Broken tooth doesn’t stop Okorie

Nick Okorie’s 19-point performance against Lamar on Saturday came at a price for the Texas Tech senior: He lost a tooth in the game.

Okorie was playing some on-ball defense in the second half, when a Lamar player pivoted and knocked him square in the jaw. The blow split Okorie’s lip open and cracked off a hunk of his third molar.

Naturally, the officials called timeout for an injury, Okorie subbed out, and went straight to the dentist to have his broken tooth rebuilt, right? Not hardly. Okorie reached in his mouth and fished out the loose tooth, chucked off the court, swallowed the blood that was filling his mouth, and kept on playing. He even hit a 3-pointer on Tech’s next possession.

“We had a TV timeout so they just cleaned me up, cleaned it out, and looked at it after the game,” Okorie said.

Now Okorie, who participated in the team’s light practice Sunday morning, will wait until Wednesday to see a dentist about rebuilding the damaged molar. He did not receive stitches on his lip; team medical staff looked at the cut and told him the mouth heals itself so quickly stitches would be irrelevant.

He doesn’t know what happened to the piece of tooth the broke off, but says he’s having no trouble chewing and his speech is only slightly altered from the injury.

“They looked at it, but they said as long as it’s not sensitive and it doesn’t really hurt, it’s OK,” he said.

Team hopes record drives attendance

Defeating Lamar made Tech 5-0 on the season, and the Red Raiders are hoping it catches the attention of certain fans.

They’re hoping more fans begin attending games as they notice Tech basketball’s winning ways.

“It’s helped us from the point that we can get the fans here,” guard John Roberson said. “They see we’re getting better.

“We’re perfect so far, we just have to keep it going.”

Lamar coach praises Raiders

Steve Roccaforte has played against Texas Tech since before Pat Knight took over as head coach. His Cardinals even defeated the Red Raiders in 2008. But the Lamar coach said he’s never seen a Tech team as athletic as this season’s.

“I think his team this year is much improved,” Roccaforte said. “I think they are much more athletic. They’re playing a little different style, and
I think it suits his personnel a whole heck of a lot better.”

Roccaforte said Tech looks much more deliberate in its actions on the court. He said it looks like the Raiders have a plan on offense, knowing not only how to run the motion offense but how to use it to get the ball to certain players in certain spots on the court.

“I don’t think they’re playing as careless and as reckless as they did last year,” Roccaforte said. “They really pushed the ball last year, they were taking a lot of shots off of one pass.

“I think they’re deeper, more athletic, and they’re playing a style more suited to their personnel.”

- Compiled by Courtney Linehan