After the OSU victory, Texas head coach, Rick Barnes, went straight to Keiton Page and had more than a few words to say with a handshake. It was obvious that Coach Barnes respects Page and everything he has become as a college basketball player. And after Keiton's forty point performance that respect was even further solidified.
Sidenote: I've always liked Coach Barnes. He's always been classy and extremely respectful towards the OSU basketball program, team, and fans. Also, he called Baylor's head coach, Scott Drew, a cheater. He earned a lot of points for that one.
Back to the game, Keiton Page had a career night with half of his scoring damage coming from the free throw line. I swear that kid could teach a clinic on how to upfake Stephen Hawking out of his chair. Meanwhile, the rest of the starters' performances should not be overlooked either.
Markel Brown got himself a double double with twelve points and eleven boards. He also had three assists.
Brian Williams defended the league's top scorer, J'Covan Brown,as well as anybody could ask and had six steals and three blocks to go along with the effort.
Mike Cobbins was a beast in the defensive paint. Four blocks to go with his seven rebounds and twelve points.
Finally, Le'Bryan Nash gave his usual solid performance with eighteen points and four rebounds. He also had a ridiculous ally oop dunk that reinforced the meaning of #LobStilly.
Some more thoughts after the jump.
It was good to see the students respond to the challenge of bringing back the luster of GIA. The stands could have been more full for sure but there was no doubt that the arena finally had some life pumped back into it. The only thing I ask now is that the students actually make noise! Hopefully it will be far more loud when A&M comes to town for the next home game. Still, it was a very good effort by the students to get out there and support their team. No doubt they got their money's worth with the performance the players, especially Keiton, put on.
To see Coach Ford slap hands with Page and give him a hug was pretty amazing. There's no doubt the two respect each other very much and have shared the same ups and downs during the last four years. To see such an open and appreciative moment between the coach and player really brought everything full circle. It wasn't Senior night but you could have fooled me with how it all went down.
This team continues to play with a ton of heart and effort. I think by now everyone has gotten over the fact that the season has been a disappointment. Fans, players, everyone. And to see them continue to want to get better each night on the court is pretty fulfilling even if the win/loss record isn't. There are two home games left and I hope the crowds in GIA grow even more for each of them. The players deserve it.