FAYETTEVILLE — Fred Gulley made a name for himself playing in a gymnasium that overlooks Bud Walton Arena and Arkansas’ sprawling campus.

But when the time came for the Fayetteville guard to make a decision about college, he wanted to go somewhere not so close to home.

Gulley considered signing with the Razorbacks and being the type of go-to scorer and shutdown defender that his hometown team lacked a year ago. But Oklahoma State felt right, and now he’s only five days away from beginning his freshman season with the Cowboys.

“I kind of needed to get away, grow up more and stuff. At Arkansas, that’s just right up the street,” Gulley said. “I’d probably hung out with the same people and do the same things, so I kind of just wanted to get away and grow up.”

The last time Gulley played in an official game, he scored 21 points to help Fayetteville cap an undefeated season with a 40-34 win over Rogers High in the Class 7A State Championship Game on March 14. He was also named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

But Gulley’s role will be much different when Oklahoma State opens its season Saturday against Seattle University, giving the two-time Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year a chance to make his much-anticipated debut in Stillwater.

The Cowboys return three of their top five scorers from last year’s team that came within only a few minutes of advancing to the Sweet 16. Gulley won’t be asked to score as much this season, but he’ll likely be used as a defensive stopper despite being only 6-foot-2, 175 pounds.

“Defense is something I’ve always put a lot emphasis on in the past,” Gulley said. “They say that’s probably one of the toughest things from whenever you change from high school to college, is defense. And that’s probably my strongest area.

“So that’s something that ... I’ve really excelled (at), and they’re going to use me as a defensive stopper this year.”

Gulley was among three highly recruited guards who signed with the Cowboys in 2009, and he and fellow freshman Ray Penn have been pushing each other in practice for the starting point guard spot.

But Oklahoma State Travis Ford has expressed apprehension about letting either Gulley or Penn run the offense just yet.

Gulley played 22 minutes in the Cowboys’ first exhibition game on Saturday, scoring six points and grabbing four rebounds in an 89-80 win over Central Oklahoma. But he also committed a game-high nine turnovers to only one assist.

“I’m not totally ready to put a freshman in a spot where they haven’t earned it,” Ford recently told The Oklahoman. “I am excited about (Gulley and Penn). I think both of them will play a lot of minutes. But as far as starting, you’re a freshman; you’re going to have to earn it.”

Either way, Gulley should see significant playing time as a freshman, thanks to his ability to defend both quick guards and big men.

Fayetteville coach Barry Gebhart said Gulley takes pride in being able to “shut somebody down.” If an opposing player made several shots in a row against the Bulldogs, Gulley would often ask Gebhart, “Coach, you want me to guard him?”

“I think the biggest thing is he’s fearless. He truly believes he can guard anybody,” Gebhart said. “He guarded guys for us that were 6-6, 6-7. He guarded (Rogers High’s) Aaron Hawley. He guarded James Anderson at Oklahoma State.

“He guarded guys 5-9 and 5-10 that were quick as a cat and did equally as well guarding any of them. He’s just tenacious.”

To get his body ready for college basketball’s more physical style of play, Gulley said he has spent much of his first few months at Oklahoma State in the weight room. He has gained around 12-15 pounds, making him look less like the lanky guard who averaged 16.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 steals during his senior season at Fayetteville.

“They’re just trying to get a bit more weight on me. I mean, the Big 12 is one of the most physical conferences,” Gulley said, noting the constant pounding he’ll take as a freshman. “They just want my body to be able to last a full season.”

Profile

Fred Gulley

School: Oklahoma State

Class: Freshman

Notable: Gulley was rated as a three-star recruit coming out of Fayetteville High, where he averaged 16.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game as a senior. He led the Bulldogs to a 30-0 record and a Class 7A state championship as a senior, scoring 21 points and limiting Rogers High’s Aaron Hawley in a 40-34 win in the state title game.

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