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Oklahoma State football recruiting became a speedy process for Idabel’s Matrail Lopez

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Oklahoma State football recruiting became a speedy process for Idabel’s Matrail Lopez


STILLWATER — Matrail Lopez had a busy weekend in Tulsa already planned, with a Friday night basketball game and a Saturday afternoon 7-on-7 football event.

Yet in between, he and his family decided to squeeze in a trip that turned out to be immensely impactful in laying the groundwork for Lopez’s college future.

On Feb. 3, the morning after helping the Idabel boys basketball team defeated KIPP Tulsa 88-41, Lopez drove to Stillwater for a brief unofficial visit at Oklahoma State’s football facility.

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A few days earlier, OSU offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn had driven down to Idabel in the far southeast corner of the state, where he watched Lopez at basketball practice.

“I talked to him after practice and he offered me,” Lopez said. “He’s a cool dude. He’s outgoing and I think he’ll be like family going up there. He made me know they wanted me.”

More: Why Oklahoma State football teammates see Zac Robinson excelling with Atlanta Falcons

After his wild weekend traveling from Idabel to Tulsa to Stillwater to Tulsa and finally back to Idabel, Lopez decided OSU was the place for his college future. He announced his commitment on social media, becoming the Cowboys’ first commitment in the 2025 recruiting class.

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“We were on a time crunch for the visit, because we had to get back to Tulsa, so we only had a couple hours,” said Sammy Lopez, Matrail’s father. “I was really impressed with Coach Dunn, because we could’ve taken pictures and done all this other stuff, but he wanted to sit down and talk, get to know us and talk a little football.

“That really impressed us.”

Beyond that, a few key pieces fell into place for Matrail and his family.

Matrail got his first offers from Texas-San Antonio and Washington State during his junior season last fall. In mid-January, Tulsa and North Texas came in, and Dunn’s trip to Idabel followed shortly after.

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Even though it’s a four-hour drive from Idabel to Stillwater — “We joke that we’re three hours from anything,” Sammy said — the fact that Matrail can stay in his home state and play Power Five football became a big selling point for the Cowboys.

“My mom’s really happy,” Matrail said with a laugh, referring to his mother, Karess, who is an assistant basketball coach for the Idabel girls team where Matrail’s twin sister, Mercades, is the starting point guard.

More: Why coaches who know Paul Randolph call him a ‘home run hire’ for Oklahoma State football

The first four programs to offer Lopez liked him as a defensive back. 

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“Oklahoma State was the first one to offer on the offensive side, which was really intriguing,” Sammy said. 

A 5-foot-11, 175-pound receiver, Matrail has been training at C4 Sports Performance and Fitness, operated by Sean Cooper. Located in Durant, C4 is still nearly a two-hour drive from Idabel. But it has been worth it.

“It gives an opportunity for kids this way to get that elite training,” said Sammy, who coaches softball and baseball at Idabel. “We don’t have that where we are. Sean has done a great job providing opportunities for kids in small towns.”

Matrail is a multi-sport star. He’s a double-figure scorer at point guard on Idabel’s basketball team, which is ranked No. 6 in Class 3A, and he plays shortstop for his father on the baseball team.

“Growing up, baseball was my favorite sport,” he said. “I kind of fell in love with football in high school.”

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And the feeling was mutual from Idabel football coach Scott Pratt.

“He’s a great young man, just a high-character kid,” Pratt said. “He’s the same way every day. He doesn’t have good days and bad days. Just a good kid, fun to be around. Academically, he’s a great student, never an issue.

“Athletically — and I’m pretty partial — the last two years, he’s done some really good things for us and been a major contributor for us being successful because of what he’s done for us in all three phases of the game.”

More: How Oklahoma State basketball was hampered by shaky late-game play in Bedlam loss to OU

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Over the last two seasons, Idabel is 20-5 with playoff losses to either the eventual state champion or runner-up. And the Warriors did all that with Matrail playing a key role on offense, defense and special teams. 

As Idabel went 11-1 last season, Matrail had 814 receiving yards with 10 touchdowns on 41 catches (19.9 yards per reception). He added 484 rushing yards with nine touchdowns on 37 carries (13.1 yards per attempt). At safety, he had 61 tackles and three interceptions, adding an interception return, a kickoff return and a punt return for touchdowns to bring his total to 22 scores.

“Just a tremendous athlete,” Pratt said. “He comes from an athletic family. For us, he’s dangerous with the ball in his hands. 

“From an athletic standpoint, guys like him don’t come around all the time, so we’re fortunate to be able to coach him and be around him.”

When recruiters called Pratt, he mostly let Matrail’s athletic exploits speak for themselves through video, but the coach constantly points back to Matrail’s character away from the field — something that comes back to how Sammy and Karess have raised all their children.

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“We really stress that we want our kids to be good kids first,” Sammy said of Sammy III, Jaylee and twins Mercades and Matrail. “And then good students. Then the athletic part falls in line third. Those are the things that are very important to us.”

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.





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Oklahoma City nun dies in car crash after suspected medical incident

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Oklahoma City nun dies in car crash after suspected medical incident


A religious sister who ministered in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City died in a car accident Thursday afternoon after running off a rural highway northwest of the city, according to local news reports.

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Sister Veronica Higgins of the Carmelite Sisters of St. Thérèse of the Infant Jesus was killed after her vehicle left the road, struck a tree, and came to rest in a creek, authorities said.

The accident happened on Oklahoma Highway 3, about four miles south of Okarche, the hometown of Blessed Stanley Rother.

