Erik Madrid is the biggest big man in college basketball you have probably never heard of. He helped lead Oklahoma Baptist to the Division II Final Four in 2025-26 and will be back as a junior for the 2026-27 season.
You can’t miss him!
Madrid proudly considers himself an “old school big” in an era of college basketball where many teams are going small and/or fast and lean. However, his talents go far beyond his size.
What is Oklahoma Baptist?
Oklahoma Baptist University is located in Shawnee, Oklahoma, about 40 miles outside of Oklahoma City. It was founded by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma in 1910. The urban campus sits on 210+ acres. The student body hovers around 1,500.
When it comes to athletics, the Bison are members of NCAA Division II within the Great American Conference. They moved up from NAIA in 2015.
Oklahoma Baptist claims 10 NAIA national championships: two in men’s basketball, two in men’s outdoor track and field, four in women’s outdoor track and field, two in men’s swimming and diving and one in women’s swimming and diving. The last decade has not been quite as successful but the Bison are starting to make some noise in NCAA competition.
Men’s basketball is coming off of its best season in program history. Oklahoma Baptist went 31-4 overall. The Bison won the conference and reached the Final Four of the Division II NCAA Tournament. They were led by leading scorer Terry Coner Jr. and leading rebounder Erik Madrid.
Who is Erik Madrid?
A native of the Sooner State, Erik Madrid played high school basketball at Tulsa Union. He was already 7-foot-2, 300 pounds before his 17th birthday.
Madrid is listed on the roster at 371 pounds today.
You can’t miss him.
Warmups. About 15 minutes from opening tip. #OnToVictory pic.twitter.com/iDutJlUP2k
— OBU Men's Basketball (@OBU_MBBall) March 7, 2026
Madrid arrived to Oklahoma Baptist in 2024 but he averaged less than 10 minutes in 23 games. It was an opportunity to acclimate to the next level. Opposing defenses did not know how to account for the mismatch.
Madrid took a major step forward as a sophomore. He shot 70% from the field, which set a single-season record for Oklahoma Baptist and led the Great American Conference. He averaged 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per game with 44 total blocks and 14 total steals over 35 games with 22 starts. It was a huge breakout year.
His performance during the Elite Eight was crucial to the Bison’s run to the Final Four.
Oklahoma Baptist will begin the 2026-27 season against Cal State East Bay on Saturday, Nov. 7. If it is going to make another deep run in the NCAA Tournament, the biggest big man in college basketball will need to be the catalyst for success.