Northern Oklahoma little man plays big

You know the old saying good things come in small packages? Northern Oklahoma coach Brett Weiberg certainly believes it now. Despite being just 5-foot-7, Northern point guard Kellen McCoy should turn the heads of some Division One coaches.

"He's pretty good, people are just going to look at his size," Weiberg said. "I did the same thing coming out of high school. He played at Norman High School, played in a good league. He was MVP of the league and defensive player of the league, first team all-stater, played in the coaches' all-state game, yet nobody recruits him cause he's so short."

Weiberg took a chance on McCoy. And he's glad he did.

"We ended up taking him, he does the same thnig in juco that he did in high school," Weiberg said. "If he goes to low to mid, that's what he is, if he goes there, he'll take a little while to adjust and then he'll be doing the same thing at that level that he does at the juco level."

Weiberg said a few coaches are taking notice, though none have come through with a solid offer for McCoy at this point. McCoy will be at the Mullens camp this weekend.

"The kid can handle the ball with both hands, no one every takes it from him. His handle is just very, very good. He's a good passer, passes with both hands, he knows how to play. He's a good little athlete, can score in a variety of ways," Weiberg said. "It's really hard to stay in front of him. He's plenty quick, but it's not like he's a jet. He changes speeds exceptionally well and just kind of knows how to play."

McCoy's toughness is certainly not to be questioned. At just 5-foot-7, he shot 160 free throws as a freshman. He averaged 13 points, five assists and four rebounds last season. Weiberg expects his point guard to lead the team this year.

"He is a good leader and his role will be even greater this year," the coach said. "He learned a lot as a freshman. He's a good person, no character issues at all. Good kid. He's a guy that is probably our most competitive player and his competitiveness, he leads by example, but he will speak up and talk and he will lead a team. He's made a lot of strides over the last year."

Big strides for a small guy.