We're Talkin' Sports!       

KGWA SPORTS

February 3, 2012

You can now Facebook me at Hoberecht Sportsview!

ENID HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS

Enid Plainsmen football on AM 960 KGWA Sports. 

You can hear Pacer and Plainsmen basketball exclusively on AM960 KGWA Sports!

The Enid High School Plainsmen football program had three players sign letters of intent Wednesday.  Mitchell Foote will be going to Emporia State, Carlos Bustillos will be attending UCO and Trevor Hammer will be going to Valparaiso.  

The Enid High School Pacers and Plainsmen split a doubleheader with Woodward last night at the NOC-Enid Mabee Center.  The Pacers,11-7, won 51-39 behind 19 points from Courtney Chelf.  The Plainsmen, 7-10, lost to Woodward 49-34 and had a difficult night shooting.  The Pacers and Plainsmen host the OKC Storm Friday night at the Mabee Center (change in original schedule) and host Stillwater Monday night.

The Enid High School Pacers and Plainsmen split games with Grove Saturday.  The Pacers lost 43-39 when Grove’s Taylor Dodson converted on a four point play with one second left in the game.  The Plainsmen won their third straight game beating Grove 57-41.  Mitchell Foote was back in action and led the Plainsmen with 19 points.  The Pacers 10-7 and the Plainsmen 7-9 host Woodward tonight at the NOC-Enid Mabee Center.  You can hear the games on KGWA Sports.

Enid High School has four athletes committed to play at the next level.  Senior Mitchell Foote has agreed to play football at Emporia State next year.  Senior Carlos Bustillos has agreed to play football at UCO.  Softball seniors Brooke Benge has committed to Cowley College and Rylee Nave has committed to Hutchinson Junior College.  

Enid High School Plainsmen head football coach Tommy Parker resigned his head coaching responsibilities citing needing more time with his family.  He will continue to be an assistant principal and athletic coordinator at the high school.  Coach Parker talked with me about his decision.

The Enid High School Plainsmen football team’s season ended Friday night with a disappointing 54-49 loss to Bartlesville on Senior Night.  The Plainsmen were down 27-7 at the half but came storming back outscoring Bartlesville 42 to 27 in the second half and had the lead at 49-48 with 1:31 left in the game.  Bartlesville scored the final touchdown to end Enid’s season at 2-8.  The Plainsmen played without outstanding wide out Mitchell Foote.  Senior quarterback Connor Daugherty had 333 yards of total offense and scored four touchdowns and threw for another touchdown in the loss.  The EHS Football Banquet is December 5th.

Enid High School Pacer Brooke Benge was selected to the Class 6A All-State team.  The senior right-hander had an outstanding softball career. 

The EHS Pacer softball team earned some district honors.  Enid junior Courtney Chelf and sophomore Abby Lee were named to the All-District 6A-4 softball team.  Two pacers were second team, senior pitcher Brooke Benge and senior shortstop Rylee Nave.  Plus two more Pacers were honorable mention, junior outfielder Kaitlin Bell and freshman Haven Bay. 

The Enid High School Pacer softball team competed in regional softball action in Jenks.  The Pacers lost the first game to Claremore 3-1 and lost the second game to Bixby 4-2 in nine innings.  Enid's Courtney Chelf hit her record setting eighth home run.  The Pacers end their season 20-19.  The Pacers were named the Class 6A State Academic Champions with a team 3.71 grade point average.  

The EHS Pacer volleyball team lost to Stillwater in regional action to end their season.  The Pacers finished 12-21.

Robb Mills, an Enid Pacer assistant basketball coach since 2003, has been named the head coach for Pacer basketball program.  Mills takes over a team that was 15-11 last year and made the Class 6A State Tournament.  Mills has a good nucleus of players returning and several younger players with good potential.  

Enid High School announced the hiring of Ryan Wilkinson as the new head Plainsmen basketball coach.  Wilkinson, 34, comes to Enid from Putnam City where he was an assistant coach under A.D. Burtschi.  

Enid native and OU senior linebacker Austin Box died May 19, 2011.  Box, 22, was a fifth year senior at OU and had graduated the Saturday before his death.  Box was part of Enid High School football team’s run to the 2006 State Football Championship Game and part of the 2005 American Legion World Series Championship team. 

The Enid High School Athletic Department now has a link on the Enid Public School’s web page located at www.enidpublicschools.org.

The OSSAA has released Average Daily Membership (ADM) numbers for state high schools.  Enid is 19^th in the state in Class 6A which is the top 32 schools in enrollment.  Broken Arrow and Tulsa Union both average over 4,000 students.  All the information is on the OSSAA website.

AREA SPORTS NEWS

Area basketball on KGWA Sports in January!

Crescent at Okarche Tuesday on KGWA!

Alva at Pioneer Thursday on KGWA!

The Class A and B district playoffs sites have been set by the OSSAA.  You can go to their website ossaa.com for complete brackets.

In area basketball tournament action, the Lomega Lady Raiders and the Burlington Elks won Cherokee Strip Conference Tournament titles.  Lomega beat Timberlake 45-38 and Burlington beat Lomega 54-43.  The Pond Creel-Hunter Lady Panthers and the Pioneer Mustangs won the 88th annual Skeltur Conference Tournament titles.  Pond Creek-Hunter beat Waukomis 57-49 and Pioneer beat Pond Creek-Hunter 59-37.   

The 43^rd annual Wheat Capital Basketball Tournament at Chisholm High School crowned champions Saturday night.  In girl’s action, Fairview beat Alva 47-46.  It was Fairview’s third straight title.  In boy’s action, Pioneer beat Kingfisher 50-38 for their second straight title.

The 9^th annual KOFM Prep Classic hosted by Oklahoma Bible Academy completed their three-day tournament at the Chisholm Trail Expo Center.  In girl’s action, Newkirk beat Okarche 42-37 to win their first Prep Classic.  Newkirk’s Abby Sheik was named MVP.  In boy’s action, Okarche beat Pioneer 49-39 to win their first Prep Classic.  Okarche’s Austin Kretchmar was named MVP.  Great tournament this year and we look forward to next year…the 10 annual KOFM Prep Classic.

