TOP ATHLETE OF THE PAST 30 YEARS: BEN ROVENSTINE (BARTLESVILLE)

By Mike Tupa

March 20, 2026

BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT

During his nearly 30 years of covering area high school sports for either the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise or the Bartlesville Area Sports Report, Mike Tupa has enjoyed the opportunity to observe some incredible athletes.

This is an ongoing series highlighting, each few days, one of those athletes from the 1996-97 school year through the present. The list is not in chronological order. The athletes are presented in random sequence.

_____

Today's Spotlight

BEN ROVENSTINE (Bartlesville)

Multiple sports (Class of 2005)

Ben Rovenstine invested an intensity and focus rare even among most good athletes.

He loved basketball — but more importantly loved being in the furnace of competition.

Some might ask who was the most indispensable player on Bartlesville’s 2004-05 state championship runner-up boys basketball team.

Of course all starting five were valuable components to the whole. But one might suspect that — arguably — without Rovenstine’s fire and unique skill set the squad might not have risen as high.

He could score all over the court, and in big gulps, he could rebound in a pit of vipers. He could handle a greased ball with a deft touch and deliver assists with the deftness of Houdini.

Rovenstine also excelled on the baseball diamond.

In college, he would star for four seasons at Northeastern State University (Tahlequah) in NCAA-II ball.

Appearing to measure out somewhere between 6-2 to 6-3, and a lean, muscular build, at around 160 to 170, in between — Rovenstine might have deserved the title Mr. Everything when it came to his impact on the Bruin basketball program.

An Examiner-Enterprise article during that time described Rovenstine as: “A 6-foot-three tornado in basketball shoes, Rovenstine hustles around the court with an intense zest. Even his shadow has a hard time keeping up with him. Yet, when it comes to directing the Bruin juggernaut, Rovenstine’s mind and awareness is as cool as a penguin’s bottom.”

He generally played the biggest on the toughest stage — in 2019 he was enshrined into the Tournament of Champions Hall of Fame.

Bartlesville captured the TOC’s prestigious championship during the 2003-04 season and finished as runner-up in the 2004-05.

During the 2003-04 TOC, Rovenstine averaged 19 points per game in leading the Bruins to the title.

Rovenstine came on board with the Bruin varsity as a sophomore in 2002-03. His older brother Caleb had already established himself as one of the team’s toughest and effective competitors.

It was during the golden era for coach Tim Bart, when he would guide the team to the state tournament in four out of five seasons (2001-02, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06). The 2002-03 team barely missed making it.

Although not equal with the Bruinmania a decade earlier when Bartlesville won state championships in three of four seasons (1988-89, 1990-91, 1991-92), Bart’s teams in the early 2000s revived a huge era of school and community energy and pride.

The Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise described the excitement thusly: “The sheer wall of noise from the Bruin student section and older Bartlesville faithful seemed to bulge the walls and rattle the light fixtures in the ceiling.”

Rovenstine set right into Bart’s brand of disciplined and well-drilled fundamentals, hard-nosed defense, and multiple offensive looks that could take advantage of what the defense gave up.

During the magical 2004-05 season, Rovenstine and his teammates tightened up and limited 24-of-28 opponents to 50-or-fewer points.

In the 2005 championship game — in which Edmond Santa Fe edged the Bruins, 40-37 — Rovenstine scored a team best 13 points, including a three-pointer that made it a one-possession game.

Some of Rovenstine’s other basketball highlights:

— During the first 10 games of a 10-0 start in 2003-04, Rovenstine’s points per game were 17, 24, 14, 19, 10, 6, 19, 19, 19 and 11. The Bruins would finish 22-4 for the season.

— During a 60-38 win in January 2003 against Muskogee, Rovenstine dropped in six three-pointers.

— In the state quarterfinals in 2004, Rovenstine nailed a trey to make it a two-possession game, 48-42, but Midwest City won, 54-47.

— He would be named the MVP for the 2004-05 ConocoPhillips/Arvest tournament, including scoring 19 points in the final against Enid.

