OKLAHOMA CITY — Flinging the basketball straight up towards the rafters of Jim Norick Sate Fair Arena, Kellen Hines probably wouldn’t have been one bit surprised to see his final heave go in — even if it was just a celebratory toss.
After all, virtually every other shot Hines launched wound up finding the bottom of the net in Fort Cobb-Broxton’s 62-50 victory over Frontier to claim the Class A boys State championship on Saturday night.
Instead, the ball finally came back down to the legendary court at the Fairgrounds when Ft. Cobb’s favorite red light lit up the backboard.
Meanwhile, the mighty Mustangs were way up high on cloud nine, basking in the glory of being crowned basketball state champions for the fourth year in a row — something no other small school (Class A, B) has ever accomplished in state history.
As time stood still for the Mustangs, Hines was lying on the court — with plenty of company as one of his closest friends, the muscular senior Luke Lewis, was the first to violently tackle him.
The rest of the team joined as the bench stormed the court and toppled their hero, Hines.
“Me and Luke were saying there how it doesn’t feel real,” Hines said. “No one has done it. It’s so hard to wrap our head around it.”
Kesston Mowdy, the senior starter who had stuck his back flip at the buzzer with a 10.0 landing, was the last to leap on top of the blue jersey mountain.
A few feet from the joyous team dog-pile, the orange pumpkin that the junior guard Hines had carved up top-ranked Frontier with for 31 points on 13 of 17 shooting slowly rolled away.
It was as perfect a moment the Mustangs ever could’ve asked for — a fairy tale ending, really.
Yet it was the imperfect moments between Kellen and his father, Ft. Cobb coach Scott Hines, that molded Saturday night primetime into a masterpiece.
Kellen’s dad had to be hard on him the last 12 months.
After two All-State players, Greyden Steinmetz and Kellen’s older brother Cameron graduated last year with a three-peat in hand, it was Kellen’s turn to take the reins.
Imperfect moments that had tested both father and son throughout the past year made for the perfect moment together as they took family photos under the hoop with the newest Gold Ball to add to the Ft. Cobb championship collection.
“After all that we’ve been through, it’s unbelievable. It’s hard to talk about without losing it,” coach Hines said while trying to keep misty eyes and eventual tears at bay. “That tells you how special this is.”
Kellen has gone to AAU tournaments all over the country but Scott knew his son didn’t really want to go to some of them.
Scott will get on him in practice or in games, challenging Kellen to play even better.
Because dynasties like Ft. Cobb’s current remarkable run don’t last by elite players going through the motions. They only endure when players keep progressing and take their game to the next level.
Hines has been coaching long enough to know. If you aren’t getting better, someone else is.
Kellen may hate it sometimes, but he gets where his dad is coming from.
“There are some times we’ll be battling it out and yelling at each other,” Kellen said. “Stuff he does in the heat of the moment it’s a long term thing. You might think in that moment you hate it, but it’s all a scheme working for what’s best in the long run.
“He’s definitely one of the best coaches out there, for sure.”
Kellen is no stranger to big games, but for him to light up The Big House just like his older brother, dad couldn’t have been more proud.
“It’s huge for dad as much as his coach,” coach Hines laughed. “I’m really proud of him and happy for him. He’s earned that with hours and hours of practice in the gym.”
Growing up, Kellen was always hanging around Steinmetz and Cameron. To keep the tradition going that his dad and two friends started has been a privilege.
“Following in their footsteps has been crazy fun,” Kellen said.
Pushed to be great
Kellen wasn’t the only one coach Scott Hines pushed to the limit this season.
“Coach Hines pushes us to become our best and I’m glad that he has,” four-time champion and senior Kesston Mowdy said. “He’s got on me a lot, but he’s made me better as a player.”
Mowdy — who scored 36 points in the State tournament over the weekend and made the eventual game-winning shot against Cyril in the semifinals — hadn’t gotten to play much the past three years, but his devotion to improving in the gym made him an indispensable starter this year.