Medford football coach Chas Burnham has resigned his position to go to work for SandRidge Oil & Gas.

Oklahoma high school football state champions were crowned over the weekend.  In Class 6A, Tulsa Union beat Broken Arrow 23-22 last Thursday night.  It was the Redskins four straight championship.  In Class 5A, Guthrie beat Lawton MacArthur 24-7 Friday afternoon.  It was the Bluejays second straight championship.  In Class 4A, Wagner beat Clinton 23-0. In Class 3A, Anadarko beat Cascia Hall 35-18.  In Class 2A, Hennessey beat Jones 21-7 to win back-to-back state titles.  In Class A, Wayne beat defending champion Woodland 35-28.  In Class B, Caddo beat Davenport 44-14.  In Class C, Shattuck beat Tipton 26-6.  

Burlington 6-foot-1 senior Garrett Butler has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball for NAIA Southern Nazarene.  He is coached by Randy Turney. 

OBA’s Taylor Crismas has been selected to the Class 4A/5A All-State volleyball team.

The Oklahoma Bible Academy Lady Trojan volleyball team lost to Heritage Hall in the Class 5A volleyball state semi-finals Saturday.  Both the OBA girls and boys cross country team qualified for the Class 3A state meet this week in Shawnee.

Chisholm High School has announced the hiring of Jake Lenherr as their head baseball coach.  Lenherr is married to the former EHS basketball All-Stater Jessica Aebi.

After 19 seasons, OBA’s Devon Schafer will no longer be the boys’ head basketball coach.  He will continue to teach and will be the girls’ assistant coach.  Coach Schafer cited the need to step away and the opportunity to coach his daughters.  Schafer will be the Tournament Director for the KOFM Prep Classic in December.

The OSSAA passed a new basketball classification rule.  Starting next year, Classes 2A-B will be split into equal classes.  Currently there are 64 teams in Class 2A, 96 teams in Class A and 128 teams in Class B.  The OSSAA will also consider six different proposals to address inequities between public and non-public schools in Oklahoma.  The OSSAA board will hold a special meeting to discuss each proposal.  Update...the OSSAA Board decided to further study three proposals.

The Shattuck Indians won six state championships and a record 113 games in the recently concluded decade.  Two other schools won more than 100 games over the past ten seasons, Okeene 102 and Kingfisher 101.  Those two schools didn’t have a losing season in the 2000s.  Two area players, Medford’s James Kilian and Kingfisher’s Curtis Lofton went in the NFL draft and Garber’s Brady Bond was a four-year starter at OSU.  Area teams won 18 state championships over the decade.

In area basketball the past decade, a northwest Oklahoma area school won a state title in every season except 2006 and 2009.  Dover won four Class B titles in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005.  Woodward won three state girls titles in 2001, 2002 and 2004.  Lomega won Class B girls titles in 2007 and 2008 and a boys title in 2001.  The Kingfisher girls won Class 4A in 2000.  The Alva girls won Class 3A in 2003 and the Okeene boys won Class A in 2007.  Okeene had the rare distinction of winning both the football and basketball state championships in 2007.  (Thanks to Bruce Campbell for the information on high school sports the past decade.)

OU and OSU SPORTS

You can hear OU Sports on AM 960 KGWA Sports!

Wednesday was national signing day and all three state schools had solid recruiting classes.  OSU signed 24 players and Coach Gundy talked about the Cowboys’ recruiting.  OU signed 25 players and Coach Stoops talked about the Sooners’ recruiting. 

The OU Sooners were coming off a solid road win at Kansas State last Saturday but lost at Kansas 84-62 last night.  The Sooners were led in scoring by Romero Osby with 19 points and Steven Pledger added 17 in the loss.  OU, 13-8 and 3-6 in the Big 12, hosts Iowa State Saturday at 5 p.m.

The OU women are coming off a 74-68 overtime win at Kansas.  OU, 14-6 and 6-3 in the Big 12, hosts OSU Saturday at 2 p.m.  That makes it a basketball doubleheader in Norman Saturday including a bedlam game. 

The OSU Cowboys won on the road at Texas Tech Tuesday night 80-63.  The Cowboys got 30 points from Markel Brown and hit 33 of 35 free throws in the game.  OSU, 11-11 and 4-5 in the Big 12, hosts Baylor Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

The OSU Cowgirls went on the road and lost at Iowa State 73-52 last night.  The Cowgirls were led in scoring by Toni Young with 17 points and ten rebounds.  OSU, 12-6 and 4-5 in the Big 12, plays at OU Saturday.  Bedlam basketball!

The OSU Cowboys have tentatively set Monday, March 24 as the start of spring football and the Spring Game is set for Saturday, April 21.

Both the OU and OSU softball teams are ranked in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association preseason poll.  OU is ranked No. 5 and OSU is ranked No. 11.

OSU Cowboy head football coach Mike Gundy was honored by winning the Paul “Bear” Bryant College Coach of the Year Award.  The Cowboys finished 12-1, won the Big 12 Conference and beat Stanford 41-38 in overtime in the BCS Fiesta Bowl to finish third in the nation.

Big 12 football note…a Rhode Island Judge has ordered West Virginia and the Big East Conference to enter nonbonding mediation in their lawsuits about West Virginia joining the Big 12 Conference.  Meanwhile, the Big 12 football schedule is on hold!

The OU football program announced their Spring Game would be April 14^th.

Interesting OSU fact…the No. 1 ranked Oklahoma State University wrestling program took sole possession of first place on the all-time duals wins list Sunday with a 33-7 victory over Iowa State.  The Cowboys have 1,014 all time dual wins, just one more than Iowa State.  

OSU tennis coach James Wadley will retire at the end of the 2012 season.  Wadley is in his 40^th year as tennis coach at OSU.  His teams have made 19 NCAA appearances and won 12 conference titles.

OSU’s Quinn Sharp earned the College Football Performance Award as the nation’s top kick-off specialist.  Sharp led the nation in kickoff touchbacks with 61.  Sharp received the same award last year as a freshman.

OSU and head football coach Mike Gundy have agreed to a contract extension through the 2019 season.  It is believed the deal will pay Gundy an average of 3.7 million annually.  

