Bryce Williams Helps Cowboys to a Happy New Year

There is no doubt that Oklahoma State head basketball coach Mike Boynton went into the holiday break looking for answers and maybe a little perplexed. He started by letting his players go for several days until coming back the day after Christmas to start preparing for Texas Tech. You know he watched a lot of video, studying his team that had started 6-0 with the non-conference games and then lost two heartbreakers to begin Big 12 play. There was the 77-76 loss at home to TCU and then on the road lost to Texas 77-74. Losing the first two Big 12 games can really sour the egg nog during Christmas, so after the Cowboys came back and started fast and finished faster in overtime to get an 82-77 road win against No. 13 Texas Tech, the question begged when did he make the decision to give Bryce Williams his first start of the season?

“It was Christmas morning,” Boynton said laughing. “I didn’t give myself anything for Christmas except making the decision to start Bryce.” 

His reasoning for elevating the status of the transfer from Ole Miss was simple.

“He’s the most complete guard we have,” Boynton said. “Cade is our best player and Ice “Isaac Likekele is our most experienced and valuable player, but Bryce is our most complete guard. He has everything in that he can really defend, he can dribble the basketball and score off the dribble, and he can shoot the three.”

Yes, Williams can shoot the three.  He shot 44 percent from three-point range last season at Ole Miss and he showed off in front of the Oklahoma State coaches in the NIT Tip Off Classic with his collegiate career high of 15 points against Penn State. That was until this afternoon in Lubbock.

Oklahoma State Athletics

Williams runs back down the floor after hitting an early three-pointer at Texas Tech.

Williams finished with a career high tying 15 points in the win over the Red Raiders, but that win started with Williams knocking down an early pair of three pointers, one from the left wing and the other more toward the corner on the right side. Those threes gave Oklahoma State early momentum and Williams early (needed) confidence.

“It helped my confidence tremendously,” Williams said of the early bombs. “The last couple of games I wasn’t hitting like that, so those makes really helped me and helped us.”

The Cowboys didn’t win this game off of Williams alone. There were more guys that chipped in with big contributions than any game this season. Cade Cunningham only scored 13 points but he had four huge assists, four steals, and seven rebounds before fouling out. Isaac Likekele was, as usual in a big win, the glue. Likekele made plays when nobody else could have. Both Boones, Kalib and Keylan, were still inconsistent but they made plays. Avery Anderson came up big as did Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe and Rondel Walker. 

Still, it is likely, no pun intended, that Williams will stay in the starting line-up.

“I wasn’t as smart of a coach not starting him before,” Boynton told the ESPN broadcast immediately after the game. “He’s been good off the bench for us, but we needed another playmaker on the floor and he can do that for us.”

Yes he can! He finished with the 15 points, eight more than he had been averaging playing 18.6 minutes a game off the bench, three-of-five shooting from three-point range, made both his free throws, had three assists, four rebounds, and two steals. 

The final steal represented Williams finishing the game very similar to how he started it. Oklahoma State leading 80-77 and Texas Tech with the basketball for a final shot and on the perimeter Williams saw an opportunity and he took it, stealing the basketball and hitting a wide open Avery Anderson for a slam finish to the Cowboys first Big 12 win for this season.

“It felt real good,” Williams said of the theft. “As soon as I got the ball I saw Anderson on the other end and I knew they couldn’t get to him. We don’t gamble much, but when we gamble then make sure you’ve got it.”

You think Mike Boynton thought he was gambling with his Christmas Day decision to start Williams? I think the head coach just heard a little basketball angel whispering him some sound advice.