CNA Staff, Jan 3, 2025 / 16:35 pm

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.

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.”

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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