The Big 12 Conference ended the football bowl season 6-2.

The University of Oklahoma and Fox are close to finalizing a deal that would air over 1,000 hours of OU sports annually.

OU’s Landry Jones announced that he would return to OU for his senior season.  Jones is the Sooners’ all-time leading passer with 12,389 yards and 93 touchdown passes.  Good news for OU!

It took overtime, but the Oklahoma State University Cowboys beat Stanford 41-38 to win the 41^st BCS Tostitos Bowl Monday night.  A big catch by Enid’s Colton Chelf in overtime got the ball to the half-yard line and Quinn Sharp kicked a 22-yard winning field goal in overtime.  The Cowboys never led until the winning field goal and had to come from behind all game.  Offensive Player of the Game Justin Blackmon (8-186-3) had three touchdown passes as the Cowboys won 12 games for the first time in school history plus their first ever BCS Bowl game.  The Cowboys defense bent but got two key turnovers in the game.  Stanford missed a 35-yard field goal at the end of regulation and missed a 42-yard field goal in overtime.  The BCS win made this a special season for the Cowboys…one Cowboy fans will never forget.

The OU Sooners won the Insight Bowl beating Iowa 31-14 Friday night in Tempe, Arizona before a bowl record crowd of 54,247 fans.  It was OU’s third consecutive bowl win.  The Sooners finished the season 10-3 on an upbeat note.  Blake Bell was named the Offensive Player of the Game rushing for 51 yards on 10 carries and three touchdowns.  Jamell Fleming was the Defensive Player of the game getting an early interception that set up OU’s first score.

OSU head coach Mike Gundy received the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award from the Football Writers Association of America.  Gundy became the OSU head coach in 2005 and the Cowboys have made marked improvement each year culminating with the first ever Big 12 Conference Championship and first ever BCS Bowl game.  It is the Cowboy’s sixth straight bowl game, longest post-season streak in school history.

OSU’s Justin Blackmon has been selected to the AP and Sporting News All-American college football first team for the second straight year making him a unanimous selection.  The Cowboys had six selections on the three AP teams including safety Markelle Martin second team, center grant Garner, tackle Levy Adcock, cornerback Broderick Brown and kicker Quinn Sharp all on the third team.

For the second consecutive year, Oklahoma State junior AD Franch has been named to the Soccer America MVPs First Team.

OSU’s Melinda Mercado and AD Franch were both named 2011 NSCAA First team All-Americans.  The two Cowgirls are only the second and third OSU women to achieve first team All-American status.

OSU has announced that Jim Littell will be the head women’s basketball coach at OSU.  He took over for Kurt Budke who was killed in an airplane crash last month.  

A Cowboy Bedlam win!  Oklahoma State University won their first ever Big 12 Championship beating Oklahoma 44-10 Saturday night in Stillwater.  The Cowboys dominated the 106th bedlam game getting five OU turnovers, three fumbles and two interceptions.  It was the second most lopsided win for the Cowboys.  It was the first eleven win regular season ever for the Cowboys.  The OSU defense was outstanding throughout the game.  OSU, 11-1 and 8-1 in the Big 12 finished third in the BCS Poll and will play Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl January 2^nd.  It is the first BCS Bowl game for OSU.  OU, 9-3 and 6-3 in the Big 12 finished 14th in the BCS Poll and will play Iowa in the Insight Bowl December 30^th. 

The OSU Cowboys placed a league-high 12 players on the 2011 All-Big 12 Football Teams, including eight first team selections.  OSU senior Grant Garner was named the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year and junior Quinn Sharp was the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year.

OSU’s Justin Blackmon won his second straight Biletnikoff Award given to the nation’s outstanding receiver.  

OU’s Patty Gasso was named to the 2012 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame.  Gasso is in her 18^th season at OU with a career record of 979-328-2.  (OU 813-269-2)

Oklahoma City will host the 2014 Big 12 Women’s post season basketball tournament.  The tournament was last played in Oklahoma City in 2009.  (2012-KC, 2013-Dallas).

OSU’s Peter Uihlein will turn professional and pass on his final semester at OSU.  He will begin his pro career on the European Tour. 

Oklahoma State University women's basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant women's basketball coach Miranda Serna were killed with two others Thursday night in a plane crash in Perry County, Arkansas.  Budke and Serna were on a recruiting trip to Arkansas.  There were no survivors.  "The Oklahoma State family is devastated by this tragedy," said OSU President Burns Hargis.  "Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of Kurt Budke, Miranda Serna and the other victims."  "Kurt was an exemplary leader and a man of character who had a profound impact on his student-athletes," Hargis said.  OSU athletic director Mike Holder said Jim Littell, associate head coach, would assume duties as interim head coach.  The university announced the Cowgirls will not play games scheduled Saturday and Sunday.  A memorial service was held Monday in Gallagher-Iba Arena.   

OU athletic director Joe Castiglione has been named to the NCAA basketball selection committee.  His term will run for two seasons.

The OU Sooner basketball program took another hit.  The Sooners were placed on three years probation, lose a scholarship, have to vacate all wins from the 2009-2010 season and pay a $15,000 fine for major violations committed by a former assistant under Kelvin Sampson.  Let the Sooner basketball program move forward under Lon Kruger!  And they did…getting a 78-74 win over Idaho State in Kruger’s debut.

Talking basketball, the OU Sooners signed two players Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period.  Both players are guards, Buddy Heid, 6-4, from Bel Aire, Kansas went to Sunrise Christian Academy and Jelon Hornbeak, 6-4 from Arlington, Texas went to Grace Preparatory Academy.  OU coach Lon Kruger really likes both players and thinks they fit into his system. 

The OSU Cowboys signed three players, Phil Forte, 5-11 guard from Flower Mound, Texas, forward Kamari Murphy, 6-8 from Bradenton, Florida went to the IMG Academy and guard Marcus Smart, 6-4 from Flower Mound, Texas (consensus top 15 recruit).  OSU coach Travis Ford thinks all three of his players can contribute next year.

