Mansfield Timberview’s Isaac Likekele is a star on the rise at Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State’s Isaac Likekele isn’t your prototypical point guard.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder is described as a “linebacker at point guard” by ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla. The Mansfield Timberview product is also one of the rarer players in today’s game who would rather set up his teammates than shoot himself.
Truth be told, he’s perfectly fine with it all, acknowledging that his shooting form “isn’t the best.”
As he told the Star-Telegram at Big 12 Media Day before the season, “I’ll never be a guy that you look on the charts and he’s shot four threes that game, or five threes that game, regardless if they’re catch-and-shoot or whatever. I just feel like it’s not me.
“I’m not even a guy who likes shooting more than 10 shots a game. I don’t know how many games last year, only shot five or six shots. Shooting is not my thing really.”
What is his thing is winning and he’ll be looking to get Oklahoma State (9-5, 0-2 Big 12) back on track today against TCU (11-3, 2-0). Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at Schollmaier Arena.
The Cowboys have lost five of their last seven, including three in a four-game stretch last month when Likekele was sidelined with an illness. But he’s been back since Big 12 play started and is trying to get OSU its first conference win after losses to two ranked teams, Texas Tech and West Virginia.
“We know they’re going to be tough,” TCU senior guard Desmond Bane said. “They’ve got a lot of guys from this area and are 0-2, so there’s plenty of motivation.”
Bane has plenty of respect for Likekele, too, pointing to his never-ending motor on the court. “That’s probably the best thing about him. He plays hard. He’s got size and he’s physical.”
That physical point guard play is a product of how Likekele learned the game. He credited Darrell Starks, the father of Likekele’s teammate at Timberview Tristan Starks, for instilling that mindset.
Instead of scoring, Likekele said, he learned to do the other things that help produce wins.
It’s paid off early in his basketball career by winning a state championship as a junior at Timberview in 2017, and being named to the USA Basketball U19 FIBA World Cup team following his freshman season at Oklahoma State last year.
“My friend’s pop [Darrell Starks] was the most unselfish guy,” Likekele said. “Once he instilled that in me, it really just stayed with me — staying unselfish and keeping everybody involved.”
Likekele is averaging 11.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals a game so far in his sophomore season. The only other player in the Big 12 averaging 4.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals is Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton, who was a teammate of Likekele’s on the USA Basketball team.
Asked about his drive, Likekele said: “It’s something at first I had to work on, but as my body developed and as time went on, I really just prided myself in playing hard all the time. I feel like playing hard is not something that should be negotiable.
“You should play hard every night and give it your all.”
That’s why Likekele has quickly become a fan favorite and one of the most respected point guards in the conference.
Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton loves the growth he’s seen in Likekele’s short time in Stillwater. Boynton planned to overhaul Likekele’s shooting form last off-season, but that was put on hold once Likekele received an invite to USA Basketball.
As Boynton said, “I didn’t want to deny him that opportunity. It was better for him than it was for our program to have him go and experience that.
“And it’s paid dividends, not only for him but for the guys on the team and our program in general. He came back with a totally different approach, a totally different aura about him.”
Playing for USA Basketball, on the heels of starting every game as a true freshman, served as a confidence boost for Likekele. This is a guy who was just a three-star prospect coming out of high school with Oklahoma State as his only Power Five offer.
TCU never even looked at him, but it’s all worked out. Likekele’s style fits well with what Boynton wants out of his point guard.
“He’s truly embraced his own identity,” Boynton said. “The ultimate quality that he has is he’s a winner. He wants to win. He wants to be a good teammate. He wants to do whatever his teammates need him to do to have success.
“Whether that means defending a forward, or posting up as a point guard, he’s not going to fret over it. He’s going to do whatever we ask and give us a chance to win.”
This story was originally published January 11, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
