GO POKES GO POKES GO POKES (OU SUCKS)

the other night i was talking to a sports-loving friend, and i mentioned the controversy over the expansion of the beloved gallagher-iba arena. he laughed at me and my characterization of oklahoma state as a "basketball school." he also said he had never heard of henry iba. he seemed to think i was mistaking school pride for actual school accomplishments.

a couple of things you should know about my pokes: oklahoma state basketball currently has the nation's longest winning streak. dan wetzel (smartest sports-writer in the universe) writes "The Pokes keep proving they are for real" and "This might be Eddie Sutton's best team in Stillwater since the 1995 Final Four club that put the program back on the map."

a word about gallagher-iba:

Considered one of college basketball's most intimidating places to play, Oklahoma State University's Gallagher-Iba Arena lays claim to more Division I college athletic championship teams than any other collegiate facility in the nation. Constructed in 1938, the 6,381-seat arena was named after the school's legendary wrestling and basketball coaches, Ed Gallagher and Henry Iba, who collectively earned 19 national titles during their storied careers.

and finally:

There are few in basketball circles who don't know about the legendary Henry Iba. As a collegiate coach at Oklahoma A&M and a three-time mentor of our Olympic teams, Iba did more than win national championships and gold medals. He transcended greatness. Mr. Iba's teams were methodical, ball-controlling units that featured weaving patterns and low scoring games. Iba's "swinging gate" defense (a man-to-man with team flow) was applauded by many, and is still effective in today's game. Behind dominating 7-foot center Bob Kurland, Iba's Aggies became the first to win consecutive NCAA titles (1945 and 1946). A&M teams won 14 Midwestern Valley titles, and were largely responsible for generating most of Iba's 767 victories, third best in NCAA Division I history. "Hank" also coached at Maryville College and the University of Colorado. He is the only coach in history to win two Olympic gold medals (1964 in Tokyo; 1968 in Mexico City), and he will also be remembered as the coach of the 1972 Olympic team that lost to the Soviet Union in a controversial ending.

Mr. Iba died while i was in school at oklahoma state, but noone there will ever forget him.

next, i will speak with my friend about whether state is a wrestling school. (you could ask the sooners about that.)

Monday 27-Jan-03