EASY ON THE ICE
Why Oklahoma State needs an Isaac Likekele revival
Isaac Likekele is a tough hombre. A 6-foot-4 guard who can play anywhere from the point to the post. In fact, for 6:11 of OSU's 40 minutes at Kansas on Monday night, Cowboy coach Mike Boynton called on Likekele to play virtual center.
Not an easy task considering the Jayhawks' David McCormack is a big man capable of big-time production. McCormack scored 23 points in 29 minutes against OSU in Kansas' 78-66 victory. And it didn't work — KU outscored the Cowboys 16-6 in those six-plus minutes.
But Boynton called on Likekele to move up in height class not because he thought it might work defensively. Boynton was trying to ignite the OSU offense.
Likekele is OSU's second-best basketball player. That's a lifetime achievement status. It's not recent-performance based. Likekele has not been playing up to his usual standards, perhaps because of an injured foot, and the OSU offense has suffered.
The junior from Arlington, Texas, averaged 12.1 points and shot 57.9% from the field through 12 games this season. But in the last six games, Likekele has averaged 6.5 points and shot 31.8% from the field.
“What I need to do with Ice is find a way to get him some rest,” Boynton said, perhaps beginning with Saturday against Kansas State. “Whether we need to sit him and hold him for a game or two, make sure he's better later (in the season). Figure out the best way he can be more effective.”
The Cowboy offense has a simple problem. Likekele is not an outside shooting threat. Neither are post men Kalib Boone nor MatthewAlexander Moncrieffe. If Likekele is on the court with Boone or Moncrieffe, the floor spacing is minimal and teams easily can trap or double-team superstar Cade Cunningham.
In Cunningham's last three games, he's shot just 32.1% from the field. Before that, he shot 46.6%. Opponents are packing the paint, double-teaming Cunningham on screens and taking their chances with someone else scoring from outside.
Cunningham has 17 turnovers the past three games, an average of 5.7 per game. He's not necessarily growing frustrated but clearly is trying to do too much as the OSU offensive inefficiency grows. Cunningham had been averaging 3.5 turnovers per game.
Boynton said Cunningham probably could cut down on his dribbles and probably has forced a few plays. Boynton critiqued himself and suggested moving Cunningham off the ball a little more.
“But again, gotta get some guys to make open shots,” Boynton said.
Likekele even resorted to trying two 3-point shots against Kansas. He missed both, dropping him to 7-of-17 for the season. An excellent percentage, but apparently fool's gold. Likekele clearly is not confident or comfortable shooting from outside. And his penetration and working the paint has dwindled.
“I just gotta be better from the start,” Likekele said. “I gotta be more focused on aggressiveness. No excuse to it.”
Boynton might not know what the answer is. But he knows what the answer is not. Playing Likekele less. He's too good of a defender, too good of a rebounder, too good of a leader. And Likekele has shown in the past that he's a capable offensive player.
Finding a way to get Likekele operating within the lane, where defenses are forced to account him, is the goal.
“Ice is super versatile,” Cunningham said. “I don't know too many guards who are being asked to go guard McCormack. That's a credit to him. We gotta figure out how to make plays around that. When we go that small, we gotta be able to rebound the ball and get out and run.”
Indeed, Likekele is a load in transition. Strong and quick. Good around the basket. But when the paint gets packed, Likekele loses some effectiveness, and the OSU offense goes south. That must change.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.