Cougars duo plays bigger than expected - TW (2-4-06)

[ORUTerry]

Cougars duo plays bigger than expected

By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer

2/4/2006

CSU's guards are two of the shortest in Mid-Con Conference.

Chicago State guards Royce Parran and David Holston have taken a lot of ribbing for being tiny in a big man's game.

At Louisville, a television commentator said they looked like a pair of eighth-graders, CSU head coach Kevin Jones said.

The ribbing usually subsides when the game starts.

"At Michigan, Royce dunked in traffic and the crowd started cheering for him," Jones said.

At 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-6 respectively, Parran and Holston are among the smallest starters in the Mid-Continent Con ference, along with Oral Roberts' 5-9 Jonathan Bluitt and Southern Utah's 5-10 Steve Barnes.

They're also two of the toughest.

"They have that little-man syndrome, where you have to prove how tough you are," Jones said.

Parran (18.9 points per game) and Holston (11.6 ppg) have teamed to score nearly half the Cougars' points this season and dish 138 assists.

"They're very quick and smart," said ORU coach Scott Sutton. "When they get going, they're hard to stop."

ORU has beaten the Cougars once this season and will try again when Chicago State visits at 7:05 p.m. Saturday.

The Golden Eagles seem to be peaking at just the right time, with the conference tournament a month away. Thursday's runaway 89-57 win over Southern Utah was their third in a row.

"We've played well in the last five halves, starting with the second half (of a 74-53 win over Centenary) and the entire game (in Monday's 74-56 win at Missouri-Kansas City). We need to continue building on that omentum," Sutton said.

ORU leads the Chicago State series 15-2, including 8-0 at home. But the Cougars aren't known for rolling over.

The Eagles started Mid-Con play with a 74-65 win at Chicago State on Jan. 2, but the game was tied at the half and ORU didn't gain control until Caleb Green scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half.

The Cougars had won three straight before losing at Southern Utah last week. At 3-5 in conference play, they're in a logjam of teams battling for third and fourth place.

Parran and Holston have shared point-guard duties, but Jones has decided to give them help by starting his son, Kevin Jones Jr., at the point.

"We need those three guys out there together. They're all proven scorers, and we need to compensate for our lack of height on the defensive end," Jones said.