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In Jayden Gibson’s Absence, Oklahoma WR J.J. Hester is Primed to Play a ‘Real Role’

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In Jayden Gibson’s Absence, Oklahoma WR J.J. Hester is Primed to Play a ‘Real Role’


NORMAN — J.J. Hester’s patience has been tested at Oklahoma. 

The Tulsa native transferred back to the Sooner State after two years at Missouri, but has spent the better part of two years on the training table rehabbing foot injuries at OU. 

Injuries prevented Hester from building on his 12 catches for 225 yards and two scores in his redshirt freshman season at Missouri, but the time might finally be right for the 6-foot-4 receiver to make his mark for the Sooners. 

“The only thing that’s held J.J. back is some injuries in his past,” OU coach Brent Venables said after practice on Tuesday. “He’s fought through that… He had a broken foot twice.”

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Suddenly, Hester will have the opportunity to carve out a role in Emmett Jones’ receiver rotation. 

Jayden Gibson’s season unfortunately came to an end with an injury he sustained in training camp, opening up a bundle of touches that the third-year player was expected to get this fall. 

Andrel Anthony, OU’s breakout star from the first half of the 2023 season, is still working back from the knee injury that cost him the back half of the season, leaving Deion Burks, Jalil Farooq and Nic Anderson as the proven commodities on the outside for quarterback Jackson Arnold

Finally back and healthy, Hester’s speed and large frame has him in position for a role in the offense when the Sooners kick off on Aug. 30 against Temple. 

“I’m feeling 100 percent,” Hester said on Tuesday. “You know, it took me a while to get back to this, but overall it’s been going great, and I’m just blessed to get back on the field.”

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Hester said he finally started to feel like his old self as spring football closed down a few months ago, which was cathartic after battling through the rehabilitation process. 

“It took a toll on me, definitely, just the mental side of it,” Hester said. “Just coming in here, wanting to help the offense play and then getting injured, that was definitely unexpected. I just stayed close with family, friends and kept God close, and I was able to battle back and come back.”

Gibson, who is listed at 6-5, would have been a matchup nightmare for opposing secondaries. 

Hester feels he’s built similarly, and that he’s a great option to slide in and post similar issues. 

“[I’m] a big, physical, downfield threat with speed,” Hester said. “Able to use my body in multiple ways and just, you know, put the defense in a bind.”

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The guys who go up against Hester every day in practice agree with the wide receiver’s assessment of his skillset. 

“I’ve seen that ‘918 JJ’ that I’ve known since high school,” Oklahoma safety Robert Spears-Jennings said on Tuesday. “He is showing himself and back into his groove and showing everybody why he should be fighting for that starting spot.”

Venables is excited about Hester’s all-around game, as he thinks he can impact the game in multiple ways. 

“He’s been fantastic,” Venables said. “He’s long, he’s really fast, he’s got a tremendous catch radius, he plays tough, blocks well and then he’s an excellent special teams player. 

“So, again, his growth and development is exactly other than the injuries is exactly what we thought we could potentially get out of him. So he’s going to have a real role for us.”

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Losing Gibson was a blow, but Hester is ready to slot in and take his opportunity this fall. 

“I’m looking forward to making a big impact,” Hester said. “You know, when one man goes down, the next is up. That’s what our coach preaches a lot, and he has everybody ready to go if anybody goes down.”



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The Spring adds immersive walkthrough to annual Encounter Hope gala in Sand Springs, Oklahoma

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The Spring adds immersive walkthrough to annual Encounter Hope gala in Sand Springs, Oklahoma


A Tulsa-based nonprofit is adding an immersive, walkthrough experience to its annual fundraising gala, aiming to give attendees a closer look at what survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking face — and how support services can help.

The Spring, which provides services to people impacted by domestic violence and human trafficking, will feature the walkthrough as part of Encounter Hope, its annual gala set for April 9 at the Arvest Convention Center.

The experience is designed to guide guests through the story of an abuse survivor across four stages of interaction with The Spring: the inciting incident, the crisis call, time at the emergency crisis shelter, and moving into safety.

“The idea is really to put you in the shoes of the people that we serve every day,” Allison Wells,

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The Spring’s events and environments coordinator, said. “It’s easy to throw out stats about violence and trafficking in Oklahoma, throw out our service numbers each year, but these are really peoples’ lives. We want to put our attendees in the mindset of one person, one story. What would you do if you were facing this?”

After the walkthrough, attendees will have the opportunity to assemble move-in kits for The Spring’s shelter guests and write personal notes of encouragement.

The program portion of the evening will include a panel discussion hosted by Karen Larsen, an Emmy Award-winning journalist who anchored Tulsa’s Channel 2 for almost 30 years.

“Tulsa is an incredibly charitable city, and we know that these kinds of gala events aren’t rare here,” Leslie Clingenpeel, The Spring’s CEO, said. “Our goal is to go beyond the model of these fundraising-only type events. More than anything, we want people to understand what we do, to know that we’re here, to know what our frontline advocates are doing every single day. Domestic violence and trafficking are hard to look away from once you’re aware of them. We want to build that awareness to the people of this city.”

Individual tickets and table packages are available for purchase.

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Attendees are encouraged to register before April 1 because space is limited.

More details and purchasing information are available at www.thespringok.org/encounterhope.

The Spring is a Tulsa-based nonprofit offering services to those affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking.

The organization provides emergency crisis shelter, transitional living, and non-residential services.

More information is available at www.thespringok.org.

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Oklahoma State outlasts UCF in overtime, Houston next

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Oklahoma State outlasts UCF in overtime, Houston next


ORLANDO, Fla. –

The Oklahoma State Cowboys men’s basketball bounced back in a big way Tuesday night.

Anthony Roy scored 27 points and Kanye Clary added 23, including seven in overtime, as Oklahoma State defeated the UCF Knights men’s basketball 111-104 in Orlando.

The Cowboys controlled the extra period, finishing overtime on an 11-4 run and outscoring UCF 17-10.

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Clary played a major role in closing it out. He hit a key 3-pointer and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in overtime to help seal the win.

The victory moves Oklahoma State to 18-12 overall and 6-11 in the Big 12, and gives the Cowboys two wins in their last three games after snapping a five-game losing streak. UCF, now 20-9 (9-8 Big 12), has dropped two straight.

Roy and Clary led a balanced offensive effort. Jaylen Curry and Christian Coleman each added 16 points, while the Cowboys shot 49% from the field (35-of-72) and 80% from the free throw line (32-of-40).

Themus Fulks led UCF with 22 points, while Riley Kugel added 18.

Late-game drama forces overtime

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The final seconds of regulation were chaotic.

With 24 seconds remaining, Isaiah Coleman threw down a dunk to give Oklahoma State a 94-91 lead.

But UCF answered quickly when Chris Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, tying the game at 94-94.

Oklahoma State had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Jaylen Curry missed a shot, and John Bol blocked Roy’s attempt, sending the game to overtime.

Cowboys respond after tough loss

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The Cowboys showed resilience after Saturday’s lopsided loss to Cincinnati.

The team traveled directly to Orlando following that defeat and was pushed through two intense practices by head coach Steve Lutz and the coaching staff.

The response was clear.

Led by Roy’s scoring and Clary’s clutch overtime performance, Oklahoma State delivered a gritty win and swept the season series against UCF

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Oklahoma City police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon

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Oklahoma City police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon


Oklahoma City Police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon Monday night.

The shooting happened near Northwest 10th Street and South Yukon Parkway near the border of Yukon and Oklahoma City.

Police are on the scene, and officials said the victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the hip.

OKCPD said they have at least one person in custody.

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This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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