Oklahoma
Focus is bigger than basketball for Oklahoma State’s Mike Boynton in Remember the Ten game
Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton talks about Remember the Ten game
Oklahoma State basketball coach Mike Boynton talks about Remember the Ten game
OSU ATHLETICS
STILLWATER — Most of the current Oklahoma State men’s basketball players weren’t yet born on Jan. 27, 2001, when the plane carrying 10 members of the program crashed in a field in Colorado.
And many of the current players are in their first year as Cowboys, so they’ve never had the chance to experience a Remember the Ten game.
That’s why coach Mike Boynton made sure to spend some time this week — just like he does every year before the Remember the Ten game — educating his players on the added meaning of Saturday’s 1 p.m. matchup against West Virginia inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
“It’s always, in my mind, the most important day on the calendar,” said Boynton, now in his eighth season at OSU, seventh as head coach. “I really don’t care what anybody thinks about that. We played in the Big 12 Conference Tournament championship game. That year, the Remember the Ten game was the most important game we played, because it honors a commitment to real human life.
“Winning the game is important, but when I think about seeing those families here all the time, and their continued support of the program — in a way, they could be pretty bitter about this place … but those people continue to show up and support this program.”
More: Oklahoma State basketball falls short vs. TCU, drops to 0-6 in Big 12 play
Eight players on the roster are in their first year as Cowboys. And while some, like Brandon Garrison of Del City or Connor Dow of Broken Arrow, grew up in Oklahoma and likely have some awareness of the plane crash, others have only begun to learn about it.
“Just hearing about it and learning about it, you come back to the realization that it’s just a game that we’re playing,” said Jarius Hicklen, a super-senior transfer from North Florida. “It’s something much bigger out there for us. It’s just a humbling experience.”
Veteran Cowboys have an even deeper understanding of the Remember the Ten game and the added emotion tied to it.
“It means a lot to me, because I’ve been here and I understand what happened to those families and everything,” said senior Bryce Thompson, a Tulsa native. “Whenever that game comes, there’s a little bit more energy from us as a team, as a staff, everything, because we know we’re playing for something bigger than ourselves.
“It was a tragic event and we know we’re blessed to get to do this.”
More: ‘He’s special’: Oklahoma State basketball’s Brandon Garrison starting to show potential
With the kneeling cowboy statue as the centerpiece of the memorial on the south side of Gallagher-Iba Arena, the event is constantly present for the players, but Boynton works to make sure the meaning isn’t minimized.
“Quite easily, this thing can become a thing in the building that sits over there,” Boynton said. “They walk past it every day, because they go in that academic center. To have a moment to reflect on what happened, how it happened, why it happened, why we’re fortunate that we travel a little bit differently now than they did, in part, because of them.
“We take more precautions, so to be thankful and appreciative of that aspect is really important.”
This Cowboy season has had its share of bumps in the road, with the team currently mired in a six-game losing streak and chasing its first Big 12 victory Saturday.
Boynton and the players know the importance to the season that a win would provide. But the coach won’t let this game simply be about winning and losing.
“We’ll make sure we play with a little more of an edge,” Boynton said, “understanding it’s bigger than just a game against West Virginia on Saturday.”
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
More: Big 12 basketball power rankings: Iowa State making case for top spot in loaded conference
OSU vs. West Virginia
TIPOFF: 1 p.m. Saturday at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater (ESPN+)
Putnam City West High School will shift to virtual learning on Tuesday after an incident involving two students prompted an investigation by the district and Oklahoma City police, according to Putnam City Schools.
District officials said administrators were alerted near the end of the school day Monday to an altercation involving two students in the school’s arena area.
Officials said the students left campus, and the case was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for investigation.
District officials said no students or staff were harmed and there is no ongoing safety threat related to the incident.
What we know
Putnam City West sent the following email to all families and staff at the school:
All PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st.
Today, an isolated serious incident involving two students occurred on school grounds. Near the end of the school day, administrators were alerted to an altercation between two students in the arena area. The individuals involved quickly left campus, prompting an initial fact-finding response by school administrators before the matter was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for further investigation. Because this is an active investigation involving students, no further information will be released at this time.
We understand this information may be concerning to students, staff, and families. Please know we are committed to maintaining a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for all students. At Putnam City Schools, student and staff safety remains our highest priority. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution and to allow for a thorough investigation, all PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st. Students will need to check Google Classroom for updates from teachers.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support of PC West.
