Welcome To Lob Stilly
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
The Cowboys aren’t winning big, but they’re winning some, with Tuesday night’s 69-67 win over Iowa State pulling OSU even overall at 12-12 and 5-6 in the Big 12.
And lately, they’re winning – and even losing – with flair.
Markel Brown’s high-rising antics are making him a highlight-reel regular, with his dazzling dunks showing up on Play of the Day lists everywhere.
Against the Cyclones, there was a drive-the-lane elevation jam over ISU’s Royce White, who was rendered helpless by Brown’s sudden explosiveness. And there was an in-flight finish of a fastbreak alley-oop set up nicely by Brian Williams, who added a statement slam himself.
Don’t look now, but these Cowboys are becoming fun to watch.
Not only are the youngsters growing and going together, they’re entertaining, too.
With a nod to the L.A. Clippers’ cool “Lob City” take, the Cowboys have started referencing “Lob Stilly.”
Their coach, Travis Ford, isn’t in on the tag, but he says the dunks are big at home – his home.
“My children are very excited about it,” Ford said. “And they’re keeping track, that’s all they want to talk about.
“But it’s great. It’s fun to see. We know (Brown) has the capability, a lot of our guys do.”
Brown, who went national with two big dunks in OSU’s upset of Missouri, said he’s just trying to deliver some juice.
“I think it gets the team going,” he said. “It obviously gets the crowd pumped and I
think the team feeds off the crowd.”
Said Ford: “He can make some spectacular plays. And our guys are giving him good passes and stuff like that. And they came at crucial times. That’s what I’m more concerned about, make sure we finish the play.”
For Tuesday’s game, the king of OSU dunkdom, Desmond Mason, was seated courtside with his son. Twice Brown dunks prompted the former Cowboys star to rise out of his seat in appreciation.
In an impromptu interview with The Daily O’Collegian, the school’s newspaper, Mason shared some thoughts on Brown and the Cowboys.
“Markel is one of the most athletic guys in the Big 12,” Mason said, “probably one of the most athletic in the country.”
Mason told O’Colly writer Anthony Slater that he’s talked to Brown a few times, attending some Cowboys practices.
“He’s having a great season,” Mason said. “He’s still young and he’s still learning his game, so his talent will continue to open up even more. His athleticism speaks for itself.”
Freshman Le’Bryan Nash won a national high school dunk contest last year, but gladly takes a back seat to Brown and his theatrics.
“I call it ‘Lob Stilly.’ Every time you see me tweet, I am like #lobstilly, because he is going to get a dunk.
“That gets me excited. That gets me motivated to play defense more. It’s good to see guys like that jumping out the gym and it’s good to see highlights besides me. It’s great to see action like that. I love it.”
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