As mentioned, Rovenstine also brought a lot of assets to the Bruin and American Legion baseball programs.

In March 2005 — during his first baseball game following the basketball season — he retired six Victory Christian batters on 20 pitches, four of them by strikeouts. In fact, he and starter Tyson Fugett had combined to whiff 13 of 18 batters.

Rovenstine would help the Bruins to a 10-4 start in 2005, the first year of Spence Rigdon as head coach.

After snatching his diploma, Rovenstine followed his college path to Tahlequah, where he established himself as one of NSU’s steadiest high-level players

During the 2008-09 season he started 27 games and averaged 8.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg while handing out 119 assists and making 34 steals.

In an 81-77 win against East Central he dropped in 25 points — including seven three-pointers — and grabbed five boards and spooned out nine assists.

Rovenstine racked up 17 points, five rebounds and five assists in a battle against Central Oklahoma.

He served as an assistant coach at Coffeyville Community College, Allen Community College, Independence Community College, and Rogers State College.

Twenty years following his graduation, Rovenstine remains one of the ultimate warriors and all-around quality basketball players in area history.

__________

Ben Roventsine with BASR reporter Mike Tupa

---

This series has featured the following athletes, listed in no particular order.

-Jena’ Williams, Bartlesville

-Eric Rolfs, Bartlesville

-Chris Smith, Caney Valley

-Jill Bryan, Copan

-Barron Tanner Jr, Bartlesville

-Hailey Tucker, Bartlesville

-Jeremy Dunkle, Dewey

-Whitney Metcalf, Bartlesville

-Tim Hamilton, Bartlesville

-Danielle Koster, Bartlesville

-Carson LaRue, Dewey

-John Hamman, Wesleyan Christian

-Jamie Elam, Caney Valley

-Sam Mitchell, Bartlesville

-Karissa Jones, Dewey

-Noah Hartsock, Bartlesville

-Tiffany Paper, Copan

-AJ Parker, Bartlesville

-Tiffany Eden, Caney Valley

-Henry Williams, Bartlesville

-Markell Carter, Bartlesville

-Rebecca Schluter, Wesleyan Christian

-Adam Hibdon, Barnsdall

-Tishuana Hunter, Nowata

-Nate Alleman, Bartlesville

-Jessie Burch, Dewey

-Joey McNair, Caney Valley/Bartlesville

-Michael Thompson, Bartlesville

-Kate Steward, Bartlesville

-Jarrett Rouse, Community

-Amanda Warehime, Bartlesville

-Trey Osborne, Dewey

-Heather Lanphear, Barnsdall

-Erin Epperson, Bartlesville

-Levi Wyrick, Caney Valley (Kan.)

-Spencer Magana, Dewey

-Jackie Jo Chaney, Copan

-Haley Downey, Bartlesville

-Cooper Fogle, Caney Valley

-Amanda Brown, Copan 

-Rachel Smith, Pawhuska

-Casey Cassity, Barnsdall

-Stacy Cornforth, Bartlesville

-Gabby Higbee, Dewey

-Kirby Schoenthaler, Bartlesville

-Tyler Kay, Barnsdall

-Colton Penrod, Bartlesville

-Erin Herchock, Dewey

-Lindsey Collins, Caney Valley

-Nathan Hughes, Bartlesville

-Aaron Hunt, Copan

-Calan Crowder, Bartlesville

-Colby Kohlmeyer, Caney Valley

-Allison Hunt, Copan

-Stephen Garrett, Dewey

-Brett Turowski, Bartlesville

-Hayley Bryan, Copan

-Kaitlyn Ritchie, Bartlesville

-Caroline Courtney, Bartlesville

-Preston Bartley, Copan

-Chris Turner, Bartlesville

-Michael Wolfe, Bartlesville

-Caleb Hawes, Barnsdall

-Austin Beck, Nowata

-Kortney Bridges, Dewey

-Brandi Schueler, Bartlesville

-Trey Cloud, Wesleyan Christian

-Wyatt Steigerwald, Nowata