Oklahoma State freshman basketball player Le'Bryan Nash is one of 12 players named to the 2011-12 Wayman Tisdale Award Preseason Watch List, given annually to the nation's top freshman by the United States Basketball Writers Association.  Nash has already been named the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year in a vote of the league coaches, and is the only Big 12 player on the Tisdale Award watch list.

The NCAA released its annual report on graduation rates and declared that college athletes are earning degrees at record rates and outpacing their fellow students.  Good news! 

The Big 12 Conference is taking steps to reform and stabilize the conference.  Former Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe resigned Thursday and the Conference named Chuck Neinas to serve as interim commissioner.  Big 12 schools, except Texas A&M, have pledged their TV rights to the conference for the next six years providing more conference stability.  Each remaining Big 12 school will have to secure another non-conference game for 2012.  TCU has accepted an invitation to join the Big 12.  West Virginia has accepted an invitation to join the Big 12.  Missouri is going to the SEC.    

The Sooners are scheduled to play TCU in Fort Worth next season.  Since it will now be a conference game, who will the Sooners replace them with in non-conference play?  Nebraska…”I knew that was coming.  Might as well,” Stoops quipped. 

OU extended Bob Stoops’ contract through 2015 and Joe Castiglione’s contract through 2017. 

With the early Sunday morning kickoff for the Cowboys football game at Tulsa (due to weather), OSU will play on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday this year for the first time in school history.  A little OSU football trivia!

OU will compete this season with an Austin Box decal (name and number) on their helmets, rotate his No. 12 jersey among the defense during the season and break the huddle with "12".  The tribute is to the Enid senior who died last May.

OU’s All-American wide receiver Ryan Broyles, a Biletnikoff finalist, set single-season school records for receptions (131), receiving yards (1,622) and a single game record of 15 catches.  Stoops calls him, “the most competitive wide receiver I’ve ever been around”.  Its conceivable Broyles could finish his career with 400 receptions, 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns.  Untouchable numbers!

The OSU Athletic Village is beginning to take shape and work will begin soon on the indoor practice facility.  The next part of the project will be the tennis center.

OSU freshman LeBryan Nash has been named the Big 12 Conference preseason basketball Freshman of the Year.  

OU athletic director Joe Castiglione talked with the media about OU having a 24-hour, seven day a week channel for OU sports.  Castiglione talked about making the channel a sustainable asset for the university and that it is a big undertaking.

OU head basketball coach Lon Kruger has hired Teddy Owens as a graduate assistant at OU.  Teddy Owens is the son of Ted Owens, who coached KU to two Final Fours. 

Enid native and OU senior linebacker Austin Box died Thursday, May 19, 2011.  Box, 22, was a fifth year senior at OU and had graduated the Saturday before his death.  Box was part of Enid High School football team’s run to the 2006 State Football Championship Game and part of the 2005 American Legion World Series Championship team.  

The Big 12 Conference is reworking their tiebreaker rules.  The two-way tiebreaker becomes simplified with head-to-head results.  The three-way tiebreaker remains complicated and involves the BCS standings.  

The Big 12 announced a new 13-year lucrative deal with Fox Sports.  Terms were not disclosed but it may be for $90 million per year beginning in 2012.  The Big 12 also has a deal with ABC-ESPN through 2015-16. 

All Oklahoma and Oklahoma State athletic programs scored well on the NCAA’s academic progress reports released this week.  The report reflects that OU and OSU are keeping their athletes in school and on track for graduation.

Former OSU stars Pete Incavigla and Robin Ventura have been named to the College World Series Legends team.  They are two of only 28 players that have been selected to this prestigious team. 

The OU football program announced that they have scheduled two games with Army.  The two teams will play in Norman in 2018 and at West Point in 2020.

Talking about OU basketball…No other college athletic program has produced the Heisman Trophy winner and Naismith Trophy winner in the same academic year or had a four-time AP All-American in women’s basketball.  Remember the year…2008-2009...there won’t be another like it. 

The Red River Rivalry will be in the Cotton Bowl until 2015.   The City of Dallas recently unveiled a 57 Million upgrade to Cotton Bowl Stadium adding more than 16,000 seats.  The enlarged structure is now the ninth largest stadium in the country with a capacity of 92,000 fans.  The Red River Rivalry is October 11^th between OU and Texas.  OU head Coach Bob Stoops is 6-3 vs. Texas including a 5-game winning streak from 2000 to 2004.  OU and Texas now each receive $850,000 in direct annual subsidy from the city of Dallas.  In 2012, the subsidy will be $1 Million for each team.

OU Athletic Director Joe Castiglione has been appointed to the NCAA Football Academic Progress Working Group.  Castiglione will chair the group that reviews academic progress in Division I football.

Talk about tradition.  OU has a long and illustrious history with the AP Football Poll.  The service began in 1936 and the Sooners have been ranked in the top five more than any other team and ranked No. 1 for 102 weeks and finished No. 1 in the poll and crowned national champions by the wire service seven times.  Only Michigan and Notre Dame can come close to those impressive stats. 

OU and Notre Dame have scheduled a home and home series beginning in 2012.  The Irish will come to Norman in 2012 and the Sooners go to South Bend in 2013.  What year did the Irish break the Sooners’ 47-game winning streak?

The Big 12 Conference and ABC/ESPN have announced an eight-year extension to their contract through 2016.  The contract calls for broader coverage.  The Big 12 becomes the first conference to be guaranteed three weekly men’s basketball telecasts on ESPN and ESPN2.

NOC-ENID SPORTS

Lady Jets 19-2 and 10-0          Jets 15-6 and 7-3

     The NOC-Enid teams play at Seminole Monday!

The NOC-Enid basketball teams swept a doubleheader from NEO last night.  The Lady Jets won 59-57 to improve to 19-2 and 10-0 in the conference and are ranked No. 10 in the nation.  The Jets won 81-64 to improve to 15-6 and 7-3 in the conference.  NOC-Enid plays at Seminole Monday. 

NOC-Enid played at Redlands last night and won two games.  The Lady Jets, 18-2 and 9-0 in conference and ranked No. 10, beat Redlands 72-43.  The Jets, 14-6 and 6-3 in conference, won 91-75.  