“I’ve been on Kesston his whole career about taking crazy shots, but we wouldn’t be in the state championship without one of those crazy shots,” coach Hines laughed. “Kesston is a true gym rat who waited his time and deserves this moment because he’s earned it with his hours and hours of hard work in the gym.”
Hines had more Mustangs than Mowdy working hard in the gym. The whole team was striving for the unthinkable.
“Coach Hines told us that we were good enough to win four in a row,” said four-time champion and senior Robert Johnson, who was Ft. Cobb’s rim protector and vital force in the paint this season.
Johnson notched 12 blocks in the semifinal and championship games. “We just had to keep pushing all year long and working hard. We had to work harder than ever the past three years.”
Maybe it was the relentless work that made the 2018 champions stand out from the other six.
“Six later, they don’t get old,” coach Hines said with a grin. “One championship is just as special as the other because each year is a new team. This group feels a little more special because everybody doubted this group.”
Few people outside of the community gave Ft. Cobb the benefit of the doubt to four-peat with two All-State players gone.
Kellen still believed, though.
“I never really doubted us like others did,” Kellen said. “I knew that we could win it all again. We’d just have to have the luck it takes because it definitely does take some luck. And it takes some guts to be the tougher team pulling it out.”
Coach Hines not only challenged his players individually during another title run, but collectively with another challenging schedule.
Such competition against bigger schools like a solid 5A El Reno team made competition during playoffs and in the state tournament seem mediocre.
“That’s the reason you put them in those tough spots,” Coach Hines said. “We try to play as tough a schedule as possible. A lot of big schools don’t want to play and you can’t blame them for that.”
Of course, inspiring his players is simple when the attitudes are so selfless.
“It’s been a special year,” coach Hines said. “This is as easy a group to coach as I’ve ever had. If you’ve got a problem with any of these guys, you’ve got a problem yourself. There is no drama — just great kids.”
Unfathomable journey, uncharted waters
Over the last five years, Ft. Cobb, which finished this season 29-3, has boasted a 142-12 record while winning one Class B title (2015) followed by three Class A titles (2016-18).
“Four-peat, four-peat, four-peat!” the Mustangs’ crowd joyously chanted during the championship ceremony.
“This atmosphere of The Big House with the huge crowds cheering for you —it’s great,” Johnson said. “It’s all unbelievable and we have the best fans.”
The Mustangs have now moved into a tie for ninth place in Oklahoma history, joining four other schools who have won seven boys basketball state championships.
“Very few teams have done what we’ve accomplished,” coach Hines said. “We got something to strive for there. Something sitting out there in front of us that we can chase and keep us focused.”
Ironically, the team Ft. Cobb beat for the title Saturday night was the only other Class A or small school team to come close to a four-peat as Frontier won three in a row from 2004 to 2006 but lost the 2003 championship game by two points.
The only other basketball team in Oklahoma history to five-peat? Douglass in Class 4A from 2010 to 2014.
Ft. Cobb could join Douglass come next March with a 2015-2019 label.
Mowdy, Johnson and Lewis all graduate and leave big shoes to fill, but there is no telling how talented Eastwood may become as the freshman was one of the core pieces to keeping the dynasty intact.
“I had no idea,” coach Hines said of Eastwood’s impact. “He doesn’t play like a freshman. I knew he was a good player, but who knows when a freshman gets in this setting how they may react. That little sucker just goes and plays because he’s extremely self-confident.”
Eastwood’s self-confidence stems from his unrivaled work ethic for his age, which now has him focused on next year.
“Just gotta stay in the gym and keep getting better,” Eastwood said. “Keep practicing and going hard and hopefully it comes.”
Kyler Denton also returns and will take on a much larger role, as will others who are eager to seize their turn like Mowdy did to keep the dynasty train rolling.
Of course, Kellen Hines will be a senior hoping to end his high school career off with a fourth straight state championship — and helping Ft. Cobb re-write history with a fifth straight title.
“We’ll be just as hungry as this year, really,” Kellen said. “I think we can do it.”
solson@swoknews.com