Putnam City Schools
All students and staff at Putnam City West will transition to virtual learning on Tuesday, April 21, while investigators continue their work, according to the district.
Students were told to check Google Classroom for instructions from teachers.
The district said it is withholding additional details because the case involves students and remains under investigation.
School officials have not said what triggered the incident or whether any arrests have been made.
This is a developing story. Updates will be added as more information becomes available.
TULSA, OKLA (KTUL) — A new program in Oklahoma is giving adults another way to finish high school by allowing them to use past credits and test scores to earn a diploma, an option officials say could help thousands of people and strengthen the state’s workforce.
For years, adults in Oklahoma who did not finish high school largely had one main option: earning a GED. Now, Oklahoma CareerTech is rolling out the Career Readiness Diploma, a pathway designed to build on what students have already completed rather than requiring them to start over.
“So in Oklahoma right now, if you look at the demographics, we have about 279,000 people in our state without a high school diploma. So it’s almost 10% of our population doesn’t have a high school diploma,” said Lance Allee, an adult education and family literacy specialist with Oklahoma CareerTech.
Allee said the program allows adults to apply previously earned high school credit and combine different assessment scores into a single record to qualify for a diploma.
“It allows the student to use previously earned high school credit. So, it’s kind of like a portfolio where you can take multiple assessment scores and put them into one portfolio to get your high school diploma,” Allee said.
The program is open to adults 21 and older. In some cases, officials said, participants can finish in just weeks, depending on how many credits they already have.
CareerTech officials say the program is also aimed at improving job prospects for individuals while helping Oklahoma remain competitive when attracting employers.
“When you’re a company and you’re looking at moving into Oklahoma, you look at the demographics and say, is there a workforce there that we can employ? And you say, well, about 10% of the population doesn’t have a diploma, they may start looking at states that surround us. So, we definitely want to get as many diplomas out there as we can,” Allee said.
The program started issuing diplomas in recent weeks, and officials said dozens more people are already in the process. For more information or to sign up click here.
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NORMAN — Cord Rager’s return comes at a pivotal time for Skip Johnson’s Oklahoma Sooners. Not only do they get their day three starter back in time for big road matchups against Auburn and Arkansas on the horizon, but the Sooners pitching strength, their rotational depth, is primed and ready for the test.
The freshman lefty finished with eight strikeouts and only gave up one hit in only 65 pitches before his day ended in the sixth.
No. 14 Oklahoma earn its first conference sweep of the season, defeating Missouri 8-4. It was OU’s fourth conference series win.
Oklahoma (27-12, 10-8) put their best foot forward as they turn the page to the meat of their schedule where they will do battle against No. 13, No. 20 and No. 16 over the next three weeks — two of those series’ on the road.
Four runs in five hits in the second got things rolling for the Sooners.
Camden Johnson continued his brilliant play of late with a triple in the second. This came after a Brenden Brock solo home run to put OU up 1-0. Deiten LaChance grounded out to short but scored Johnson. Dasan Harris and and Nolan Stevens each found home before the inning ended.
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OU found fortune from the plate again in the fourth. Four runs off of four hits highlighted by a three-run home run by Johnson put Oklahoma up 8-0. It was Johnson’s seventh home run of the season, second on the team behind Brock’s nine.
Trent Collier got the nod in the sixth to relieve Rager.
In the seventh, Missouri finally got on the board for the first time since the ninth inning of Friday night’s Sooner victory. Cam Durnin hit a solo shot — his fourht of the season — to make the score 8-1 in favor of the home team.
The Tigers got their third hit of the game shortly after. From there, Collier’s short day was done. Gavyn Jones came on to relieve
LaChance missed a home run by inches when Tiger center fielder Kaden Peer made a leaping catch, jumping into the fence.
In the eighth, the Tigers continued to chip away. With bases loaded, Blaze Ward hit a basehit to score two Missouri base runners. OU led 8-3 heading into the final inning.
Harris led the Sooners with three hits. His day was accented by an RBI, stolen base and a run.
Oklahoma will travel to Auburn to take on the No. 13 Tigers for a three game series starting on Friday. Before that, they will host Oral Roberts for a midweek game at Kimrey Family Stadium in Norman. The Sooners won 4-0 against ORU earlier this season.
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