The NOC-Enid basketball teams swept a doubleheader from Carl Albert last night in Poteau.  The Lady Jets, 17-2 and 8-0 in conference won 72-54.  The Jets, 13-6 and 5-3 in conference won 77-66. 

Last year.  The Region II Junior College Baseball Tournament concluded with the Western Pioneers beating the Carl Albert Vikings 15-3.  Western went through the tournament run ruling each opponent.  The Pioneers won their District and returns to Enid for the Junior College Division II World Series.  The NOC-Enid Jets couldn’t get it done in the Junior College Region II Tournament.  The Jets lost to Carl Albert 9-8 Saturday to end their season at 32-24.  

NOC-Enid’s Deeva Vaughn was named first team NJCAA All-American.  She is the first Lady Jet to earn first team honors.  Vaughn was also the Region II Player of the Year.  Vaughn is the Lady Jet’s all-time career leader in points scored and rebounds. 

The NOC-Enid Lady Jets reached the Final Four at the NJCAA National Tournament in Salina, Kansas.  The Lady Jets lost to Trinity Valley 86-73 Friday night in the semifinals and lost to Pensacola 86-63 Saturday in the third place game.  The NOC-Enid Lady Jets complete their season 30-7 and finish fourth in the nation.  Great season, Scott Morris and the Lady Jets!

NOC-Enid Lady Jet Deeva Vaughn was named the NJCAA Region II Player of the Year.

The NOC-Enid baseball program will host the Division II Baseball World Series in 2012 at the David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid.

JUNIOR COLLEGE DIVISION II WORLD SERIES

The Western Oklahoma State College Pioneers were crowned Junior College Division II National Champions with a convincing 11-1 win over Jones County Junior College from Mississippi Saturday night before a standing room only crowd at the David Allen Memorial Ballpark.  The Pioneers scored 3 in the first, three in the third and five in the fifth to win their first ever national junior college baseball championship.  It was an outstanding tournament week at the DA and our city was a great host.  Congratulations Western and congratulations to Enid!

The Junior College Division II World Series returns to the David Allen Memorial Ballpark through 2014!

NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS

The NWOSU Ranger Alumni Association is hosting an Alumni Night Saturday prior to and during the Rangers games with Lubbock Christian.

NWOSU announced the hiring of Kasey Mahaffey as the women’s soccer coach.  She was an outstanding soccer player at UCO and most recently an assistant at East Central.  

NWOSU inducted four people into the Sports Hall of Fame Saturday including Pioneer Lady Mustang head basketball coach Slade Young (basketball) along with Al Hunt (football), Lynn Scott (football) and Marlena Elliott Johnson (basketball). 

NWOSU women’s soccer coach Steve Barrows resigned.

NWOSU has announced that Fernanda Frey is their first volleyball coach in school history.  The Lady Rangers will compete in volleyball for the first time next season.

NWOSU announced that Allen Hall would be the new head football coach for the Rangers.  Hall has college coaching  experience from the junior college level to Division I.  Hall comes to NWOSU from Bible Baptist School in Savannah, Ga. 

NWOSU lost at Panhandle State 41-35 to end their football season 4-6.

The NWOSU Rangers beat Southwestern Assemblies of God 62-39 to give Coach Barefield his 100^th victory.  Coach Barefield has announced his retirement at the end of the season. 

NWOSU's application for membership in NCAA II will not be granted candidacy status for the 2011-2012 academic year.  There were only a limited number of spots available this year.  NWOSU will re-apply next year.

NWOSU announced the addition of five players to the Ranger basketball program.  Coach Brown was pleased with the athleticism and the talent he recruited and will add to a talented group of players returning.

NWOSU has announced that Andy Carter is the new Director of Athletics.  Carter has been the AD at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, GA.  and at Newberry College in Newberry S.C.  Carter replaces Bob Battisti.   

NWOSU and SNU have accepted provisional membership invitations into the NCAA Division II Great American Conference.  Both schools will gain full status upon completing the three-year NCAA Division II membership process.

NWOSU announced that Stephanie Shaw has been named the head women’s basketball coach.  Shaw, a native of Plainview, Texas, was an assistant coach at Oklahoma City University for four years.  Shaw played basketball for Wayland Baptist from 2002-2005.  She is the sixth coach in the 40-year history of the Lady Ranger basketball program.

NWOSU’s baseball facility officially has a new name that will serve as a legacy to one of Alva’s legendary families.  The facility will be named Myers Stadium in honor of the late W.D. Jr. and Lillie Myers. 

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

17-4

The Thunder hosts Memphis Friday! 

  The Thunder leads the Western Division!

The Oklahoma City Thunder were coming off a 112-100 loss against the L.A. Clippers Monday night and bounced back to beat Dallas 95-86 in Dallas.  It was tied 85-85 with 2:09 remaining and the Thunder outscored the Mavericks 10-1 to win.  The Thunder were led in scoring by Russell Westbrook with 33, Kevin Durant added 23 points and 13 rebounds.  The Thunder, 17-4, hosts Memphis tomorrow.  They are back on the road Saturday at San Antonio and Monday at Portland.

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the L.A. Clippers 112-100 last night in Los Angeles to drop to 16-4, still the best record in the NBA.  Kevin Durant scored 36 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, Russell Westbrook added 31.  Serge Ibaka did not play because of an injury.  He’s day-to-day.  The Thunder play at Dallas Wednesday night before coming home to play Memphis Friday.  They are back on the road Saturday at San Antonio and Monday at Portland.

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat Golden State 120-109 Friday night to improve to 16-3, the best record in the NBA.  Kevin Durant scored a season-high 37 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Russell Westbrook had 28, James Harden 10 and Serge Ibaka finished with a season-high 20 points and 12 rebounds.  Big night for Ibaka!     

The Oklahoma City Thunder hosted New Orleans last night and won 101-91.  The Thunder was led in scoring by Kevin Durant with 25 points, James Harden added 18 and Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka had 14 each.  The Thunder, 15-3, plays eight of their next nine games on the road.

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat Detroit 99-79 last night at the Chesapeake Arena.  The Thunder was led in scoring by Russell Westbrook and James Harden with 24 points each.  Kevin Durant added 20.   

