller and his mom, Kayla, are celebrating with a birthday dinner somewhere in Stillwater. 

“After this, we’re going to go to dinner,” Keller told the media toward the end of his debriefing with teammate Brandon Garrison in the Gallagher-Iba theater room. “Probably some seafood, probably what ever she is feeling. I’m not too hungry right now.”

That lack of hunger could be from the fact he was one of the Cowboy players with the flu this week. Although head coach Mike Boynton pointed out he was one of the first of the sick players back at practice. Part of why he ran with the first team and found out moments before the start of the Cowboys 93-83 win over BYU that he was starting. 

His lack of interest in dinner more likely was because he had just feasted on the No. 25 BYU Cougars. The freshman (he’s just 19-years-old) came in averaging just 5.1 points per game. He was shooting 50 percent from the field, but only 27.6 percent from three-point range. 

William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

Keller was spectacular on both ends.

Keller ripped the roof off GIA as far as the Cougars were concerned. He was 8-for-8 from the field, he was 4-for-4 from three-point range and he was two-for-two on two and one opportunities from the firee throw line. 

“He had an opportunity,” BYU head coach Mark Pope said when asked how high Keller was on their scouting report. “i looked, I saw what he was shooting. He did what a good player is supposed to do when he gets an opportunity. He made the most of it.”

Keller was good, really good. Considered a “junkyard dog” by Boynton when he recruited him out of Ellison High School in Killeen, Texas. He played just under 38 minutes and beside the great shooting and 22 points to lead the Cowboys, he had five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and he was a thorn for BYU from a defensive perspective. 

I sat, not in the media section, but in the Jack Nicholson seats and the word that kept coming up in describing Keller and his heroics  in what was easily the Cowboys best game of the year was “tough.”

“That is extremely … I’m humbled to hear that. I had a single mom and you know, I think that resiliency that she has, I try to bring that to the court. That’s where I get that.”

Back to mom and maybe some insight as to why on his birthday he might let mom decide on where to go and what type of cuisine to go for.

“She plays, she plays a bigger role than I can put out right now,” Keller said of his life and his phone conversations with mom. “That role is huge for her relationship with me.”

Oklahoma State fans would just as soon mom hang around and stay in constant contact with Jamyron. If mom is where he gets the crazy, exciting performance that he displayed on his birthday then keep mom close and make everyday Jamyron’s birthday. It was a present for all who were present.