They symbolize approaching sports seasons. Excited players and coaches are common sights during such events. But, during the Oklahoma State Cowboy basketball media day Monday in the Lewis Field press box, the excitement and anticipation in the air seemed more than just preseason giddiness. OSU players and coach Eddie Sutton showed cautious optimism Monday, even though the Cowboys enter this season having lost eight letter winners, including four starters, from last season s 27-7 team that made a run to the NCAA quarterfinals. Big 12 coaches ranked the Cowboys No. 6 in their preseason poll.
High hopes are rare during rebuilding years.
But forward Fredrik J nz n, OSU s leading returning scorer, said the team is excited about an overall positive attitude shown during early practices. This new team has really got the right attitude, J nz n said. The new guys came to practice ready to play and ready to learn. J nz n, who led the Cowboys in scoring in two if their last three games, joins center Jason Keep and forward Andre Williams as the only three returning lettermen on OSU s team. I saw where the coaches picked us, and I think that s realistic given the players we lost, Sutton said.