User:Phizz007/Sam Okey

= Sam Okey =

Samuel Louis Okey (born November 4, 1976) is an American former basketball player. He played college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers and Iowa Hawkeyes.

Biography
Okey was born in West Allis, but moved to Cassville, Wisconsin says he grew nine inches in the summer after eighth grade, from 5'10" to 6'7".

High school career
Okey got his first taste of summer AAU competition with a traveling team from Cuba City coached by WBCA Hall of Famer Jerry Petitgoue. After two summers with Petitgoue, Okey switched to playing for Hugh Roberts' team from Randolph, which he traveled with until he was 15. Seeking better competition, Okey and his father decided Sam would commute to Milwaukee for summer ball. Okey gained exposure competing in national tournaments with Marty McGlothan's Mission of Christ Warriors team. “When I went back to Cassville after playing in those tournaments, it was like taking candy from a baby,” Okey said.

As a senior at the state tournament, Okey recorded a triple-double before halftime in a semifinal win over Prentice. Cassville went on to repeat as WIAA Division 4 state champions, going 54-0 over his final two seasons. Okey reached the championship game all four years of high school.

Recruitment
Stu Jackson began recruiting Okey for Wisconsin during the 1992-93 season?? When Jackson left to become general manager of the expansion Vancouver Grizzlies in the NBA prior to the 1994-95 season, Okey felt at ease with the promotion of assistant coach Stan Van Gundy. Okey chose Van Gundy and the Badgers over Iowa and North Carolina, among others, on __. However, Van Gundy's tenure ended after one unsuccessful season, which resulted in Wisconsin's hiring Dick Bennett. Okey remained committed.

Freshman
As a freshman, Okey was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year after leading Wisconsin in points, rebounds, assists and blocked shots. He was the first player in league history to do so.

Sophomore
Okey started all 27 games he played during the 1996-97 season, missing one game due to __. He raised his team-leading rebounding average to 8.5 per game, but regressed statistically in most categories. Okey played in his first-- and only--NCAA Tournament game, a first round loss to Texas.

Junior
Bennett suspended Okey for two exhibition games and the first two regular season games, reportedly for marijuana use. Upon returning, back spasms caused him to miss another four games in the first half of the team's schedule. By then, a mix of off-the-court issues and disagreements about his role on the team led Okey to leave the program on January 13, 1998. He decided to transfer to the University of Iowa.

Senior
Rather than sit out the full 1998-99 season as a redshirt to preserve an entire senior season, Okey chose to play immediately once he was eligible for the spring semester. However, injuries limited his final season with the Hawkeyes to a mere seven games. He performed admirably in a reduced role for Iowa, notching career highs in free throw and three-point shooting percentages.

Professional career
Okey was not drafted into the NBA, but was selected by the La Crosse Bobcats in the eighth round of the 1999 CBA draft. However, he signed a professional contract to play overseas with a Turkish club where former teammate Sean Daugherty has played the year before, Kobassan Konya. Okey played nine games in Turkey for Konyaspur. The following year he played in Finland's top-tier league for Namika Lahti, the same club fellow Badger Ray Nixon would eventually suit up for.

Later Okey returned to the United States and played 20 games in the CBA with La Crosse, starting 14, before the team folded in 2001. He averaged 11.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in his final professional season. Years later, Okey has cited burnout as the reason he didn't continue to pursue a playing career.

Recent years
In March 2014, Okey lived in Schofield, Wisconsin and worked as a hair stylist in Wausau, where his wife is from. By August 2015, Okey was a business development liaison with Dudley Corporation in Wausau. He also works with 14- to 16-year-olds in a local AAU program.