This play is called “Fire”- @dmasonart is a “Deep Feeder” in the press break. Bigs are at mid court, there are 5 different Home Run actions off this press break— this is the first - @OU_MBBall @OSUMBB 1998 a thread - https://twitter.com/doafhat/status/1349847146288336898

1997-1998 we were picked dead last in the Big 12. So how did we win the Big 12 South? We played small before it was cool. Mase played the 4, Big Brett Robisch had more space at the 5 ( he is the inbounder), Adrian Peterson moved to the 3, Joe Adkins moved to the 2 -2-

When I signed at OSU, other coaches told me Coach Sutton played too slow, Coach told me every coach “worth a damn” would play slow if he had no point guard. Coach promised me we would play fast if I came there (we did)keep in mind that after the Final Four in 95 -3-

OSU went 17-15 for 2 straight years. Why? Simple, coach needed a facilitator. Honestly those teams had dudes + a lot of good passers and players (my boy Cianti Robert’s played some PG)... but it just didn’t work w/Coach’s system - @JoeA35 was filthy as a combo, by our senior

Year I averaged 9 assists and he avg 4.5 - he just was better trying to get his then running the club. We played what are the time to some was a soft schedule.. playing @SunDevilHoops (they were stacked but had an interim coach in Don Newman) & they got a lead on us, talked shit

Then after the half we put a run on em and they literally got into a fist fight with each other on the bench during a timeout! We smashed @UW_MBB who went to the Elite 8, beat @TCUBasketball in Fort Worth (I hit the GW FT!) who was undefeated. We lost a couple early in league

Nebraska at home, who was a terrible road team traditionally and we started the game up 12-0 before Ty Lue kicked my ass! Baylor in double OT on a bank from mid court, they actually were talented w/Brian Skinner. So we got to play OU, in Bedlam on the road on Big Monday

OU was solid. Corey Brewer, who had a fat Q-Dog brand, was their best player. Brewer was from West Memphis, Arkansas... there was a group of Arkansas grown players that left the state that led to the downfall (IMO) of @RazorbackMBB under Coach Richardson.

Quincy Lewis went to Minnesota, Keith Carter at Ole Miss, Brewer and Adrian Peterson (our best player) were all Arkansas kids. Keep em home and they keep rollin. OU had beaten “us” the year before. Famously the talented Jason Skaer, who had transferred out before I got there

Had snow balls thrown at him after class for losing to OU. “They throwin’ snow balls at me dawg” meant this rivalry was serious. Keep in mind we had beaten a very good @ORUMBB team that @CoachBillSelf had built before taking over @TUMBasketball. OU,TU,ORU and OSU were all loaded

We drive to Norman the night before the game. Shoot at Lloyd Noble. I grew up in SoCal in love with @OU_Athletics - loved their football teams swagger and fell in love with Ricky Grace and Mookie Blaylock and later Brent Price. But I never thought I would play there

Kelvin called me and offered me late before they signed Michael Johnson, who became a rival.. but I didn’t visit or really consider them but if CB was at the 2, it would have been cool. My dad trusted coach, when I saw all the talent on my visit I believed it would work

Sean Sutton always did the OU scout. It was a virtuoso in old school film study. He looked like he was in Solitary for a month cause all he did was watch OU tape. Every set, every UOOB meticulously drawn up. No stone unturned. They ran 1-4 series into cross screen/down screen

It wasn’t anything special, but they screened the hell out of you. You played OU, you felt OU. We didn’t think much of their talent, but we all thought they were tough bordering on dirty. Day of the game I decided that we needed a spark. So I shaved my head. No guard - Mase

Did as well as we were roommates, but he didn’t look like American History X like I did. LNC is an old round-house style arena. You get dropped off by the ramp and walk down in the cold, the Boomers up top yelled at us and threw things at us. Then, we all went and got ready

In 1998 it was my first year back. I was dressed and walking out to shoot when Brett Robisch came back laughing “aw shit dude, wait until you go out there” - so I did. Now OU is famous for not filling up LNC except for KU and OSU (and later Texas). But when I pulled back the

Curtain. The student section was packed. There was a massive sign “Hey Gottlieb, which do you prefer, Visa or MasterCard” - when I was introduced 2k fake credit cards were flung my way, excellent coordination, it the weak wrist’d Sooners didn’t reach the floor

The game was crazy intense. But we had em. Najera wasn’t good yet, Evan Wiley couldn’t handle Robisch and Joe Adkins loved beating OU. Talkin all kinds of noise. Late in the game they cut it on missed free throws by us. So we got into our press break. This press break is

One a good number of teams use that Coach Sutton is credited with developing. Ideally you hit a deep feeder, I cut from the top of the key and we have a 2 on 1 on the back end. Brett Robisch was an excellent passer and with his unusually long neck (I’m kidding but not kidding)

He could see everything even if his arms were a match! I was on the bench because Chad Alexander was a great FT shooter. Now personally I think having Mase on the left side is a mistake for Robo. Robo is right handed, usually this pass tails to the left if you aren’t careful

Mase being right handed, most alley oops were on the right side of the floor. He could jump and catch from either side, but the right side was a freak show. I contend to this day that Desmond Mason, who played a decade in the #NBA would have been a HOF wide out in the #NFL

None the less Robo threw a perfect pass even if the other feeder (Pete) didn’t flash to take the help away. The dunk was so ferocious you see Evan Wiley’s soul leave the building. Winning on the road in college basketball is the best feeling in the sport. After this dunk

You could hear a pin drop except our 50 ticket holders and nothing else. We sprinted to the locker room,“get your stuff and let’s get the heck outta here” - it takes roughly 1:20 min from Stillwater to Norman. We used OSU crummy ass 15 Passenger vans & pizza that we didn’t trust

The ride feels like 5 hours when you lose (lost there once) 5 minutes when you win. We got back, Mase and I watched @SportsCenter and saw him dunk the life out of OU. I love basketball. It has literally given me my entire professional career. I coach 11-13u teams

When people ask why I give so much time to these kids, the answer is this story. I wish for all kids the chance to feel what we felt, live what we lived. Those teammates are my brothers. Those wins are why you play.