Oklahoma State’s Gottlieb Passes on Chance to Score

Doug Gottlieb of Oklahoma State led the nation in assists last season, setting a Big 12 Conference record.

And Gottlieb, a 6-foot-1 senior point guard, is one of the reasons the Cowboys are ranked No. 10 nationally and battling for the Big 12 Conference title this season.

Gottlieb, who played at Tustin High, leads the nation in assists again this season, averaging nine a game. That compares to the nation-leading 8.8 he averaged last season, which was the 13th best effort for one season in NCAA Division I history.

Oklahoma State Coach Eddie Sutton has called him “one of the great passers in college basketball.”

“I’d like to be scoring like I did in high school, but that isn’t what is asked of me on this team with all the talented players we have,” Gottlieb said. “My role is to run the team and set things up, and I’m enjoying doing that. Passing is what I do best now, and you have to play to your strengths.”

Gottlieb started the week averaging 6.3 points, and he leads the Cowboys in steals.

“We pride ourselves in our defense,” Gottlieb said. “I think I’ve improved a lot from that standpoint since high school. It’s taken a lot of hard work, but I feel good about that.”

Gottlieb ranks 15th among the NCAA’s all-time assist leaders with 877, including his freshman season at Notre Dame. Bobby Hurley set the NCAA record of 1,076 assists when he played at Duke.

Gottlieb holds or shares Big 12 records for assists in a half (11), a game (18) and a season (299), and already holds the conference career record.

NOTEWORTHY

Brian Montonati, who played at Fullerton College, also is a key player for Oklahoma State this season. A 6-10 senior power forward, Montonati is second on the team in scoring with an average of 12.2 points and leads the team in rebounding (7.3). He was a top reserve the last two seasons. He averaged 15 points and nine rebounds in his one season at Fullerton College.

Commander King, a 6-3 junior guard, was a starter for Northern Arizona in 11 of the team’s first 12 games but has moved into a backup role behind Adam Lopez, a Kansas State transfer. King is averaging 1.3 points and 1.5 rebounds. King played at Mission Viejo High and Irvine Valley College.