The Oklahoma City Thunder signed Russell Westbrook to a five year 80 million dollar deal.  That puts Westbrook with the Thunder through 2017.  Durant's contract runs through 2016.

Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Blake Griffin are all finalists for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games basketball team.  The 2012 Olympic games are July 27 through August 12 in London.

Bad news for the Thunder…back-up guard Eric Maynor is out for the season with a torn ACL.

The Oklahoma City Thunder has acquired small forward Lazar Hayward, the 30^th overall pick in the 2010 draft, from Minnesota in exchange for Robert Vaden and two conditional second round draft picks.  Hayward adds size and shooting to the Thunder bench.  The Thunder are two deep at every position with solid experience.       

The Oklahoma City Thunder schedule is out and it will be a tough grind to get through the 66-game schedule that begins Christmas Day and ends April 25.  The Thunder plays back-to-back-to-back games on January 6-8 (at home against Houston, at Houston, back home against San Antonio).  The Thunder plays six games in eight nights February 3 through February 10 (the first game at home and then five straight road games).    The Thunder will be on ESPN nine times, on TNT six times and on ABC twice and the remainder of the games will be on FSN.  

The NBA is back!  The owners and players have agreed in principle to a deal.  The tentative deal between the owners and players came about 3 a.m. Saturday in New York after a 15-hour marathon bargaining session.  Hopefully, the lockout ended on day 149.  A proposed 66-game schedule is set to open Christmas Day.  Legal matters make it unclear when the deal will actually be approved and players can report to practice plus there is a list of several issues that need to be resolved including re-certifying the players union.  The new agreement is for ten years but either side can opt out after the sixth year.

So, what is the Oklahoma City Thunder’s priority list?  No. 1 is sign Russell Westbrook to an extension of his contract.  No. 2 is sign Daequan Cook.  No. 3 is sign Reggie Jackson, the 24th overall pick in the draft.  No. 4 is finding some bench scoring through a trade.   

The Thunder’s Kevin Durant is busy making his film, “Switch”, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  He plays himself in the movie and it is about him losing all his talents and can’t make the high school team.  The movie is due to be released in the first quarter of 2012.

The Oklahoma City Arena will be known as the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The Oklahoma City Thunder picked Reggie Jackson, a 6-foot-3 guard from Boston College in the NBA Draft.  Jackson has some offensive ability but will have to improve defensively to fit in with the Thunder.

ESPN, The Magazine, ranks the Oklahoma City Thunder as the sixth best pro franchise.  The rankings are determined by eight categories analyzing team’s efficiency in giving back to the fans plus its game performance.    

In the three years in Oklahoma City, the Thunder have gone 23-59, 50-32 and 55-27 and the Northwest Division title last season.  It is all about the Sam Presti process and the improvement of this young team needs.   

Last season.  The Oklahoma City Thunder got eliminated from the Western Conference Finals losing at Dallas 100-96.  The Thunder had another lead late in the game but couldn’t close it out for a second straight game.  Russell Westbrook had 31 and Kevin Durant and James Hardin both added 23 in the loss.  Great season for the young Thunder team.  Look for them to make another run deep into the playoffs next season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder won game seven 105-90 to advance to the NBA Western Conference Finals against Dallas.  The Thunder did it behind a 39 point effort from Kevin Durant and a triple-double from Russell Westbrook (14 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds) plus James Hardin added 17.  The Thunder hit 11 3s and were 20 of 23 from the foul line.  

The Thunders’ Kevin Durant was selected to the All NBA Elite first team.  Teammate Russell Westbrook was selected to the second team.

The Oklahoma City Thunder advances to round two of the NBA Finals with a thrilling 100-97 win over Denver.  Kevin Durant was stellar in scoring 41 points (16 of the last 20 Thunder points) plus blocked a Denver shot late in the game.  Russell Westbrook added 14 points, James Harden had 12 and Serge Ibaka had a career high nine blocked shots.  It was a big team effort as the Thunder had to come from nine points down to take another huge step in getting to the second round of the playoffs in just their third year in Oklahoma City.

The Oklahoma City Thunder finished the regular season 55-27, winning the Northwest Division of the Western Conference and finishing fourth in Western Conference.  The Thunder finished 30-11 at home and 25-16 on the road.  Kevin Durant won the NBA scoring title for the second straight year joining an elite group of 11 players to accomplish that feat.  

Russell Westbrook scored his 4,000^th career point to join Oscar Robertson, LeBron James, Chris Paul and Anthony Hardaway as the only players in NBA history to have 4,000 points, 1,500 assists and 1,000 rebounds in their first three NBA seasons.

OKC Thunder star Kevin Durant was named the 2010 Oklahoman of the Year by Oklahoma Today magazine.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Fox Sports Southwest have announced an exclusive multi-year contract to broadcast Thunder games.  Thunder owner Clay Bennett indicated that for the exception of 15 nationally televised games, Fox Sports Oklahoma would broadcast the entire Thunder regular schedule.  

Kevin Durant’s new deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder is worth approximately $85 million, the maximum allowable salary under NBA rules.  Durant signed his contract Thursday and the Thunder has Durant under contract through 2016.  The contract does not contain a player option that would allow Durant to become a free agent following the fourth year of the new deal.  The Oklahoma City Thunder cornerstone is in place.

Good news for the Thunder!  Sam Presti, 33, has agreed to a multi-year extension as executive vice president and general manager of the Thunder.

The Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks is 46 years old from Modesto, California.  He is married and has two children.  Brooks played in the NBA nine seasons and was a member of the Houston Rocket 1993-1994 NBA Championship team.  

The Oklahoma City Thunder got their first ever NBA win with an 88-85 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday night, November 2, 2008 at the Ford Center. 

OKLAHOMA CITY REDHAWKS 

68-75   Final

The Oklahoma City RedHawks announced manager Tony DeFrancesco will return for his second season in Oklahoma City.  RedHawks were 68-75 last season.

Mandalay Baseball Properties announced the purchase of the Oklahoma City RedHawks.  The RedHawks are a AAA farm team of the Houston Astros.  

