Patriot Auto OKWU Athlete of the Week: Freshman helps propel Eagles to soaring campaign
It seems like every season that Oklahoma Wesleyan University basketball coach Donnie Bostwick brings at least one exceptional freshman player on board.
Derrick Talton Jr. definitely fills that tradition this season.
The 5-foot-10 dynamo from Martin (Texas) High School has been a feisty force for the Eagles during their surge to a 20-1 record and No. 5 ranking in the nation.
Not that Talton dials in incredible numbers every game — although his exponential contributions on a team crowded with statistical parity are noteworthy.
But, Talton’s primary impact is in his grasp of the offensive concept and ability to manipulate in such a way to maximize the Eagles’ offensive potential.
He has shown an ability to understand the changing leverage of an offensive possession and to know how to distribute the ball.
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That’s an invaluable asset on a team on which any one of which seven or eight players are capable any night of leading the team in scoring or achieving double-digit points.
Talton — who has started 19 games — leads the squad in assists with 3.5 per game.
His other stats include 7.6 points per game, 42 steals, a 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio, 2.6 rebounds per game and 10-of-35 three-pointers.
Talton notched his career-high scoring total with 22 points against Southwestern (Kan.) — unfortunately the only game the Eagles have lost (87-85).
He’s scored in double-digit points in four other games.
Talton’s reputation has grown around the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.
He twice has been named the KCAC Man’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Week — the only Eagle to receive a weekly KCAC honor this season.
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During the Eagles’ historic 85-56 win Wednesday at Kansas Wesleyan University — which elevated OKWU to a 20-win season for the ninth time during coach Donnie Bostwick’s tenure — Talton contributed in several ways.
He played a team-high (tied) 21 minutes, shot 3-of-4 from the field (six points), dished out six assists, made two steals and pulled down four boards.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: OKWU Athlete of the Week: Derrick Talton Jr. brings skills to floor