Higgins, 74, was “apparently ill,” and troopers wrote in the report that the cause of the collision was a medical incident, KOCO reported.

Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City paid tribute to Higgins shortly after the accident, writing on social media: “I have just learned of the sudden and unexpected death of Sister Veronica Higgins, CST, earlier today, Jan. 2. Please pray for the repose of the soul of Sister Veronica, the Carmelite Sisters of St. Thérèse, and all who grieve her passing.”

“Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord,” the bishop continued, adding that “funeral arrangements are pending and will be provided in the near future.”

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Higgins was the case manager at the Center of Family Love, a ministry to the intellectually disabled, in Okarche, according to the Okarche Warrior. She was also a past administrator and principal at the former Villa Teresa School in Oklahoma City.

According to The Oklahoman, she was a convert to the Catholic faith and celebrated the 40th anniversary of her vows as a religious sister in 2016.

On the website for her order, Higgins wrote that her favorite Bible verse is Micah 6:8, which reads: “The Lord asks of us only this: to act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with your God.”

An archdiocesan spokesman told CNA that the sisters are “still struggling with the loss” and that more information will be available next week.

The Carmelite Sisters of St. Thérèse of the Infant Jesus say on their website that the members of the order work to serve “the special needs of those who experience poverty, spiritual deprivation, moral disorders, and indifference.”

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Alabama basketball vs. Oklahoma in SEC opener: What to know, including a familiar face

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Alabama basketball vs. Oklahoma in SEC opener: What to know, including a familiar face


A familiar face will be in Coleman Coliseum as Alabama basketball tips off conference play this weekend.

The No. 6 Crimson Tide will host No. 10 Oklahoma for the SEC opener on Saturday with a start time of 5 p.m. CT.

Mohamed Wague will be back in the Plaid Palace to face his former Alabama (11-2) teammates for the first time since hitting the transfer portal in April.

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More Mo in the building for Alabama basketball SEC Opener

With Wague’s return, Alabama’s Mouhamed Dioubate won’t be the only “Mo” in the building.

The 6-foot-10 Wague notched eight starts in 33 games played last season at UA. Despite playing through a knee injury down the stretch, he put up 3.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists per contest with three double-digit outings.

Now with the Sooners (13-0), Wague has yet to start, averaging 7.3 minutes off the bench. As the first-year SEC members stay undefeated, he’s registered averages of 2.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

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Oklahoma basketball will be pesky at perimeter

Alabama will need shots to fall like they did against South Dakota State − and probably better − to outlast Oklahoma from deep. The Crimson Tide has been productive in the paint this year, but beating an OU team that’s limiting opponents to just 27.1% from the arc requires a presence from 3-point range.

UA shot 31.7% on threes through non-conference play while Oklahoma cleared 36.7%.

While OU has picked up statement wins over Arizona, Louisville and Michigan, and advanced into the top 10 of the coaches poll, it’s ranked 43rd in the NET compared to No. 9 Alabama. That’s because the Sooners have played seven games against teams currently in Quad 4.

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Crimson Tide can’t afford too many turnovers against Sooners

OU turns the ball over. Still not as much Alabama.

Entering Saturday, the Sooners are averaging 11.2 turnovers per game to 12.7 for Alabama. With Houston Mallette and Chris Youngblood back in the rotation, UA has gotten better about forcing them. However, if the two can’t get some steals against OU, Alabama could see itself fall victim to the Sooners, who are forcing over 14 turnovers per game on opponents, with an average 9.5 steals per contest.

Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.



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2025 NBA Draft: Jeremiah Fears Dominating For Oklahoma

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2025 NBA Draft: Jeremiah Fears Dominating For Oklahoma


The Oklahoma Sooners are off to an incredible start to the season, with 13 wins and zero losses thus. Oklahoma is one of three undefeated teams remaining in college basketball, with the other two teams being Tennessee and Florida — all three being members of the SEC. That elite conference also has ten ranked teams to this point in the season.

This is undoubtedly the best conference in college basketball, and it will be an absolute juggernaut for every game, with the teams going up against each other. Out of the three undefeated teams remaining, only one of them is led by a freshman.

Jeremiah Fears has been a star for the Sooners this season. 

Coming out of high school, he was a consensus four-star recruit, but he has played like a potential top-ten pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Fears is a 6-foot-4 point guard averaging 18.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He has absolutely stuffed the stat sheet and has played winning basketball the entire time.

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The talented lead guard just looks special with the ball in his hands. He consistently creates advantages off the dribble as he’s very quick and shifty with the ball in his hands. He is quite explosive, too, so it’s no surprise that he has scouts believing that he can be the guy for an NBA team if he is given the keys to the offense.

For him to come in and lead Oklahoma to an undefeated season during non-conference play has convinced a lot of scouts and NBA decision-makers that he’s worthy of a top-ten selection in this year’s draft. The decision-making and shooting concerns are quite valid for the young point guard, but he’s still very young and has a lot of responsibilities on a highly touted team.

Fears is just so dangerous off the dribble and might be the best advantage creator in the entire draft. His inside-the-arc scoring is really special. He’s able to finish around the basket with a ton of creativity, has a smooth mid-range pull-up jumper and has great touch on his floater. The touch is pretty good inside the arc which allows scouts to believe he can eventually be a consistent 3-point shooter as he continues to find his rhythm.

Fears begins conference play tomorrow in a tough road game versus No. 5 ranked Alabama. If the freshman point guard leads the Sooners to another win and keeps their undefeated streak alive, then we could really start to see Fears’ name reaching levels we haven’t seen before this year. Don’t be surprised if he jumps into the top-three conversations after this weekend.

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