Oklahoma State Sophomore Le'Bryan Nash Looking to Make a Splash

The Old Nash

During the Kansas Jayhawks game last season (2011-2012 season), sophomore Le’Bryan Nash got a rebound, dribbled the ball coast to coast, faked out a defender, and made a three step move towards the basketball that left the whole Jayhawk audience stunned (pictured above).  This was the kind of play that the Oklahoma State Cowboys expected Nash to bring to the team when he committed to the university as the No. 6 overall high school senior in the nation according to Rivals.com.  Then the rest of the night, Nash went 1-9 and ended up collecting 11 measly points due to free throws.

Nash has the strength and height combination that would seem to land him perfectly in the NBA.  He uses this combination to be extremely explosive at times and shed defenders.  Then there is also the scoring. Nash proved last year that his scoring has the potential to be off-the-charts and have an automatic 20 points per night from mid-range.  Nash will get a defender posted up from about 15 feet away from the basket and the defender ends up with no play but to watch the ball sail over his head towards the rim.  The styles are not the same, but his ability to create a 1-on-1 isolation play parallels Dirk Nowitzki.

Yet with all this hype I am throwing out there, Nash never quite did have a break-through moment last season.  He posted 21 points four times and had a season high of 27 against then No. 2 Missouri Tigers, but the season was overshadowed by events like the SMU Mustangs or the Virginia Tech Hokies.  Both the Mustangs and Hokies were un-ranked teams who held Nash to just four points in an average of 31 game-time minutes.

The New Nash

Well for starters,  Cowboys fans can rest on the fact that Nash openly stated, “I think I have grown up a lot since freshman year.  I’m not childish like I was last year.” Nash admitted that he had maturity issues when first arriving in Stillwater, but now Nash says, “I’m on a mission.”

Each day in practice, Nash picks the top scorer for him to guard.  He acknowledges that a lot of criticism came from his inability to play defense last season.  “I guard Markel (Brown) and Marcus (Smart) in practice and whomever is the best scorer on the opposite team in scrimmages. That’s the area I’m trying to improve the most.”

When Nash was in high school, many people had him as a one-and-done player, meaning he would play his freshman year and then be a lottery pick in the NBA.  Things obviously did not turn in that direction, but if Nash brings up his defense, it will bring a full package to the court that will definitely raise his salary some day.

Nash closed by saying, “I can’t be an All-Big 12 (Conference) player without improvement. I just have to go out there and back it up.”

Injury Update:

• head coach Travis Ford announced this past weekend that forward Brian Williams will be in a cast for about 3 months, then needs another month out of the cast, then needs a month and a half to rehab (out for the year)