Lavender Refuses to Sell Himself Short

The focus of today’s NCAA second-round game between Oklahoma and Utah is on how the Sooners will deal with the Utes’ versatile 7-foot sophomore center, Andrew Bogut.

On Friday, Oklahoma Coach Kelvin Sampson jokingly called the projected NBA lottery pick “a freak” and said it wasn’t fair that he made shots from beyond the three-point arc.

Oklahoma point guard Drew Lavender, who is listed at 5 feet 7 but seems shorter, is at the other end of the size spectrum -- but his influence can be no less important for his team.

Lavender, a sophomore, had a big game Thursday in an 84-67 victory over Niagara, scoring 17 points and holding his counterpart, Alvin Cruz, to seven points with seven turnovers.

But it’s consistency, not size, which has kept Lavender from being recognized as a top college player.

“I think he’s day to day,” Sampson said. “Yesterday he was good and he got through today OK. Drew ... he’s a piece of work. I think he’s come a long way as the season has progressed.”

Lavender was a McDonald’s All-American at Brookhaven High in Columbus, Ohio. As a senior, he averaged 18.4 points, 10.7 assists and led his team to a 29-2 record.

Being small -- he’s Oklahoma’s shortest player since the 1940s -- became a source of inspiration.

“It’s been something I’ve been used to everyone saying since I was 6 or 7 years old,” Lavender said. “Everybody has said that I was too small but I just got better and better. I kept on playing and used my size to my advantage.”

When Lavender comes up short occasionally is in effort, a subject about which he and his coach have had long conversations.

“You can’t be immature,” Sampson said. “You can’t choose which possession you want to play hard or which game you think you will be up for. You have to come with it every night.

“Those have always been the areas where I felt Drew needed to grow up. He needs to come to work every day.”

The message initially didn’t get through. Lavender had outings of 20 points or more against Baylor and Texas A&M;, but there were games against Tulsa and Colorado in which he was scoreless. After consecutive dismal games against Oklahoma State and Missouri, Sampson removed him from the starting lineup Feb. 16 against Nebraska.

Three days later, Lavender scored a season-high 29 points and made a last-second shot to beat Kansas State.

Sampson realizes that his floor leader has had distractions.

Lavender was very close to his stepfather, Bruce Howard, who died two years ago of liver failure. Howard was also his coach at Brookhaven and Lavender said “it was tough to deal with.”

Said Sampson: “Drew has five brothers and sisters and the kid they were leaning on most was the shortest one. Some people would wonder why isn’t Drew better, why isn’t he more consistent. Drew didn’t want anybody making excuses for him. But you could tell the impact it had on him.”

Freshman guard Kellen Sampson called Lavender the fastest guard in the nation and said he often doesn’t realize what kind of an effect he can have on a game.

“You can’t simulate his speed in practice,” said Kellen, the coach’s son. “When he’s in an attacking mode, we become a difficult team to play against. Sometimes it takes Coach hollering at him for him to get going.”