Oklahoma State has added more size for next season.

Xavier transfer Abou Ousmane announced on social media Tuesday that he is committing to OSU. Going into his fifth season, Ousmane offers the Cowboys more experience.

Ousmane played a key role at Xavier last season, starting 29 of 34 games. However, his production took a hit when he moved to the Big East.

In his only year at Xavier, Ousmane averaged 6.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. With the Musketeers, he posted four double-doubles and had 13 games with at least two blocks. 

Before transferring to Xavier, the 6-foot-10 big man spent his first three seasons at North Texas. He had his best campaign in his final season there, making the All-Conference USA third team.

As a junior, he averaged 11.1 points, six rebounds and 1.3 blocks. In 2023, he helped North Texas post a 31-7 record and win the NIT.

Although Ousmane only played one game of the Mean Green’s NIT run, his impact that season earned him interest from a number of larger schools. However, that interest was not only because of his performance that season.

In 2021-22, Ousmane averaged 10.2 points and 5.9 rebounds. In his final two seasons at North Texas, Ousmane started all 66 games he played.

Before that, he played a limited role on North Texas’ NCAA Tournament team in 2021.

After OSU fired seven-year coach Mike Boynton, many key players entered the transfer portal. Athletic director Chad Weinberg chose Steve Lutz to lead the program into next season.

Ousmane is the latest addition to an OSU team that will look vastly different next season. Alongside the Cowboys’ other additions, Ousmane will look to help OSU back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.

Want to join the discussion? Like AllPokes on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has signed into law Monday a bill, which aims to provide financial grants to construct or retrofit homes, making them more resilient against the destructive forces of tornadoes, windstorms and hail.

Under the new law, known as the Strengthen Oklahoma Homes Act, grants will be made available by the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) to residential property owners who meet specific eligibility criteria.

These criteria include an owner-occupied, single-family primary residence. The grants are intended to help homeowners achieve safety standards outlined by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS).

Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready praises the Oklahoma Legislature and the Governor for approving this measure and the difference it will make to assist Oklahomans in fortifying their homes against natural disasters.

“The recent destruction we have seen across our state is a grave reminder why this legislation will be so important to help Oklahomans rebuild and protect their homes from severe weather,” said Mulready. “I am grateful to legislative leaders and the Governor for understanding our goal to help Oklahoma consumers reduce their homeowners insurance rates and fortify their homes against mother nature.”

The Strengthen Oklahoma Homes Act will establish a grant program aimed at assisting homeowners in reinforcing their roofs with impact-resistant materials that meet FORTIFIED standards set by the IBHS. These funds will enable consumers to construct or retrofit their homes with impact-resistant shingles and other enhancements. Additionally, many insurance companies offer reduced premiums for homes with such modifications.

The new grant program created by the law will be in development through the end of the year, with the first grants going out in 2025.

Source: Oklahoma Insurance Department

Topics
Oklahoma

The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder at home, losing 100-96. The loss means the series is even at two games a piece, and Game 5 shifts back north to Oklahoma City. The Mavericks had an opportunity to take control of the series, as teams that go up 3-1 win 95 percent of the time. Now they’ll have to win two of the next three games in order to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Shia Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 34 points, as well as eight rebounds. P.J. Washington led the Mavericks with 21 points, and also tied with Luka Doncic with 12 rebounds for most in the game. Doncic only scored 18 points, and Kyrie Irving didn’t do much better, scoring only nine points.

Here are four numbers to know from the game:

11: The number of missed free throws by the Mavericks

The Mavericks were awful at the charity stripe, only shooting 52 percent. That’s 11 misses from the line. Perhaps you noticed, Dallas lost by four points! Maybe hitting even half of those misses means they win the game. Championship contenders don’t give away free points, and that’s exactly what the Mavericks are doing. They need to fix it, immediately.

7: The number of turnovers by Doncic

Perhaps the most depressing stat of the night—Doncic had more turnovers (7) than field goals made (6). He’s banged up, obviously tired, but he has to be better. Sure, he ended up with a triple-double—18 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists—but the Mavericks need Doncic’s scoring. Part of this is on the coaching staff. They need to make things easier on Doncic, help him get some easier looks off actions from Irving or even Washington. Whatever, the solution, the Mavericks won’t go very far with Doncic performing like this.

4: The number of field goals by Irving

Similarly, the Mavericks need more from Irving. He’s been oddly passive in this series, but it hasn’t mattered much, since the Mavericks were winning. But tonight, he looked completely off and not aggressive at all. He only had four makes from the field and five fouls. Irving only took two 3-pointers, missing them both. As mentioned above with Doncic, Irving can’t have games like this. He did have nine assists, but the pressure he puts on defenses when he’s looking to score changes the dynamic on offense, and the Mavericks need it.

13: The number of blocks by the Mavericks

One positive stat! The Mavericks had 13 blocks as a team. The Dallas bigs were active and mean around the rim. Dereck Lively II and Derrick Jones Jr. had four blocks each. Daniel Gafford had three. Washington and Doncic even got in on the block party with one each. The game result was disappointing, but the defense around the rim was incredible.

You can listen to our latest podcast episode in the player embedded below, and to make sure you don’t miss a single one moving forward, subscribe to the Pod Maverick podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Pocketcasts, YouTube, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox.

You can check out our After Dark Recap podcasts, YouTube Live recordings, and guest shows on the Pod Maverick Podcast feed. Please subscribe, rate, and review.