WNBA TULSA SHOCK   3-31   Final

The WNBA Tulsa Thunder hired Gary Kloppenburg as their new head basketball coach.  Kloppenburg spent the last four seasons with the Indiana Fever, who made the playoffs each year.  The Shock is just 9-59 in two seasons in Tulsa.

The WNBA Tulsa Shock lost to Los Angeles 84-73 Friday night and lost to San Antonio 102-94 in overtime Sunday to finish the season 3-31.  The Shock set a WNBA record for fewest wins in a season and a WNBA record losing streak of 20 games.  The Shock ownership group remains committed to the WNBA and to keeping the franchise in Tulsa.

Talking about the WNBA.  It celebrated its 15^th season of action.  The first game was June 21, 1997 before over 14,000 fans at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles.  Sparks point guar Penny Toler made the first WNBA basket, a 12-foot swish.  The league has 12 teams.

The WNBA Tulsa Shock beat Minnesota 94-82 Sunday afternoon (05-23-10) to win their first game in Tulsa franchise history.  

OKLAHOMA CITY BARONS

30-11-2-3

Oklahoma City leads the West Division!

The Oklahoma City Barons have won seven straight games and have the best record in the AHL at 30-11-2-3.          

The American Hockey League announced a new divisional alignment.  The Oklahoma City Barons remain in the West Division.  

The Oklahoma City Barons lost to Hamilton 2-0 in game five of the AHL playoffs Friday night at the Cox Center and lost 4-1 Sunday in Hamilton, Ontario to lose in the first round of the playoffs 4-2. 

The Oklahoma City Barons AAA hockey farm team hired Bill Scott as their general manager.

The Oklahoma City Barons announced their new mascot, Derrick, the mountain loin.  The Barons are the farm team of the NHL Edmonton Oilers.

The new hockey franchise, the Oklahoma City Barons, part of the American Hockey League, will play in Western Conference’s West Division.  The Barons will play in the division with Chicago, Houston, Milwaukee, Peoria, Rockford, San Antonio and Texas.  The hockey league has 30 teams.  

ENID SUMMER BASEBALL

Enid plays in the American Amateur Baseball Congress

Enid Majors 33-23     Final     Enid Minors 19-32

The Enid Majors were eliminated from the season ending Town League Tournament in Woodward Saturday.  After two rain delays, the Southwest Shockers beat Enid 9-6 in 11 innings.  The game was tied 4-4 going into the 11th when the Shockers scored five times.  The Enid Majors end their season 33-23.

The Enid Majors and Minors continue play in the Town League Tournament in Woodward Thursday.  The Majors lost 10-6 to Woodward and will play Okmulgee at 1 p.m. today in an elimination game.  The Minors were eliminated from the tournament losing to Okmulgee 11-9 and end their season 19-32.     

The Enid Majors were the only undefeated team going into the Connie Mack State Tournament championship finals.  The Majors lost the first championship game to OKC Sandlot 8-1 Saturday night and lost to OKC Sandlot 4-3 Sunday afternoon on an unearned run in the fifth.  The Majors, 30-21, and the Minors will play in a season-ending Town League Tournament in Woodward beginning Wednesday.  

The Enid American Amateur Baseball Congress baseball program had five teams this summer.  Enid fielded two 18-year old teams, one 16-year old team and two 14-year old teams.  Games were played at the David Allen Memorial Ballpark and at the NOC-Enid Ballpark.  The Ballpark has a website at davidallenballpark.com.  

GOING...INSIDE THE GAME

The Super Bowl is set with New England playing the New York Giants.  New England beat Baltimore 23-20 for the AFC title.  The New York Giants beat San Francisco 20-17 in overtime for the NFC title.  The 46^th Super Bowl between the Patriots and the Giants is set for Sunday, February 5^th.  

This year’s bowl season…35 bowl games in 23 days beginning Saturday, December 17^th.  Tulsa lost to BYU 24-21in the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday, December 30^th.  The OU Sooners beat Iowa 41-14  in the Insight Bowl on Friday, December 30^th.  The OSU Cowboys beat Stanford 41-38 in overtime in the BCS Fiesta Bowl on January 2^nd.  The BCS Championship game:  Alabama 21     LSU 0!  

The 76th annual All-College Classic is the oldest holiday tournament in our nation.  OU has won the most All-College championships with 23 followed by OSU with 18 and Oklahoma City University with five.  Do you remember some of the All-College Basketball Classic greats?  Players like Elgin Baylor (Seattle), Cornell Green (Utah State), K.C. Jones (San Francisco), Karl Malone (La. Tech), Pete Maravich (La. Tech), Robert Parrish (Centenary), Bill Russell (San Francisco), Arnold Short (OCU), Dave Stallworth (WSU) and of course Wayman Tisdale (OU).  Brings back some really good memories!

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski is now the Division I winningest coach with 903 wins and counting.  Duke beat Michigan State 74-69 Tuesday night giving Coach K the top spot in career wins.

The St. Louis Cardinals won the 2011 World Series beating the Texas Rangers in seven games. 

Los Angeles Dodger’s lefthander Clayton Kershaw won the Warren Spahn Award.  Kershaw led all lefthanders in wins, strikeouts and ERA.  Kershaw was presented the award in January at the Warren Spahn Award Gala in Oklahoma City.   

New York Yankee Mariano Rivera became the all-time MLB save leader getting his 602nd save against the Twins Monday night (09-19) in New York. 

The NCAA wants to simply the massive 439-page Division I rule book, enforce stronger penalties for rule breakers, increase academic standards and link academic performance to possible postseason bans.  In essence, NCAA leaders want to give college sports a complete overhaul.  Let’s hope they have a well-diversified committee to study the issues and make sound recommendations.

The David Allen Memorial Ballpark has been selected to host the newly formed NCAA Division II Great American Conference Baseball Tournament in May, 2012.  The conference consists of six Arkansas schools and three Oklahoma schools with Southern Nazarene and Northwestern Oklahoma State University being in the process of joining the conference.  I talked with conference commissioner Will Pruitt and Bill Mayberry.

Enid native and former Notre Dame standout and 2009 graduate Kelcy Tefft has joined the Notre Dame coaching staff after serving as an assistant at Tulsa for two years.  Tefft was a two-time All-American during her playing days at Notre Dame finishing with the most combined singles and doubles wins in program history with 265.  

