The unknown side of Phil Forte
Phil Forte has ice in his veins.
At least that’s how people describe his knack for hitting big shots in crucial moments.
But he attributes it to something greater — something beyond a cold-blooded play style.
It was the biggest game of his young college career. In Allen Fieldhouse. Against Kansas, his dad’s alma mater, the team he grew up rooting for.
And he couldn’t hit a shot. Forte was 2-for-12 heading into the final 30 seconds.
But when the big moment came, Forte responded. He was faced with one of the most mentally stressful situations in sports — hitting free throws with thousands of hostile fans screaming, insulting and begging him to miss.
Forte hit four free throws in the home stretch and sealed the deal for Oklahoma State’s 85-80 upset of then-No. 2 KU.
Ice in his veins, right?
That’s not what Forte said.
Walking by faith
Forte believes he did it with the help of God — with the Holy Spirit in his veins.
“People talk about Allen Fieldhouse,” Forte said. “I struggled there for a long time and then I get down to the end and I have those four free throws to make. I practice it all the time, but with thousands of fans screaming at you in the loudest venue, there’s no doubt that’s where my strength came from is God.”
Forte makes no secret about his Christian faith. He said it has become a huge part of his life — and success on the court — since coming to OSU.
“It’s just something as a kid you don’t really think about it a whole lot,” Forte said. “You just get your priorities mixed up sometimes. Something just kind of clicked with me when I got here. Everything happens for a reason. (God is) showing me the way, and I’m just kind of listening to his calling. I’m trying to glorify him through basketball; that’s the way I’m trying to spread his word. That’s the least I can do.”
Forte said the biggest reasons for his spiritual growth have been friends and teammates like Christien Sager, but he credited student manager Joe Pierre — son of assistant coach Butch Pierre — as his No. 1 mentor in faith.
“Especially Joe has taken me under his wing a little bit,” Forte said. “I’ve learned a lot from him, so it’s just great to have friends sharing the same beliefs as you and helping you grow, that’s really big.”
Along with Pierre and other teammates, they are involved at LifeChurch in Stillwater and attend campus worship events like Overflow. Still, Pierre said their bond really comes from simply having conversations.
“We just sit down and talk,” Pierre said. “We talk about our struggles, our beliefs.”
“I’m really vocal about my faith and what I believe and it just kind of inspired him and he clang to it. That’s all him though, I was just there to help him out.”
Shining the light
Now, faith drives Forte’s life.
Pierre said Forte slips away before games and reads his Bible for as long as 30 minutes.
He and Pierre read scripture on Pierre’s iPad just before the Cowboys take the court.
And when Forte hits a big shot, he’s known to simply look up — his way of paying tribute to God.
“He’s a student of the Bible now,” Pierre said. “I can’t catch him not reading. I’ll be like, ‘Hey, man you want to get something to eat?’ He’ll be like, ‘Man, let me finish this chapter first.’ It doesn’t matter what he’s doing.”
The faith in the Cowboys’ locker room goes beyond Forte. Pierre said many players are Christians, and that it’s part of the team’s culture — starting with coach Travis Ford.
“(Ford is) a Christian as well,” Pierre said. “He loves Jesus and he’s not afraid for anyone to know it. It starts with all the coaching staff, and then it escalates to the players.”
Pierre also credits God for allowing him to become a mentor to Forte and others.
He played at Stillwater High School and had dreams of playing college ball, but he tore his ACL and missed his senior season in 2011.
That led to Pierre becoming a student manager for the Cowboys, and thus being an inspiration to Forte.
“When I got hurt, and then I started doing some of things I’ve done, and then I had that personal encounter with the Lord, and now I’m here, and now Phil’s here and now I can help him — it’s just crazy,” Pierre said.
“It’s crazy how the Lord works things out to where you’re around people you need to be around. I feel like Phil has done that for me more so than I’ve done that for him.”
Hope overflows
As a result of his faith, Forte has experienced a major change in his attitude toward life.
“Phil is a guy who got here with a lot of pride, self-pride,” Pierre said. “With a lot of, ‘Me, Phil Forte.’ But now it’s like, ‘Man, this is me. I’m only a catalyst to the Lord. The only reason I’m doing this is to bring glory to the Lord.”
The change even influences Forte during games.
“Just this year I feel so much stronger anytime I take the court,” Forte said. “No matter how I play, whether I have 50 points or two points (God’s) going to be there for me after the game.”
For Forte, faith provides something beyond basketball — something Pierre said he thinks will define Forte before he leaves OSU.
“I know some people just try to know me as a basketball player,” Forte said. “I want to be known as more than that.”
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