Ice is Synonomous with Intense

Oklahoma State got Isaac Likekele back against Southeastern Louisiana and the played nicknamed Ice erased the chill for Cowboy hoops

Bruce Waterfield - Oklahoma State University athletics

We had said it during the last month when Isaac Likekele was missing from the Oklahoma State line-up. The player that went to Brooklyn and dominated on defense, on offense, and on playmaking, whatever the Pokes needed in destroying Syracuse and Ole Miss at the NIT Season Tipoff Classic and then dropped out of sight with illness, speculated to be mononucleosis, was the straw.

You know the guy on the team that might not be the leading scorer, might not be the best defender, but almost always was instigating good play on both sides of the floor. With Likekele, the Cowboys seem capable of competing with any team. Without their starting point guard they are just as capable of not competing. 

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton craves good defense first and foremost, and that is why his main goal for the game was six kills. Boynton's definition of a kill is three straight stops on the defensive end and by the under four (minute) media time out in the 82-31 domination of Southeastern Louisiana, the Cowboys got the goal for their coach. The ended up exceeding the goal of six kills. 

"The thing that I was most proud of was that we got back to defending like we had and that was absent for about a four week period," Boynton told John Holcomb and the Oklahoma State Radio Network after the contest. "(Having) Ice (back) was some of it, but some of it was being more sound in our schemes and playing so hard."

That is what Likekele gives you. If he needs to score, he will. If he needs to hit the glass, he will. He always defends, period. He always inspires and that leads to everybody defending. 

"He is a kid that is completely committed to this team and this program and to his teammates having success," Boynton said of Likekele. "Even when he was out and could not be at practice, he was asking for practice film and game film, so that when he came back and was speaking to his teammates he could do it from an intellectually honest place and he could give them good, solid advice."

Oklahoma State is now 9-3 on the season and Big 12 play is up next with the Cowboys opening on the road against the defending Big 12 champions and NCAA runner-up Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are also 9-3 and just beat Cal-State Bakersfield Sunday 73-58. The conference opener is next Saturday (Jan. 4) 11 a.m.

Likekele is back in the nick of time, because he's like those old American Express card commercials that said, "Don't leave home without it."