 "Photo: Philip Jones/O’Collegian")
Junior forward Matt Pilgrim will still be considered one of the “new guys” for a while.
But if the Cowboys’ two exhibition games are any indication, he won’t be playing like one.
Pilgrim recorded his second-straight double-double to help lead Oklahoma State to a 97-55 victory against Dillard University Tuesday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
He had 18 points and 12 rebounds — eight on the offensive end — to help the Cowboys win their exhibition finale.
Coach Travis Ford said it’s difficult getting his new freshmen to adjust to the college level while teaching the new system but Pilgrim already has that experience.
“Matt is, I think, the oldest guy on our team, so he’s got great experience,” Ford said. “He’s learning a new system but he knows what this is all about. This is a high level and there’s no question he should be a step ahead.”
Pilgrim, a transfer from Kentucky, found out he would no longer be on scholarship for the Wildcats after new coach John Calipari over-signed his first recruiting class.
But Pilgrim has shown the Cowboys he is certainly a scholarship-worthy player.
“He’s playing to his strengths,” Ford said. “We have NBA scouts come through here all the time saying the same thing: ‘That guy could make a living rebounding and playing defense.’”
While the newcomer controlled the boards, veteran James Anderson led OSU in scoring with 28 points while grabbing five rebounds.
His 3-pointer just less than 4 minutes into the game sparked a 23-4 run that put the game out of reach early.
Anderson said with another year of experience he is now confident carrying the scoring load from day one.
“I feel pretty comfortable now, more than I did last year to start out,” he said. “I’m just trying to start off where I left off last season.”
OSU forced the outmatched Bleu Devils into 28 turnovers while committing 15 of its own, 12 fewer than it did in its first exhibition against UCO.
Point guard Ray Penn said he and fellow guard Fred Gulley, who combined for 11 turnovers in the first game, talked about what they needed to change.
“On the court and off the court we discuss a lot of things, and we were just like, ‘We can’t make the same mistakes twice,’” Penn said. “We watched film; we looked at the game over and over again.
“The first game we might have been a little timid with it, forgetting our abilities, but I think this game we did well.”
Two exhibition games are not nearly enough to get six OSU freshmen used to the pace and competition of Division I basketball.
But Anderson said the team is looking to be great in March and April, not necessarily right out of the gates.
“We’re still learning and just getting a feel for each other and playing against other teams, because we’ve just been playing against each other in practice,” Anderson said. “We are still putting a lot of stuff together.”
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