Enid’s Stacy Prammanasudh finished 59th on the official LPGA Money List earning over $143,000.  The 2012 LPGA Tournament schedule begins in February.

Texas Ranger Michael Young got his 2,000^th major league hit last season.  Young, 34, is the first Ranger and the 21^st active player to reach the milestone and is the 11^th fastest in history to get 2,000 hits. (1,621 games)

Long time, well-respected officials Guy and Worry Hays were inducted into the Oklahoma Officials Association’s Hall of Fame.  Good guys and good officials!

The Enid Wheat Capital Golf Tournament was won by former Enid All-State golfer and current Tulsa player Chris Worrell. 

The National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors, Learfield Sports and USA Today present the Director’s Cup annually to the top overall college athletic program in the country.  Stanford won the Director’s Cup this year.  Among Big 12 schools, Texas A&M finished eighth, OU finished 10th, Texas was 12th and OSU was 32nd.

The NBA Rookie of the Year is LA Clipper Blake Griffin.  The former OU star missed all of last year but had a great debut averaging 22.5 points per game, 12.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists plus 63 double-doubles.  He was named to the NBA All-Star team in his first season.

Ohio State's Jared Sullinger was presented the inaugural Wayman Tisdale Award.  The award is given annually to the top freshman in college basketball.

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Champion is Connecticut!  The Huskies beat Butler 53-41.  It was an ugly championship game with Butler shooting only 18.8% from the field.  UConn’s Kemba Walker was the MVP and UConn’s Jim Calhoun won his third NCAA Championship.

The NCAA Women's Basketball Champion is Texas A&M!  The Aggies beat Notre Dame 76-70.  It was the first ever NCAA Women's National Championship for Texas A&M who didn't admit women until 1963.  Texas A&M's Danielle Adams was the MVP.    

The NFL is making several rule changes to avoid injuries on kickoffs.  The NFL approved moving kickoffs up five yards to the 35-yard line allowing for more touchbacks.  Kick coverage players now will be limited to lining up five yards or fewer from the spot of the kickoff.  The NFL tabled two other changes dealing with player safety for further study.

Oklahoma Baptist University announced Thursday the school would be adding football, men’s and women’s swimming and women’s lacrosse.  The football program will play a full schedule in 2013.  The additions will give OBU 21 sports, 10 men’s and 11 women’s teams.  OBU is a member of the Sooner Athletic Conference and the NAIA.  

Enid’s very own Mark Price retired from the NBA in 1998 as the all-time leader in free throw percentage.  He averaged 15.2 points per game and 6.7 assists per game over his NBA career.  His number was retired by the Cleveland Cavaliers.       

The NCAA and OU announced that the 2012 NCAA Gymnastics Championship and the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Championship will be at the Oklahoma City Arena.  Oklahoma City will also host the 2014 NCAA Volleyball Championship at the Oklahoma City Arena. 

The NCAA announced the 2012 Final Four was awarded to the Superdome in New Orleans.  The 2013 Final Four, the 75^th anniversary of the event, will be held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.  The 2014 Final Four is scheduled for the Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

The Oklahoma City All-Sports Association is a key part of the Oklahoma sports scene sponsoring the Winter State games in January and February, the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships in March, The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Regional in March, the Big 12 Softball Championship in May, The Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship in May, the NCAA Women’s College World Series in June, the Summer State Games in June and July and the ESPN Golf Invitational in August.  It is an impressive organization that has helped bring big-time sports and athletes to Oklahoma.

The Bowl Championship Series and ESPN announced a four-year contract beginning in 2011.

Fox Sports and the OSSAA have agreed to a five-year television deal.  FSOK plans to increase the number of live telecasts, web casts and tape-delayed championships to 30 or more including team and individual championship events.    

The Oklahoma Coaches Association Clinic and All-State Games will remain in Tulsa through 2012.  The biggest reason for keeping the games in Tulsa is because the venues in Tulsa are all within close distance of each other.  Venues in Oklahoma City are much more spread out.

According to a survey by Radio Heard Here, 75% of Americans have a favorite sport to listen to on the radio.  Among them, 30% say they prefer football, while 25% choose baseball, 15% basketball, 11% soccer and 7% motor sports, 4% hockey and 3% golf.

Verdigris Rotnei Clark and Pawnee’s Keiton Page both were on state championship basketball teams in 2008.  Clark is Oklahoma’s all-time career leading scorer with 3,758 points.  Page is second with 3,709 points.  Page set a career state tournament record with 369 points.   

The Daily Oklahoman had an interesting sports piece listing the 100 Greatest Sport Shrines in Oklahoma.  No. 1 is Southern Hills, the host of the 2007 PGA Championship, a record setting fourth time for the Southern Hills track.  No. 2 is Gallagher-Iba Arena and No. 3 is Owen Field.  Enid had two locations listed.  No. 39 is The David Allen Memorial Ballpark and No 47 is Mark Price Arena in Convention Hall.

Pond Creek native Van Shea Ivan hosts the Oklahoma High School Express Sunday night on KAUT television.  It is the state’s only weekly show devoted to high school sports.  Ivan does a great job reporting on the positive aspects of all high school sports. 

Inside The Game, KGWA Sports hour long sports talk show, airs every Wednesday evening during the school year at 6 p.m. live from the Jumbo Foods Deli on west Willow.  You can go "inside the game" with host Jay Hoberecht as he talks with the EHS coaches and players and with area coaches and players about current sports topics.

Buffalo Wild Wings Picks of the Week will be each Thursday evening at Buffalo Wild Wings from 6 to 8 p.m. during the  football season.  You can come by and enjoy dinner and see if you can pick the winners in our weekly area football contest.  

The OSU Cowboy Game Day is a program slated for Saturday morning on KOFM.  Sports Director Jay Hoberecht will have Coach Gundy's post-game comments and his Monday Media Luncheon comments plus interviews with coaches and  players plus preview that day's game each Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. on KOFM Sports.  

Check out Hoberecht Sportsview on Facebook!

Have a good day!